eight o’clock in the evening
The same thought passed through the minds of his companions , and they could not help wondering at the contrast between this comparatively fertile region , and the long white plains stretching between the Great Slave Lake and Fort Enterprise . At night the yellow mist became more opaque ; the wind rose , the snow began to fall in large flakes , and the ground was soon covered with a thick white carpet . In less than an hour the snow was a foot deep , and as it did not freeze but remained in a liquid state , the sledges could only advance with extreme difficulty ; the curved fronts stuck in the soft substance , and the dogs were obliged to stop again and again . Towards eight o'clock in the evening the wind became very boisterous . The snow , driven before it , was flung upon the ground or whirled in the air , forming one huge whirlpool . The dogs , beaten back by the squall and blinded with snow , could advance no further . The party was then in a narrow gorge between huge icebergs , over which the storm raged with fearful fury .