Previous To My Departure I
Packed Up The Journals Of The Officers, The Charts, And Some Other
Documents, Together With
A letter addressed to the Under-Secretary of
State detailing the occurrences of the Expedition up to this period,
which
Package was given in charge to Peltier and Samandre with directions
that it should be brought away by the Indians who might come to them. I
also instructed them to send succour immediately on its arrival to our
companions in the rear, which they solemnly promised to do, and I left a
letter for my friends, Richardson and Hood, to be sent at the same time.
I thought it necessary to admonish Peltier, Samandre, and Adam to eat two
meals every day in order to keep up their strength, which they promised
me they would do. No language that I can use could adequately describe
the parting scene. I shall only say there was far more calmness and
resignation to the Divine will evince by everyone than could have been
expected. We were all cheered by the hope that the Indians would be found
by the one party and relief sent to the other. Those who remained
entreated us to make all the haste we could and expressed their hope of
seeing the Indians in ten or twelve days.
At first starting we were so feeble as scarcely to be able to move
forwards and the descent of the bank of the river through the deep snow
was a severe labour.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 582 of 649
Words from 157595 to 157845
of 176017
