88 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



upon whom the whole labour of getting 

 wood and collecting the means of subsist- 

 ence would have devolved. Conscious 

 too that his strength would have been 

 unequal to these tasks, they had determined 

 upon taking only one meal each day ; so 

 that I felt my going back particularly for- 

 tunate, as I hoped to stimulate Samandre 

 to exertion, and at any rate could contribute 

 some help to Peltier. I undertook the 

 office of cooking, and insisted they should 

 eat twice a-day, whenever food could be 

 procured ; but as I was too weak to pound 

 the bones, Peltier agreed to do that in 

 addition to his more fatiguing task of get- 

 ting wood. We had a violent snow storm 

 all the next day, and this gloomy weather 

 increased the depression of spirits under 

 which Adam and Samandre were labouring. 

 Neither of them would quit their beds, and 

 they scarcely ceased from shedding tears 

 all day ; in vain did Peltier and myself 

 endeavour to cheer them. We had even to 

 use much entreaty before they would take 

 the meals we had prepared for them. Our 



