90 pioneer life; or, 



and on the opposite shore lived three lumbermen, 

 who could afford us the refreshments we felt we so 

 much needed. I went out into the stream, to see 

 whether a crossing was practicable. The water was 

 three feet deep, unusually rapid, and a short distance 

 below was a deep hole, but I resolved to make the 

 attempt. Returning to the shore I took hold of 

 Benjamin with one hand, while in the other I car- 

 ried the axe ; Benjamin took hold of Gamble, who 

 in his other hand carried a stick with which to brace 

 us against the force of the current. The bottom 

 was rocky, with moss growing upon it, which aided 

 us in retaining a footing. We finally succeeded in 

 reaching safely the other shore, a distance of fifteen 

 rods. Our dogs swam after us, but the best one was 

 carried down under the ice and drowned. About 

 four o clock we reached the lumberman's, and they 

 immediately arose and prepared some refreshments, 

 for us, which we took, and without stopping to rest, 

 we started for my brother's, six miles distant. The 

 traveling was so difficult that we did not arrive there 

 until two o clock in the afternoon. The next day, a» 

 I was quite lame, I hired four men to go and bring 

 the elk home. There was a kind of trail to Kettle 

 Creek fifteen miles, and from there to the pen was 

 ten miles. In the afternoon of the second day they 

 reached the place, but found that the elk had thrown 

 down the pen, gnawed off the rope, and escaped 

 with twenty feet of it. The party returned, and gave 

 me an account of my misfortune. I was still lame, 

 and hired three others to catch him. Thov were to 



