OF THE POLAR SEA. 



249 



the period at which a messenger ought to have returned from thence 

 to be already passed, became impatient when it had elapsed, and 

 with their usual love of evil augury tormented us by their melan- 

 choly forebodings. At one time they conjectured that the whole 

 party had fallen through the ice ; at another, that they had been 

 way-laid and cut off by the Dog-ribs. In vain did we urge the im- 

 probability of the former accident, or the peaceable character of the 

 Dog-ribs, so little in conformity with the latter. " The ice at this 

 season was deceitful," they said, " and the Dog-ribs, though unwar- 

 like, were treacherous." These assertions, so often repeated, had 

 some effect upon the spirits of our Canadian voyagers, who seldom 

 weigh any opinion they adopt ; but we persisted in treating their 

 fears as chimerical, for had we seemed to listen to them for a mo- 

 ment, it is more than probable that the whole of our Indians would 

 have gone to Fort Providence in search of supplies, from whence we 

 should have found it extremely difficult to have recovered them. 



The matter was put to rest by the appearance of Belanger on the 

 morning of the 23d, and the Indians, now running into the opposite 

 extreme, were disposed to give us more credit for our judgment than 

 we deserved. They had had a tedious and fatiguing journey to 

 Fort Providence, and for some days were destitute of provisions. 



Belanger arrived alone ; he had walked constantly for the last six- 

 and-thirty hours, leaving his Indian companions encamped at the 

 last woods, they being unwilling to accompany him across the barren 

 grounds during the storm that had prevailed for several days, and 

 blew with unusual violence on the morning of his arrival. His locks 

 were matted with snow, and he was incrusted with ice from head to 

 foot, so that we scarcely recognised him when he burst in upon us. 

 We welcomed him with the usual shake of the hand, but were un- 

 able to give him the glass of rum which every voyager receives on 

 his arrival at a trading post. 



As soon as his packet was thawed, we eagerly opened it to 



2 K 



