The Home of the Wolverene and Beaver. 205 



beneath. Owing to McLellan's nerve their Hves 

 were saved. Had he only wounded the big-horn it 

 must have escaped, for not one of the party was 

 capable of pursuing it. 



The animal was soon cut up, but with wonderful 

 self-denial the starving men reserved all the meat 

 for future occasions, and contented themselves with 

 soup made out of the bones. Strengthened in 

 body and elated in spirit by this manifestation of 

 Providence on their behalf, the wanderers pursued 

 their weary way, and ultimately, after three weeks 

 of suffering and unremitting toil, during the course 

 of which they were several times reduced to almost 

 the same straits, they escaped from the mountains 

 and arrived at Lewis River, a tributary of the 

 Columbia. Here they met with wild horses, and 

 encountered a tribe of friendly Indians, who re- 

 ceived them with much kindness, and supplied 

 every want that lay within their power, giving 

 them, amongst other things, two canoes, in which 

 they made their way to Astoria, arriving at the 

 settlement, haggard, enfeebled, emaciated, and with 

 only a few miserable rags in the shape of clothing. 



This was the account given by one party, and 

 from it the reader may form some idea of the 

 others. All the overlanders had now reached 

 Astoria, with the exception of six, Mr. Crooks, 



