On the morning of the 9th the weather although still cold was clear, and I went out in quest of tripe de roche, leaving Hepburn to cut willows for a fire and Mr. Hood in bed.  I had no success as yesterday’s snow-drift was so frozen on the surface of the rocks that I could not collect any of the weed, but on my return to the tent I found that Michel the Iroquois had come with a note from 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.  It 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 in the morning to assist us in carrying the tent and bedding.  Mr. Hood remained in bed all day.  Seeing nothing of Belanger today 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.