316 Thirty Year 8 



This accident prevented me from keeping pace with 

 Benoit and Augustus, and in the attempt I became 

 quite exhausted. Being convinced that their being 

 delayed on my account might prove of fatal conse- 

 quence to the rest, I resolved on returning to the 

 house, and letting them proceed alone in search of the 

 Indians. I therefore halted them only whilst I wrote 

 a note to Mr. Back, stating the reason of my return, 

 and requesting he would send meat from Reindeer 

 Lake by these men, if St. Germain should kill any 

 animals there. If Benoit should miss Mr. Back, I di- 

 rected him to proceed to Fort Providence, and fur- 

 nished him with a letter to the gentleman in charge 

 of it, requesting immediate supplies might be sent 

 to us. 



On my arrival ai the house, I found Samandre very 

 dispirited, and too weak, as lie said, to render any as- 

 sistance to Peltier; upon whom the whole labor of 

 getting wood Mil collecting the means of subsistence 

 would have devolved. Conscious, too, that his 

 : trength would have been unequal to these tasks, they 

 had determined upon taking only one meal each day ; 

 under these circumstances 1 considered my return as 

 particularly fortunate, as I hoped to stimulate 8a- 

 mandrd to exertion, and at any rate 1 could contribute 

 "He' lielj. to Peltier. I undertook the office of cook- 

 ing, and insisted thai they should eat twice a day 



