32 THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE BY LAND. 



the deluge of water which flooded the ground, and 

 rushed into our blankets. But we managed to keep 

 our matches dry, and lighted a fire when the rain 

 ceased. Meantime, about noon, nearly everything we 

 had was soaked again, and we had to spend the rest of 

 the day in drjdng clothes and blankets as before. 



On the third day after our arrival in this camp of 

 disasters, just as we were nearly ready to start, w^e 

 were again visited by a terrible thimder- storm, and once 

 more reduced to our former wretched plight. Again 

 we set to work to wring out trousers, shirts, and 

 blankets, and clean our guns, sulkily enough, almost 

 despairing of ever getting away from the place where 

 we had encountered so many troubles. 



But the fourth day brought no thunder-storai, nor 

 did we experience any bad weather for the rest of the 



voyage. 



We paddled joyfully away from our dismal camp, 

 and along the river- side saw numerous marks of the 

 fury of the storm ; great trees blown down, or trunks 

 snapped short off, others torn and splintered by light- 

 nine. The storm had evidently been what is called a 

 " riband storm," which had followed the course of the 

 river pretty closely. The riband storm passes over 

 only a narrow line, but mthin these limits is ex- 

 ceedingly violent and destructive. 



We had by this time finished all the provisions we 

 brought with us, and lived, for some days on ducks 

 and fish. A large pike, of some ten or twelve pounds, 

 served us for a couple of days, and we occasionally 

 caught a quantity of gold-eyes, a fish resembhng the 



