80 SERIOUS DIFFICULTY AT THE RIVER. 



cross. Now this was serious, as we had very little to eat and 

 had given away most of our blankets, intending to get new ones 

 at the Fort ; however, there was no help for it, and we had to 

 camp, and by lying very close together we managed to get 

 through the night fairly comfortably, or at least Badger and I 

 did so ; but F declared that he was frozen stiff when day- 

 light appeared, and we only thawed him by lighting a fire on 

 both sides of him. 



Mr. L - and a number of the men from the Fort came 

 clown to the opposite bank during the next day; but they could 

 do nothing for us, as the ice was now coming down in immense 

 masses, and from the way in which the smaller pieces were 

 ground up by the larger ones, we saw what our fate would be 

 should we attempt to cross. Our only chance was to find some 

 game, so Badger and I took a horse each and hunted up and 

 down the banks for miles, getting only three grouse and a few 

 squirrels ; we also saw a band of antelope in the distance, but 

 were not able to stalk them on account of the ground being 

 covered with half -melted snow and water. 



On the afternoon of the third day F was so miserable that 



I shouted across, offering ten pounds if they would bring a boat 

 over, and I saw them go away to fetch one. Towards evening, 

 a heavy flat-bottomed boat was in the water, and three strong 

 half-breeds were poling her across, keeping off the masses of 

 ice with great difficulty, and in ten minutes they were in our 

 camp. Of course the horses had to be left, so we turned them 

 loose, and getting into the boat we were soon in the Fort. 

 Here I found that my feet had been partially frozen, and they 

 had to be put into iced water to thaw them as the circulation 

 slowly returned it was curious to see small icicles form on them, 



