He Was
Going In Search Of A Band Of Indians Of Whom No Information Had Been
Received Since Last October,
And his only guide for finding them was
their promise to hunt in a certain quarter; but he looked at
The jaunt
with indifference and calculated on meeting them in six or seven days,
for which time only he had provision. Few persons in this country suffer
more from want of food than those occasionally do who are employed on
this service. They are furnished with a sufficiency of provision to serve
until they reach the part where the Indians are expected to be; but it
frequently occurs that on their arrival at the spot they have gone
elsewhere, and that a recent fall of snow has hidden their track, in
which case the voyagers have to wander about in search of them; and it
often happens when they succeed in finding the Indians that they are
unprovided with meat. Mr. Isbester had been placed in this distressing
situation only a few weeks ago and passed four days without either
himself or his dogs tasting food. At length when he had determined on
killing one of the dogs to satisfy his hunger he happily met with a
beaten track which led him to some Indian lodges where he obtained food.
The morning of the 21st was cold but pleasant for travelling. We left Mr.
Isbester and his companion and crossed the peninsula of Mosquito Point to
avoid a detour of several miles which the river makes. Though we put up
at an early hour we gained eleven miles this day. Our encampment was at
the lower extremity of Tobin's Falls. The snow being less deep on the
rough ice which enclosed this rapid we proceeded on the 22nd at a quicker
pace than usual but at the expense of great suffering to Mr. Back, myself
and Hepburn, whose feet were much galled. After passing Tobin's Falls the
river expands to the breadth of five hundred yards, and its banks are
well wooded with pines, poplars, birch and willow. Many tracks of
moose-deer and wolves were observed near the encampment.
On the 23rd the sky was generally overcast and there were several snow
showers. We saw two wolves and some foxes cross the river in the course
of the day and passed many tracks of the moose and red-deer. Soon after
we had encamped the snow fell heavily which was an advantage to us after
we had retired to rest by its affording an additional covering to our
blankets. The next morning at breakfast time two men arrived from Carlton
on their way to Cumberland. Having the benefit of their track we were
enabled, to our great joy, to march at a quick pace without snowshoes. My
only regret was that the party proceeded too fast to allow of Mr. Back's
halting occasionally to note the bearings of the points and delineate the
course of the river* without being left behind.
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