In the Artic Regions. 363 
among them several fathoms of tobacco, and they re- 
-tired to their tents to spend the night in merriment. 
Adam, our interpreter, being desirous of uniting 
himself with the Copper Indians, applied to me for 
his discharge, which I granted, and gave him a bill 
on the Hudson’s Bay Company for the amount of his 
wages. These arrangements being completed, we pre- 
pared to cross the lake.’ 
Mr. Weeks provided Dr. Richardson and me witha 
cariole each, and we set out at eleven A.M., on the 
15th, for Moose-deer Island. Our'party consisted ot 
Belanger who had charge of a sledge, laden with the 
bedding, and drawn by two dogs, our two cariole men 
‘Benoit, and Augustus. Previous to our departure, 
we had another conference with Akaitcho, who, as 
well as the rest of his party, bade us farewell, with a 
warmth of manner rare among the Indians. 
The badness of Belanger’s dogs and the roughness 
‘of the ice, impeded our progress very much, and oblig- 
ed us to encamp early. We had a good fire made of 
the drift, wood, which lines the shores of this lake in 
great quantities. The next day was very cold. We 
_ began the journey at nine A.M., and encamped at the’ 
Big Cape, having made. xaother short march, in con- 
sequence of the roughness of the ice. 
On the 17th, we encamped on the most southerly 
of the Reindeer Islands. This night was very stormy, 
