I ii the An tic !<■ 301 



quite exhausted. The former, bursting into tears, 

 declared his inability to proceed with the party, and 

 I me to let him eo back next morning to the 

 and shortly afterwards Michel made the same 

 request. I was in hopes they might recover a little 

 strength by the night's rest, and therefore del 

 giving any permission until the morning. The 



dlure in the strength of these men casl a gloom 

 over the rest, which 1 tried in vain to remove, by re- 

 peated assurances thai the distance to Fori Enterprize 



bort, and that we should, in all prohability, i 



it in four "lays. Not being alilc to find any f r ' 



roche, we drank an infusion of the Labrador tea plant, 

 (ledum palu8tre,) and ate a few morsels of burnt 

 leather for supper. We were unable to raise the tent, 

 and found its weight too great to carry it on ; we, 

 therefore, cut it up, and tooka part of the canvi 

 a cover. The nighl was bitterly cold, and though we 

 lay as cl »8e to each other as possible, having no shel- 

 ter, we could not keep ourselves sufficiently warm to 

 sleep. A Btrong gale came on after midnight, which 

 tityofthe weather. In the morning 

 Belanger and Michel renewed their request to be per- 

 mitted to go back to the tent, assuring me they 

 Mill weaker than on the preceding evening, ai 

 capable of going forward ; and they urged, that the 

 stopping ai .1 place whi re tie re w is a s:: it'. v "'' trip* 



