about midnight
The River , ye ken , is no mickle aboon twa hundred miles frae Racoon Settlement , and Tam M'Intyre and I , who for five years hadna seen a living creature liker a woman than an Indian squaw , resolved on going to the ball , to see the lassies . We yoked our sledges on a snell frosty morning , set out across the great lake , and reached the log-house at Bear 's Point about dark . We got up a rousin fire , and drunk maybe a glass or twa extra owre our cracks about Scotland and the lassies ; but I 'll tak my aith o n't there was neither o ' us meikle the waur . But , however it happened , about midnight we baith awakened mair nor half scomfisht , and there was the roof in a bright lowe aboon our heads . M'Intyre singed a ' his whiskers and eebrees in getting out ; I was luckier , and escaped wi ' the loss only o ' my blanket and our twa days ' provisions . But we just couldna help it ; and , yokin our dogs by the light o ' the burnin , aff we set , weel aware that we wad baith miss our breakfasts or we reached the Hawk River . We travelled a ' that day and a ' the next nicht , the dogs hearty and strong , puir brutes , for we had been lucky aneugh to get the hinder half o ' a black fox in a trap -- the other half had been eaten by the wolves ; but oursels , Innes , were like to famish .