He had walked a day and a half beyond
the place from whence we turned back but had neither seen Junius nor Mr.
Back.
Of the former he had seen no traces but he had followed the tracks
of Mr. Back's party for a considerable distance until the hardness of the
ground rendered them imperceptible. Junius was well equipped with
ammunition, blankets, knives, a kettle, and other necessaries; and it was
the opinion of Augustus that when he found he could not rejoin the party
he would endeavour to gain the woods on the west end of Point Lake and
follow the river until he fell in with the Esquimaux who frequent its
mouth. The Indians too with whom we have since conversed upon this
subject are confident that he would be able to subsist himself during the
winter. Credit on his hunting excursion today found a cap which our
people recognised to belong to one of the hunters who had left us in the
spring. This circumstance produced the conviction of our being on the
banks of the Copper-Mine River which all the assertions of the officers
had hitherto failed in effecting with some of the party, and it had the
happy consequence of reviving their spirits considerably. We consumed the
last of our deer's meat this evening at supper.
Next morning the men went out in search of dry willows and collected
eight large fagots with which they formed a more buoyant raft than the
former but, the wind being still adverse and strong, they delayed
attempting to cross until a more favourable opportunity.
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