One wonders if either Thawyase, the decoyed Jack, or the old chronicler was conscious of the fact that this was St. Valentine’s Day.

“1837, March 27.  Two geese have been seen to-day, the first this season.”

“1837, May 2. Marcel sowed some oats.  Mosquitoes begin to become annoying.”

“1837, May 5.  Wild fowl are beginning to frequent the small lakes of the neighbourhood.  The willows and young trees are now budding forth beautifully.”

“1837, May 18. Hope began to plough this morning with the bull, but as this is the first time he has been yoked, the day’s work is found to be but poor.”

“1837, May 19.  Felix and Roderick McLeod made twelve bags of pemmican to-day.”

1837, May 21.  The Mackenzie River broke up to-day, and continued drifting pretty thick till evening.”

“1837, June 18.  Some of the Indians killed a bear before the door and it supplied us with a little fresh meat.”

“1837, June 19.  Flies so numerous that we are under the necessity of putting our cattle into the stable, otherwise they will fall victims to the cruel insects.”

“1837, June 20.  Weather very suffocating, thermometer 85 above at three p.m., not as much as a cloud to be seen in the firmament and not the least air to afford any refreshment; this along with the solitude of the time is enough to make people dull.  No Indian from any quarter:  well supplied with ammunition last spring, they forget us when they can get their own mouths satisfied.  Ashley grinding barley in the steel mill.”

“1837, June 21. Le Mari has just brought in some fish and a little bearskin in order to get a chemise, he says he is not able to hunt without a chemise, as there are so many flies just now.  I have taken it upon myself to give him the shirt on credit.”

Here a new hand writes the records, untrammelled by any orthographic rules.

“1837, June 24.  Flys very numerus and trublsome to the Cattel.”

“1837, July 11.  Starvan Indians going and coming ourly.”

“1837, July 13.  Six squas arrived with plenty Bearrys—­that’s all they subsist on in this part of the River.”

“1837, July 26.  Barley is getting ripe.  But small birds nip off the ends of the stalks as fast as it ripens.”

“1837, August 23.  Last night the bull broke into one of the gardens where oats was sown and eat the whole up.”

“1837, September 18.  An Express arrived from Fort Norman with despatches from the Gentlemen of the Arctic Discovery Expedition, and it is most satisfying to learn that the first object of the Expedition was successfully accomplished:  on the 4th August the Company’s flag was planted on Point Barrow.”

“1837, September 19th. Louson put parchment in the window-frames.”