364 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



son of the band, not merely from curiosity, I con- 

 ceive, but rather from a desire to evince their ten- 

 der sympathy in our late distress. We learned 

 that Mr. Back, with St. Germain and Belanger, 

 had gone to Fort Providence ; and that, previous 

 to his departure, he had left a letter in a cache 

 of pounded meat, which we had missed two days 

 ago. As we supposed that this letter might ac- 

 quaint us with his intentions more fully than we 

 could gather from the Indians, through our imper- 

 fect knowledge of their language, Augustus, the 

 Esquimaux, whom we found here in perfect 

 health, and an Indian lad, were despatched to 

 bring it. 



We found several of the Indian families in 

 great affliction, for the loss of three of their re- 

 latives, who had been drowned in the August 

 preceding, by the upsetting of a canoe near to 

 Fort Enterprise. They bewailed the melancholy 

 accident every morning and evening, by repeat- 

 ing the names of the persons in a loud singing 

 tone, which was frequently interrupted by bursts 

 of tears. One woman was so affected by the 

 loss of her only son, that she seemed deprived of 

 reason, and wandered about the tents the whole 

 day, crying and singing out his name. 



On the 1st of December wc removed with the 

 Indians to the southward. 



