hills, which were bare of trees and bushes and clear of snow.  A very wild desolate scene it looked as I surveyed it from a projecting spur upon whose summit I rested my blown horse.  I was now far in advance of the party who occupied a parallel ridge behind me.  By signs they intimated that our course now lay to the north; in fact, Daniel had steered very much too ar south, and we had struck the Saskatchewan river a long, distance below the intended place of crossing.  Away we went again to the north, soon losing sight of the party; but as I kept the river on my left far below in the valley I knew they could not cross without my being aware of it.  Just before sun set they appeared again in sight, making signs that they were about to descend into the valley and to cross the river.  The valley here was five hundred feet in depth, the slope being one of the steepest I had ever seen.  At the bottom of this steep descent the Saskatchewan lay in its icy bed, a large majestic-looking river three hundred yards in width.  We crossed on the ice without accident, and winding up the steep southern shore gained the level plateau above.  The sun was going down, right on our forward track.  In the deep valley below the Cree and an English half-breed were getting the horses and baggage-sleds over the river.  We made signs to them to camp in the valley, and we ourselves turned our tired horses towards the west, determined at all hazards to reach the fort that night.  The Frenchman led the way riding, the Hudson Bay officer followed in a horse-sled, I brought up the rear on horseback.  Soon it got quite dark, and we held on over a rough and bushless plateau seamed with deep gullies into which we descended at hap hazard forcing our weary horses with difficulty up the opposite sides.  The night got later and later, and still no sign of Fort Pitt; riding in rear I was able to mark the course taken by our guide, and it soon struck me that he was steering wrong; our correct course lay west, but he seemed to be heading gradually to the North, and finally, began to veer even towards the East.  I called out to the Hudson Bay man that I had serious doubts as to Daniel’s knowledge of the track, but I was assured that all was correct.  Still we went on, and still no sign of fort or river.  At length the Frenchman suddenly pulled Up and asked us to halt while he rode on and surveyed the country, because he had lost the track, and didn’t know where he had got to.  Here was a pleasant prospect! without food, fire, or covering, out on the bleak plains, with the thermometer at 20 degrees of frost!  After some time the Frenchman returned and declared that he had altogether lost his way, and that there was nothing for it but to camp where we were, and wait for daylight to proceed.  I looked around in the darkness.  The ridge on which we stood was bare and bleak, with the snow drifted off into the valleys.  A few miserable stunted willows were the only signs of vegetation, and the wind whistling through their