This has been a gloomy morning in our camp, for we all have been depressed at the thought of leaving the lake and abandoning the search for Mr. Everts.  We have discussed the situation from every point of view, and have tried to put ourselves in his place and have considered all the possibilities of fate that may befall him.  At one moment he may be buoyed up with hope, however faint—­at another weighed down by despair and fear, with all their mental terrors.  Has he met death by accident, or may he be injured and unable to move, and be suffering the horrors of starvation and fever?  Has he wandered aimlessly hither and thither until bereft of reason?  As I contemplate all these possibilities, it is a relief to think that he may have lost his life at the hand of some vagabond Indian.

As the result of this conference we have decided upon a final plan of action.  We will give to Gillette from our remnant of provisions, ten days’ rations, and Lieutenant Doane will detail Privates Moore and Williamson, with ten days’ rations, and the three will continue the search from this point.  Mr. Gillette says that with the ten days’ rations they can devote five days to a continuous search, and the remaining five days will be sufficient, with forced traveling, for them to overtake us.

Hauser has endeavored to throw a little cheer into the conference by saying to Gillette: 

“I think that I should be willing to take the risk of spending ten days more in this wilderness, if I thought that by so doing I could find a father-in-law.”  This provoked an uproarious shout of laughter, for we well understood that Hauser alluded to the many social courtesies which Gillette, in Helena, had extended to Miss Bessie Everts, the charming daughter of our lost comrade, and one of the most attractive of Montana belles.  This sally of Mr. Hauser gives to me the assurance of his own convalescence; and, if it so happens that Gillette finds Mr. Everts, we will have the realization of another image in “Childe Harold,” “A rapture on the lonely shore."[W]

Saturday, September 17, evening.—­Gillette, Moore and Williamson left us this morning about 9 o’clock on their final quest for Mr. Everts, and the rest of our party soon resumed our journey.  We have traveled about twelve miles to-day, about one-half of the distance being through open timber, and the other half over prostrate pines unmarked by any trail, and through which we found it difficult to make our way, although the obstructions were not so formidable as those on the south shore of Yellowstone lake.[X] About noon we crossed a high ridge which we had reached by a steep ascent, and on descending the opposite side we saw upon our left a large lake which Lieutenant Doane and some others of our party think is at the head of Firehole river, and they suggested that we make our way to this lake and take as a guide to the Firehole the stream which they believe will be found flowing from it.  They argued that by so doing we would be relieved from all uncertainty concerning the course to be pursued in order to reach the Firehole river; but they were easily persuaded that if the Firehole does take its rise in that lake, we can as certainly strike that river by pursuing our present westwardly direction as if we followed the plan suggested by them.  Hauser and I feel sure that this large lake is the head of Snake river.