Composing ourselves to rest, we lay close to each other for warmth;
the night bitterly cold, and the wind pierced through our famished
frames.
The next morning was mild and pleasant for travelling, and we
set out after breakfast. We had not, however, gone many yards
before I had the misfortune to break my snow shoes by falling
between two rocks. This accident prevented me from keeping pace
with Benoit and Augustus, and in the attempt I became, quite exhausted.
Feeling convinced that their being delayed on my account
might prove of fatal consequence to the rest, I resolved on returning
to the house, and letting them proceed alone in search of the
Indians. I therefore halted them only whilst I wrote a note to
Mr. Back, stating the reason of my return, and desiring he would
send meat from Rein-Deer Lake by these men, if St. Germain should
kill any animals there. If Benoit should miss Mr. Back, I directed
him to proceed to Fort Providence, and furnished him with a letter
to the gentleman in charge of it, requesting that immediate supplies
might be sent to us.
Gn my return to the house, I found Samandre very dispirited, and
too weak, as he said, to render any assistance to Peltier; upon whom
the whole labour of getting wood and collecting the means of subsistence
would have devolved. Conscious, too, that his strength
would have been unequal to these tasks, they had determined upon
taking only one meal each day; so that I felt my going back particularly
fortunate, as I hoped to stimulate Samandre to exertion,
and at any rate could contribute some help to Peltier. I undertook
the office of cooking, and insisted they should eat twice a day whenever
food could be procured ; but as I was too weak to pound the
bones, Peltier agreed to do that in addition to his more fatiguing
task of getting wood. We had a violent snow storm all the next
day, and this gloomy weather increased the depression of spirits
under which Adam and Samandrb were labouring. Neither of them
would quit their beds, and they scarcely ceased from shedding tears
all day; in vain did Peltier and myself endeavour to cheer them.
We had even to use much entreaty before they would take the meals
we had prepared for them. Our situation was indeed distressing,
but in comparison with that of our friends in the rear, we thought
it happy. Their condition gave us unceasing solicitude, and was
the principal subject of our conversation.
Though the weather was stormy on the 26th, Samandre assisted
me to gather tripe de roche. Adam, who was very ill, and could not
now be prevailed upon to eat this weed, subsisted principally on
bones, though he also partook of the soup. The tripe de roche had
hitherto afforded us our chief support, and we naturally felt great
uneasiness at the prospect of being deprived of it, by its being so
frozen as to render it impossible for us to gather it.
We perceived our strength decline every day, and every exertion
began to be irksome; when we were once seated the greatest effort
was necessary in order to rise, and we had frequently to lift each
other from our seats; but even in this pitiable condition we conversed
cheerfully, being sanguine as to the speedy arrival of the Indians.
We calculated indeed that if they should be near the situation where
they had remained last winter, our men would have reached them
by this day. Having expended all the wood which we could procure
from our present dwelling, without danger of its fall, Peltier
began this day to pull down the partitions of the adjoining houses.
Though these were only distant about twenty yards, yet the increase
of labour in carrying the wood fatigued him so much, that by the
evening he was exhausted. On the next day his weakness was such,
especially in the arms, of which he chiefly complained, that he with
difficulty lifted the hatchet; still he persevered, while Samandre and
I assisted him in bringing in the wood, but our united strength could
only collect sufficient to replenish the fire four times in the course