Adam sat up with them. The Doctor, Hepburn,
and myself went to bed. We were afterwards agreeably surprised to see
Peltier and Samandre carry three or four logs of wood across the room to
replenish the fire, which induced us to hope they still possessed more
strength than we had supposed.
November 1.
This day was fine and mild. Hepburn went hunting but was as usual
unsuccessful. As his strength was rapidly declining we advised him to
desist from the pursuit of deer, and only to go out for a short time and
endeavour to kill a few partridges for Peltier and Samandre. The Doctor
obtained a little tripe de roche but Peltier could not eat any of it, and
Samandre only a few spoonfuls, owing to the soreness of their throats. In
the afternoon Peltier was so much exhausted that he sat up with
difficulty and looked piteously; at length he slid from his stool upon
his bed, as we supposed to sleep, and in this composed state he remained
upwards of two hours without our apprehending any danger. We were then
alarmed by hearing a rattling in his throat and on the Doctor's examining
him he was found to be speechless. He died in the course of the night.
Samandre sat up the greater part of the day and even assisted in pounding
some bones but, on witnessing the melancholy state of Peltier, he became
very low and began to complain of cold and stiffness of the joints. Being
unable to keep up a sufficient fire to warm him we laid him down and
covered him with several blankets. He did not however appear to get
better and I deeply lament to add he also died before daylight. We
removed the bodies of the deceased into the opposite part of the house
but our united strength was inadequate to the task of interring them or
even carrying them down to the river.
It may be worthy of remark that poor Peltier, from the time of Benoit's
departure, had fixed on the first of November as the time when he should
cease to expect any relief from the Indians, and had repeatedly said that
if they did not arrive by that day he should not survive.
Peltier had endeared himself to each of us by his cheerfulness, his
unceasing activity, and affectionate care and attentions ever since our
arrival at this place. He had nursed Adam with the tenderest solicitude
the whole time. Poor Samandre was willing to have taken his share in the
labours of the party had he not been wholly incapacitated by his weakness
and low spirits. The severe shock occasioned by the sudden dissolution of
our two companions rendered us very melancholy.
