LOSS OF AN ENGLISH SLOOP. 141 
ry for his subsistence and that of his men, for which he gave 
me a bill on his owner at New- York. The latter was not 
ashamed to refuse to pay it, under the pretext that as the ship 
was lost, neither the captain nor the crew could have any 
daim upon him. 
I set off on the second of April, accompanied by two Indians, 
my servant, and Mr. Winslow, a young passenger in our ship, 
and one of the three survivors at the hut. We each carried 
with us four pair of Indian shoes, a pair of snow shoes, and 
provisions for a fortnight. We arrived that evening at a place 
called by the English Broad Oar, where a snow stonn de- 
tained us the w^hole of the following day. We set off again 
on the 4th, and after a march of about fifteen miles, arrived 
on the banks of a beautiful salt-water lake, called the lake of 
St. Peter, one end of which communicates with the sea. 
Here we met with two Indian families that were going a hunt- 
mg. I purchased of them, for four guineas, a bark canoe, 
which my guides informed me would very often be necessary 
for crossing certain parts of the lake that are never frozen. 
As in other parts we should have to travel upon the ice, I was 
likewise obliged to buy two sledges to place the boat upon, 
and to draw it after us. 
Having enjoyed two days repose, and procuring a fresh 
supply of provisions, we resumed our march on the 7th, pro- 
ceeding several miles along the bank of the lake ; but the ice 
being bad, we were obliged to quit that route and take another 
through the woods. The snow there was six feet deep ; a 
thaw, accompanied with rain, which came on the next day, 
rendered it so soft that it was no longer possible to Avalk upon 
its surface. We were therefore obliged to stop. ^ A large fire, 
a commodious wigwam, and abundance of provisions, as- 
sisted us to endure this disagreeable delay without entirely 
dissipating our inquietudes. The winter was too far advanc- 
ed, for us to hope to travel much longer upon the snow with- 
out the accidental return of the frost ; and should it not re- 
turn again, the only thing we could do was to Avait till the 
lake should be entirely cleared of the ice, and thus we might 
be detained a fortnight or three weeks longer. In this case 
our situation was likely to become as unfortunate as that to 
which we had been reduced by our shipwreck, excepting that 
the weather was less severe, that we Avere rather better sup- 
plied with provisions, and had at least arms to recruit our 
Stock. 
The frost fortunately returned on the 12th, and we resolved 
