OF THE POLAR SEA. 256 
July '7.—This morning some men, and _ their 
families, who had been sent off to search for 
Indians, with whom they intended to pass the 
summer, returned to the fort in consequence of a 
serious. accident having befallen their canoe in 
the Red Deer River: when they were in the act 
of hauling up a strong rapid, the line broke, the 
canoe was overturned, and two of the party nar- 
rowly escaped drowning ; fortunately the women 
and children happened to be on shore, or, in all 
probability, they would have perished in the con- 
fusion of the scene. . Nearly all their stores, their 
guns, and fishing-nets, were lost, and they could 
not procure any other food for the last four a 
than some unripe berries. 
Some gentlemen arrived in the evening with a 
party of Chipewyan Indians, from Hay River, a 
post between the Peace River, and the Great 
Slave Lake. These men gave distressing ac- 
counts of sickness among their relatives, and the 
Indians..in general along the Peace River, and 
they said many of thenr have died. The disease 
was described as dysentery. On the 10th and 
llth we had very sultry weather, and were 
dreadfully tormented by musquitoes. The high- 
est temperature was 73°. 
July 13.—This morning Mr. Back and I had 
the sincere gratification of welcoming our long- 
