290 A JOURNEY TO THE 



1772. The weather now became more moderate, though there was 

 "'^' still a fresh gale from the North West, with hard frost and 

 frequent showers of snow. Early in the morning, however, 

 we proceeded on our journey, but the wet and cold I had 

 experienced the two preceding days so benumbed my lower ex- 

 tremities, as to render walking for some time very troublesome. 

 In the course of this day's journey we saw great numbers of 

 geese flying to the Southward, a few of which we killed ; but 

 these were very disproportionate to the number of mouths we 

 had to feed, and to make up for our long fasting. 

 8th. From that time to the eighth we killed every day as many 

 geese as were sufficient to preserve life ; but on that day we 

 perceived plenty of deer, five of which the Indians killed, 

 which put us all into good spirits, and the [297] number of 

 deer we then saw afforded great hopes of more plentiful times 

 during the remainder of our journey. It is almost needless 

 to add, that people in our distressed situation expended a little 

 time in eating, and slicing some of the flesh ready for drying ; 

 but the drying it occasioned no delay, as we fastened it on 

 the tops of the women's bundles, and dried it by the sun and 

 wind while we were walking ; and, strange as it may appear, 

 meat thus prepared is not only very substantial food, but 

 pleasant to the taste, and generally much esteemed by the 

 natives. For my own part I must acknowledge, that it was 

 not only agreeable to my palate, but after eating a meal of 

 it, I have always found that I could travel longer without 

 victuals, than after any other kind of food. All the dried 

 meat prepared by the Southern Indians is performed by ex- 

 posing it to the heat of a large fire, which soon exhausts all the 

 fine juices from it, and when sufficiently dry to prevent putre- 

 faction, is no more to be compared with that cured by the 

 Northern Indians in the Sun, or by the heat of a very slow 

 fire, than meat that has been boiled down for the sake of the 

 soup, is to that which is only sufficiently boiled for eating : 

 the latter has all the juices remaining, which, being easily dis- 



