The fall continued all that night,and in the morning we found ourselves thickly covered.It was still snowing hard,so there was no stirring.
We read the novels,hemmed the towels,smoked,and took it philosophically.There was plenty of firewood to keep us warm.By night the snow was fully two feet thick everywhere,and in the drifts five and six feet.I determined that we would have some grog,and had no sooner hinted the bright idea than two volunteers undertook the rather difficult task of getting it.The terrace must have been 150feet above the hut;it was very steep,intersected by numerous gullies filled with deeply drifted snow;from the top it was yet a full quarter of a mile to the place where we had left the dray.Still the brave fellows,inspired with hope,started in full confidence,while we put our kettle on the fire and joyfully awaited their return.They had been gone at least two hours,and we were getting fearful that they had broached the cask and helped themselves too liberally on the way,when they returned in triumph with the two-gallon keg,vowing that never in their lives before had they worked so hard.How unjustly we had suspected them will appear in the sequel.