244 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



the centre being deficient. We have fre- 

 quently observed this descent of minute icy 

 spiculae when the sky appears perfectly 

 clear, and could even perceive that its silent 

 but continued action, added to the snowy 

 covering of the ground. 



Having received one hundred balls from 

 Fort Providence by Belanger, we distributed 

 them amongst the Indians, informing the 

 leader at the same time, that the residence 

 of so large a party as his at the house, 

 amounting, with women and children, to 

 forty souls, was producing a serious reduc- 

 tion in our stock of provision. He acknow- 

 ledged the justice of the statement, and 

 promised to remove as soon as his. party 

 had prepared snow-shoes and sledges for 

 themselves. Under one pretext or other, 

 however, their departure was delayed until 

 the 10th of the month, when they left us, 

 having previously received one of our fish- 

 ing nets, and all the ammunition we pos- 

 sessed. The leader left his aged mother 

 and two female attendants to our care, re- 

 questing that if she died during his absence 



