A LOST MOOSE 77 



comes down gently and soon melts, but this, 

 our first storm, started with a dense darkness 

 which gave way to bright sunshine only to 

 have darkness again; storm succeeded storm, 

 until all the mountains and valleys were 

 covered with the white mantle. 



From hail, it now came towards us in the 

 form of dry snow-dust, filling all nooks and 

 crannies, from which the wind would pres- 

 ently suck it out and carry it up to the sky line 

 like floating banners. Following this diver- 

 sion it commenced to form bossy drifts that 

 were heaped up in fanciful pyramids, making 

 a most beautiful panorama as the light snow- 

 dust circled about the tops of the drifts like an 

 aerial whirlpool. The sight was really grand 

 in every way, and the more I watched it the 

 more anxious I was to climb the mountain and 

 be really in the storm. Two o'clock had come 

 and with it a slight cessation of the wind. 

 The Chief now yielded to my request, and we 

 struck out bodily across the dashing stream, 

 soon reaching the foot of the mountain, and 

 the climb was commenced by making a trail 

 in the snow zig-zaging backwards and for- 

 wards. 



We pushed up as fast as we could go, stop- 

 ping now and then to breathe. The higher 



