4,26 A JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 





in 65° 00' 00" N., the longitude being 112° 20' 00" W., deduced 

 from the last observation. 



On the morning of the 1 s t of October, the wind was strong, and the 

 weather as unfavourable as before for crossing on the raft. We 

 were rejoiced to see Mr. Back and his party in the afternoon. They 

 had traced the lake about fifteen miles farther than we did, and 

 found it undoubtedly connected, as we had supposed, with the lake 

 we fell upon on the 22nd of September; and dreading, as we had 

 done, the idea of coasting its barren shores, they returned to make 

 an attempt at crossing here. St. Germain now proposed to make a 

 canoe of the fragments of painted canvass, in which we wrapped up 

 our bedding. This scheme appearing practicable, a party was sent 

 to our encampment of the 24th and 25th last, to collect pitch 

 amongst the small pines that grew there, to pay over the seams of 

 the canoe. 



In the afternoon we had a heavy fall of snow, which continued all 

 the night. A small quantity of tripe de roche was gathered ; and 

 Credit, who had been hunting, brought in the antlers and back bone 

 of a deer which had been killed in the summer. The wolves and 

 birds of prey had picked them clean, but there still remained a 

 quantity of the spinal marrow which they had not been able to 

 extract. This, although putrid, was esteemed a valuable prize, and 

 the spine being divided into portions, was distributed equally. After 

 eating the marrow, which was so acrid as to excoriate the lips, we 

 rendered the bones friable by burning, and ate them also. 



On the following morning the ground was covered with snow to 

 the depth of a foot and a half, and the weather was very stormy. 

 These circumstances rendered the men again extremely despondent; 

 a settled gloom hung over their countenances, and they refused to 

 pick tripe de roche, choosing rather to go entirely without eating, 

 than to make any exertion. The party which went for gum 

 returned early in the morning without having found any; but 



