SOAKED TO THE SKIN WE LIGHT A FIRE” 39

We then collected as much wood as we could find, stripped
off our clothes, and, after wringing the water out of them,
put them on again. By that time if was half-past ten
and the rain had stopped. By twelve o’clock we had dried
ourselves enough to be able to keep fairly warm by lying
close to the fire, so we piled on all the wood we had and
lay down to sleep. :

When I woke up from a fitful slumber it was two o’clock,
the fire was almost out and there was no more wood. It
was bitterly cold, and my teeth were chattering as I blew
the remaining embers into a tiny blaze and put on the
few odds and ends of sticks that were not burnt. The
feeble flames showed me Jack lying coiled up like a dog,
and shivering in his sleep. A vain attempt to find more
wood having failed, I happened to glance up through the
trees and saw the stars shining. By their light it would
be possible to make camp. I then roused Jack up and
we made another start.

It was still too dark in the timber, and there was nothing
for it but to wade in that infernal creek again. This we
did, and if it was cold before, it was far worse now with
our chilled bodies weakened by hunger; but it was now
light enough for us to see where we stepped. It must
have taken us a good half-hour to cover the 300 or 400
yards, which we subsequently discovered the distance to
be, necessary to reach the open ground. After that our
troubles did not amount to much. Camp was reached
about 3.380 a.m. and a roaring fire was soon going. Then,
after a sumptuous meal, we rolled up in our blankets
and were soon in dreamland.

The next morning we found it had clouded up again ;
therefore, as we had slept late, we decided not to attempt
to find the rams that day, but just to climb up the ridge
opposite to the one we had tried previously and spy the
country over on that side.

We had not gone far from camp before we discovered
that a large grizzly had gone up the same way we were
going, and his tracks were so fresh that it was evident
he was not very far ahead. I have no doubt that we