ACCIDENT TO PETER TAYLOR. 279 



note to Mr. King. He, wishing to shorten his 

 distance, ventured on some dark ice (at this 

 season generally rotten), which gave way ; and, 

 but that he was a very active fellow, and kept 

 hold of his gun, which stretched across the hole, 

 and so prevented his going under, he would 

 certainly have perished. Mr. King found one 

 of the caches, and despatched a couple of light 

 hands after the other. 



It was easier to launch the boat, and pull her 

 as far as the narrow went (about a quarter of a 

 mile), than to drag her along the shelving slips 

 of ice on the banks : this done, she was again 

 placed on the runners, ready for the following 

 day; after which we encamped. A flock of 

 geese, some gulls, and two loons were playing 

 about in the open water, but cautiously re- 

 mained far out of shot. A partridge that I shot 

 was quite white, though those about Slave Lake, 

 near the Fort, were partly brown before we left. 



The night was bleak and cold, with the same 

 N.W. gale, accompanied by showers of sleet 

 and snow ; and so thick and forbidding was the 

 morning of the 19th, that we did not attempt 

 to move before noon, when, encouraged by a 

 gleam of stray sunshine, we determined on 

 setting forward. Accordingly, Mr. King went 

 to direct the men, who were a little apart from 

 us, to get ready \ and, to his surprise, found 



t 4 



