NOTES PEOM DIARY KEPT AT QUICKIOCK. 131 



and then slaked my thirst ; so I had no fear on 

 this account. My whole life, as I thought, de- 

 pended upon whether or not I could hold on till 

 morning, and keep myself from being frozen ; for 

 now I dare not rest for five minutes, or I would 

 have scraped a large hole in the snow and crept 

 in ; but every time I rested I felt that queer 

 drowsiness coming over me, which I knew was 

 the precursor of sleep. 



Galton, in his " Art of Travel," I see, expresses 

 his decided opinion that men may live many days 

 buried in a snowdrift. Had I known this, I 

 should have suffered no more anxiety on the 

 night in question than I had ever done when 

 bushed in Australia ; but I never referred to 

 Galton till I came home. If such is really the 

 case, all my fine tale of anxiety and sufferings is 

 nothing but a romance ; however, it was my firm 

 idea that if I once rested in the snow I should soon 

 become benumbed, and gradually pass off into 

 an unawaking slumber. So, as I dare not try the 

 remedy, it was the same to me as if it had never 

 existed. It is strange up here that mine is the 

 general opinion, and every peasant to whom I 

 have spoken on the subject, says that your only 

 chance of saving life is to keep going. I know 

 black grouse often bury themselves in the snow, 

 and remain there for days, as we can see by their 



