CROSSING THE NELSON. 231 



hours we tramped southward down the coast, with the 

 cutting wind in our faces. During the afternoon we 

 sought shelter, but finding none our course was altered 

 and shaped for the nearest wood, several miles inland. 



The great advantage of travelling on the open plain 

 is that there the snow is driven hard, and hence the 

 walking is much better than in the woods, where the 

 snow is soft and deep. Nevertheless, when the weather 

 is rough, as it was on this occasion, the heavy walking 

 is preferable to travelling in the open country in the 

 teeth of the storm. 



For the remainder of the day we bore southward, 

 and about sunset made camp on the south bank of a 

 stream known as Sam's Creek, in a lovely snow-laden, 

 evergreen forest an ideal Canadian winter woodland 

 picture. From this beautiful but chilling scene our 

 tramp was continued next morning at daylight. The 

 low shore of the Nelson was again reached and fol- 

 lowed, until about noon a decided change in the character 

 of the land was observed. A boulder clay bank com- 

 menced to make its appearance, and this as we advanced 

 rapidly reached an elevation of twenty-five or thirty 

 feet, and as we proceeded up the river became higher 

 and more thickly wooded. The change was a great 

 relief from the level, treeless coast. 



We were now well within the mouth of the great 

 Nelson River, and could already, through the rising 

 vapor, dimly see the outline of the opposite shore. 



Considerable ice was coming down the river, and on 

 this account we felt some anxiety as to crossing, but we 

 were now within a few miles of the boat of which we 

 had been informed, and it seemed possible that we might 



