Neither did man, nor fowl, nor cattle, nor beast, nor
creeping thing meet our gaze. Animated nature seemed to have abandoned
the dreary solitude, and silent desolation reigned around. Yet this was
the region we had to cross for many days before we could reach our
destination. I could not avoid asking myself, should any of us be able
to endure the fatigue we must first undergo, or should we even obtain
food to support life?

Already we were greatly weakened, while Martin especially looked a
phantom of his former self. Alick, though only so lately recovered from
his severe illness, held out the best. Pat never made a complaint,
though his wan cheek showed that famine was telling on him. If I sucked
in my cheeks, it felt as if my teeth would come through them, and my
knees would often scarcely bear me.

Hitherto, except the lichen we had scraped from the rocks, we had had no
food that day, and we might be unable to obtain any before night.

"Come, lads; we must push on," cried Alick. "It won't do to be stopping
here doubting whether we shall be able to get over yonder country. It
has to be done, and the sooner we do it the better."

Allowing the sledge to go first, we all slid down the steep slope in a
half-sitting posture, happily reaching the bottom without accident.
Honest Bouncer then came up to be again harnessed, and we set off at our
usual pace--trudge, trudge, trudge. Hour after hour the click of the
snow-shoes sounded in our ears.

"I wonder how long a man can go without eating?" asked Martin in a
doleful tone.

"It is possible to hold out for three days," answered Alick, "and
perhaps longer, though it would not be pleasant. Don't you think of
giving in yet, Martin. We shall have some fresh meat to-morrow, I dare
say, if we don't get it to-night; and, at all events, we can have some
leather soup before we turn in. We have a spare buffalo-robe or two to
eat up before we cry die!"

That night all we had to sustain nature was the leather soup Alick spoke
of, with the addition of some _tripe de roche_. Next morning we
breakfasted on the same unsatisfactory materials.

We were still some days' journey from the fort, and for the last three
days not an animal had we seen.

Alick again began to turn, I thought, wolfish eyes at Bouncer. The poor
dog walked on steadily dragging the sleigh, and looking up with an
affectionate glance at our faces when any of us passed, happily
unconscious of the fate