Over Harrison's Pass zvith Animals. 121 



violence that the whole pack, saddle and all, went off 

 backwards. 



We kept up this hard, slow traveling until night found 

 us on a barren, snow-bound rock island, without a ves- 

 tige of vegetation. Neither timber nor feed was in sight, 

 and the prospect for the night was miserable for man as 

 well as beast. We turned the animals loose after un- 

 packing them, and, as there was no fuel, went to bed 

 on the smoothest places procurable, taking with us the 

 few dried prunes which we ironically called dinner. 



That night was one of sound dreamless slumber de- 

 spite the rocks and our burning skins. The next morn- 

 ing, when the rest of us awoke, Fairbanks had been 

 down to timber-line for fuel, and the result of his labor 

 was a bright fire, which cast flickering shadows on the 

 still dark rocks and snow. Over this small fire we 

 cooked some hot breakfast and felt much better for it. 

 The effect of a fire and a hot cup of coffee in a cold, 

 dreary place like this is to raise one's spirits immensely. 

 There could not be much joviality in camp that morning, 

 however, for the glare of the snow during the previous 

 day had rendered Kobbe and Halloran snow-blind, and 

 they were suffering much agony from it. During that 

 day and part of the next they could scarcely see, but 

 then the soothing effect of green meadows, and the deep 

 shadows of the trees, and a sky which did not seem like 

 night in comparison with the earth cured them, and their 

 eyes were none the worse for their scorching. 



As soon as possible that morning we got the animals 

 down to a little meadow, where we stopped to let all 

 hands recuperate, and talk for a while, in no compli- 

 mentary way, of Harrison's Pass. 



