Be disobedient and
intractable if they once gain any ascendancy over him. I must admit
however that the present hardships of our companions were of a kind which
few could support without murmuring, and no one could witness without a
sincere pity for their sufferings.
After this discussion we went forward until sunset. In the course of the
day we crossed seven lakes and as many portages. Just as we had encamped
we were delighted to see four of the hunters arrive with the flesh of two
reindeer. This seasonable supply, though only sufficient for this
evening's and the next day's consumption, instantly revived the spirits
of our companions and they immediately forgot all their cares. As we did
not after this period experience any deficiency of food during this
journey they worked extremely well and never again reflected upon us as
they had done before for rashly bringing them into an inhospitable
country where the means of subsistence could not be procured.
Several blue fish resembling the grayling were caught in a stream which
flows out of Hunter's Lake. It is remarkable for the largeness of the
dorsal fin and the beauty of its colours.
August 14.
Having crossed the Hunter's Portage we entered the Lake of the same name
in latitude 64 degrees 6 minutes 47 seconds North, longitude 113 degrees
25 minutes 00 seconds West; but soon quitted it by desire of the Indian
guide and diverged more to the eastward that we might get into the line
upon which our hunters had gone. This was the only consideration that
could have induced us to remove to a chain of small lakes connected by
long portages. We crossed three of these and then were obliged to encamp
to rest the men. The country is bare of wood except a few dwarf birch
bushes which grow near the borders of the lakes, and here and there a few
stunted pines, and our fuel principally consisted of the roots of decayed
pines which we had some difficulty to collect in sufficient quantity for
cooking. When this material is wanting the reindeer lichen and other
mosses that grow in profusion on the gravelly acclivities of the hills
are used as substitutes. Three more of the hunters arrived with meat this
evening which supply came very opportunely as our nets were unproductive.
At eight P.M. a faint Aurora Borealis appeared to the southward, the
night was cold, the wind strong from North-West.
We were detained some time in the following morning before the
fishing-nets, which had sunk in the night, could be recovered.
After starting we first crossed the Orkney Lake, then a portage which
brought us to Sandy Lake and here we missed one of our barrels of powder
which the steersman of the canoe then recollected had been left the day
before.
