At dark we stopped
for the night. The trees were very small, and we couldn't get any
shelter at all, and hard to get wood with no axe. We pulled
together some half rotten lain trees. Our fire wouldn't burn
hardly, and couldn't dry our things, and had to sit up all night
with wet clothes on, near our fire, or rather near our smoke, as
the wood being too rotten that it wouldn't burn. About two o'clock
the wind turned westward, the rain ceased, but it began to snow
very hard. The night was long and my mind on Hubbard all the time
could not forget him.
In the morning, Monday, Oct. 19th, the snow nearly up to our knees.
We started early. Our eyes were quite dim with the smoke and
everything looked blue. It troubled us all day. Before noon I
tracked up a partridge. Oh, how I wished to get him! I came to
the place where he had flown away and hunted for him quite a while.
At last he flew off. I was just near him and yet did not see him,
about 4 feet over my head; but I saw where he perched. I didn't
want to go too near him for fear he might fly away before I could
shoot him. I was so particular. I rested my pistol on a tree to
make a sure shot, and took a good aim, but only scraped him, and he
nearly fell too, but after all got off. I cannot tell how sorry I
was; and about noon we had to cross this river because the flour
was on the opposite side. It was quite a rapid and I knew farther
down that we could not get across, as I remembered from this rapid
to where the flour is, it was deep. So we went into the cold, icy
water up to our waists. We got across and made a fire, and had a
cup of tea. It was yet a long way from the flour. We started off
as soon as we could. It cleared up in the afternoon, and only
drifting and freezing very hard, was getting colder and colder
towards evening. Mr. Wallace I knew was near his finish; but I
would not say or ask him about it. I thought I would scare him,
and he would scare me too if he told me he could not go any
further. I was getting so very, very weak myself.
The sun was getting low and I could yet walk lots faster than
Wallace, and had to stand and wait for him very often, though I
could hardly walk myself. I thought this was my last day that I
could walk. If I don't come to the flour this evening I fear I
will not be able to walk in the morning; and if I get to where the
flour is, and the mice or some animal has carried it off it will
surely mean death. And besides I wanted to know very, very much if
the flour was there.
Just near dusk, Mr. Wallace was so much behind I thought I would
tell him to follow my trail and he could come along behind, and I
would try and get to the flour before dark. I stayed and waited
till he came near.
He asked me, "How far yet to the flour?"
"About 2 miles," I said.
"Well I think you had better go along and not wait for me any more.
I will try and follow your trail. You go lots faster than I do.
Go on while it is yet light, and see if you can find the flour;
because if you cannot get there to-night may be you will not be
able to go any farther should we live to see morning."
I said, "Yes, that is just what I was going to tell you, the reason
why I waited here for you."
I started off. I went about 40 yards. Came across a partridge. I
got my pistol and fired and killed him. Oh, how glad I was! Mr.
Wallace came to me. He was more than glad, and just ate part of
him raw, which freshened us up a great deal.
Then he said, "You can go on again and don't delay on me."
I came on some caribou trail (it was then getting dark) and quite
fresh, which run in all directions. I stood and thought, "When
Wallace comes here be will not know my trail from the caribou
trail; and if he cannot come to me to-night, if he follow the
caribou trail it might lead him out of the way altogether; and if
it snows again to-night I may not be able to find him in the
morning."
So I stayed till he came and told him why I waited for him. He was
glad and said sure he would not know my trail from the caribou,
which would perhaps lead him out of the way. So we sat down and
ate some more of the partridge raw.
Mr. Wallace says, "I just fancy that I never ate something so good
in my life."
We could have camped right there where I killed the partridge, as
we would have something for our supper; but what I wanted to find
out too was - Is the flour there I wonder. If we did not get there
it would be in my mind all the time, "I wonder if the flour is
there." It got dark and we still travelled. Wallace would often
ask me, "How far is it from here to the flour?" "How far is it to
the flour?"
At last I knew we were coming to it.
