In about half an hour I set out on foot alone to do my duty as rear-guard to the camp.

The ascent of the ridge commenced soon after leaving camp, and I had not gone far up it before I overtook the carts that the folks could not pull through the snow, here about knee-deep.

I helped them along, and we soon overtook another.

By all hands getting to one cart we could travel; so we moved one of the carts a few rods, and then went back and brought up the others.

After moving in this way for awhile, we overtook other carts at different points of the hill, until we had six carts, not one of which could be moved by the parties owning it.