om we had kept up, of
supporting our spirits by conversation, we went silently forward.

At length we reached Fort Enterprise, and to our infinite disappointment
and grief found it a perfectly desolate habitation. There was no deposit
of provision, no trace of the Indians, no letter from Mr. Wentzel to
point out where the Indians might be found. It would be impossible to
describe our sensations after entering this miserable abode, and
discovering how we had been neglected: the whole party shed tears, not
so much for our own fate, as for that of our friends in the rear, whose
lives depended entirely on our sending immediate relief from this place.

I found a note, however, from Mr. Back, stating that he had reached the
house two days before and was going in search of the Indians, at a part
where St. Germain deemed it probable they might be found. If he was
unsuccessful, he purposed walking to Fort Providence, and sending
succour from thence: but he doubted whether either he or his party could
perform the journey to that place in their present debilitated state. It
was evident that any supply that could be sent from Fort Providence
would be long in reaching us, neither could it be sufficient to enable
us to afford any assistance to our companions behind, and that the only
relief for them must be procured from the Indians. I resolved therefore,
on going also in search of them: but my companions were absolutely
incapable of proceeding, and I thought by halting two or three days they
might gather a little strength, whilst the delay would afford us the
chance of learning whether Mr. Back had seen the Indians.

We now looked round for the means of subsistence, and were gratified to
find several deer-skins, which had been thrown away during our former
residence. The bones were gathered from the heap of ashes; these with
the skins, and the addition of _tripe de roche_, we considered would
support us tolerably well for a time. As to the house, the parchment
being torn from the windows, the apartment we selected for our abode was
exposed to all the rigour of the season. We endeavoured to exclude the
wind as much as possible, by placing loose boards against the apertures.
The temperature was now between 15 deg. and 20 deg. below zero. We procured fuel
by pulling up the flooring of the other rooms, and water for cooking, by
melting the snow. Whilst we were seated round the fire, singeing the
deer-skin for supper, we were rejoiced b