. 
372 Thirty Years 
ment he could better it, but that by all returning to 
the Fort we might, perhaps, have better success in 
hunting ; with this view I despatched Belanger, much 
against his inclination, and told him to return as 
quick as possible to a place about four miles fur- 
ther on, where we intended to fish, and to await his 
arrival, The men were so weak this day that I could 
get neither of them to move from the encampment ; 
and it was only necessity that compelled them to cut, 
wood for fuel, in performing which operation Beau- 
parlant’s face became so dreadfully swelled that he 
could scarcely see ; I myself lost my temper on the 
_ most trivial circumstances, and’ was become very peev- 
ish; the day was fine but cold, with a freezing north- 
east wind. We had nothing to eat. 
October 15.—The night was calm and clear, but 
it was not before two in the afternoon that we set out ; 
and the one was so weak, and the other so full of com- 
plaints, that we did not get more than three-quarters 
of a mile from our last encampment, before we were 
obliged to put up; but in this distance we were for- 
tunate enough to kill a partridge, the bones of which 
were eaten, and the remainder reserved for baits to 
fish with, We were fortunate, however, in collecting 
sufficient tripe de roche to make a meal; and I now 
anxiously awaited Belanger’s return, to know what 
course to take. I was now so much reduced, that my 
