OF THE POLAR SEA. 



481 



were aware of our inability to do so, I listened to St. Germain's 

 proposal, which was, to follow the deer into the woods, (so long as 

 they did not lead us out of our route to the Indians,) and if possible 

 to collect sufficient food to carry us to Fort Providence. We now 

 set about making mittens and snow shoes, whilst Belanger searched 

 under the snow, and collected a mass of old bones, which when 

 burned and used with a little salt, we found palatable enough, and 

 made a tolerable meal. At night St. Germain returned, having 

 seen plenty of tracks, but no animals ; the day was cloudy, with fresh 

 breezes, and the river was frozen at the borders. 



On the 1 1th we prepared for our journey, having first collected a 

 few old skins of deer, to serve us as food, and written a note to be 

 left for our commander, to apprize him of our intentions. We 

 pursued the course of the river to the lower lake, when St. Germain 

 fell in, which obliged us to encamp directly to prevent his being 

 frozen ; indeed we were all glad of stopping, for in our meagre and 

 reduced state it was impossible to resist the weather, which at any 

 other time would have been thought fine ; my toes were frozen, and 

 although wrapped in blanket I could not keep my hands warm. 



The 12th was excessively cold with fresh breezes. Our meal at 

 night consisted of scraps of old deer skins and swamp tea, and the 

 men complained greatly of their increasing debility. The following 

 morning I sent St. Germain to hunt, intending to go some distance 

 down the lake, but the weather becoming exceedingly thick with 

 snow storms, we were prevented from moving. He returned without 

 success, not having seen any animals. We had nothing to eat. 



In the morning of the 14th the part of the lake before us was 

 quite frozen. There was so much uncertainty in St. Germain's 

 answers as to the chance of any Indians being in the direction we 

 were then going, (although he had previously said that the leader had 

 told him he should be there,) and he gave me so much dissatisfaction 

 in his hunting excursions, that I was induced to send a note to the 



3 Q 



