232 JOURNKY TO THE SHORES 



avidity. This was the sixth day since we had 

 had a good meal. The tripe de roc he, even where 

 we got enough, only serving to allay the pangs 

 of hunger for a short time. After supper, two 

 of the hunters went in pursuit of the herd, but 

 could not get near them. I do not think that we 

 witnessed through the course of our journey a 

 more striking proof of the wise dispensation of 

 the Almighty, and of the weakness of our own 

 judgment than on this day. We had considered 

 the dense fog which prevailed throughout the 

 morning, as almost the greatest inconvenience 

 that could have befallen us, as it rendered the air 

 extremely cold, and prevented us from distin- 

 guishing any distant object towards which our 

 course could be directed. Yet this very dark- 

 ness enabled the party to get to the top of the 

 hill which bounded the valley wherein the musk- 

 oxen were grazing, without being perceived. Had 

 the herd discovered us, and taken alarm, our hun- 

 ters in their present state of debility would in all 

 probability have failed in getting near to them. 



We were detained all the next day by a strong 

 southerly wind, and were much incommoded in 

 the tents by the drift snow. The temperature 

 was 20^ The average for the? last ten days 

 about 2r. Wc restricted ourselves to one 

 meal to-day, as we v.crc at rc^st, and tlicrc v/as 

 only meat remaining sufficient for the next day. 



