Page:Canadian Alpine Journal I, 1.djvu/141

92 caught. After we had kept it a little while I let it go, and it ran down its hole, dragging the whole length of string with it, and then there was a great commotion in gopher-land—such squeaking, while I suppose he was telling his adventures to his family. The next day's march was varied by the behavior of Pinto, one of the pack horses. When we came out of the forest into the open, he took it into his head to roll, and this loosened his pack and sent it to one side, so he set to work to kick it off, and we saw our things flying in all directions. Fortunately the boxes of provisions, which he had carried the previous day, had been put on Cree, or else everything would have been smashed; but, as it was, nothing was damaged, as he was only carrying tents and bedding. When he had got rid of his pack, he bolted, and both Jimmy and Jesse had a long chase before they could catch him, and they began to fear they had lost him. Although we had seen Mt. Assiniboine in the distance from Simpson's pass, it did not come into view again till we were nearly through our last day's march, and then we saw it in all its grandeur and beauty. It stands on an undulating, grassy upland, dotted here and there with groups of pine-trees, with a beautiful lake lying at its foot, while the lower peaks around seem to add to the height and majesty. We made our camp as near to the base as possible, so as to shorten our climb the next day, and then set to work to prepare dinner, for which we were all ready. The weather, scenery and everything were delightful, but the mosquitoes and bull-dogs were very much the reverse. I suppose they do not get many visitors, so they make the most of those who do come. During the daytime the bull-dogs (very large horse flies) came around in hundreds. The poor horses were bitten by them till the blood flowed. Jimmy made a "smudge," around which the horses crowded to try and get a little relief from their tormentors, but it takes a good deal to