SEVERE SNOW-STORM. 251 



as he could. We killed game enough to last a week, so that 

 I should not have to leave camp, and he then started, meaning 

 to try to do it in six days the distance being about a hundred 

 and twenty miles. The morning after he left I got up, think- 

 ing it seemed very much colder than the day before, and on 

 trying to open the door of the tent I found it was held down 

 by a mass of snow, as it was banked up against the canvas to 

 the height of four feet. This was a pleasant prospect for a 

 man left quite alone in the mountains, forty miles from any- 

 where. However, I had to have breakfast ; so I waded out, 

 and after feeling about with my feet for some time I found the 

 shovel, with which I cleared away the snow for a fire, and 

 found the cooking-things and axe, which of course had been 

 buried. Fortunately there was any amount of pitch-pine a 

 grand wood in a cold country, as it is full of resin and I soon 

 had a large fire and some steaks on it, when I began to feel 

 comfortable once more. Having finished my breakfast and 

 warmed myself with about three pints of hot coffee, I hunted 

 up the horses, which I found looking very miserable; but 

 Polly had omitted to come for her sugar, and had got into the 

 middle of a thicket. The picketed horses had turned their 

 tails to the storm, and had stood so still that they had a 

 sharp ridge of snow several inches high all along their backs. 

 I brought them to the fire, and threw on a great quantity 

 of wood, making a grand blaze, which they appreciated as 

 much as I did ; and I then turned them loose, as they could 

 find some feed among the trees, and would be sheltered at the 

 same time. 



I was sitting near the fire doing some mending, having a 

 goodly collection of stockings lying by me, when I heard the 



