52 BOWDOIN BOYS IN LABRADOR. 



more probably tracks of Bryant's and Kenaston's party, who 

 were following them up and probably had been passed on the 

 opposite side of the lake, unnoticed in the heavy rain of the 

 preceeding day. Some bits of meat that had been thrown away 

 were picked up and helped to fill the gap, now becoming quite 

 long, between square meals. Supper on this day is noted in 

 Gary's journal because they " feasted on three squirrels." Hav- 

 ing gotten out of the lake into rapid water, trout was once more 

 caught, and as on the following day, Sunday, the 23d, a bear's 

 heart, liver, etc., was found, and later several fish caught. The 

 starvation period was over. 



In the afternoon another raft was built and the next day car- 

 ried them five miles down to the last cache. Though so terribly 

 used up that the odd jobs connected with making and breaking 

 camp dragged fearfully, and each day's advance had to be made 

 by pure force of will, the men felt that the worst was over and 

 their final getting out of the woods was a matter of time merely. 

 At this cache, also, a note from Young and Smith was found an- 

 nouncing their passage to that point all right and in less time 

 than expected, so they had drawn no supplies from the stock 

 there. 



Tuesday, the 25th. The day, by the way, that the Julia 

 Decker and party arrived at Rigolette according to plans, ex- 

 pecting to find the whole Grand River party, and instead found 

 only Young and Smith, who had been waiting there about a 

 week. Rafting was continued in a heavy rain down to the 

 Mininipi Rapids over which the raft was nearly carried against 

 the will of the occupants. At the foot of these rapids a thirty 

 mile tramp was begun, the raft. that had carried them so well for 

 forty-five miles being abandoned, which took them past the 

 Horse Shoe and Gull Island Rapids and occupied most of the 

 two following days. The tracking was fair, and as starvation 

 was over pretty good time was made. 



Thursday, the 2 7th. A raft was made early in the morning 

 that took them by the Porcupine Rapids and landed them 

 safely, though well soaked, at the head of the first falls. Camp 

 was made that night at the first cache below the falls, forty 

 miles having been covered during the day. 



