some tripe de roche, and made a cheerful supper. Dr. Richardson
was gaining strength, but his leg was much swelled and very painful.
An observation for latitude placed the encampment in 66° 00' 00" N.,
the longitude being 112° 20' 00" W., deduced from the last observation.
On the morning of the 1st of October, the wind was strong, and
the weather as unfavourable as before for crossing on the raft. We
were rejoiced to see Mr. Back and his party in the afternoon. They
had traced the lake about fifteen miles farther than we did, and
found it undoubtedly connected, as we had supposed, with the lake
we fell in with on the 22nd of September ; and dreading, as we had
done, the idea of coasting its barren shores, they returned to make
an attempt at crossing here. St. Germain now proposed to make a
canoe of the fragments of painted canvass in which we wrapped our
bedding. This scheme appearing practicable, a party was sent to
our encampment of the 24th and 25th last, to collect pitch amongst
the small pines that grew there, to pay over the seams of the canoe.
In the afternoon we had a heavy fall of snow, which continued all
night. A small quantity of tripe de roche was gathered; and Crédit,
who had been hunting, brought in the antlers and back bone of a
deer which had been killed in the summer. The wolves and birds
of prey had picked them clean, but there still remained a quantity
of the spinal marrow which they had not been able to extract. This,
although putrid, was esteemed a valuable prize, and the spine being
divided into portions, was distributed equally. After eating the
marrow, which was so acrid as to excoriate the lips, we rendered the
bones friable by burning, and ate them also.
On the following morning the ground was covered with snow to
the depth of a foot and a half, and the weather was very stormy.
These circumstances rendered the men again extremely despondent;
a settled gloom hung over their countenances, and they refused to
pick tripe de roche, choosing rather to go entirely without eating,
than to make any exertion. The party which went for gum returned
early in the morning without having found any; but St. Germain
said he could still make the canoe with the willows, covered with
canvass, and removed with Adam to a clump of willows for that
purpose. Mr. Back accompanied them to stimulate his exertion, as
we feared the lowness of his spirits would cause him to be slow in
his operations. Augustus went to fish at the rapid, but a large trout
having carried away his bait, we had nothing to replace it.
The snow-storm continued all the night, and during the forenoon
of the 3d. Having persuaded the people to gather some tripe de
roche, I partook of a meal with them; and afterwards set out with
the intention of going to St. Germain to hasten his operations, but
though he was only three-quarters of a mile distant, I spent three
hours in a vain attempt to reach him, my strength being unequal to
the labour of wading through the deep snow; and I returned quite
exhausted, and much shaken by the numerous falls I had got. My
associates were all in the same debilitated state, and poor Hood was
reduced to a perfect shadow, from the severe bowel complaints
which the tripe de roche never failed to give him. Back was so
feeble as to require the support of a stick in walking; and Dr.
Richardson had lameness superadded to weakness. The voyagers
were somewhat stronger than ourselves, but more indisposed to
exertion, on account of their despondency. The sensation of
hunger was no longer felt by any of us, yet we were scarcely able
to converse upon any other subject than the pleasures of eating. We
were much indebted to Hepburn at this crisis. The officers were
unable from weakness to gather tripe de roche themselves, and
Samandre, who had acted as our cook on the journey from the coast,
sharing in the despair of the rest of the Canadians, refused to make
the slightest exertion. Hepburn, on the contrary, animated by a
firm reliance on the beneficence of the Supreme Being, tempered
with resignation to his will, was indefatigable in his exertions to serve