﻿Oct. 1847. WINTER QUARTERS. 47 



stranded and broken in the shallow waters, caus- 

 ing frequent detention for repairs; and that the 

 party was overtaken by winter in Cedar Lake. 

 Mr. Bell forthwith housed the boats, constructed a 

 store-house for the goods, left several men to take 

 care of them, and such of the women and children 

 as were unable to travel over the snow. This 

 being done, he set out w^th the bulk of the party 

 for Cumberland House, and reached it on the eighth 

 day after leaving Cedar Lake. His first care was 

 to establish a fishery, which he did on Beaver Lake, 

 two days' walk further north ; and having sent a 

 division of the men thither, the others were dis- 

 tributed to the several winter employments of 

 cutting firewood, driving sledges with meat or fish, 

 and such-like occupations. The unforeseen stoppage 

 of the boats occasioned a large consumption of the 

 pemican destined for the sea voyage, but was at- 

 tended by no other bad consequences, and the 

 deficiency was amply made up in spring through 

 the exertions of the gentlemen in charge of the 

 Company's provision posts on the Saskatchewan ; so 

 that Mr. Bell, when he resumed his voyage north- 

 wards in the summer of 1848, was enabled to take 

 with him as much of that kind of food as his boats 

 could stow. 



While the body of the party was thus passing 

 the winter at Cumberland House and its vicinity. 



