koning, and so much had they bewildered themselves on the march,
that some of them asserted it was Hood’s River, and others that it
was the Bethe-tessy. (A river which rises from a lake to the northward
of Rum Lake, and holds a course to the sea parallel with that
of the Copper-Mine.) In short, their despondency had returned,
and they all despaired of seeing F ort Enterprise again. However,
the steady assurances of the officers that we were actually on the
banks of the Copper-Mine River, and that the distance to'Fort
Enterprise did not exceed forty miles, made some impression upon
them, which was increased upon our finding some bear-berry plants
(arbutus uva ursi,) which are reported by the Indians not to grow
to the eastward of that river. They then deplored their folly and
impatience in breaking the canoe, being all of opinion, that had it
not been so completely demolished on the 23d, it might have been
repaired sufficiently to take the party over. We again closely interrogated
Peltier and Vaillant as to its state, with the intention of
sending for it; but they persisted in the declaration, that it was in
a totally unserviceable condition. St. Germain being again called
upon to endeavour to construct a canoe frame with willows, stated
that he was unable to make one sufficiently large. It became necessary,
therefore, to search for pines of sufficient size to form a
raft; and being aware that such trees grow on the borders of Point
Lake, we considered it best to trace its shores in search of them; we,
therefore, resumed our march, carefully looking, but in vain, for a
fordable part, and encamped at the east end of Point Lake.
As there was little danger of our losing the path of our hunters
whilst we coasted the shores of this lake, I determined on again
sending Mr. Back forward, with the interpreters to hunt. I had
in view, in this arrangement, the further object of enabling Mr. Back
to get across the lake with two of these men, to convey the earliest
possible account of our situation to the Indians. Accordingly I
instructed him to halt at the first pines he should come to, and then
prepare a raft; and if his hunters had killed animals, so that the
party could be supported whilst we were making our raft, he was to
cross immediately with St. Germain and Beauparlant, and send the
Indians to us as quickly as possible with supplies of meat.
We had this evening the pain of discovering that two of our men
had stolen part of the officers’ provision, which had been allotted to
us with strict impartiality. This conduct was the more reprehensible,
as it was plain that we were suffering, even in a greater
degree than themselves, from the effects of famine, owing to our
being of a less robust habit, and less accustomed to privations. We
had no means of punishing this crime, but by the threat that they
should forfeit their wages, which had now ceased to operate.
Mr. Back and his companions set out at six in the morning, and
we started at seven. As the. snow had entirely disappeared, and
there were no means of distinguishing the footsteps of stragglers, I
gave strict orders, previously to setting out, for all the party to keep
together: and especially I desired the two Esquimaux not to leave
us, they having often strayed in search, of the remains of animals.
Our people, however, through despondency, had become careless and
disobedient, and had ceased to dread punishment, or hope for reward.
Much time was lost in halting and firing guns to collect them, but
the labour of walking was so much lightened by the disappearance of
the snow, that we advanced seven or eight miles along the lake
before noon, exclusive of the loss of distance in rounding its
numerous bays. At length we came to an arm, running away to the
north-east, and apparently connected with the lake which we had
coasted on the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th, of the month.
The idea of again rounding such an extensive piece of water and
of travelling over so barren a country was dreadful, and we feared
that other arms, equally large, might obstruct our path, and that the
strength of the party would entirely fail, long before we could reach
the only part where we were certain of finding wood, distant in a