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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