Accordingly I Instructed Him To Halt At The First Pines He
Should Come To And Then Prepare A Raft And,
If his hunters had killed
animals so that the party could be supported whilst we were making our
raft, he
Was to cross immediately with St. Germain and Beauparlant and
send the Indians to us as quickly as possible with supplies of meat.
We had this evening the pain of discovering that two of our men had
stolen part of the officers' provision which had been allotted to us with
strict impartiality. This conduct was the more reprehensible as it was
plain that we were suffering even in a greater degree than themselves
from the effects of famine, owing to our being of a less robust habit and
less accustomed to privations. We had no means of punishing this crime
but by the threat that they should forfeit their wages, which had now
ceased to operate.
Mr. Back and his companions set out at six in the morning and we started
at seven. As the snow had entirely disappeared and there were no means of
distinguishing the footsteps of stragglers, I gave strict orders
previously to setting out for all the party to keep together, and
especially I desired the two Esquimaux not to leave us, they having often
strayed in search of the remains of animals. Our people however, through
despondency, had become careless and disobedient and had ceased to dread
punishment or hope for reward. Much time was lost in halting and firing
guns to collect them, but the labour of walking was so much lightened by
the disappearance of the snow that we advanced seven or eight miles along
the lake before noon, exclusive of the loss of distance in rounding its
numerous bays. At length we came to an arm running away to the north-east
and apparently connected with the lake which we had coasted on the 22nd,
23rd and 24th of the month.
The idea of again rounding such an extensive piece of water and of
travelling over so barren a country was dreadful, and we feared that
other arms equally large might obstruct our path, and that the strength
of the party would entirely fail long before we could reach the only part
where we were certain of finding wood, distant in a direct line
twenty-five miles. While we halted to consider of this subject and to
collect the party, the carcass of a deer was discovered in the cleft of a
rock into which it had fallen in the spring. It was putrid but little
less acceptable to us on that account in our present circumstances and, a
fire being kindled, a large portion was devoured on the spot, affording
us an unexpected breakfast for, in order to husband our small remaining
portion of meat we had agreed to make only one scanty meal a day. The
men, cheered by this unlooked-for supply, became sanguine in the hope of
being able to cross the stream on a raft of willows, although they had
before declared such a project impracticable, and they unanimously
entreated us to return back to the rapid, a request which accorded with
our own opinion and was therefore acceded to.
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