178 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



panied by Pierre St. Germain, the inter- 

 preter. They returned at night, bringing 

 some meat, and reported that they had put 

 the carcasses of several rein-deer en cache. 

 These were sent for early next morning, 

 and as the weather was unusually warm, 

 the thermometer at noon being 7j°,. we 

 remained stationary all day, that the women 

 might prepare the meat for keeping, by 

 stripping the flesh from the bones, and 

 drying it in the sun over a slow fire. The 

 hunters were again successful, and by the 

 evening we had collected the carcasses of 

 seventeen deer. As this was a sufficient 

 store to serve us until we arrived at Winter 

 Lake, the chief proposed that he and his 

 hunters should proceed to that place and 

 collect some provision against our arrival. 

 He also requested that we would allow him 

 to be absent ten days to provide his family 

 with clothing, as the skin of the rein-deer 

 is unfit for that purpose after the month of 

 September. We could not refuse to grant 

 such a reasonable request, but caused St. 

 Germain to accompany him, that his absence 



