NORTHERN OCEAN 65 



proceed any farther ; adding, that he and all the rest of his 1769. 



. ., —. , .J November. 



countrymen were going to strike off another way, in order 

 to join the remainder of their wives and families : and after 

 giving us a short account which way to steer our course for 

 the nearest part of Seal River, which he said would be our 

 best way homeward, he and his crew delivered me most of the 

 things which they had in charge, packed up their awls, and set 

 out toward the South West, making the woods ring with their 

 laughter, and left us to consider of our unhappy situation, near 

 two hundred miles from Prince of Wales's Fort, all heavily 

 laden, and our strength and spirits greatly reduced by hunger 

 and fatigue. 



Our situation at that time, though very alarming, would 

 not permit us to spend much time in reflection ; so we loaded 

 our sledges to the best advantage (but were obliged to throw 

 away some bags of shot and ball), and immediately set out on 

 our return. In the course of the day's walk we were fortunate 

 enough to kill several partridges, for which we were all very 

 thankful, as it was the first meal we had had for several days : 

 indeed, for the five preceding days we had not killed as much 

 as amounted to half a partridge for each man ; and some days 

 had not a single mouthful. While we were in this distress, 

 the Northern Indians were by no means in want ; for as they 

 always walked foremost, they [7] had ten times the chance to 

 kill partridges, rabbits, or any other thing which was to be met 

 with, than we had. Beside this advantage, they had great 

 stocks of flour, oatmeal, and other English provisions, which 

 they had embezzled out of my stock during the early part of the 

 journey ; and as one of my home Indians, called Mackachy, 

 and his wife, who is a Northern Indian woman, always resorted 

 to the Northern Indians tents, where they got amply supplied 

 with provisions when neither I nor my men had a single 

 mouthful, I have great reason to suspect they had a principal 

 hand in the embezzlement : indeed, both the man and his wife 

 were capable of committing any crime, however diabolical. 



E 



