102 A HORRIBLE CONDITION. 



In this manner night shut down upon us, while yet far distant from any 

 camping-place. And, such a night ! Oh, storms and deadly w inter, foul 

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

 awful howlings rendered "the savage wilderness more wild !" 



The creeping cold on every nerve played freely, in haste to sting our 

 vitals, and lay us each 



" along the snows a stiffen'd corse, 



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



The impress of this event can never be effaced from my mind. It was 

 midnight ere we arrived at the limberless L'eau-qui-court and struck 

 camp. Our animals needed water, but we had neither axe or tomahawk 

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

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

 efforts at jumping, caused a lengthy fissure 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, sliding down the inclined plain, lay struggling in 

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

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

 frozen to death in a very short time. 



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

 and exhausted state, we were ill-prepared to endure. 



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

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

 tliree hours in water knee-deep ! 



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

 and the other around a pointed rock upon the shore, and gathering the slack 

 at each successive thrust, we finally succeeded in placing them 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 bois de vacTie, 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 breath, and 

 stood us forth as living monuments of 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, dinnerless 

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

 or more ; and so violent were its actions I could scarcely keep the covering 

 upon me. 



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

 than myself One had his hands and ears frozen, and the other his hands 

 and feet, — the painful consequences of which, as the frost began to yield to 

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

 writhings. 



Morning at length came, and the sun arose bright and clear. The 



