76 RAIN IN TORRENTS. 



late proprietor in pursuit of his calling. On the floor 

 of the cavern were the remains of a fire which had evi- 

 dently been used during the preceding few days. 



Clearly the Indian had made his cache his place of 

 residence. Some cooking utensils lay scattered around, 

 and from a peg in a crevice hung the hams of a fine 

 cariboo buck. 



As old Jake investigated the condition of each skin 

 separately, and bound them into packs of a convenient 

 size for removal, the examination lasted for many hours. 

 At length all was ready for their departure. Pierre 

 volunteered to make the descent first, and deposit each 

 bundle as it was lowered in a place of safety. With 

 this intention he advanced to the mouth of the cave, 

 when an exclamation from him brought his companions 

 to his .side in a moment. While they had been busied 

 in their occupation, the rain had been descending in 

 torrents, and the creek, swollen by the deluge, thun- 

 dered down the canon with ever -increasing volume. 

 Small trees and wrack were whirled swiftly by the 

 former sometimes uprearing themselves in their natural 

 position above the foaming flood, sometimes standing 

 reversed, their roots uppermost, as they were caught in 

 the fierce eddies. 



The first thought of the hunters was for their canoe, 

 which contained their stores, and in fact almost the 

 whole of their worldly possessions. It was, without 

 doubt, swept from its fastenings and carried down to 

 the Athabasca, or capsized and sunk among the boul- 



