THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. 19 
jump on and the team continued until the steep bare shore was 
regained. Criticism was now changed to admiration, and one 
Indian was overheard saying, “ It is wonderful how these white 
men understand the building of sleds.” 
Well, it. was chiefly due to the acquisition of these sleds, 
that after waiting about three weeks at Resolution for the most 
suitable time and condition of ice, we were again able to pro- 
ceed with our complete outfit up the Lake towards Old Fort Re- 
liance:the ruins of a post where Sir George Back spent the 
winters of 1833-34 and 1835. Each of our long sleds being 
loaded with about 1,500 pounds, we managed to move forward 
our whole outfit, including three large canoes, but the next diffi- 
culty was to provide food for our dogs for so long and slow a 
journey, for there were no dining cars in that country. Upon 
leaving the Fort our sleds were loaded with every pound of dog 
food that could be procured, but it was impossible for us to 
carry enough from the start for the whole journey. So about 
haif way, or less, up the lake a fishery was established by setting 
nets under the ice, and some of those immense Slave Lake fish 
known as “ Inconnu,” were caught, and contributed to the sup- 
port of our teams. We had trusted that at some points we 
should meet with Indians from whom we might replenish our 
supply of dog food, but in this we were quite disappointed, as 
every Indian encampment sighted was found to be temporarily 
or permanently deserted. 
When, therefore, on the 8th of May, Reliance was reached, 
our dogs were in a deplorable condition, and worse still, their 
supplies of food were entirely gone. So far as my require- 
ments were concerned, they had fulfilled their mission in land- 
injg our outfit at the head of the lake, but having served us so 
faithfully it now distressed me to see them suffer. We hunted 
far and wide for deer upon which to feed them, but all efforts 
failing, I was obliged to end the miseries of our worst speci- 
mens with my rifle. For the sustenance of the survivors on 
their way back to Fort Resolution, I sacrificed a quantity of 
bacon and half a dozen boxes of hard tack, and thus ended our 
dog sled journey of eleven hundred miles. 
