Tuesday, September 15th.—­Temp. 31 degrees 5 A.M.  West wind, spits of sleet, and fair.  Wind continued hard all day.  Could not leave shore.  I lay awake all last night thinking over situation.  George is worried and talks of Indians who starve.  Tries to be cheerful but finds it hard.  Here we are, wind bound, long way from Michikamau, no hopes of wind abating.  The caribou migration is due to begin, yet we can’t start and are at least two weeks from their grounds, with no grub and no prospect of good weather.  Our grub is 18 lbs. pea meal, to be held for emergency, and 2 lbs. of flour, 1 pint rice, 3 lbs. bacon.  To go on is certain failure to reach the caribou killing, and probable starvation.  If we turn back we must stop and get grub, then cross our long portage, then hunt more grub, and finally freeze up preparatory to a sled dash for Northwest River.  That will make us late for boat, but we can snowshoe to the St. Lawrence.  All this, with what we have done so far, will make a bully story.  I don’t see anything better to do.  I asked Wallace.  He opposed and then said it was best.  I said to George, “Would you rather go on or turn back?” “I came to go with you, and I want to do what you do.”  When I said we will turn back he was very greatly pleased.  Now my job is to get the party back to Northwest River, getting grub as we go.  We will take the back track to some good fishing grounds, catch fish, try to kill a caribou, and wait for freeze.  We can’t take the canoe down the Nascaupee.  Hence the need of freezing.  Stayed in camp all day.  Could not launch canoe.  No place to fish or hunt.  Feel better now that the decision is made.  Ate very thin rice and bacon soup and drank tea.  Long chat with Wallace.  Feeling good in spite of short grub.  George is telling again how be will visit his sister at Flying Post and what be will eat.  We are talking of plans for our home-going, and are happy despite impending hunger.

Wednesday, September 16th.—­Temp. 29 degrees 6 A.M.  Wind N.W.  Shifting to N.E.  Little rain.  Moved to rapid on south shore where there is some trout fishing, and hard place to be wind bound.  Must fish a few days and get grub ahead for our long portage back to Namaycush Lake.  Ate last bit of bacon at noon, cut in three pieces and boiled with rice and a little flour.  Boys trolled in P.M.  I made camp and fished brook.  Too cold.  They lost two good namaycush.  I took two 10-inch trout.  Boiled these into a mush and put last handful of rice and a little flour into pot with them.  Good soup.  Made us feel stronger.

Thursday, September 17th.—­Temp. 33 degrees 6 A.M.  Rained all last night and all this P.M.  For breakfast a whisky jack, stewed with flour and about two spoonfuls of erbswurst.  Good.  Wallace and I each had half a bird.  If we get enough fish ahead to take us across this portage, our pea meal and what fish we can get on river will see us to the post.  Hoping weather will improve