we
considered that most of them had passed the greater part of their
servitude in situations where the nets alone had supplied them with
food. Being thus deprived of our principal resource, that of fishing,
and the men evidently getting weaker every day, it became necessary to
lighten their burdens of every thing except ammunition, clothing, and
the instruments that were required to find our way. I, therefore, issued
directions to deposit at this encampment the dipping needle, azimuth
compass, magnet, a large thermometer, and a few books we had carried,
having torn out of these, such parts as we should require to work the
observations for latitude and longitude. I also promised, as an
excitement to the efforts in hunting, my gun to St. Germain, and an
ample compensation to Adam, or any of the other men who should kill any
animals. Mr. Hood, on this occasion, lent his gun to Michel, the
Iroquois, who was very eager in the chase, and often successful.

_September 14_.--This morning the officers being assembled round a small
fire, Perrault presented each of us with a small piece of meat which he
had saved from his allowance. It was received with great thankfulness,
and such an act of self-denial and kindness, being totally unexpected in
a Canadian voyager, filled our eyes with tears. In directing our course
to a river issuing from the lake, we met Credit, who communicated the
joyful intelligence of his having killed two deer in the morning. We
instantly halted, and having shared the deer that was nearest to us,
prepared breakfast. After which, the other deer was sent for, and we
went down to the river, which was about three hundred yards wide, and
flowed with great velocity through a broken rocky channel. Having
searched for a part where the current was most smooth, the canoe was
placed in the water at the head of a rapid, and St. Germain, Solomon
Belanger, and I, embarked in order to cross. We went from the shore very
well, but in mid-channel the canoe became difficult to manage under our
burden as the breeze was fresh. The current drove us to the edge of the
rapid, when Belanger unluckily applied his paddle to avert the apparent
danger of being forced down it, and lost his balance. The canoe was
overset in consequence in the middle of the rapid. We fortunately kept
hold of it, until we touched a rock where the water did not reach higher
than our waists; here we kept our footing, notwithstanding the strength
of the curre