OF THE POLAR SEA. S03 



before, to which my own judgment assented, and 

 for the sanguine hope I felt of either finding a 

 supply of provision at Fort Enterprise, or meet- 

 ing the Indians in the immediate vicinity of that 

 place, according to my arrangements with Mr. 

 Wentzel and Akaitcho. Previously to our start- 

 ing, Peltier and Benoit repeated their promises, 

 to return to them with provision, if any should be 

 found at the house, or to guide the Indians to 

 them, if any were met. 



Greatly as Mr. Hood w^as exhausted, and, 

 indeed, incapable as he must have proved, of 

 encountering the fatigue of our very next day's 

 journey, so that I felt his resolution to be prudent, 

 I was sensible that his determination to remain, 

 was mainly prompted by the disinterested and 

 generous wish to remove impediments to the pro- 

 gress of the rest of the party. Dr. Richardson 

 and Hepburn, who were both in a state of 

 strength to keep pace with the men, besides this 

 motive which they shared with him, were in- 

 fluenced in their resolution to remain ; the former 

 by the desire which had distinguished his cha- 

 racter, throughout the expedition, of devoting 

 himself to the succour of the weak, and the latter 

 by the zealous attachment he had ever shown 

 towards his officers. 

 We set out without waiting to take any of the 



