Robert practiced a while and they selected a day of departure.
They were to take with them all the powder and bullets, a large supply of food and their heavy bearskin overcoats.

They had also made for themselves over-moccasins of fur and extra deerskin leggings.

They would be bundled up greatly, but it was absolutely necessary in order to face the great cold, that hovered continuously around thirty to forty degrees below zero.

The ear muffs, the caps and the gloves, too, were necessities, but they had the comfort of believing that if the fierce winter presented great difficulties to them, it would also keep their savage enemies in their lodges.
"The line that shut us in in the autumn has thinned out and gone!" exclaimed Robert in sanguine tones, "and we'll have a clear path from here to the lake!" Then they rolled stones, as they had planned, before the door to their home, closing it wholly except a few square inches at the top, and ascended on their snowshoes to the crest of the ridge.
"Our cave will not be disturbed, at least not this winter," said Tayoga confidently.

"The bears that sleep below are, as I told you, the silent sentinels, and they will guard it for us until we come again." "At least, they brought us good luck," said Robert.