The frame was held to oval shape by tying
the sides together. Then the filling was woven in, running the strands
diagonally, as shown in Fig. 32.
We had excellent weather for snow shoes after that snowstorm. A thaw
followed by a cold spell caused a thick crust to form on the snow which
would nearly hold us up without the aid of our snowshoes. We were rather
awkward with those shoes for a while, trying to keep them clear of each
other, and we found it particularly hard to turn sharply without causing
one shoe to run foul of the other. But with a little practice we soon felt
quite at home on them. In order to prevent cutting the web with our heels,
we found it necessary to wear rubbers.
Our vacation came to an end before we were prepared for the expedition to
Willow Clump Island. But before leaving the subject on snow shoes, two
more shoes remain to be described, namely the Swiss snow shoe and the
Norwegian ski. The Swiss shoe was made during the summer and the ski
during the following winter.
The Norwegian Ski.
[Illustration: Fig. 33. The Norwegian Ski.]
[Illustration: Fig. 34. Bending the Ski.]
The Norwegian ski was made of close-grained wood, 1 inch thick, 3-1/2
inches wide and 6 feet long.
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