On the 5th we made an excursion for the purpose of trying our canoe. A
heavy gale came on in the evening which caused a great swell in the lake
and in crossing the waves we had the satisfaction to find that our
birchen vessel proved an excellent sea-boat.
July 7.
This morning some men and their families, who had been sent off to search
for Indians with whom they intended to pass the summer, returned to the
fort in consequence of a serious accident having befallen their canoe in
the Red Deer River; when they were in the act of hauling up a strong
rapid the line broke, the canoe was overturned, and two of the party
narrowly escaped drowning; fortunately the women and children happened to
be on shore or in all probability they would have perished in the
confusion of the scene. Nearly all their stores, their guns and fishing
nets were lost, and they could not procure any other food for the last
four days than some unripe berries.
Some gentlemen arrived in the evening with a party of Chipewyan Indians
from Hay River, a post between the Peace River and the Great Slave Lake.
These men gave distressing accounts of sickness among their relatives and
the Indians in general along the Peace River, and they said many of them
have died. The disease was described as dysentery. On the 10th and 11th
we had very sultry weather and were dreadfully tormented by mosquitoes.
The highest temperature was 73 degrees.
ARRIVAL OF DR. RICHARDSON AND MR. HOOD.
July 13.
This morning Mr. Back and I had the sincere gratification of welcoming
our long-separated friends, Dr. Richardson and Mr. Hood, who arrived in
perfect health with two canoes, having made a very expeditious journey
from Cumberland notwithstanding they were detained near three days in
consequence of the melancholy loss of one of their bowmen by the
upsetting of a canoe in a strong rapid but, as the occurrences of this
journey together with the mention of some other circumstances that
happened previous to their departure from Cumberland, which have been
extracted from Mr. Hood's narrative, will appear in the following
chapter, it will be unnecessary to enter further into these points now.
The zeal and talent displayed by Dr. Richardson and Mr. Hood in the
discharge of their several duties since my separation from them drew
forth my highest approbation. These gentlemen had brought all the stores
they could procure from the establishments at Cumberland and Isle a la
Crosse; and at the latter place they had received ten bags of pemmican
from the North-West Company, which proved to be mouldy and so totally
unfit for use that it was left at the Methye Portage.
