Continuing on south-west, another big lake will give him some relief from carrying the heavy canoe. First, he rinses the tanning fat from the small deer hide, then paddles around the lake enjoying the peacefulness of the cool morning.
Returning to shore, the hide is not ready so he takes a brief swim and nearly freezes! But the pile of spruce branches he'd made ready beforehand makes a quick fire and he's warm again.
Then it snows briefly for the first time in the year, and when it stops he finishes tanning. He tries
sleeping but the snow starts again in evening so he canoes to the southern tip of the lake. Snow turns to freezing rain and Rauko realizes he forgot to sacrifice for the killed deer... are the spirits telling him something?
He shurgs off those thoughts and presses on south-eastward, but the rain won't stop so he makes a shelter.
Rauko recites a ritual his father taught him to avoid angering underground folk, and sleeps well, waking late in the morning to light snow. The land is devoid of hills... just an expanse of trees and mires with few lakes.