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 canvas, 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 3rd.  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 us and daily collected all the tripe de roche that was used in the officers’ mess.  Mr. Hood could not partake of this miserable fare, and a partridge which had been reserved for him was I lament to say this day stolen by one of the men.

October 4.

The canoe being finished it was brought to the encampment and, the whole party being assembled in anxious expectation on the beach, St. Germain embarked and, amidst our prayers for his success, succeeded in reaching the opposite shore.  The canoe was then drawn back again and another person transported, and in this manner, by drawing it backwards and forwards, we were all conveyed over without any serious accident.  By these frequent traverses the canoe was materially injured, and latterly it filled each time with water before reaching the shore, so that all our garments and bedding were wet and there was not a sufficiency of willows upon the side on which we now were to make a fire to dry them.