458 A JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



doing so from his ignorance of the way to the Fort, but that he 



— 



would never suffer us to go thither in company with him. In the 

 course of the day he had several times remarked that we were pur- 

 suing the same course that Mr. Franklin was doing when he left him, 

 and that by keeping towards the setting sun he could find his way 





+\r 



himself. Hepburn and I were not in a condition to resist even an 

 open attack, nor could we by any device escape from him. Our 

 united strength was far inferior to his, and, beside his gun, he was 

 armed with two pistols, an Indian bayonet, and a knife. In the 

 afternoon, coming to a rock on which there was some tripe de roche, 

 he halted, and said he would gather it whilst we went on, and that 

 he would soon overtake us. Hepburn and I were now left together 

 for the first time since Mr. Hood's death, and he acquainted 

 me with several material circumstances, which he had observed of 

 Michel's behaviour, and which confirmed me in the opinion that 

 there was no safety for us except in his death, and he offered 



_ 



to be the instrument of it. I determined, however, as I was 

 thoroughly convinced of the necessity of such a dreadful act, to 

 take the whole responsibility upon myself; and immediately upon 

 Michel's coming up, I put an end to his life by shooting him 

 through the head with a pistol. Had my own life alone been 

 threatened, I would not have purchased it by such a measure ; 

 but I considered myself as intrusted also with the protection 

 of Hepburn's, a man, who, by his humane attentions and de- 

 votedness, had so endeared himself to me, that I felt more anxiety 

 for his safety than for my own. Michel had gathered no tripe dt 

 roche, and it was evident to us that he had halted for the purpose 

 of putting his gun in order, with the intention of attacking us, 

 perhaps, whilst we were in the act of encamping. 



I have dwelt in the preceding part of the narrative upon 

 many circumstances of Michel's conduct, not for the purpose of 

 aggravating his crime, but to put the reader in possession of the 



