178 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



the four men, whom I intended to discharge 

 at the sea. 



The fears which our interpreters, St. 

 Germain and Adam, entertained respecting 

 the voyage, were now greatly increased, and 

 both of them came this evening to request 

 their discharge, urging that their services 

 could be no longer requisite, as the Indians 

 were going from us. St. Germain even 

 said that he had understood he was only 

 engaged to accompany us as long as the 

 Indians did, and persisted in this falsehood 

 until his agreement to go with us through- 

 out the voyage had been twice read to him. 

 As these were the only two of the party on 

 whose skill in hunting w T e could rely, I was 

 unable to listen for a moment to their desire 

 of quitting us, and lest they should leave 

 us by stealth, their motions were strictly 

 watched. This was not an unnecessary 

 precaution, as I was informed that they had 

 actually laid a plan for eloping ; but the 

 rest of the men knowing that their own 

 safety would have been compromised had 



