This We
Felt Was A Serious Disaster As The Remaining Canoe Having Through Mistake
Been Made Too Small, It Was Doubtful Whether It Would Be Sufficient To
Carry Us Across A River.
Indeed we had found it necessary in crossing
Hood's River to lash the two canoes together.
As there was some suspicion
that Benoit, who carried the canoe, had broken it intentionally, he
having on a former occasion been overheard by some of the men to say that
he would do so when he got it in charge, we closely examined him on the
point; he roundly denied having used the expressions attributed to him,
and insisted that it was broken by his falling accidentally and, as he
brought men to attest the latter fact who saw him tumble, we did not
press the matter further. I may here remark that our people had murmured
a good deal at having to carry two canoes, though they were informed of
the necessity of taking both in case it should be deemed advisable to
divide the party, which it had been thought probable we should be obliged
to do if animals proved scarce, in order to give the whole the better
chance of procuring subsistence, and also for the purpose of sending
forward some of the best walkers to search for Indians and to get them to
meet us with supplies of provision. The power of doing this was now at an
end. As the accident could not be remedied we turned it to the best
account by making a fire of the bark and timbers of the broken vessel and
cooked the remainder of our portable soup and arrowroot.
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