In the Artic Regions. 309 
they might gather a little strength, whilst the delay 
would afford us the chance of learning whether Mr. 
Back had seen the Indians. 
We now looked round for the means of subsistence, 
and-were gratified to find several deer skins, which 
had been thrown away during our former residence. 
The bones were gathered from the heap of ashes, these 
with the skins, and the addition of tripe de roche, we 
considered would support us tolerably well for a time. 
As to the house, the parchment being torn from the 
windows, the apartment we selected for our abode 
was exposed to all the rigor of the season. We en- 
deavored to exclude the wind as much as possible, by 
placing loose boards against the apertures. The tem- 
perature was now between 15° and 20° below zero. 
We procured fuel by pulling up the flooring of the 
other roonis, and water for the purpose of cooking by 
melting the snow. , Whilst we were seated round the 
fire, singing the deer skin for supper, we were rejoiced 
by the unexpected entrance of Augustus. He had 
followed quite a different. course from ours, and the 
circumstance of his having found his way through a 
part of the country he had never been in before, must 
be considered a remarkable proof of sagacity. The 
unusual earliness of this winter became manifest to us 
from the state of things at this spot. Last year at 
the same season, and still later, there had been very 
