seven miles across the lake from Donald's. The hour
was late and the lake was rough, but Donald and Gilbert started for
them in their rowboat immediately after making ready their packs of
provisions and camp equipment, prepared for an early start up the Susan
the next day.

At noon (October 28th) they were back with both Allen and Duncan, and
at once loaded the packs into the boat. Then the four men rowed up
through the little lake to the first rapid on the Susan, hauled the
boat up on the shore, donned their snowshoes, shouldered their packs,
and started up the valley. Running when they could, which the rough
country would not permit of their doing often, they camped at night ten
miles above their boat.

The next morning (October 29th) they cached some provisions to lighten
their packs, and as they proceeded fired a rifle at intervals, thinking
there was now a chance of coming upon either Hubbard or me. As a
matter of fact they must have passed me towards evening. They were on
the north side of the river, and it was the evening when I staggered
down the north shore, to cross the ice at dusk and make my last bivouac
in the lee of a bank on the south shore. Whether I had crossed the
river before they came along, or whether, hidden by the trees and the
falling snow, I passed them unobserved on the same shore, I do not
know; the fact is, they camped that night about a mile and a half above
me, and about twelve miles below Hubbard's tent.

There was only one thing that saved me from being left alone to
die--these trappers' keen sense of smell. In the morning (October
30th) while they were breaking camp preparatory to continuing on up the
valley, Donald Blake fancied that he smelled smoke. He spoke to Allen
Goudie about it, and both men stood and sniffed the air. Yes, Allen
smelled smoke, too. It was unmistakable. The wind was blowing up the
valley; therefore someone must have a fire below them. Hastily
finishing the work of breaking camp, the four men shouldered their
packs and turned back.

Close down to the shore of the river they scrambled, and hurried on,
shouting and discharging a rifle. At length they paused, to give
exclamations of satisfaction. They had found my track leading across
the ice to the other shore. Only a moment they paused, and then,
following the trail, they broke into a run, redoubling their shouts and
repeatedly discharging the rifle. They had smelled my smouldering
rotten stump,