xxiv THE WAPITI 399 



before we could accomplish our work. The stream ran through 

 the centre of the forest, and as Bob Stewart had brought a pail, 

 he devoted his attention to damping out the ground fires. We 

 cut large branches of green spruce, and dipped them in the stream ; 

 with these we beat out the flaring edges where the pine-needles 

 were in a blaze, or smouldering. It was annoying to see how new 

 spots of fire appeared, apparently by magic, as there was no per- 

 ceptible cause; the wind carried sparks which were invisible in 

 the bright sunlight, and these ignited wherever they fell, as though 

 they had adhered to tinder. 



Two or three large spruce were blazing among the branches, 

 although unharmed below. These were, after much labour, felled, 

 and the fire extinguished. None of our party desisted from our 

 hard work until every spark was extinct, and I wish that the 

 unsophisticated strangers who had caused the trouble had been 

 present, not only to aid in the labour, but to benefit from the 

 curses that were levelled at their backs, for setting a forest on fire 

 by such gross carelessness. Our people declared with much force, 

 that if we had not been in the neighbourhood to extinguish the 

 fire at its commencement, the whole of the slopes would have 

 been consumed, which I had termed the " ten mile forest." 



On 6th September we had a fall of snow. For thirty hours 

 the flakes fell without a moment's cessation. There was not a 

 breath of wind, and the entire surface of the country was covered, 

 to the depth of 8 inches, with the winter's garment. This was 

 extreme misery ; we had only two apologies for tents one for the 

 four men, a similar pattern for ourselves. It was dark when we 

 awoke in the morning, through the deep coating of snow which 

 lay upon our roof. Presently the flat battens which did the 

 service of tent-poles collapsed, and down came the tent upon us as 

 we lay upon the ground, buried beneath canvas and a heap of 

 snow. 



This took a considerable time to rearrange. Fortunately Henry 

 (the German cook) had made a large quantity of hot coffee ; this 

 he slipped beneath the tent-wall, and we never enjoyed anything 

 more delicious. 



Having mounted my horse, accompanied by Texas Bill, I rode 

 throughout the whole day over a large extent of country, as the 

 new sheet of snow would be a tell-tale guide to the game that had 

 moved since the fall. 



I returned much dissatisfied ; my eyes were terribly inflamed 

 by the glaring surface ; my face and neck were blistered, and we 

 had seen literally nothing except a solitary bull bison and a few 



