OF THE POLAR SEA. 



433 



been induced to undergo, but for the reasons they had so strongly 

 urged the day before, to which my own judgment assented, and 

 for the sanguine hope I felt of either rinding a supply of provision 

 at Fort Enterprise, or meeting the Indians in the immediate 

 vicinity of that place, according to my arrangements with Mr. 

 Wentzel and Akaitcho. Previously to our starting, Peltier and 

 Benoit repeated their promises, to return to them with provision, if 

 any should be found at the house, or to guide the Indians to them, 

 if any were met. 



Greatly as Mr. Hood was exhausted, and, indeed, incapable as he 

 must have proved, of encountering the fatigue of our very next day's 

 journey, so that I felt his resolution to be prudent, I was sensible 

 that his determination to remain, was mainly prompted by the disin- 

 terested and generous wish to remove impediments to the progress 

 of the rest of the party. Dr. Eichardson and Hepburn, who were 

 both in a state of strength to keep pace with the men, beside this 

 motive which they shared with him, were influenced in their reso- 

 lution to remain ; the former by the desire which had distinguished 

 his character, throughout the expedition, of devoting himself to the 

 succour of the weak, and the latter by the zealous attachment he 

 had ever shewn towards his officers. 



We set out without waiting to take any of the tripe de rocke, and 

 walked at a tolerable pace, and in an hour arrived at a fine group of 

 pines, about a mile and a quarter from the tent. We sincerely 

 regretted not having seen these before we had separated from our 

 companions, as they would have been better supplied with fuel 

 here, and there appeared to be more tripe de roche than where we 

 had left them. 



Descending afterwards into a more level country, we found the 

 snow very deep, and the labour of wading through it so fatigued 

 the whole party, that we were compelled to encamp, after a march 

 of four miles and a half. Belanger and Michel were left far behind, 



3 K 



