SACRIFICE OF PROVISIONS. 237 



lightened by throwing overboard some of the pro- 

 visions ; this reheved them ; and the beach near 

 Point Berens was reached with great satisfaction soon 

 after, when the work of clearing the boats had to be 

 repeated, everything being again quite saturated. 

 The " Supply " was much injured, and we had 

 thrown overboard about three hundred pounds of 

 biscuit, and nearly two hundred pounds of preserved 

 potatoes, all of which had been wetted on the 

 former occasion ; a ten gallon cask of water had 

 also been sacrificed. Walking along the beach, I 

 picked up a piece of amber, which, although very 

 small, was treasured as a curiosity from being found 

 here. On the 11th, having somewhat refitted, we 

 pulled up to Point Berens, on Avhich were thirteen 

 tents, containing, as I calculated, about one hundred 

 persons in all. Pemmican was to be deposited 

 here, and a pole with four arms, which our car- 

 penter had already prepared, was erected. To conceal 

 our doings, a visit was made to the tents, which lay 

 at a distance ; and the attention of the natives being 

 thus diverted, three cases and a bottle of intelligence 

 were bm*ied, we hoped, without observation, and fires 

 made at different places around, to mislead as to the 

 position of the depot. Our arrangements concluded, 

 we were preparing to depart, when the shovel was 



