urther loss of time. He, alas! had already
waited too long. Having occasion in the beginning of winter to send
down a messenger to Fort Alexandria, I was surprised to see him two
days after enter the fort, accompanied by one of Mr. Fisher's men, who
brought me the melancholy tidings of Mr. L.'s death, part of his
baggage having been found by the natives among the ice. Eight souls
had perished, no one knows how; Mr. L., his wife and three children,
an interpreter, his wife and one child.

Some suspicions attached to a disreputable family of Indians who were
known to be encamped on the banks of the river at the time; but it is
more probable that the catastrophe occurred in a rapid not far from
this post, as a dog which the party had with them came back at an
early hour the day after their departure. This misfortune threw a
gloom over the whole district, where Linton was much beloved, and his
death, so sudden and mysterious, made the blow be felt more severely.

Before this sad intelligence reached us, the safety of the leather
party had become a source of deep anxiety. They had been expected in
October, and no accounts had been received of them in the month of
December. Having forwarded Mr. Fisher's despatches to head-quarters, I
received orders from Mr. Ogden to proceed to Jasper's house, in order,
if possible, to obtain information regarding them; which I eagerly
obeyed, setting off with five men, and sledges loaded with provisions,
drawn by dogs. We had not proceeded far, however, when we met the
truants all safe and sound. Their non-arrival in the fall was
occasioned by the winter setting in unprecedentedly early.

They experienced the utmost difficulty in crossing the Rocky
Mountains, from the great depth of snow that had already fallen; and
when they reached the heights of Frazer's River, they found the ice
beginning to form along its shores. They persevered, however;
sometimes forcing their way through the ice, sometimes carrying the
canoes and property overland where the passage was blocked up by the
ice. But all their efforts proved unavailing, for they were at length
completely frozen in.

Their prospects were now most disheartening. Their remaining
provisions would only suffice for four days on short allowance, and
they had a journey of fifteen days before them, whichever way they
should direct their course. Some of the men yielded to despair, but
the greater part cheerfully embraced Mr. Andersen's views. T