334 ROUGH GROUND. 



carefully a most important thing to do in a mountainous 

 region, where the country is all so much alike. The trail led 

 me over two high ridges straight for the top of the range, and 

 I came then upon a very deep ravine, with almost precipitous 

 sides, on the other side of which was the main range. I was 

 by this time somewhat weary, for the ground was not only 

 covered with fallen trees, but these were partially hidden under 

 the snow, so that I was continually tripping and falling, so 

 I sat down and ate some of my bread, and rested until I was 

 too cold to remain any longer, when I began to descend, and 

 found even this very difficult, as the ground was loose shale, 

 which gave way continually, so that I slid down most of the 

 way. The bottom of the ravine was one mass of fallen rocks 

 and trees, and I made sure that I should find the bear in her lair 

 under these, as the opposite cliff was almost perpendicular and 

 looked impassable ; but when I reached the bottom I found that 

 she had gone straight up, and as it was shale and much steeper 

 than the other side, I gave it up and tried to climb the side I 

 had come down. This I found I could not do, as after getting 

 up some yards, the shale would slip from under me in a mass, 

 carrying the snow with it, and down I went. Finding I could 

 not manage it, I made my way along the bottom, and the going 

 was simply awful, for the rocks were piled up to a height of 

 from ten to thirty feet. I tried several times to get up the side 

 lower down, but always fell back again, and it ended by my 

 having to scramble along that horrible ravine for more than 

 three hours, feeling sometimes so utterly done that nothing 

 but the certainty of being frozen to death if I remained where 

 I was kept me going. At last I got to where the ravine ran 

 out into the plain, and as it was now long after sunset, I had 



