Augustus Today Set Two Fishing-Lines Below The Rapid.
On his
way thither he saw two deer but had not strength to follow them.
On the 13th the wind blew violently from south-east and the snow drifted
so much that the party were confined to the house. In the afternoon of
the following day Belanger arrived with a note from Mr. Back stating that
he had seen no trace of the Indians, and desiring further instructions as
to the course he should pursue. Belanger's situation however required our
first care as he came in almost speechless and covered with ice, having
fallen into a rapid and, for the third time since we left the coast,
narrowly escaped drowning. He did not recover sufficiently to answer our
questions until we had rubbed him for some time, changed his dress, and
given him some warm soup. My companions nursed him with the greatest
kindness and the desire of restoring him to health seemed to absorb all
regard for their own situation. I witnessed with peculiar pleasure this
conduct, so different from that which they had recently pursued when
every tender feeling was suspended by the desire of self-preservation.
They now no longer betrayed impatience or despondency but were composed
and cheerful and had entirely given up the practice of swearing, to which
the Canadian voyagers are so lamentably addicted. Our conversation
naturally turned upon the prospect of getting relief and upon the means
which were best adapted for obtaining it. The absence of all traces of
Indians on Winter River convinced me that they were at this time on the
way to Fort Providence and that, by proceeding towards that post, we
should overtake them as they move slowly when they have their families
with them. This route also offered us the prospect of killing deer in the
vicinity of Reindeer Lake, in which neighbourhood our men in their
journey to and fro last winter had always found them abundant. Upon these
grounds I determined on taking the route to Fort Providence as soon as
possible, and wrote to Mr. Back, desiring him to join me at Reindeer Lake
and detailing the occurrences since we parted, that our friends might
receive relief in case of any accident happening to me.
Belanger did not recover sufficient strength to leave us before the 18th.
His answers as to the exact part of Round-Rock Lake in which he had left
Mr. Back were very unsatisfactory, and we could only collect that it was
at a considerable distance, and that he was still going on with the
intention of halting at the place where Akaitcho was encamped last
summer, about thirty miles off. This distance appeared so great that I
told Belanger it was very unsafe for him to attempt it alone and that he
would be several days in accomplishing it. He stated however that, as the
track was beaten, he should experience little fatigue, and seemed so
confident that I suffered him to depart with a supply of singed hide.
Next day I received information which explained why he was so unwilling
to acquaint us with the situation of Mr. Back's party. He dreaded that I
should resolve upon joining it when our numbers would be so great as to
consume at once everything St. Germain might kill, if by accident he
should be successful in hunting. He even endeavoured to entice away our
other hunter, Adam, and proposed to him to carry off the only kettle we
had and without which we could not have subsisted two days. Adam's
inability to move however precluded him from agreeing to the proposal but
he could assign no reason for not acquainting me with it previous to
Belanger's departure. I was at first inclined to consider the whole
matter as a fiction of Adam's, but he persisted in his story without
wavering, and Belanger when we met again confessed that every part of it
was true. It is painful to have to record a fact so derogatory to human
nature but I have deemed it proper to mention it to show the difficulties
we had to contend with, and the effect which distress had in warping the
feelings and understanding of the most diligent and obedient of our
party, for such Belanger had been always esteemed up to this time.
In making arrangements for our departure Adam disclosed to me for the
first time that he was affected with oedematous swellings in some parts
of the body to such a degree as to preclude the slightest attempt at
marching and, upon my expressing my surprise at his having hitherto
concealed from me the extent of his malady, among other explanations the
details of the preceding story came out. It now became necessary to
abandon the original intention of proceeding with the whole party towards
Fort Providence and, Peltier and Samandre having volunteered to remain
with Adam, I determined on setting out with Benoit and Augustus,
intending to send them relief by the first party of Indians we should
meet. My clothes were so much torn as to be quite inadequate to screen me
from the wind and Peltier and Samandre, fearing that I might suffer on
the journey in consequence, kindly exchanged with me parts of their
dress, desiring me to send them skins in return by the Indians. Having
patched up three pairs of snowshoes and singed a quantity of skin for the
journey we started on the morning of the 20th. Previous to my departure I
packed up the journals of the officers, the charts, and some other
documents, together with a letter addressed to the Under-Secretary of
State detailing the occurrences of the Expedition up to this period,
which package was given in charge to Peltier and Samandre with directions
that it should be brought away by the Indians who might come to them. I
also instructed them to send succour immediately on its arrival to our
companions in the rear, which they solemnly promised to do, and I left a
letter for my friends, Richardson and Hood, to be sent at the same time.
I thought it necessary to admonish Peltier, Samandre, and Adam to eat two
meals every day in order to keep up their strength, which they promised
me they would do.
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