428 A JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



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the officers' mess. Mr. Hood could not partake of this miserable 

 fare, and a partridge which had been reserved for him was, I lament 

 to say, this day stolen by one of the men. 



October 4.— The canoe being finished, it was brought to the 

 encampment, and the whole party being assembled in anxious ex- 

 pectation on the beach, St. Germain embarked, and amidst our 

 prayers for his success, succeeded in reaching the opposite shore. 

 The canoe was then drawn back again, and another person tran- 

 sported, and in this manner by drawing it backwards and forwards, 

 we were all conveyed over without any serious accident. By these 

 frequent traverses the canoe was materially injured ; and latterly it 

 filled each time with water before reaching the shore, so that aU our 

 garments and bedding were wet, and there was not a sufficiency 

 of willows upon the side on which we now were, to make a fire to 

 dry them. 



That no time might be lost in procuring relief, I immediately 

 despatched Mr. Back with St. Germain, Solomon Belanger, and 

 Beauparlant, to search for the Indians, directing him to go to Fort 

 Enterprise, where we expected they would be, or where, at least, a 

 note from Mr. Wentzel would be found to direct us in our search 

 for them. If St. Germain should kill any animals on his way, a 

 portion of the meat was to be put up securely for us, and con- 

 spicuous marks placed over it. 



It is impossible to imagine a more gratifying change than was 

 produced in our voyagers after we were all safely landed on the 

 southern banks of the river. Their spirits immediately revived, each 

 of them shook the officers cordially by the hand, and declared they 

 now considered the worst of their difficulties over, as they did not 

 doubt of reaching Fort Enterprise in a few days, even in their 

 feeble condition. We had indeed every reason to be grateful, and 

 our joy would have been complete were it not mingled with sincere 

 regret at the separation of our poor Esquimaux, the faithful Junius. 



