378 . THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE BY LAND. 



again. We played " Pitcli seven np " till we were 

 too sleepy to see the cards ; the Hudson's Bay 

 man tuned up indiscriminately, Janet sang "Auld 

 Eobin Gray " five or six times, " Billy the Bladge " 

 carried on a fierce argument with the manager of 

 the bank on colonial politics, everybody talked 

 at the same time, smoked and drank whisky 

 until far on towards daylight, when we turned 

 out into the cold night with the thermometer 

 standing at five degrees, and made our way back 

 to Cusheon's. 



On the 30th of October, having spent ten days 

 in William's Creek, we resumed our packs, and bade 

 adieu to Cusheon's, Cameron Town, and Judge Cox, 

 and started for the Mouth of Quesnelle. The snow^ had 

 fallen to the depth of six or seven inches, but this 

 had been well beaten by previous passengers. We 

 reached the banks of the Fraser in three days, with 

 far srreater ease than we had walked the same dis- 

 tance on our way in. To our dismay, we found that 

 the steamer to Soda Creek had stopped rimning for 

 the winter ; but were relieved to learn that an open 

 boat would start for that place on the following day, 

 in which we took our passages. The owner of the 

 boat, Mr. McBride, was one of a party which had 

 ascended the Fraser, and crossed to Peace Eiver by 

 Stuart's and McLeod's Lakes, during the summer. 

 They had followed the Peace Eiver right through 

 the Eocky Mountains, and as far as Fort Dunegan, 

 on the eastern side. He described the country on 

 the west of the mountains as resembling the ordi- 



