It Was Not Sufficient However To
Warm The Whole Party, Much Less To Thaw Our Shoes, And The Weather Not
Permitting The Gathering Of Tripe De Roche We Had Nothing To Cook.
The
painful retrospection of the melancholy events of the day banished sleep,
and we shuddered as we contemplated the dreadful effects of this bitterly
cold night on our two companions, if still living.
Some faint hopes were
entertained of Credit's surviving the storm as he was provided with a
good blanket and had leather to eat.
The weather was mild next morning. We left the encampment at nine and at
a little before noon came to a pretty extensive thicket of small willows
near which there appeared a supply of tripe de roche on the face of the
rocks. At this place Dr. Richardson and Mr. Hood determined to remain
with John Hepburn who volunteered to stop with them. The tent was
securely pitched, a few willows collected, and the ammunition and all
other articles were deposited, except each man's clothing, one tent, a
sufficiency of ammunition for the journey, and the officers' journals. I
had only one blanket which was carried for me and two pair of shoes. The
offer was now made for any of the men who felt themselves too weak to
proceed to remain with the officers but none of them accepted it. Michel
alone felt some inclination to do so. After we had united in thanksgiving
and prayers to Almighty God I separated from my companions, deeply
afflicted that a train of melancholy circumstances should have demanded
of me the severe trial of parting in such a condition from friends who
had become endeared to me by their constant kindness and cooperation, and
a participation of numerous sufferings. This trial I could not have 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 finding 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 chiefly prompted by the disinterested and
generous wish to remove impediments to the progress of the rest. Dr.
Richardson and Hepburn, who were both in a state of strength to keep pace
with the men besides, this motive which they shared with him, were
influenced in their resolution 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 shown towards his officers.
We set out without waiting to take any of the tripe de roche and, walking
at a tolerable pace, 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 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 and when they arrived at the
encampment appeared quite exhausted. The former, bursting into tears,
declared his inability to proceed and begged me to let him go back next
morning to the tent and shortly afterwards Michel made the same request.
I was in hopes they might recover a little strength by the night's rest
and therefore deferred giving any permission UNTIL morning. The sudden
failure in the strength of these men cast a gloom over the rest, which I
tried in vain to remove by repeated assurances that the distance to Fort
Enterprise was short and that we should in all probability reach it in
four days. Not being able to find any tripe de roche we drank an infusion
of the Labrador tea plant (Ledum palustre) and ate a few morsels of burnt
leather for supper. We were unable to raise the tent and found its weight
too great to carry it on; we therefore cut it up and took a part of the
canvas for a cover. The night was bitterly cold and though we lay as
close to each other as possible, having no shelter, we could not keep
ourselves sufficiently warm to sleep. A strong gale came on after
midnight which increased the severity of the weather. In the morning
Belanger and Michel renewed their request to be permitted to go back to
the tent, assuring me they were still weaker than on the preceding
evening and less capable of going forward, and they urged that the
stopping at a place where there was a supply of tripe de roche was their
only chance of preserving life; under these circumstances I could not do
otherwise than yield to their desire. I wrote a note to Dr. Richardson
and Mr. Hood informing them of the pines we had passed and recommending
their removing thither. Having found that Michel was carrying a
considerable quantity of ammunition I desired him to divide it among my
party, leaving him only ten balls and a little shot to kill any animals
he might meet on his way to the tent. This man was very particular in his
inquiries respecting the direction of the house and the course we meant
to pursue; he also said that if he should be able he would go and search
for Vaillant and Credit; and he requested my permission to take
Vaillant's blanket if he should find it, to which I agreed and mentioned
it in my notes to the officers.
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