Chap. X. FRANKLIN AND RICHARDSON'S JOURNEY. 399 



poor Hood lying lifeless at the fire-side, a ball 

 having apparently entered his forehead. I was at 

 first horror-struck with the idea that, in a fit of 

 despondency, he had hurried himself into the pre- 

 sence of his Almighty Judge, by an act of his own 

 hand ; but the conduct of Michel soon gave rise to 

 other thoughts, and excited suspicions which were 

 confirmed when, upon examining the body, I dis- 

 covered that the shot had entered the back part of 

 the head, and passed out at the forehead, and that 

 the muzzle of the gun had been applied so close as 

 to set fire to the night-cap behind. The gun, from 

 its length, could not have been placed in a position 

 to inflict such a wound, except by a second person. 

 On questioning the Iroquois, he said Mr. Hood had 

 sent him into the tent for the short gun, and in his 

 absence the long gun had gone off, he did not 

 know whether by accident or not. Hepburn said 

 that on hearing the report, he saw Michel rising 

 up before the tent door, or just behind where Mr. 

 Hood was seated, and then go into the tent. 

 Every circumstance before and after this event 

 indicated the assassin. For the three following 

 days he kept constantly on his guard, and carefully 

 avoided leaving the Doctor and Hepburn together. 

 He even made use of threatening language ; and 

 whenever Hepburn spoke, he asked him if he ac- 

 cused him of the murder. He said he hated the 



