110 



JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



poor Hood lying lifeless at the fire-side, a 

 ball having apparently entered his forehead. 

 I was at first horror-struck with the idea, 

 that in a fit of despondency he had hurried 

 himself into the presence of his Almighty 

 Judge, by an act of his own hand ; but the 

 conduct of Michel soon gave rise to other 

 thoughts, and excited suspicions which were 

 confirmed when, upon examining the body, 

 I discovered that the shot had entered the 

 back part of the head, and passed out at the 

 forehead, and that the muzzle of the gun 

 had been applied so close as to set fire to 

 the night-cap behind. The gun, which was 

 of the longest kind supplied to the Indians, 

 could not have been placed in a position to 

 inflict such a wound, except by a second 

 person. Upon inquiring of Michel how it 

 happened, he replied, that Mr. Hood had 

 sent him into the tent for the short gun, and 

 that during his absence the long gun had 

 gone off, he did not know whether by acci- 

 dent or not. He held the short gun in his 

 hand at the time he was speaking to me. 

 Hepburn afterwards informed me, that pre- 



