NORTHERN OCEAN 289 



The twenty-sixth was fine and pleasant. In the morning 1772. 

 we set out as usual, and after walking about five miles, 26th.' 

 the Indians killed three deer ; as our numbers were greatly 

 lessened, these served us for two or three meals, at a small 

 expence of ammunition. 



In continuing our course to the Eastward, we crossed 

 Cathawhachaga River, on the thirtieth of May,^ on the ice, 30th. 

 which broke up soon after the last person had crossed it. We 

 had not been long on the East side of the river before we per- 

 ceived bad weather near at hand, and began to make every 

 preparation for it which our situation would admit, and that 

 was but very indifferent, being on entire barren ground. It 

 is true, we had complete sets of Summer tent-poles, and such 

 tent-cloths as are generally used by the Northern Indians in 

 that season ; these were arranged in the best manner, and in 

 such places as were most likely to afford us shelter from the 

 threatening storm. The rain soon began to descend in such 

 torrents as to make the river overflow to such a degree as soon 

 to convert our first [296] place of retreat into an open sea, and 

 oblige us in the middle of the night to assemble at the top of 

 an adjacent hill, where the violence of the wind would not 

 permit us to pitch a tent ; so that the only shelter we could 

 obtain was to take the tent-cloth about our shoulders, and sit 

 with our backs to the wind ; and in this situation we were 

 obliged to remain without the least refreshment, till the 

 morning of the third of June : in the course of which time June. 

 the wind shifted all round the compass, but the bad weather 

 still continued, so that we were constantly obliged to shift 

 our position as the wind changed. 



[* As they were then on the barren lands, they probably crossed the Kazan 

 River, somewhere about the north end of Ennadai Lake. There is a lake marked 

 on the Mackenzie map as Nipach Lake which may possibly be intended to repre- 

 sent this latter lake. Although there are a few groves of spruce along the banks of 

 this stream, north of the limit of the forest, no attempts seem to have been made 

 by Hearne or his party to camp at them. The date here given is interesting as 

 naming a time when one, at least, of the streams through the barren lands breaks 

 up in spring.] 



T 



