330 Thirty Years 
On the 17th I went to conduct Michel to where 
Vaillant’s blanket was left, and after walking about 
three miles, pointed out the hills to him at a distance, 
and returned to the but, having gathered a bagful of 
tripe de roche’ on the way. It was easier to gather 
this weed on a march than at the tent, for the exercise 
‘of walking produced a glow of heat, which enabled us 
to withstand for a time the cold to which we were ex- 
posed in’ scraping the frozen surface of the rocks. On 
the contrary, when we left the fire, to collect it in the 
neighborhood of the hut, we became chilled at once, 
and were obliged to return very quickly. 
Michel proposed to remain out all night, and to hunt 
next day on his way back. He returned in the after- 
noon of the 18th, having found the blanket, together 
with a bag containing two pistols, and some other 
things which had been left beside it. We had some 
tripe de roche, in the evening, but Mr. Hood, from the 
constant griping it produced, was unable to eat more 
than one or two spoonfuls, He was now so weak as 
to be scarcely able to sit up at the fire-side, and com- 
plained that the least breeze of wind seemed to blow 
through his frame. He also suffered much from cold 
during thenight. We lay close to each other, but the 
heat of the body was no longer sufficient to thaw the 
frozen rime formed by our breaths on the blankets that 
covered him. 
