life. Although it was dry, it gave me some strength.

I remained in a sort of stupor, scarcely conscious of what had occurred;
and some hours, I suspect, went by, before I attempted to resume my
journey. I had no desire to spend the night in this exposed part of the
mountains. The scenery around Roaring Water was wild enough, but this
appeared to me wilder still. Lofty broken cliffs rose on either side of
me. So broken and irregular were their fantastic forms, that I could
fancy myself amid the ruins of some Egyptian temple. It seemed to be a
gateway, as it were, to some still wilder or more wonderful region, as
yet unexplored by the foot of man. I had never been thus far before, and
had very just fears, should darkness come on, of losing my way. I
therefore pushed forward as fast as my strength would allow, in the hope
of coming upon water, and kept a sharp look-out in every direction to
find indication of it.

The sun had crossed the mountains, and was sinking towards the west; in
a short time the shadows of their peaks would be thrown over the ground
upon which I was travelling. Stopping for a moment, I heard the sound of
water rushing over a rocky bed, and hurrying forward I found myself
beside a foaming stream. I had, however, to seek for a path by which I
could descend, before I could slake my thirst. At last I got to a place
where, lying at full length, and holding on with one hand by the branch
of a bush, I could lift the water with the other to my mouth. It seemed
impossible to get enough; but at last I felt that I ought to take no
more.

The ground being tolerably practicable along the bank of the stream, I
proceeded in that direction, desirous of reaching a lower region before
nightfall; and as I went along I resolved to seek for some bushes or an
overhanging rock, under which to take shelter for the night.

I had now very little fear of being overtaken; indeed, the Indians would
probably have lost my trail in the streams I had crossed, while the
rocky nature of the ground would scarcely bear marks sufficient for even
their acute eyes to discover. I knew that as yet I could not be abreast
of Winnemak's camp, and, indeed, that across the mountains it would
probably take me two or three days to reach it. Still I felt that it
would be prudent, in case the Indians should be scouring the country in
the plains, to keep to the mountains for another whole day or so.

[Illustration: THE MOUNTAIN PASS.]

Just at