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ACADIENSIS

while the others had been digging out the snow. M. Henaut and the Indian cut and gathered wood enough to keep the party warm during the night. After supper was over they were a little disappointed at the loss of their brandy, which had nearly all ran out of a hole in the barrel, although they had taken care to gum it well. The party did not discover their loss until they wanted a glass after their meal.

The little that was left was, however, at once distributed among them, after which they laid down on the boughs, with their blankets around them, and slept well, the bright moon and stars shining directly on them.

After breakfast next morning, and after having adjusted their packs and put on their snow-shoes, they again continued their journey, following the shores of the Nepisiguit to a rapid then known as Seals Rapid. From this there were two trails to the Forks of the Miramichi, one which lead through the burnt land being shorter than the other, but more difficult to follow. Father LeClerc being very anxious to reach his new mission field as soon as possible, resolved to take the route which lead through the burnt woods, which district we will allow him to describe in his own words:

"In order that what is meant by the burnt woods may be understood, I may tell you that one day, at a time of extraordinary drought, the sky seeming all on fire, full of storms and thunderings, which roared and re-echoed from all parts, the lightning seized npon not only all of the woods and forests between the Miramichi and Nepisiguit rivers, but also burned and destroyed more than one hundred and fifty leagues of the country, so that nothing was to be seen but the blackened trunks of very high trees, whose frightful sterilty bore the marks of a general and altogether surprising conflagration. This vast extent of country is, during the winter, always covered by snow, nothing to be seen there but bushes and small shrubs, which seem more like islands two or three leagues distant from each other than the woods or forests of Canada. In a word, this fire was so furious and violent that the flames darted from one bank of the river, seizing upon the other,
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