EXPLORATION OF THE PRAIRIES, 1879 145 



as the boat was quite safe and, by going further up the bar, they 

 were sure they could make the land the next try. Another load 

 was soon on board and hauled far up the sand-bar and was easily 

 taken across. All working with a will, the greater part of the 

 provisions and baggage were across before night, but much time 

 was lost in getting the horses across, as they frequently turned 

 back when almost half way across. One or two were very nearly 

 drowned, being unable to stem the current for five hundred yards 

 at a stretch. These, after resting awhile on the bar, some dis- 

 tance below us, finally reached the shore. The next forenoon, we 

 brought over the remainder of our outfit and, by sundown, camped 

 on the crest of the valley with the mighty river sweeping in grace- 

 ful curves at our feet, while behind us lay the river and, in front, 

 those illimitable plains which, on our maps, were shown as a 

 waterless and treeless desert. On the morrow, we entered on the 

 great plain, which we eventually traversed in every direction and 

 lifted the veil which had enshrouded it for many years. 



Having accomplished two of my objectives, we now turned 

 our faces to the great prairie and took a course for the next, which 

 was the Hand Hills, over two hundred miles to the west. We 

 expected to suffer from the want of water and fuel. In a few days, 

 we discovered that this was true in fact as well as theory. One 

 afternoon, when water was getting scarce and could not be found, 

 we had a thunder-storm and it filled a small pool by which we 

 camped, and this made us sure of our water for one night at 

 any rate. At this point, I decided to leave the party and, with 

 Matheson, my buckboard, one cart and two horses, to start for 

 Battleford, where I was to get the balance of my provisions for 

 the summer. Mr. Wilkins calculated our distance to Battleford 

 to be one hundred and twenty-five miles, and our direction was 

 twenty degrees west of north. Mr. Wilkins was to go due west 

 to the Hand Hills and remain there until I reached him in course 

 of time. All he had to do was to go, by slow marches, to the 

 Hand Hills and camp. That was my instruction. 



After breakfast, Matheson and I started on our journey and 

 travelled steadily in our given direction, twenty degrees west of 

 north. We had a compass, an axe and a little food. We travelled 



