Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 26.djvu/252

196 Henry and David Thompson" (including Dr. Coues' admirable notes) a resume of the story of his terrible journey across the continental divide in mid-winter; prefacing with the explanation that provisions were very low that fall of 1810 at the few fur trading establishments on the Saskatchewan and that owing to sudden hostility of Piegan Indians the mountain pass used in 1807-8 and 9 was closed to Mr. Thompson then and he was compelled to seek an entirely new and unknown one. "Nov. 7th, 1810. At 11 A. M. Pichette and Pierre arrived. . . from Mr. Thompson's camp. They left him on Panbian River, with all his property, on his way to the Columbia, cutting his road through a wretched thick, woody country, over mountains and gloomy muskagues and nearly starving, animals being very scarce in that quarter. His hunter. . . could only find a chance wood buffalo on which to subsist; when that failed they had to recourse to what flour and other douceurs Mr. Thompson had—in fact the case is pitiful. ... On Dec. 5th, 1810, Thompson had reached a point on Athabasca River which he gives as Lat. .. . From this place he dispatched men to Mr. Henry at Rocky Mountain House asking for pemmican and supplies. ... He was in dire extremities, and his men were disaffected to the verge of mutiny by the sufferings they shared with him. On the 15th the thermometer was minus 30 degrees. ... On Saturday, the 29th, thermometer 31 below he started. . . On New Years Day, 1811, thermometer minus 24 degrees, the dogs were unable to move their loads, a cache was made,. . . Thompson struggled on, with ever-increasing difficulty and danger, but there was no alternative. Jan. 4th, he came to a bold defile whence issued the main Athabasca River, 'the canoe road to pass to the west side of the mountains.'. . . Jan. 8th, the brook still seemingly the main stream dwindled away; Mountains, about 1 mile apart, 2000 to 3000 feet high. . . Thursday, Jan. 10th, crossed the Height of Land. Jan. 11th held