4M A JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



fish here, but without success, so that our fare was skin and tea. 

 Composing ourselves to rest, we lay close to each other for warmth. 



We found the night bitterly cold, and the wind pierced through our 

 famished frames. 



The next morning was mild and pleasant for travelling, and we 

 set out after breakfast. We had not, however, gone many yards 

 before I had the misfortune to break my snow shoes by falling be- 

 tween two rocks. This accident prevented me from keeping pace 

 with Benoit and Augustus, and in the attempt I became quite ex- 

 hausted. Being convinced that their being delayed on my account 

 might prove of fatal consequence to the rest, I resolved on return- 

 ing to the house, and letting them proceed alone in search of the 

 Indians. I therefore halted them only whilst I wrote a note to 

 Mr. Back, stating the reason of my return, and requesting he would 

 send meat from Kein-Deer Lake by these men, if St Germain should 

 kill any animals there. If Benoit should miss Mr. Back, I directed 

 him to proceed to Fort Providence, and furnished him with a letter 

 to the gentleman in charge of it, requesting immediate supplies 

 might be sent to us. 



On my arrival at the house, I found Samandre very dispirited, and 

 too weak, as he said, to render any assistance to Peltier ; upon whom 

 the whole labour of getting wood and collecting the means of sub- 

 sistence would have devolved. Conscious, too, that his strength 

 would have been unequal to these tasks, they had determined upon 

 taking only one meal each day ; under these circumstances I con- 

 sidered my return as particularly fortunate, as I hoped to stimulate 

 Samandre to exertion, and at any rate I could contribute some help 

 to Peltier. I undertook the office of cooking, and insisted they 

 should eat twice a-day whenever food could be procured, but as I 

 was too weak to pound the bones, Peltier agreed to do that in ad- 

 dition to his more fatiguing task of getting wood. We had a violent 



