BOURGEOIS - Toronto Public Library

368
CHARLES MACKENZIE
Next morning, we set out early, found our baggage safe, loaded
and continued our course nntilnight came on, withont seeing
any appearance of wood for fire, nor grass for our horses. We
found it, therefore, necessary to continue. I desired Morrison,
who led the way, to guide his course by the North Star j the
other man did not seem easy, he, however, did not complain,
but soon after began to lag behind.
As we advanced in onr journey, the snow became deeper and
deeper j to pass over some heaps, we were at times obliged to
unload, this made travelling, particularly at night, very unpleasant.
Abont midnight, the sky darkened, the stars disappeared
and a dreadful storm arose from the North. Having no
stars to guide us, I desired Morrison to continue keeping the wind
directly in his face and that I would endeavour to drive the
horse after him. We had not advanced farin this manner when
we heard the other man, Roy's voice from a distance in the
rear. We, of course, waited his arrival j he complained of
fatigue and indisposition, then threw himself down upon the
snow Ii corps perdu exclaiming: " Je ne pal,tirai jamais d'ici, ni
" mort ni en vie". We represented to him the critical situation
we were in, and the very great danger we should run by stopping
in the open plain, exposed without any shelter to the violence
of the storm.
The poor man would not or could not hearken to reaSOll.
Seeing him in danger of loosing his life if abandoned, I ordered
the horses to be unloaded, and with the baggage we formed a
rampart or screen as shelter against the storm. We then made
a bed of buffalo robes u.pon which we placed the sick man who
was motionless, and we feared he was gone or next thing to it.
We rubbed his face, hands and feet, wrapped him in plenty of
blankets, and in a short time we could perceive some symptoms
of life. He was restored, but we suffered severely from the cold
while attending him.