People who have always been well fed, and have never suffered from thirst till every drop of moisture seemed gone from the body, so they dare not open their mouth lest they dry up and cease to breathe, can never understand, nor is there language to convey the horrors of such a situation.  The story of these parties may seem like fairy fables, but to those who experienced it all, the strongest statements come far short of the reality.  No one could believe how some men, when they are starving take on the wild aspect of savage beasts, and that one could never feel safe in their presence.  Some proved true and kind and charitable even with death staring them in the face, and never forgot their fellow men.  Some that seemed weakest proved strongest in the final struggle for existence.

Early next morning before the sun rose they started to cross the snow, leaving their comrade Robinson behind, rolled up in his blankets, taking his everlasting sleep so far as the troubles of this world are concerned.  What the day would bring forth very few could have any idea.  Go on they must, and this direction seemed most promising.  If the snow should prove hard enough to hold up the oxen they could probably cross before night, but if compelled to camp in the snow it was a doubtful case for them.

The snow held them as they advanced on it, but grew a little softer as the sun got higher.  The tracks of both men and animals were stained with blood from their worn-out feet.  When they turned the summit they found more timber and the ravine they followed was so shaded that the force of the sun was broken, and they really did not suffer very much from slumping through the snow, and so got safely over.  Not far below the snow they found a running brook of clear, sweet water, with willows along the banks and trees on the hills, the first really good water for a month or two.  This is the same camp where Rogers and his companion ate their meal of quail, hawk and crow a few days before, and these travelers knew by the remains of the little camp fire that they were following on the trail of the two men who had gone before.

This place was so great an improvement on the camps of the past that all hands began to talk and act more rational as hope dawned more brightly on them.  Those who had guns branched off to search for game, but found they were too weak for that kind of work, and had to sit down very often to rest.  When they tried to run they stumbled down and made very poor progress.

Capt.  Doty, Tom Shannon and Bill Rude sat down to rest on a bold point above the creek.  While there three wild horses came along within easy range, and thinking they would form better meat than the oxen each man picked his animal and all fired simultaneously, bringing them all to the ground.  This seemed a piece of glorious luck, and all rushed in like wolves lifter a wounded animal.  It was not very long before each had a chunk of meat in his hand, and many a one did not stop from eating because it was not cooked.  Such declared they never ate anything so delicious in all their lives before, and wondered why horses were not used as food instead of hogs and cattle.  As they satisfied their ravenous appetites they ate more like beasts than like men, so nearly were they starved, and so nearly had their starving condition made them fall from their lofty estate.