140 A HORRIBLE CONDITIOIf. 



In this manner night shut dowTi upon us, while yet far distant from tny 

 camping-place. And, such a night! Oh, storms and deadly winter, :k:(U, 

 and fierce ! how swept ye " through the darkened sky," and with youi 

 awful howlings rendered " the savage wilderness more wild !" 



The creeping cold on every nerve played freely, in haste to sling oui 

 vitals, and lay us each 



• along the snows a stifien'd corse, 



Stretch'd out and bleaching in the northern blast!" 



The impress of this event can never be effaced from my mind, t was 

 midnight ere we arrived at tlie limberless L'c-au-qui-court and struck 

 camp. Our animak needed water, but we had iieitlier axe or tomahawk 

 to cut through the thick ice with which the creek was coated. As a 

 lemedy for this lack, all three of us advanced upon it, and, by our united 

 efforts at jumping, caused a lengthy iissure with gentle escarpments to- 

 wards each shore, that left midway an ample pool. 



Having driven the cattle to this, in their clumsy movements upon the 

 ice, two of them fell, and, shding down the mclined plaii], lay strugghng in 

 the freezing water, unable to rise. Our only resort \ias to drag them to 

 the shore by main strength ; for, left in their then condition, they must have 

 frozen to death in a very sliort time. 



Here commenced a series of pulling and wrenching, that, in our chilled 

 and exhausted state, v/e were ill-pi-epared to endure. 



For awhile our efforts proved vain. A backward-shde succeeded each 

 headway-pull, and vexed us with useless toil. Thus we worried for nearly 

 three hours in water Imee-deep I 



At lengtli, having procured a rope and fastened one end to their horns 

 and the other aroimd a pointed rock upon the shore, and gathering tlie slack 

 at each successive thrust, we finally succeeded in placing tliem both, one 

 after the other, upon dry land. 



But, now we were in a thrice sorry plight. Not a stick of wood could 

 be raised, far or near, of which to build a fire, and hois de vache, the great 

 substitute of the prairies, was too deeply covered with snow for procure- 

 ment. Our clothes, wet to the waist, were frozen upon us, and the merci- 

 less wind, with stinging keenness, pierced us through at every breatii, and 

 stood us forth as living monuments cf ice ! 



Could men of iron endure such incomprehensible hardships —such in- 

 expressible sufferings ? Yet we survived them all ! 



Spreading a few robes upon the snow, we lay down for sleep, dinnerlesa 

 and supperless. I was now seized with a chill, whicii lasted for two hours 

 or more ; and so violent were its actions I couid scarcely keep tlie covermg 

 upon me. 



My companions, however, though not similarly afflicted, were worse off 

 than myself One had his hands and ears frozen, and tiie other liis Imnds 

 and feet, — the painful consequences of wliich, as the frost begun to yield to 

 the iniluence of generated warmth, were too apparent in their groans and 

 wri things. 



Moroing at length came, and the sun arose bright and clear Th* 



