1849. DESCENT OF BEAR LAKE RIVER. 137 



drifted snow continued unmelted till the end of 

 the month. We stayed at the encampment on Bear 

 Lake Kiver till the 8th of June, much surprised 

 that the boat did not arrive, and forming various 

 conjectures to account for the delay. On that day, 

 Bruce and Mastegon came to us on foot, bringing 

 information of the lower part of the river being 

 still covered with ice, and that they had left the 

 barge a few miles within its mouth. They had been 

 four days on the march, one of which was occupied 

 in examining the ice, which they stated formed a 

 bridge at the rapid many feet in thickness. On re- 

 ceiving this intelligence, I resolved on descending 

 to the mouth of the river on foot, and after going 

 in the barge to Fort Norman, where I could join 

 Mr. M'Pherson, to send her back for the stores. 

 These were accordingly placed in a secure cache, 

 and left under the charge of Narcisse, to whom we 

 transferred our surplus stock of fish and geese, 

 being sufficient to maintain him eight or ten days 

 without touching the pemican, of which there was 

 a large reserve. The snow drifts formed excellent 

 ice cellars for preserving fresh provisions, the only 

 precaution necessary being to protect them from 

 the dogs by branches of trees. 



On the 9th, Mr. Bell, Bruce, and Mastegon, em- 

 barked with me in the fishing coble, and Morrison, 

 Mitchell, and Brodie, were directed to walk along 



