In the valley we made rapid progress, but when we reached the mountain every step we took up its side showed the snow to be growing deeper and deeper.

At last Nesmith reached the summit, and there found a depth of about six feet of snow covering the plateau in every direction, concealing all signs of the trail so thoroughly that his guides became bewildered and took the wrong divide.

The moment I arrived at the top my guide--Donald Mc Kay--who knew perfectly the whole Yakima range, discovered Nesmith's mistake.
Word was sent to bring him back, but as he had already nearly crossed the plateau, considerable delay occurred before he returned.

When he arrived we began anew the work of breaking a road for the foot troops behind us, my detachment now in advance.

The deep snow made our work extremely laborious, exhausting men and horses almost to the point of relinquishing the struggle, but our desperate situation required that we should get down into the valley beyond, or run the chance of perishing on the mountain in a storm which seemed unending.