e trees where we were completely sheltered from the wind, we
speedily lighted a fire, and had one of the tongues roasting before it.
The effect of a hearty meal was very satisfactory. Both of us found our
strength restored and our spirits rise, as we now felt sure that we
should have food enough to last us till we could reach the fort, even
should it be farther off than we had supposed.

Having cut off and packed up as much buffalo meat as we could carry, we
proceeded on our journey, intending not to stop till nightfall. Though
we had a good load on our backs we trudged along merrily. The air was
pure, and though the cold was considerable we did not feel it while in
exercise. At night, though we had not much to cover us, we were able to
keep ourselves warm before a blazing fire. Had we enjoyed sufficient
time, we might have skinned the buffaloes and made two robes which would
have formed sufficient bed-covering, even during the hardest frost; but
of course we could not delay for this purpose--besides which, we should
have been unwilling to add them to our loads.

From every height we reached we looked out eagerly, hoping to see the
fort or a portion of the river which flowed by it. Twice we caught
sight of Indian wigwams in the far distance, but we avoided them, not
knowing whether the inhabitants might prove friends or foes. In either
case they would be sure to deprive us of our buffalo meat and perhaps of
our lives.

Could we have been certain that they would prove friendly, it might have
been worthwhile to sacrifice our provisions for the sake of being guided
to the fort, with the road to which they would be well acquainted. We
took care not to encamp till we had got to a good distance from the
wigwams we had last seen, as the smoke of our fire might betray us.

"Shure! before the sun sets this day we shall reach the fort," observed
Pat, as we were preparing to start after our breakfast; but the sun did
not appear in the sky, or rather the clouds obscured it, and we had no
certain means of directing our course.

As I said before, an Indian or an experienced white hunter would have
been quite independent of the sun, being able to tell to a certainty the
points of the compass by the appearance of the bark on the trees, or
moss on rocks, or many other signs of which both Pat and I were
ignorant.

I had only lately returned from school in Canada, and Pat, though a
capital follower, was not born to be a lead