OF THE POLAR SEA. 



there,) and he gave me so much dissatisfaction in 

 his hunting excursions, that I was induced to 

 send a note to the Commander, whom I supposed 

 to be by this time at Fort Enterprise, to inform 

 him of our situation ; not that I imagined for a 

 moment he could better it, but that by all return- 

 ing to the fort we might, perhaps, have better 

 success in hunting ; with this view I despatched 

 Belanger, much against his inclination, and told 

 him to return as quick as possible to a place about 

 four miles further on, where we intended to fish, 

 and to await his arrival. The men were so weak 

 this day, that I could get neither of them to move 

 from the encampment ; and it was only necessity 

 that compelled them to cut wood for fuel, in per- 

 forming which operation Beauparlant's face be- 

 came so dreadfully swelled that he could scarcely 

 see ; I myself lost my temper on the most trivial 

 circumstances, and was become very peevish ; 

 the day was fine but cold, with a freezing north- 

 east wind. We had nothing to eat. 



October 15.— The night was calm and clear, 

 but it was not before two in the afternoon that 

 we set out; and the one was so weak, and the 

 other so full of complaints, that we did not get 

 more than three-quarters of a mile from our last 

 encampment, before we were obliged to put up ; 

 but in this distance we were fortunate enough to 



