450 A JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



Mr. F ranklin, which stated, that this man, and Jean Eaptiste Be- 

 langer being unable to proceed, were about to return to us, and that 

 a mile beyond our present encampment there was a clump of pine 

 trees, to which he recommended us to remove the tent. Michel 

 informed us that he quitted Mr. Franklin's party yesterday morning, 

 but, that having missed his way, he had passed the night on the 

 snow a mile or two to the northward of us. Belanger, he said, being 

 impatient, had left the fire about two hours earlier, and, as he had 

 not arrived, he supposed he had gone astray. It will be seen in the 



sequel, that we had more than sufficient reason to doubt the truth 

 of this story. 



Michel now produced a hare and a partridge which he had killed 

 in the morning. This unexpected supply of provision was received 

 by us with a deep sense of gratitude to the Almighty for his goodness, 

 and we looked upon Michel as the instrument he had chosen to 

 preserve all our lives. He complained of cold, and Mr. Hood offered 

 to share his buffalo robe with him at night : I gave him one of two 

 shirts which I wore, whilst Hepburn, in the warmth of his heart, 

 exclaimed, " How I shall love this man if I find that he does not 

 tell lies like the others." Our meals being finished, we arranged 

 that the greatest part of the things should be carried to the pines 

 the next day ; and, after reading the evening service, retired to bed 

 full of hope. 



Early in the morning Hepburn, Michel, and myself, carried the 

 ammunition, and most of the other heavy articles to the pines. 

 Michel was our guide, and it did not occur to us at the time 

 that his conducting us perfectly straight was incompatible with his 

 story of having gone astray on his way to us. He now informed us 

 that he had, on his way to the tent, left on the hill above the pines 

 a gun and forty-eight balls, which Perrault had given to him when 

 with the rest of Mr. Franklin's party, he took leave of him. It 

 will be seen, on a reference to Mr. Franklin's journal, that Perrault 



