materials of the larger ones,
which could be carried in crossing the barren grounds to Fort
Enterprise.

_August 19_.--We were almost beaten out of our comfortless abodes by
rain during the night, and this morning the gale continued without
diminution. The thermometer fell to 33 deg.. Two men were sent with Junius
to search for the deer which Augustus had killed. Junius returned in the
evening, bringing part of the meat, but owing to the thickness of the
weather, his companions parted from him and did not make their
appearance. Divine service was read. On the 20th we were presented with
the most chilling prospect, the small pools of water being frozen over,
the ground covered with snow, and the thermometer at the freezing point
at mid-day. Flights of geese were passing to the southward. The wind,
however, was more moderate, having changed to the eastward. Considerable
anxiety prevailing respecting Belanger and Michel, the two men who
strayed from Junius yesterday, the rest were sent out to look for them.
The search was successful, and they all returned in the evening. The
stragglers were much fatigued, and had suffered severely from the cold,
one of them having his thighs frozen, and what under our present
circumstances was most grievous, they had thrown away all the meat. The
wind during the night returned to the north-west quarter, blew more
violently than ever, and raised a very turbulent sea. The next day did
not improve our condition, the snow remained on the ground, and the
small pools were frozen. Our hunters were sent out, but they returned
after a fatiguing day's march without having seen any animals. We made a
scanty meal off a handful of pemmican, after which only half a bag
remained.

The wind abated after midnight, and the surf diminished rapidly, which
caused us to be on the alert at a very early hour on the 22d, but we had
to wait until six A.M. for the return of Augustus, who had continued out
all night on an unsuccessful pursuit of deer. It appears that he had
walked a few miles farther along the coast, than the party had done on
the 18th, and from a sketch he drew on the sand, we were confirmed in
our former opinion that the shore inclined more to the eastward beyond
Point Turnagain. He also drew a river of considerable size, that
discharges its waters into Walker's Bay; on the banks of which stream he
saw a piece of wood, such as the Esquimaux use in producing fire, and
other marks so fresh that he