42 ONE OF THE PARTY SOLICITS HIS DISCHARGE. 



underwent no visible change, and wore the same 

 sultry aspect as it had done most of the forenoon. 

 Amongst the people who had accompanied us 

 from Montreal, was a tall fine-looking fellow of 

 the name of Larke, who had volunteered, and, 

 indeed, had taken a great deal of trouble to get 

 entered, for the expedition. He had passed a part 

 of his life in the woods, was particularly well qua- 

 lified for such an undertaking, and had attracted 

 universal admiration by his apparent determina- 

 tion to brave all difficulties. This man now, how- 

 ever, came to me, and in a humble tone solicited 

 his discharge, as, to use his own phrase, "he 

 was sure we should be all starved to death;" and 

 so firmly was this unmanly resolution fixed in his 

 mind, that he declared nothing should force him 

 to go on. It is unnecessary to say that such 

 pusillanimous weakness was utterly irreconcilable 

 with an enterprise like that in which we were 

 engaged, which demanded an entire sacrifice of 

 home comforts, and an enthusiastic and unre- 

 flecting ardour in the prosecution of its objects. 

 I was not sorry, therefore, that the disease had 

 shown itself so early ; for, had it broken out here- 

 after, at a more critical period of the adventure, 

 the infection might have spread in a manner too 

 formidable for remedy. He had his wish, and 

 with it a recommendation, at the same time, to 

 the Company to oblige him to serve, in some 



