Mr. Franklin, which stated, that this man and Jean Baptiste
Belanger being unable to proceed, were about to return to us, and
that a mile beyond our present encampment there was a clump of
pine-trees, to which he recommended us to remove the tent. Michel
informed us that he quitted Mr..Franklin’s party yesterday morning,
but, that having missed his way, he had passed the night on the
snow a mile or two to the northward of us. Belanger, he said, being
impatient, left the fire about two hours earlier, and, as he had not
arrived, he supposed must have, gone astray. I t will be seen in the
sequel, that we had more than sufficient reason to doubt the truth
of this story.
Michel now produced a hare and a partridge which he had killed
in the morning. This unexpected supply of provision was received
by us with a deep sense of gratitude to the Almighty for his goodness,
and we looked upon Michel as the instrument he had chosen
to preserve all our lives. He complained of cold, and Mr. Hood
offered to share his buffalo robe with him at night: I gave him one
of two shirts which I wore, whilst Hepburn in the warmth of his
heart, exclaimed, “ How I shall love this man if I find that he does
not tell lies like the others.” Our meals being finished, we arranged
that the greatest part of the things should be carried to the pines
the next day; and, after reading the evening service, retired to bed
full of hope.
Early- in the morning Hepburn, Michel, and myself, carried the
ammunition, and most of the other heavy articles to the pines.
Michel was our guide, and it did not occur to us at the time that his
conducting us perfectly straight was incompatible with his story of
having mistaken his road in coming to us. He now informed us
that he had, on his way to the tent, left on the hill above the pines
a gun and forty-eight balls, which Perrault had given to him when
with the rest of Mr. Franklin’s party, he took leave of him. It will
be seen, on a reference to Mr. Franklin’s journal, that Perrault
carried his gun and ammunition with him when they parted from
Michel and Belanger. After we had made a fire, and drank a little
of the country tea, Hepburn and I returned to the tent, where we
arrived in the evening, much exhausted with our journey. Michel
preferred sleeping where he was, and requested us to leave him the
hatchet, which we did, after he had promised to come early m the
morning to assist us in carrying the tent and bedding. Mr: Hood
remained in bed all day. Seeing nothing of Belanger to-day, we
gave him up for lost.
On the 11th, after waiting until late in the morning for Michel,
who did not come, Hepburn and I loaded ourselves with the
bedding, and, accompanied by Mr. Hood, set out for the pines.
Mr. Hood was much affected with dimness of sight, giddiness, and
other symptoms of extreme debility, which caused us to move very
slowly; and to make frequent halts.
On arriving at the pines, we were much alarmed to find that
Michel was absent. We feared that he had lost his way in coming
to us in the morning, although it was not easy to conjecture how
that could have happened, as our footsteps of yesterday were very
distinct. Hepburn went back for the tent, and returned with it
after dusk, completely worn out with the fatigue of the day.
Michel too arrived at the same time, and relieved our anxiety on his
account. He reported that he had been in chase of some deer
which passed near his sleeping-place in the morning, and although
he did not come up with them, yet that he found a wolf which had
been killed by the stroke of a deer’s horn, and had brought a part
of it. We implicitly believed this story then, but afterwards became
convinced from circumstances, the detail of which may be spared,
that it must have been a portion of the body of Belanger or Perrault.
A question of moment here presents itself; namely, whether he
actually murdered these men, or either of them, or whether he found
the bodies in the snow. Captain Franklin, who is the best able to 3 M 2