OF THE POLAR SEA. 



39 



Hood's River, and others that it was the 

 Bethe-tessy, (a river which rises from a 

 lake to the northward of Rum Lake, and 

 holds a course to the sea parallel with that 

 of the Copper-Mine.) In short, their de- 

 spondency had returned, and they all de- 

 spaired of seeing Fort Enterprise again. 

 However, the steady assurances of the of- 

 ficers that we were actually on the banks of 

 the Copper-Mine River, and that the dis- 

 tance to Fort Enterprise did not exceed 

 forty miles, made some impression upon 

 them, which was increased upon our finding 

 some bear-berry plants (arbutus uva ursi), 

 which are reported by the Indians not to 

 grow to the eastward of that river. They 

 then deplored their folly and impatience in 

 breaking the canoe, being all of opinion, 

 that had it not been so completely demo-» 

 lished on the 23d, it might have been re- 

 paired sufficiently to take the party over. 

 We again closely interrogated Peltier and 

 Vaillant as to its state, with the intention 

 of sending for it ; but they persisted in the 

 declaration that it was in a totally unser- 



