OF THE POLAR SEA. 



427 



St. Germain said he could still make the canoe with the willows 

 covered with the canvass, and removed with Adam to a clump of 

 willows for that purpose. Mr. Back accompanied them to stimulate 

 his exertion, as we feared the lowness of his spirits would cause him 

 to be slow in his operations. Augustus went to fish at the rapid, 

 but a large trout having carried away his bait, we had nothing to 



replace it. 



The snow storm continued all the night, and during the forenoon 



of the 3d. Having persuaded the people to gather some tripe de 

 roche, I partook of a meal with them ; and afterwards set out with 

 the intention of going to St. Germain to hasten his operations, but 

 though he was only three quarters of a mile distant, I spent three 

 hours in a vain attempt to reach him, my strength being unequal 

 to the labour of wading through the deep snow ; and I returned 

 quite exhausted, and much shaken by the numerous falls I had got. 

 My associates were all in the same debilitated state, and poor Hood 

 was reduced to a perfect shadow, from the severe bowel complaints 

 which the tripe de roche never failed to give him. Back was so 

 feeble as to require the support of a stick in walking; and Dr. 

 Kichardson had lameness superadded to weakness. The voyagers 

 were somewhat stronger than ourselves, but more indisposed to 

 exertion, on account of their despondency. The sensation of hunger 

 was no longer felt by any of us, yet we were scarcely able to 

 converse upon any other subject than the pleasures of eating. We 

 were much indebted to Hepburn at this crisis. The officers were 

 unable from weakness to gather tripe de roche themselves, and 

 Semandre, who had acted as our cook on the journey from the coast, 

 sharing in the despair of the rest of the Canadians, refused to make 

 the slightest exertion. Hepburn, on the contrary, animated by a 

 firm reliance on the beneficence of the Supreme Being, tempered 

 with resignation to his will, was indefatigable in his exertions to 

 serve us, and daily collected all the tripe de roche that was used in 



3 I 2 



