te Belanger being unable to
proceed, were about to return to us, and that a mile beyond our present
encampment there was a clump of pine-trees, to which he recommended us
to remove the tent. Michel informed us that he quitted Mr. Franklin's
party yesterday morning, but, that having missed his way, he had passed
the night on the snow a mile or two to the northward of us. Belanger, he
said, being impatient, left the fire about two hours earlier, and, as
he had not arrived, he supposed must have gone astray. It will be seen
in the sequel, that we had more than sufficient reason to doubt the
truth of this story.

Michel now produced a hare and a partridge which he had killed in the
morning. This unexpected supply of provision was received by us with a
deep sense of gratitude to the Almighty for his goodness, and we looked
upon Michel as the instrument he had chosen to preserve all our lives.
He complained of cold, and Mr. Hood offered to share his buffalo robe
with him at night: I gave him one of two shirts which I wore, whilst
Hepburn in the warmth of his heart, exclaimed, "How I shall love this
man if I find that he does not tell lies like the others." Our meals
being finished, we arranged that the greatest part of the things should
be carried to the pines the next day; and, after reading the evening
service retired to bed full of hope.

Early in the morning Hepburn, Michel, and myself, carried the
ammunition, and most of the other heavy articles to the pines. Michel
was our guide, and it did not occur to us at the time that his
conducting us perfectly straight was incompatible with his story of
having mistaken his road in coming to us. He now informed us that he
had, on his way to the tent, left on the hill above the pines a gun and
forty-eight balls, which Perrault had given to him when with the rest of
Mr. Franklin's party, he took leave of him. It will be seen, on a
reference to Mr. Franklin's journal, that Perrault carried his gun and
ammunition with him when they parted from Michel and Belanger. After we
had made a fire, and drank a little of the country tea, Hepburn and I
returned to the tent, where we arrived in the evening, much exhausted
with our journey. Michel preferred sleeping where he was, and requested
us to leave him the hatchet, which we did, after he had promised to come
early in the morning to assist us in carrying the tent and bedding. Mr.
Hood remained in bed all day. Seeing nothing of Belanger to-d