ESCAPING TO THE MOUNTAINS. 359 



Gradually, as the flames ceased to find fresh food, the 

 light went down, and died into darkness. We then called 

 over the roll of our little troop : not one was missing. 



When day dawned brightly on the landscape around 

 us, the horrible death from which we had so narrowly 

 escaped was presented to our eyes in all its frightful 

 reality. As far as the eye could take in the route which 

 my companions and I had followed for the last week, we 

 perceived a calcined soil, black as coal ; and here and 

 there, around a tree which had exhibited more tenacity 

 than the grasses, flames coiling in spirals, and piles of still 

 smoking ashes. 



Along a water-course, which poured its tribute into the 

 lake, the devastating fire had been arrested ; and the chief 

 of the tribe gave us to understand that this was very fortu- 

 nate for our projects, since on the other side we should 

 find the country where we were going to hunt. Rahm-o- 

 j-or, however, was of opinion that it would be prudent to 

 wait a day longer on the mountain, so that the fire might 

 completely die out. 



On a rocky soil, thinly covered with a short hard grass, 

 the Sioux pitched their tents ; and while Duquesne, 

 Bonnet, and Gemmel occupied themselves with the details 

 of our household economy, Messrs. Simonton, Sears, and 

 myself resolved to visit the boundaries of the cliff-girt 

 island in which the fire had compelled us to seek an 

 asylum. On the prairie side the mountain was separated 

 from the shore only by a very shallow and narrow channel, 

 which we had easily forded ; but, on advancing towards 

 the north-west, the lake spread out its waters for upwards 



