OP THE POLAR SEA. 339 



son. Upon inquiring of Michel how it happened, 

 he replied, that Mr. Hood had sent him into the 

 tent for the short gun, and that during his absence 

 the long gun had gone off, he did not know whe- 

 ther by accident or not. He held the short gun 

 in his hand at the time he was speaking to me. 

 Hepburn afterwards informed me that previous 

 to the report of the gun Mr. Hood and Michel 

 were speaking to each other in an elevated angry 

 tone ; that Mr. Hood being seated at the fire-side, 

 was hid from him by intervening willows, but that 

 on hearing the report he looked up, and saw 

 Michel rising up from before the tent-door, or just 

 behind where Mr. Hood was seated, and then 

 going into the tent. Thinking that the gun had 

 been discharged for the purpose of cleaning it, 

 he did not go to the fire at first ; and when Michel 

 called to him that Mr. Hood was dead, a consider- 

 able time had elapsed. Although I dared not 

 openly to evince any suspicion that I thought 

 Michel guilty of the deed, yet he repeatedly pro- 

 tested that he was incapable of committing such 

 an act, kept constantly on his guard, and care- 

 fully avoided leaving Hepburn and me together. 

 He was evidently afraid of permitting us to con- 

 verse in private, and whenever Hepburn spoke, 

 he inquired if he accused him of the murder. It 

 is to be remarked, that he understood English 



