CHAPTER III.

How Beaver are Taken--Beaver Dams--Formation of Meadows--Beaver Lodges--"Bachelors"--Trapping in Winter--"Up to Trap"--Blackfeet on the Trail--On Guard--The Trapper's Ruse--A disappointed Bear--A Fight with Blackfeet--"Out of Luck"--Alone in the Mountains--Splendid Views--A Miserable Night--The last Luxury of Life--The Awfulness of Solitude--A Singular Discovery--A Hell on Earth--A Joyful Recognition--Hard Times in Camp--The Negro's Porcupine--Craig's Rabbit--Deep Snows--What the Scout saw--Bighorn River--"Colter's Hell"--An Alarm--Arrival at Wind River--Christmas, 64