OF THE POLAR SEA. 113 



being on his guard. Next day, having de- 

 termined on going to the Fort, we began to 

 patch and prepare our clothes for the jour- 

 ney. We singed the hair off a part of the 

 buffalo robe that belonged to Mr. Hood, 

 and boiled and ate it. Michel tried to per- 

 suade me to go to the woods on the 

 Copper-Mine River, and hunt for deer, 

 instead of going to the Fort. In the after- 

 noon, a flock of partridges coming near the 

 tent, he killed several, which he shared with 

 us. 



Thick snowy weather and a head wind 

 prevented us from starting the following 

 day, but on the morning of the 23d we set 

 out, carrying with us the remainder of the 

 singed robe. Hepburn and Michel had 

 each a gun, and I carried a small pistol 

 which Hepburn had loaded for me. In the 

 course of the march Michel alarmed us 

 much by his gestures and conduct, was con- 

 stantly muttering to himself, expressed an 

 unwillingness to go to the Fort, and tried to 

 persuade me to go to the southward to the 

 woods, where he said he could maintain 



VOL. IV. I 



