The abundance of provisions
with which they are stored, I have very little apprehension of his
safety. As I understand his object was to keep the coast of America close
on board he will find in the spring of the year, before the breaking up
of the ice can permit him to pursue his voyage, herds of deer flocking in
abundance to all parts of the coast, which may be procured without
difficulty, and even later in the season additions to his stock of
provision may be obtained on many parts of the coast, should
circumstances give him leisure to send out hunting parties. With the
trawl or seine nets also he may almost everywhere get abundance of fish
even without retarding his progress. Under these circumstances I do not
conceive that he runs any hazard of wanting provisions should his voyage
be prolonged even beyond the latest period of time which is calculated
upon. Drift timber may be gathered at many places in considerable
quantities and there is a fair prospect of his opening a communication
with the Esquimaux who come down to the coast to kill seals in the spring
previous to the ice breaking up, and from whom, if he succeeds in
conciliating their goodwill, he may obtain provision and much useful
assistance.
(*Footnote. Arctic Zoology volume 2 page 394.)
If he makes for Copper-Mine River, as he probably will do, he will not
find it in the longitude as laid down on the charts, but he will probably
find what would be more interesting to him, a post which we erected on
the 26th August at the mouth of Hood's River which is nearly, as will
appear hereafter, in that longitude, with a flag upon it and a letter at
the foot of it, which may convey to him some useful information. It is
possible however that he may keep outside of the range of islands which
skirt this part of the coast.
CHAPTER 12.
JOURNEY ACROSS THE BARREN GROUNDS.
DIFFICULTY AND DELAY IN CROSSING COPPER-MINE RIVER.
MELANCHOLY AND FATAL RESULTS THEREOF.
EXTREME MISERY OF THE WHOLE PARTY.
MURDER OF MR. HOOD.
DEATH OF SEVERAL OF THE CANADIANS.
DESOLATE STATE OF FORT ENTERPRISE.
DISTRESS SUFFERED AT THAT PLACE.
DR. RICHARDSON'S NARRATIVE.
MR. BACK'S NARRATIVE.
CONCLUSION.
JOURNEY ACROSS THE BARREN GROUNDS.
August 17, 1821.
My original intention, whenever the season should compel us to relinquish
the survey, had been to return by the Copper-Mine River and, in pursuance
of my arrangement with the Hook, to travel to Slave Lake through the line
of woods extending thither by the Great Bear and Marten Lakes, but our
scanty stock of provision and the length of the voyage rendered it
necessary to make for a nearer place. We had already found that the
country between Cape Barrow and the Copper-Mine River would not supply
our wants, and this it seemed probable would now be still the case,
besides at this advanced season we expected the frequent recurrence of
gales which would cause great detention if not danger in proceeding along
that very rocky part of the coast.
I determined therefore to make at once for Arctic Sound where we had
found the animals more numerous than at any other place and, entering
Hood's River, to advance up that stream as far as it was navigable and
then to construct small canoes out of the materials of the larger ones,
which could be carried in crossing the barren grounds to Fort Enterprise.
August 19.
We were almost beaten out of our comfortless abodes by rain during the
night and this morning the gale continued without diminution. The
thermometer fell to 33 degrees. Two men were sent with Junius to search
for the deer which Augustus had killed. Junius returned in the evening,
bringing part of the meat but, owing to the thickness of the weather, his
companions parted from him and did not make their appearance. Divine
service was read. On the 20th we were presented with the most chilling
prospect, the small pools of water being frozen over, the ground covered
with snow, and the thermometer at the freezing-point at midday. Flights
of geese were passing to the southward. The wind however was more
moderate, having changed to the eastward. Considerable anxiety prevailing
respecting Belanger and Michel, the two men who strayed from Junius
yesterday, the rest were sent out to look for them. The search was
successful and they all returned in the evening. The stragglers were much
fatigued and had suffered severely from the cold, one of them having his
thighs frozen and, what under our present circumstances was most
grievous, they had thrown away all the meat. The wind during the night
returned to the north-west quarter, blew more violently than ever, and
raised a very turbulent sea. The next day did not improve our condition,
the snow remained on the ground, and the small pools were frozen. Our
hunters were sent out but they returned after a fatiguing day's march
without having seen any animals. We made a scanty meal off a handful of
pemmican, after which only half a bag remained.
The wind abated after midnight and the surf diminished rapidly, which
caused us to be on the alert at a very early hour on the 22nd, but we had
to wait until six A.M. for the return of Augustus who had continued out
all night on an unsuccessful pursuit of deer. It appears that he had
walked a few miles further along the coast than the party had done on the
18th and, from a sketch he drew on the sand, we were confirmed in our
former opinion that the shore inclined more to the eastward beyond Point
Turnagain.
