OUT OF BECKONING. 239 



being carried out by means of a pill warranted to 

 cure all earthly ills. 



Although unable to capture any fish, I saw that 

 this lake swarmed with them. Several immense 

 trout, perfect leviathans of their race, continued 

 rising within stone-throw of the margin. White fish 

 also were constantly passing by in shoals, floating so 

 close to the surface that their dorsal fins were fre- 

 quently out of the water. With such an abundance 

 of wholesome food within sight, it was rather tan- 

 talising not to be able to obtain some of it. 



It was with regret I saw most clearly that unless 

 we reached our destination soon our poor animals 

 would be utterly knocked up from fatigue and want 

 of food. They were, without exaggeration, regular 

 bags of bones, possessed neither of energy nor of 

 strength. I would willingly have left them here, in 

 the hope that the return party might find them ; 

 but if such a course had been adopted, they would 

 not have survived twenty-four hours, as the wolves 

 would have been certain to take advantage of 

 their unprotected condition, and harass them to 

 death. 



My companion informed me this evening that he 

 was beginning to fear that he was out of his reckon- 

 ing, for, to the best of his calculation, we had 

 travelled all the necessary distance to transfer us 

 from the camp we had left to the one we sought. 

 A pleasant prospect truly! Still there was no use 



