226 ACROSS THE SUB-ARCTICS OF CANADA. 



be picked up by the Company's teams on their return 

 trip and taken to Churchill to replenish the larder. 

 Our third camp was made in a strip of wood upon the 

 bank of Salmon Creek, and to our Indians it will be 

 memorable as being the place at which they had the 

 " big feed," for it took three suppers to satisfy them 

 that night. With my brother and myself the hours of 

 darkness had ceased to bring repose. Our knees were 

 so painful we did not sleep, but only turned restlessl}- 

 from side to side until the return of dawn. Happily 

 for us all the weather had continued to be fair, with no 

 extreme cold since the commencement of the journey, 

 which was particularly fortunate on account of poor 

 Michel, who would doubtless have suffered had he been 

 obliged to ride upon a sled^all day during severe weather. 

 As it was, we were able to keep him fairly comfortable, 

 bundled up in deer-skin robes and blankets. 



On the fourth day, meeting with no deer, we made 

 about twenty-seven miles, a good march under the cir- 

 cumstances. This brought us to the banks of Owl 

 River, a stream two or three hundred yards in width, 

 situated in a straight line about midway between York 

 and Churchill. 



At dawn the next morning we were again marching 

 southward, with the expectation of that day reaching 

 Stony River, where William Westasecot, a brother of 

 the guide, was encamped, and where our parties were to 

 separate. 



Three more deer were shot during the day, making a 

 total of twelve for the trip, most of them victims of the 

 Indian guide. About four o'clock in the afternoon wo 

 arrived at Stony River, but there was no Indian camp 



