358 A JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



near the encampment. Some ducks, gulls, and partridges were seen 

 to-day. As I had to make up despatches for England to be sent by 

 Mr. Wentzel, the nets were set in the interim, and we were rejoiced 

 to find that they produced a sufficiency of fish to supply the party. 

 The fish caught were, the Copper-Mine Eiver salmon, white fish, 

 and two species of pleuronectes. We felt a considerable change of 

 temperature on reaching the sea-coast, produced by the winds 

 changing from the southward to the N.W. Our Canadian voyagers 

 complained much of the cold, but they were amused with their first 

 view of the sea, and particularly with the sight of the seals that 

 were swimming about near the entrance of the river, but these sen- 



sations gave place to despondency before the evening had elapsed. 

 They were terrified at the idea of a voyage through an icy sea in 

 bark canoes. They speculated on the length of the journey, the 

 roughness of the sea, the uncertainty of provisions, the exposure to 

 cold where we could expect no fuel, and the prospect of having to 

 traverse the barren grounds to get to some establishment. The two 

 interpreters expressed their apprehensions with the least disguise, 

 and again urgently applied to be discharged ; but only one of the 

 Canadians made a similar request. Judging that the constant occu- 

 pation of their time as soon as we were enabled to commence the 

 voyage would prevent them from conjuring up so many causes of 

 fear, and that familiarity with the scenes on the coast, would in a 

 short time enable them to give scope to their natural cheerfulness, 

 the officers endeavoured to ridicule their fears, and happily suc- 

 ceeded for the present. The manner in which our faithful Hepburn 

 viewed the element that he had been so long accustomed to, con- 

 tributed not a little to make them ashamed of their fears. 



On the morning of the 19th Dr. Kichardson, accompanied by 

 Augustus, paid another visit to Terregannoeuck, to see if he could 

 obtain any additional information respecting the country to the east- 

 ward ; but he was disappointed at finding that his affrighted family 



