RETURNING TO THE "LAST WOOD" 275 



musk-ox killing a number of the Indians were badly snow- 

 blind, so much so that they were obliged to wear a kind of 

 veiling over their faces even in the lodge. And still I was 

 spared. 



During these four days of plodding in practical darkness 

 I was impressed with Beniah's accurate gauge of direction. 

 Probably two or three times in the day he would sight 

 over my compass, and then, despite the fact that we could 

 not see very far ahead, he would keep the course with 

 what seemed to me astonishing precision. A number of 

 times there was an incipient mutiny among the Indians, 

 who questioned his. direction, but on every occasion my 

 compass settled the dispute and proved Beniah right. 



At last, about noon of the fifth day, the storm broke, 

 and though the sun did not appear at first, the clouds 

 lightened, and some of the fury went out of the wind. 

 Still, we could not see very far ahead of us. As the day 

 lengthened the clouds brightened, until at four o'clock it 

 was possible to see ahead quite a little distance. 



I was the leading train in the procession, and at six 

 o'clock had reached the top of a ridge, when 

 a scene spread before me that made cold 

 chills chase up and down my spinal column 

 and my hair seem to stand on end. Di- 

 rectly in front, and not half a 

 mile away, was a dark patch. 

 I could scarcely believe my 

 eyes. I stood and gazed at it 

 like one petrified. It seemed MUSK-OX-HORN SPOON 



as though it must be a mirage. 



I could not realize that it was the " last wood." By my 

 calculations we were not due to reach it until the next 

 day, and I could not believe we had actually got within 

 sight of timber. But when the Indians came up I knew 



