Without doubt they had met with disaster.
The party had considered the possibility of disaster for one man, and that had been the principal reason for despatching the two in different directions.

But that disaster should have come to both of them was the final blow.
In the meantime, hoping against hope, Daylight and Elija eked out a meagre existence.

The thaw had not yet begun, so they were able to gather the snow about the ruined cache and melt it in pots and pails and gold pans.

Allowed to stand for a while, when poured off, a thin deposit of slime was found on the bottoms of the vessels.

This was the flour, the infinitesimal trace of it scattered through thousands of cubic yards of snow.