Original - North Central Michigan College Library

Cratoefce?aniithis river at the distance of ten leagues fromCumberland House.The depth of the snow and the intensenessof the cold rendered my progress so muchslower than I had reckoned upon that I soonbegan to fear the want of provisions. The sundid not rise till half past nine o'clock in themorning and it set at half past two in the afternoon;it is, however, at no time wholly darkin these climates, the northern lights and thereflection of the snow affording always sufficientlight for the traveler. Add to this thatthe river, the course of which I was ascending,was a guide with the aid of which I could notlose my way. Every day's journey was commencedat three o'clock in the morning.I was not far advanced before the countrybetrayed some approaches to the characteristicnakedness of the plains. The wood dwindledaway both in size and quantity, so that it waswith difficulty that we could collect sufficientfor making a fire, and without fire we couldnot drink, for melted snow was our only resource,the ice on the river being too thickto be penetrated by the axe.On the evening of the sixth, the weathercontinuing severely cold, I made my two mensleep on the same skin with myself, one oneach side; and though this arrangement wasparticularly beneficial to myself, it increasedthe comfort of all. At the usual hour in themorning we attempted to rise, but found that259