106 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



stores, to Chipewyan, as soon as the navi- 

 gation should open, and had the satisfaction 

 of receiving from both these gentlemen re- 

 newed assurances of their desire to promote 

 the objects of the expedition. I conceived 

 it to be necessary, previous to my depar- 

 ture, to make some arrangement respecting 

 the men who were engaged at Stromness. 

 Only one of them was disposed to extend 

 his engagement, and proceed beyond the 

 Athabasca Lake ; and, as there was much 

 uncertainty whether the remaining three 

 could get from the Athabasca to York Fac- 

 tory sufficiently early to secure them a pas- 

 sage in the next Hudson's Bay ship, I re- 

 solved not to take them forward, unless 

 Dr. Richardson and Mr. Hood should fail 

 in procuring other men from these esta- 

 blishments next spring, but to despatch 

 them down to York to bring up our stores 

 to this place : after which they might return 

 to the coast in time to secure their passage 

 in the first ship. 



I delivered to Dr. Richardson and Mr. 

 Hood a memorandum, containing the ar- 



