OF THE POLAR SEA. 277 



ing over the hills, as the breeze was fresh. Pel- 

 tier who had it in charge, having received several 

 severe falls, became impatient, and insisted on 

 leaving his burden, as it had already been much 

 injured by the accidents of this day ; and no ar- 

 guments we could use were sufficient to prevail on 

 him to continue carrying it. Vaillant was, there- 

 fore, directed to take it, and we proceeded for- 

 ward. Having found that he got on very well, and 

 was walking even faster than Mr. Hood could, in 

 his present debilitated state, I pushed forward to 

 stop the rest of the party, who had got out of our 

 sight during the delay which the discussion about 

 the canoe had occasioned. I accidentally passed 

 the body of the men, and followed the tracks of 

 two persons who had separated from the rest, 

 until two P.M., when not seeing any person, I 

 retraced my steps, and on my way met Dr. 

 Richardson, who had also missed the party whilst 

 he was employed gathering tripe de roche, and 

 we went back together in search of them. We 

 found they had halted among some willows, where 

 they had picked up some pieces of skin, and a 

 few bones of deer that had been devoured by the 

 wolves last spring. They had rendered the 

 bones friable by burning, and eaten them, as well 

 as the skin ; and several of them had added their 

 old shoes to the repast. Peltier and Vaillant 



