OF THE POLAR SEA, 



273 



several feet on sharp- edged stones lying beneath the snow. Once 

 we had to climb a towering, and almost perpendicular, rock, which 

 not only detained us, but was the cause of great anxiety for the 

 safety of the women, who being heavily laden with furs, and one of 

 them with a child on her back, could not exert themselves with the 

 activity which such a task required. Fortunately nothing serious 

 occurred, though one of them once fell with considerable violence. 

 During the day one of the hunters broke through the ice, but was 

 soon extricated ; when it became dark we halted near the Bow 

 String Portage, greatly disappointed at not having reached the lake. 

 The weather was cloudy, accompanied with thick mist and snow. 

 The Indians expected to have found here a bear in its den, and to 

 have made a hearty meal of its flesh ; indeed it had been the subject 

 of conversation all day, and they had even gone so far as to divide 

 it, frequently asking me what part I preferred ; but when we came 

 to the spot— oh! lamentable! it had already fallen a prey to the 

 devouring appetites of some more fortunate hunters, who had only 

 left sufficient evidence that such a thing had once existed. One of 

 our men, however, caught a fish, which with the assistance of some 

 weed scraped from the rocks, (tripe de roche,) which forms a glu- 

 tinous substance, made us a tolerable supper ; it was not of the most 

 choice kind, but yet good enough for hungry men. While we were 

 eating it I perceived one of the women busily employed scraping 

 an old skin, the contents of which her husband presented us with. 

 They consisted of pounded meat, fat, and a greater proportion of 

 Indians' and deers' hair than either ; and though such a mixture may 

 not appear very alluring to an English stomach, it was thought 

 a great luxury after three days' privation in these cheerless regions 

 of America. Indeed had it not been for the precaution and gene- 

 rosity of the Indians, we must have gone without sustenance until 

 we had reached the fort. 



2 N 



