hich 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
should have demanded of me the severe trial of parting, in such a
condition, from friends who had become endeared to me by their constant
kindness and co-operation, and a participation of numerous sufferings.
This trial I could not have been induced to undergo, but for the reasons
they had so strongly urged the day before, to which my own judgment
assented, and for the sanguine hope I felt of either finding a supply of
provision at Fort Enterprise, or meeting the Indians in the immediate
vicinity of that place, according to my arrangements with Mr. Wentzel
and Akaitcho. Previously to our starting, Peltier and Benoit repeated
their promises, to return to them with provision, if any should be found
at the house, or to guide the Indians to them, if any were met.

Greatly as Mr. Hood was exhausted, and indeed, incapable as he must have
proved, of encountering the fatigue of our very next day's journey, so
that I felt his resolution to be prudent, I was sensible that his
determination to remain, was chiefly prompted by the disinterested and
generous wish to remove impediments to the progress of the rest. Dr.
Richardson and Hepburn, who were both in a state of strength to keep
pace with the men, besides this motive which they shared with him, were
influenced in their resolution to remain, the former by the desire which
had distinguished his character, throughout the expedition, of devoting
himself to the succour of the weak, and the latter by the zealous
attachment he had ever shown towards his officers.

We set out without waiting to take any of the _tripe de roche_, and
walking at a tolerable pace, in an hour arrived at a fine group of
pines, about a mile and a quarter from the tent. We sincerely regretted
not having seen these before we separated from our companions, as they
would have been better supplied with fuel here, and there appeared to be
more _tripe de roche_ than where we had left them.

Descending afterwards into a more level country, we found the snow very
deep, and the labour of wading through it so fatigued the whole party,