登陆注册
4280100000112

第112章

An Unexpected Meeting.-Navigation in a Skin Canoe.-Strange Fears of Suffering Men.-Hardships of Mr. Crooks and His Comrades.-Tidings of MLellan.- A Retrograde March.- A Willow Raft.- Extreme Suffering of Some of the Party - Illness of Mr. Crooks.-Impatience of Some of the Men.- Necessity of Leaving the Laggards Behind.

THE wanderers had now accomplished four hundred and seventy-two miles of their dreary journey since leaving the Caldron Linn; how much further they had yet to travel, and what hardships to encounter, no one knew.

On the morning of the 6th of December, they left their dismal encampment, but had scarcely begun their march when, to their surprise, they beheld a party of white men coming up along the opposite bank of the river. As they drew nearer, they were recognized for Mr. Crooks and his companions. When they came opposite, and could make themselves heard across the murmuring of the river, their first cry was for food; in fact, they were almost starved. Mr. Hunt immediately returned to the camp, and had a kind of canoe made out of the skin of the horse killed on the preceding night. This was done after the Indian fashion, by drawing up the edges of the skin with thongs, and keeping them distended by sticks or thwart pieces. In this frail bark, Sardepie, one of the Canadians, carried over a portion of the flesh of the horse to the famishing party on the opposite side of the river, and brought back with him Mr. Crooks and the Canadian, Le Clerc. The forlorn and wasted looks and starving condition of these two men struck dismay to the hearts of Mr. Hunt's followers. They had been accustomed to each other's appearance, and to the gradual operation of hunger and hardship upon their frames, but the change in the looks of these men, since last they parted, was a type of the famine and desolation of the land; and they now began to indulge the horrible presentiment that they would all starve together, or be reduced to the direful alternative of casting lots!

When Mr. Crooks had appeased his hunger, he gave Mr. Hunt some account of his wayfaring. On the side of the river along which he had kept, he had met with but few Indians, and those were too miserably poor to yield much assistance. For the first eighteen days after leaving the Caldron Linn, he and his men had been confined to half a meal in twenty-four hours; for three days following, they had subsisted on a single beaver, a few wild cherries, and the soles of old moccasins; and for the last six days their only animal food had been the carcass of a dog. They had been three days' journey further down the river than Mr.

Hunt, always keeping as near to its banks as possible, and frequently climbing over sharp and rocky ridges that projected into the stream. At length they had arrived to where the mountains increased in height, and came closer to the river, with perpendicular precipices, which rendered it impossible to keep along the stream. The river here rushed with incredible velocity through a defile not more than thirty yards wide, where cascades and rapids succeeded each other almost without intermission. Even had the opposite banks, therefore, been such as to permit a continuance of their journey, it would have been madness to attempt to pass the tumultuous current either on rafts or otherwise. Still bent, however, on pushing forward, they attempted to climb the opposing mountains; and struggled on through the snow for half a day until, coming to where they could command a prospect, they found that they were not half way to the summit, and that mountain upon mountain lay piled beyond them, in wintry desolation. Famished and emaciated as they were, to continue forward would be to perish; their only chance seemed to be to regain the river, and retrace their steps up its banks. It was in this forlorn and retrograde march that they had met Mr.

Hunt and his party.

同类推荐
  • 解脱戒经

    解脱戒经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 前明正德白牡丹

    前明正德白牡丹

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 作世水宅心陀罗尼

    作世水宅心陀罗尼

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Heart of the West

    Heart of the West

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 茶笺

    茶笺

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 信白之牵丝

    信白之牵丝

    【2018王者荣耀文学大赛·征文参赛作品】一场救命之恩,却让世人痴狂的“谪仙人”陷入三生三世的爱恨纠缠。韩信,若是时光可以倒转,我李白愿从未救过你!咳咳!简单来说这是写了《王者荣耀》李白和韩信四个皮肤之间的相爱相杀!
  • 万柳溪边旧话

    万柳溪边旧话

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 推理笔记3:死神笔记重现

    推理笔记3:死神笔记重现

    不一样的侦破高手,不一样的推理体验。如果你是柯南粉丝,请关注《推理笔记Ⅲ:死神笔记重现》!如果你是金田,请关注!如果你是《死亡笔记》的狂热追捧者,请关注!如果你是动漫迷,推理迷、轻小说书友,请关注!
  • 驳圣伯夫:一天上午的回忆

    驳圣伯夫:一天上午的回忆

    本书作者对法国文学史上著名文学批评家圣伯父作品的批评与评价。既不是论文也不是小说,而是一部艺术作品。一块小玛德莱娜蛋糕,牵引出丝丝缕缕、连绵不绝的无意识回忆,然后笔锋一转,尖锐犀利。作者强烈抨击权威批评家圣伯夫批评方法的机械和错误,及因此造成的对当年法国文坛所有文学天才的轻视与误读。全书既有抒情的叙述,又有理 性的思辨,两者相辅相成,相互映照。书中有近半篇幅笔调与《追忆逝水年华》相似或呼应,是作者思想精华的浓缩,为后来的文本主义和结构主义批评奠定了第一块基石。
  • 再婚皇后(完)+番外

    再婚皇后(完)+番外

    王娡说起这个名字可是大有来头,那可是汉武帝刘彻生母的名字,这个女人那可是古代麻雀变凤凰的翻版,而历史的对这个女人的评价那是众说纷纭,不过这个女人还真是非同一般,她在入宫之前不但是有夫之妇,而且身为人母,可是她却单凭一个术士的信口雌黄就毅然决然的抛夫弃女,混成秀女送选,幸运入了皇太子刘启的宫中。王娡虽然是有夫之妇的二手货,但是却凭借绝世的容颜,过人的心机、无人能及的运气,加之又通晓男女之事,惹的皇太子色魔缠绕情意绵绵,宠爱有加,频频临辛最终使其在生出三女之后,又得一子,那就是历史上赫赫有名的汉武大帝,最终她母凭子贵成了汉景帝的第二个皇后。穿越古今,扭转乾坤。再婚女子,独领风骚。未央深宫,千古一后。Q群:23437887此书的王皇后却是一个现代大大学生,且看她如何运用千年的智慧与宫里宫外的古人斗法。
  • 让你的努力,配得上你的梦想

    让你的努力,配得上你的梦想

    你的梦想绝对不会辜负你的努力,当你为一件事拼命努力的时候,全世界都会帮助你。本书是博采雅集和九臣文化联袂打造的超级青春励志书,共收录汤木、杨熹文、陶瓷兔子等十几位人气作者为本书定制的私藏原创作品。激励千万心灵的暖心励志之作,写给尚未成功却一直拼命努力的的人。每天让自己进步一点,每天给自己一些希望,世界再大,也会因你的努力而变得更好。或许我们不是最好的,但是我们可以成为更好的自己。永不放弃,让你的努力,配得上你的梦想。
  • 魔装机神——卡牌联盟

    魔装机神——卡牌联盟

    一款风靡整个景远市的虚拟空间游戏,奇特的对战方式,多样的搭配,在谢小东生日当天拉开了序幕。天生顶尖机甲还是天生高玩,在小白谢小东眼里都没有区别,因为都打不过!至于后来打不打得过,那得看后来了......
  • 花开不为你

    花开不为你

    一场卿世佳人,她带了她的命运,爱上不该爱上的人,他剥夺了她回忆的权利,一场梦醒,她回到了原本的自己,忘记了所有经历,却又是一场轮回之境,她又遇到了他……还会爱上他吗?
  • 去最冷的地方

    去最冷的地方

    紧接着,她看到对方垂下了眼睛,自己慢慢从地上爬了起来,她像什么也看不见似的,双手往前伸着,一步一步靠向墙壁,脸上满是被痛苦咬住的神情,最后,她站在墙壁前,手往墙上抓去,那样子显得既狰狞又绝望。只听“哗啦”一下,墙上的报纸裂开了,又哗啦一声,哗哗啦……报纸像碎絮一样在屋子里飞起来。黄色的土墙露了出来,她仍没有停止,很快,泥壁上就嵌满尖锐的手爪印,像一条条挣扎的河流。她一边用力在墙上抓抠,一边嘶叫着:阿秀,阿秀,不是说好了吗,咱们一起去最冷的地方。
  • 形象美化漂亮女人

    形象美化漂亮女人

    女人应该认识自己的美丽,追求魅力与独特之处,并将美丽这一优势运用得适当有度,这是女人应该修炼的一种素质。天生丽质的女人不少,真正懂得运用它的却不是很多。你是美丽的女性吗?那么把握住自己的优势,尽显你的美丽吧!你觉得自己还不够美丽吗?那么从现在开始,努力把自己打造成—个美丽动人的女人吧!