322 AN ACCIDENT. 



under the bark of decayed pines they find abundance 

 of worms : some trees were curiously marked by their 

 bills, scarcely an inch of their surfaces being left 

 untouched. During the early part of the day we 

 walked without snow-shoes, a good crust having 

 formed on the ice, but the noonday sun in softening 

 the track compelled their adoption. I had the 

 misfortune to cut my foot severely with an axe the 

 morning after we started, and only continued the 

 jom-ney as a lesser evil than those of delaying my 

 companions by their return with me, or retracing my 

 steps alone, which, in case of great loss of blood or 

 other accident, might be of fatal consequence. So we 

 bandaged up the wound, and I donned my mocassin, 

 determined to make light of the disaster, although 

 blood welled from the gash, and, penetrating through 

 blanket-socks and mocassins, congealed upon the 

 snow-shoe. I suffered long and severely by this 

 accident, the considerable walking (above a hundred 

 miles) irritated the wound, and on the return journey 

 to Fort Norman the snow had so much melted that 

 we had frequently to march ankle or even knee deep 

 in ice water ; this of course was very bad, and for 

 some time nothing would excite the hurt to sensation. 

 On arrival at New Fort Franklin, I found several of 

 the party very unwell, and all pale and delicate- 



