a panther would break into my bower; but I was
not so confident that, should a grizzly scent me out, he might not poke
in his nose. Still I could trust to Him who had hitherto protected me. I
had my knife and my long stick, and, at all events, I might give Master
Bruin an unpleasant scratch on the snout, should he come within my
reach.

Notwithstanding my uncomfortable position, I was soon asleep, and did
not awake until daybreak. Had I possessed any means of cooking my roots,
I might have made a tolerably satisfactory breakfast. Indeed, although
they assisted to sustain life, they were far from wholesome raw; still,
to quell the cravings of hunger, I ate them.

The storm continued to blow with as much violence as on the previous
evening, and, lightly clad as I was, I felt that it would be rash to
continue my course till it was over. I sincerely hoped that Manley and
the sergeant had found suitable shelter. However, as they could light a
fire, and had abundance of food, I was pleased to think that they were
better off than I was.

To employ the time, I tried to manufacture some traps of such materials
as I possessed. I then bethought me that I had a fish-hook in my pocket;
but when I came to search for a line I could find none. I had, however,
a silk neckerchief; and having unravelled this, I twisted it with the
greatest care into a strong thread. It occupied a good deal of time, but
I succeeded in three or four hours in forming a line of sufficient
length for my purpose. I had plenty of loose shot, too, which I split
for weights. I then carefully rolled up the line round a piece of wood,
ready for use as soon as I should reach a lake or stream likely to
contain trout.

The storm lasted upwards of two days. Although my journey was thus
delayed, I felt sure my friends would likewise have been prevented from
travelling, and thus I was none the less likely to meet them. At length
the wind subsided, the clouds dispersed, and the sun shone forth with
dazzling brightness on the snow, which began quickly to disappear
beneath his rays.

Carrying the traps I had manufactured, and my fishing-line, I now
sallied out. I had exhausted all my roots, but as the snow cleared away
I obtained a further supply, though, hungry as I was, I still had very
little inclination to eat them raw.

I had not gone far when I came to some boiling springs; one of which,
although the water was of intense heat, was little larger than a
good-size