In This Situation I Could Only Hope That, As
Beauparlant Had My Blanket And Everything Requisite To Light A Fire, He
Might Have Encamped At A Little Distance From Us.
October 17.
The night was cold and clear but we could not sleep at all from the pains
of having eaten. We suffered the most excruciating torments though I in
particular did not eat a quarter of what would have satisfied me; it
might have been from using a quantity of raw or frozen sinews of the legs
of deer, which neither of us could avoid doing, so great was our hunger.
In the morning, being much agitated for the safety of Beauparlant, I
desired St. Germain to go in search of him and to return with him as
quick as possible, when I would have something prepared for them to eat.
It was however late when he arrived, with a small bundle which
Beauparlant was accustomed to carry and, with tears in his eyes, told me
that he had found our poor companion dead. Dead! I could not believe him.
"It is so sir," said St. Germain, "after hallooing and calling his name
to no purpose I went towards our last encampment about three-quarters of
a mile and found him stretched upon his back on a sandbank frozen to
death, his limbs all extended and swelled enormously and as hard as the
ice that was near him; his bundle was behind him as if it had rolled away
when he fell, and the blanket which he wore around his neck and shoulders
thrown on one side.
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