OF THE POLAR SEA. 



259 



Our diet consisted almost entirely of rein-deer meat, varied twice 

 a week by fish, and occasionally by a little flour, but we had no 

 vegetables of any description. On the Sunday mornings we drank 

 a cup of chocolate, but our greatest luxury was tea (without sugar), 

 of which we regularly partook twice a-day. With rein-deers' fat, 

 and strips of cotton shirts, we formed candles ; and Hepburn ac- 

 quired considerable skill in the manufacture of soap, from the wood- 

 ashes, fat, and salt. The formation of soap was considered as 

 rather a mysterious operation by our Canadians, and, in their hands, 

 was always supposed to fail if a woman approached the kettle in 

 which the ley was boiling. Such are our simple domestic details. 



On the 30th, two hunters came from the leader, to convey am- 

 munition to him, as soon as our men should bring it from Fort Pro- 

 vidence. 



The men, at this time, coated the walls of the house on the out- 

 side, with a thin mixture of clay and water, which formed a crust 

 of ice, that, for some days, proved impervious to the air ; the dry- 

 ness of the atmosphere, however, was such, that the ice in a short 

 time evaporated, and gave admission to the wind as before. It is 

 a general custom at the forts to give this sort of coating to the 

 walls at Christmas time. When it was gone we attempted to 

 remedy its defect, by heaping up snow against the walls. 



1821, This morning our men collected, and greeted us with the 

 January i. customar y sa l u t a tion on the commencement of the new 

 year. That they might enjoy a holiday, they had yesterday col- 

 lected double the usual quantity of fire-wood, and we anxiously ex- 

 pected the arrival of the men from Fort Providence, with some ad- 

 ditions to their comforts. We were led the more readily to hope 

 for their arrival before the evening, as we knew that every voyager 

 uses his utmost endeavour to reach a post upon, or previous to, 

 the jour de Van, that he may partake of the wonted festivities. It 

 forms the theme of their conversation for months before and after 



2 L 2 



