choosing a little mound, and removing a portion of the
wet soil, soon found themselves literally in the mud, and were obliged
to get up, and walk about all night.

The snow continued to fall thick and fast, the thermometer marking 7
degrees below the freezing-point during the night. Some days before,
it had been 125 degrees Fahrenheit in the sun; so that we were doomed,
as in the Purgatory of Dante--

A sofferir tormenti caldi e geli;

from which, by the way, Milton has obviously borrowed his idea of
infernal torment:

---- And feel by turns the bitter change
Of fierce extremes, extremes by change more fierce,
From beds of raging fire, to starve in ice
Their soft ethereal warmth, and there to pine
Immovable, infixed, and frozen round,
Periods of time, thence hurried back to fire.

At the sound of the morning watch-gun, the camp presented a most
distressing spectacle. The Arabs and negroes of the convoy were lying
motionless in the open air, rolled in their burnooses. Many of these
poor creatures were but lightly clad, and had the lower limbs entirely
naked. They were so benumbed and stupified with cold, that they
refused to rise and load the camels; they begged to be allowed to lie
still and die in peace. The cattle also were in a sad condition, not
only from cold, but hunger; for the snow-covered ground afforded them
no pasture. As part of the provisions had been damaged, it was now
asked in dismay, what would become of the army if the beasts should
perish? The recollection of the disaster at Boo-Taleb, where the
column of General Levasseur left so many men in the snow, occurred to
the stoutest hearts. But even darker shades mingled in the prospects
of our troops; for 'General Levasseur,' said they, 'was only thirty
miles from a post occupied by French troops, and the neighbouring
tribes raised and reanimated those whom they found alive, though
benumbed on the plain; but we, in the midst of the desert, far from
any human dwelling, what will become of us? Hunger, thirst, and the
enemy, will soon finish the remains of our unfortunate army.'

But the officers are on foot, setting the example of vigorous
exertion, and striving to comfort and encourage the men; while the
calm and quiet prudence of the general inspires every one with
confidence in endeavouring to obey his orders, as the only hope of
deliverance. We begin our march: the snow is now falling only at
intervals; it lies two f