228 Journal of a Voyage through the 



stance is caused rather by the quantity of snow drifted 

 in the pass, than the real height of the spot as the sur- 

 rounding mountains rise to a much higher degree of ele- 

 vation. The snow had become so compact that our feet 

 hardly made a perceptible impression on it. We observ- 

 ed, however, the tracks of an herd of small deer which 

 must have passed a short time before us, and the Indians 

 and my hunters went immediately in pursuit of them. 

 Our way was now nearly level, without the least snow, and 

 not a tree to be seen in any part of it. The grass is very 

 short, and the soil a reddish clay, intermixed with small 

 stones. The face of the hills, where they are not enliven- 

 ed with verdure, appears at a distance, as if fire had pas- 

 sed over them. It now began to hail, snow, and rain, nor 

 could we find any shelter but the leeward side of an huge 

 rock. The wind also rose into a tempest, and the weather 

 was as distressing as any I had ever experienced. After 

 an absence of an hour and an half, our hunters brought a 

 small doe of the rein-deer species, which was all they had 

 killed, though they fired twelve shots at a large herd of 

 them. Their ill success they attributed to the weather. 

 I proposed to leave half of the venison in the snow, but 

 the men preferred carrying it, though their strength was 

 very much exhausted. We had been so long shivering 

 with cold in this situation, that we were glad to renew our 

 march. Here and there were scattered a few crowberry 

 bushes and stinted willows ; the former of which had not 

 yet blossomed. 



Before us appeared a stupendous mountain, whose snow- 

 clad summit was lost in the clouds ; between it and our 

 immediate course, flowed the river to which we were 

 going. The Indians informed us that it was at no great 

 distance. As soon as we could gather a sufficient quan- 

 tity of wood, we stopped to dress some of our venison ; 

 and it is almost superfluous to add, that we made an hear- 

 tier meal than we had done for many a day before. To 

 the comfort which I have just mentioned, I added that of 

 taking off my beard, as well as changing my linen, and my 

 people followed the humanising example. We then set 

 forwards, and came to a large pond, on whose bank we 

 found a tomb, but lately made, with a pole, as usual, 

 erected beside it, on which two figures of birds were 

 painted, and by them the guides distinguished the tribe 

 to which the deceased person belonged. One of them, 



