298 A JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



sequent movement of the rein-deer to the northward, and induced 

 the Indians to believe that the spring was already commencing. 

 Many of them, therefore, quitted the woods, and set their snares on 

 the barren grounds near Fort Enterprise. Two or three days of 

 cold weather, however, towards the middle of the month, damped 

 their hopes, and they began to say that another moon must elapse 

 before the arrival of the wished-for season. In the mean time their 

 premature departure from the woods, caused them to suffer from the 

 want of food, and we were in some degree involved in their distress. 

 We received no supplies from the hunters, our nets produced but 

 very few fish, and the pounded meat which we had intended to 

 keep for summer use was nearly expended. Our meals at this 

 period were always scanty, and we were occasionally restricted to 

 one in the day. 



The Indian families about the house, consisting principally of 

 women and children, suffered most. I had often requested them 

 to move to Akaitcho's lodge, where they were more certain of re- 

 ceiving supplies ; but as most of them were sick or infirm, they did 

 not like to quit the house, where they daily received medicines from 

 Dr. Kichardson, to encounter the fatigue of following the movements 

 of a hunting camp. They cleared away the snow on the site of the 





autumn encampments to look for bones, deers' feet, bits of hide, and 

 other offal. When we beheld them knawing the pieces of hide, and 

 pounding the bones, for the purpose of extracting some nourishment 

 from them by boiling, we regretted our inability to relieve them, but 

 little thought that we should ourselves be afterwards driven to the 

 necessity of eagerly collecting these same bones a second time from 

 the dunghill. 



At this time, to divert the attention of the men from their wants, 

 we encouraged the practice of sliding down the steep bank of the 

 river upon sledges. These vehicles descended the snowy bank with 

 much velocity, and ran a great distance upon the ice. The officers 



