78 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



the chance of learning whether Mr. Back 

 had seen the Indians. 



We now looked round for the means of 

 subsistence, and were gratified to find seve- 

 ral deer-skins, which had been thrown away 

 during our former^ residence. The bones 

 were gathered from the heap of ashes ; 

 these with the skins, and the addition of 

 tripe de roche, we considered would support 

 us tolerably well for a time. As to the 

 house, the parchment being torn from the 

 windows, the apartment we selected for our 

 abode was exposed to all the rigour of the 

 season. We endeavoured to exclude the 

 wind as much as possible, by placing loose 

 boards against the apertures. The tem- 

 perature was now between 15° and 20° 

 below zero. We procured fuel by pulling 

 up the flooring of the other rooms, and 

 water for cooking, hy melting the snow. 

 Whilst we were seated round the fire, singe- 

 ing the deer-skin for supper, we were re- 

 joiced by the unexpected entrance of Au- 

 gustus. He had followed quite a different 

 course from ours, and the circumstance of 



