316 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



naturally turned upon the prospect of getting 

 relief, and upon the means which were best 

 adapted for obtaining it. The absence of all 

 traces of Indians on Winter River, convinced me 

 that they were at this time on the way to Fort 

 Providence, and that by proceeding towards that 

 post we should overtake them, as they move 

 slowly when they have their families with them. 

 This route also offered us the prospect of killing 

 deer, in the vicinity of Rein-Deer Lake, in which 

 neighbourhood, our men in their journeys to and 

 fro last winter, had always found them abundant. 

 Upon these grounds I determined on taking the 

 route to Fort Providence as soon as possible, 

 and wrote to Mr. Back, desiring him to join me 

 at Rein-Deer Lake, and detailing the occurrences 

 since we had parted, that our friends might re- 

 ceive relief, in case of any accident happening 

 to me. 



Belanger did not recover sufficient strength to 

 leave us before the 18th. His answers as to the 

 exact part of Round-Rock Lake in which he had 

 left Mr. Back, were very unsatisfactory ; and we 

 could only coUect that it was at a considerable 

 distance, and he was still going on with the inten- 

 tion of halting at the place where Akaitcho was 

 encamped last summer, about thirty miles off. 

 This distance appeared so great, that I told 



