268 THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE BY LAND. 



had been uniformly bright and warm since we left 

 Edmonton, seven weeks before. The next morning 

 proving fine, the Iroquois set out on his return to 

 Jasper House, and we shortly after went in search of 

 our horses, to prepare for the commencement of our 

 journey forward to Cariboo. But we were delayed for 

 several hours searching for Mr. O'B.'s horse, which 

 was nowhere to be found. The Assiniboine evidently 

 chuckled over the loss, although he declared he could 

 not for the life of him imagine what had become of 

 the horse. Mr. O'B. was indignant, and vituperated 

 the Iroquois and Assiniboine, but did not attempt to 

 assist in the search ; and we abandoned it at length 

 T\dtli the con^dction that the Iroquois was the thief, 

 and it was useless to pursue him. 



One of the young Shush waps agreed to accompany 

 us for a day's journey, in order to show us the emi- 

 grants' trail, and we determined to follow it as far as 

 practicable, ho]3ing to reach Cariboo in the end. The 

 track led us through an easy country, sandy and un- 

 dulating, and lightly timbered with small spruce. We 

 crossed a small tributary of the Eraser, skirted the 

 shores of a small lake, and by evening had impercep- 

 tibly passed the height of land between the watershed 

 of the Eraser and that of the Columbia. The Shush- 

 wap stayed the night with us, put us on the trail of 

 the emigrants the next morning, and then returned. 

 We said good-bj^e, little knowing the long and weary 

 time we should pass before we again saw the face of 

 man. 



The track here bore to the right, to enter the most 

 westerly of the two narrow valleys, into which that of 



