wlings.

Daylight came at last, and he once more pushed forward over the snow.
He had cooked a piece of buffalo meat, which he ate beneath the shelter
of a bank, when he saw the sun high in the sky. It restored his
strength for a time; but as night again approached he felt far more
weary than on the previous day. He built a hut as before, and lighted a
fire, and scarcely had he eaten his supper before he dropped off to
sleep. He awoke, feeling very cold, though somewhat refreshed; and
great was his surprise to find the sun already high in the sky. He had
been preserved from danger during the hours of darkness; but, alas! he
did not kneel down to pray, but thought only that it was very fortunate
the wolves had not come near him, and he hoped to have the same good
luck, so he called it, the next night.

"I daresay I shall be able to reach the fort, notwithstanding my fears,
in a few days," he said to himself. "I must try to avoid the Crees,
though; but I fancy that I am clever enough to do that."

He trudged bravely on, hour after hour. The sky was clear, and the sun
enabled him to direct his course with tolerable accuracy. Still his
feet, inured though he was to fatigue, felt very weary, and he longed to
arrive at the end of his journey. Sometimes he regretted that he had
not tried to make his way to the Sioux camp; he might have reached it
sooner. No wood was in sight, where he might build his hut and light a
fire as usual for the night. He gnawed, as he walked on, a piece of the
hard frozen meat, a small portion of which now only remained. Still he
was afraid to stop.

A level plain, covered with snow, lay before him; he looked around in
vain for some sheltering hill or wood. The sun was sinking low on his
left. He must try, before darkness set in, to make his way across that
wide plain. He did his utmost to exert his remaining strength.
Darkness at last came on. He fancied he could distinguish a wood and a
range of hills in the distance. He would make a desperate effort to
reach it. Suddenly he found himself sinking in the snow. He struggled
to get out, but sank lower and lower. He had fallen into a gully or
water-course, now filled up by drift-snow. At length, finding his
efforts vain, he gave himself up for lost, every moment expecting that
the snow wreath would overwhelm him. As he lay there, he could see the
stars come out and shine brightly over his head, and thus he knew that
there was a