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Show FROZEN HOESE LIVES. 109 consumes quickly, and burns brightly while consuming. I laid on a fresh pile, and by its light I saw the living graves of my companions; there they lay, with snow underneath them for a bed, and the " cold mantle of death," as it were, above them for a coverlid. Cold, tired and hungry, I rested myself before the fire, and warmed my frozen limbs. Some little distance from the fire, now covered with snow, lay the frozen meat of the horse we had killed the night before; all in the camp were fast wrapped in sleep. I was the only one awake. Taking out my jack-knife,, I approached the pile of meat intended for the men's breakfast, and cutting about a half pound of the liver from it, I returned to the fire, and without waiting to cook it, I consumed it raw-the finer feelings of my nature were superseded by the grosser animal propensities, induced most probably from the character of the food we had been living upon for the last forty days. I filled.my pipe, and sat wrapped, in my robe, enjoying the warmth of my fire, determined to remain by it until my tobacco was consumed. The wind, which had been blowing from the N.E., now chopped round to the N.W., dissipating the snow-clouds. The glorious queen of night shone forth in resplendent brilliancy. With the change of wind came an increase of cold-the thermometer, at daylight,that morning indicated 20° below zero. One of my feet which was much blistered became numbed, and gave me intense pain. I took off my moccasin, and rubbing my foot in the snow to create circulation, I partially relieved it. Finding it more comfortable, lying down, I crept |
