240 THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE BY LAND. 



Save me ! save me !" then, losing his presence of mind, 

 applied, in his confusion, the saying of his favourite 

 poet, ''In medio tutissimus ibis,'' and struggled into 

 deeper water still, instead of turning back to the 

 shallow part. He was in imminent danger of being 

 carried off, and Milton hastened to the rescue, and 

 brought him out, clinging to his stirrup. He was 

 dreadfully frightened, but gradually recovered com- 

 posure when assured w^e had no more rivers to ford 

 for the present. 



In a short time we reached a sandy plain, richly 

 clothed with flowers, and camped close to a clear 

 shallow lake, communicating by a narrow outlet with 

 the upper Athabasca Lake. Here we decided to remain 

 until Mr. Macaulay amved. On scanning the heights 

 beyond the lake with a glass, we saw a large flock of 

 bighorns on the loftiest crags, and The Assiniboine and 

 his son went out to hunt, but returned unsuccessful, 

 having been so enveloped in the mountain mists that 

 they found it impossible to proceed. 



During the day several more half-breeds arrived 

 with their wdves and families, and in the evening two 

 Shushwap Indians made their a^Dpearance, and set to 

 work to sjDear white-fish by torchlight. The few they 

 obtained they gladly sold us for a little ammunition and 

 tobacco. These were the first specimens of their tribe 

 which we had seen. They were lean and wiry men, of 

 middle stature, and altogether of smaller make than the 

 Indians we had met before ; their features w^ere also 

 smaller, and more finely cut, while the expression of 

 their faces was softer and equally intelligent. They 

 were clothed merely in a shirt and marmot robe, 



