There was no occasion for windows. A
certain amount of light made its way in by an orifice, a foot
square, that had been left in the roof for the escape of smoke. The
hut itself consisted of one room only, about eighteen feet square.
When this was finished, all hands set to work to pile up a great
stack of firewood, close to the door, so as to save them from the
necessity of going far, until snow had ceased falling, and winter
had set in in earnest.
The cart had brought six carcasses of sheep, that had been
purchased from a peasant; these were hung up outside the hut to
freeze hard, and the meat was eaten only once a day, as it would be
impossible to obtain a fresh supply, until the weather became
settled enough to admit of their hunting.
The preparations were but just finished when the snow began to fall
heavily. For a week it came down without intermission, the wind
howled among the trees, and even Charlie, half stifled as he was by
the smoke, felt no inclination to stir out, except for half an
hour's work to clear away the snow from the entrance, and to carry
in wood from the pile.
The time passed more cheerfully than might have been expected. He
had by this time begun to talk Polish with some facility, and was
able to understand the stories that the men told, as they sat round
the fire; sometimes tales of adventures they themselves had gone
through, sometimes stories of the history of Poland, its frequent
internal wars, and its struggles with the Turks.
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