Case before the ice was
thawed by the fire in the evening.
In the course of the day we passed the confluence of the south branch of
the Saskatchewan, which rises from the Rocky Mountains near the sources
of the northern branch of the Missouri. At Coles Falls, which commence a
distance from the branch, we found the surface of the ice very uneven and
many spots of open water.
We passed the ruins of an establishment which the traders had been
compelled to abandon in consequence of the intractable conduct and
pilfering habits of the Assineboine or Stone Indians; and we learned that
all the residents at a post on the south branch had been cut off by the
same tribe some years ago. We travelled twelve miles today. The wolves
serenaded us through the night with a chorus of their agreeable howling
but none of them ventured near the encampment. But Mr. Back's repose was
disturbed by a more serious evil: his buffalo robe caught fire and the
shoes on his feet being contracted by the heat gave him such pain that he
jumped up in the cold and ran into the snow as the only means of
obtaining relief.
On the 28th we had a strong and piercing wind from North-West in our
faces and much snow-drift; we were compelled to walk as quick as we could
and to keep constantly rubbing the exposed parts of the skin to prevent
their being frozen, but some of the party suffered in spite of every
precaution. We descried three red-deer on the banks of the river and were
about to send the best marksmen after them when they espied the party and
ran away. A supply of meat would have been very seasonable as the men's
provision had become scanty and the dogs were without food except a
little burnt leather. Owing to the scarcity of wood we had to walk until
a late hour before a good spot for an encampment could be found and had
then attained only eleven miles. The night was miserably cold; our tea
froze in the tin pots before we could drink it and even a mixture of
spirits and water became quite thick by congelation; yet after we lay
down to rest we felt no inconvenience and heeded not the wolves though
they were howling within view.
The 29th was also very cold until the sun burst forth when the travelling
became pleasant. The banks of the river are very scantily supplied with
wood through the part we passed today. A long track on the south shore
called Holms Plains is destitute of anything like a tree and the opposite
bank has only stunted willows; but after walking sixteen miles we came to
a spot better wooded and encamped opposite to a remarkable place called
by the voyagers The Neck of Land.
