12 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



by the middle of the month. The rein-deer now 

 began to quit us for more southerly and better- 

 sheltered pastures. Indeed, their longer resi- 

 dence in our neighbourhood would have been of 

 little service to us, for our ammunition was al- 

 most completely expended, although we had 

 dealt it of late with a very sparing hand to the 

 Indians. We had, however, already secured in 

 the store-house the carcasses of one hundred 

 deer, together with one thousand pounds of suet, 

 and some dried meat ; and had, moreover, eighty 

 deer stowed up at various distances from the 

 house. The necessity of employing the men to 

 build a house for themselves, before the weather 

 became too severe, obUged us to put the latter en 

 cache, as the voyagers term it, instead of adopting 

 the more safe plan of bringing them to the house 

 Putting a deer e?i cache, means merely protect- 

 ing it against the wolves, and stiU more destruc 

 live wolverenes,by heavy loads of wood or stones , 

 the latter animal, however, sometimes digs under- 

 neath the pile, and renders the precaution abortive, 

 On the 18th, Mr. Back and Mr. Wentzel set 

 out for Fort Providence, accompanied by Beau- 

 parlant, Belanger, and two Indians, Akaiyazza 

 and Thoolezzeh, with their wives, the Little Fore- 

 head, and the Smiling Marten. Mr. Back had 

 volunteered to go and make the necessary ar- 



