wood and tripe de roche should be found for ten days’ consumption, and that I should proceed as expeditiously as possible with the men to the house and thence send them immediate relief.  They strongly urged that this arrangement would contribute to the safety of the rest of the party by relieving them from the burden of a tent and several other articles, and that they might afford aid to Credit if he should unexpectedly come up.  I was distressed beyond description at the thought of leaving them in such a dangerous situation and for a long time combated their proposal, but they strenuously urged that this step afforded the only chance of safety for the party and I reluctantly acceded to it.  The ammunition, of which we had a small barrel, was also to be left with them, and it was hoped that this deposit would be a strong inducement for the Indians to venture across the barren grounds to their aid.  We communicated this resolution to the men who were cheered at the slightest prospect of alleviation to their present miseries and promised with great appearance of earnestness to return to those officers upon the first supply of food.

The party then moved on; Vaillant’s blanket and other necessaries were left in the track at the request of the Canadians, without any hope however of his being able to reach them.  After marching till dusk without seeing a favourable place for encamping, night compelled us to take shelter under the lee of a hill amongst some willows, with which, after many attempts, we at length made a fire.  It was not sufficient however to warm the whole party, much less to thaw our shoes, and the weather not permitting the gathering of tripe de roche we had nothing to cook.  The painful retrospection of the melancholy events of the day banished sleep, and we shuddered as we contemplated the dreadful effects of this bitterly cold night on our two companions, if still living.  Some faint hopes were entertained of Credit’s surviving the storm as he was provided with a good blanket and had leather to eat.

The weather was mild next morning.  We left the encampment at nine and at a little before noon came to a pretty extensive thicket of small willows near which there appeared a supply of tripe de roche on the face of the rocks.  At this place Dr. Richardson and Mr. Hood determined to remain with John Hepburn who volunteered to stop with them.  The tent was securely pitched, a few willows collected, and the ammunition and all other articles were deposited, except each man’s clothing, one tent, a sufficiency of ammunition for the journey, and the officers’ journals.  I had only one blanket which was carried for me and two pair of shoes.  The offer was now made for any of the men who felt themselves too weak to proceed to remain with the officers but none of them accepted it.  Michel alone felt some inclination to do so.  After we had united in thanksgiving and prayers to Almighty God I separated from my companions, deeply afflicted that a train of melancholy circumstances