358 Thirty Years 
intelligence of the successful termination of Captain 
Parry’s voyage ; and were informed of the promotion 
of myself and Mr. Back, and of poor Hood, our grief 
for whose loss was renewed by this intelligence. The 
gratification which it would otherwise have afforded, 
was materially damped by our sincere regret that he 
had not lived to receive this just reward of his merit 
and services. The letter from Mr. Back stated, that 
the rival Companies in the fur trade had united ; but 
that, owing to some cause which had not been ex- 
plained to him, the goods intended as rewards to 
Akaitcho and his band, which we had demanded in the 
spring from the North-West Company, were not sent. 
There were, however, some stores lying for us at Moose- 
deer Island, which had been ordered for the equipment 
of our voyagers ; and Mr. Back had gone across to that 
establishment, to make a selection of the articles we 
could spare for a temporary present to the Indians. 
The disappointment at the non-arrival of the goods 
was seriously felt by us, as we had looked forward with 
pleasure to the time when we should be enabled to 
recompense our kind Indian friends, for their tender 
sympathy in our distresses, and the assistance they 
had so cheerfully and promptly rendered. I now re- 
gretted to find, that Mr. Wentzel and his party, in 
their return from the sea, had suffered severely on 
their march along the Copper-Mine River, having on 
