One wonders if either _Thawyase_, the decoyed Jack, or the old
chronicler was conscious of the fact that this was St. Valentine's Day.

"_1837, March 27_. Two geese have been seen to-day, the first this
season."

"_1837, May 2_. _Marcel_ sowed some oats. Mosquitoes begin to become
annoying."

"_1837, May 5_. Wild fowl are beginning to frequent the small lakes of
the neighbourhood. The willows and young trees are now budding forth
beautifully."

"_1837, May 18_. _Hope_ began to plough this morning with the bull, but
as this is the first time he has been yoked, the day's work is found to
be but poor."

"_1837, May 19_. Felix and Roderick McLeod made twelve bags of pemmican
to-day."

_1837, May 21_. The Mackenzie River broke up to-day, and continued
drifting pretty thick till evening."

"_1837, June 18_. Some of the Indians killed a bear before the door and
it supplied us with a little fresh meat."

"_1837, June 19_. Flies so numerous that we are under the necessity of
putting our cattle into the stable, otherwise they will fall victims to
the cruel insects."

"_1837, June 20_. Weather very suffocating, thermometer 85 above at
three p.m., not as much as a cloud to be seen in the firmament and not
the least air to afford any refreshment; this along with the solitude of
the time is enough to make people dull. No Indian from any quarter: well
supplied with ammunition last spring, they forget us when they can get
their own mouths satisfied. Ashley grinding barley in the steel mill."

"_1837, June 21_. _Le Mari_ has just brought in some fish and a little
bearskin in order to get a chemise, he says he is not able to hunt
without a chemise, as there are so many flies just now. I have taken it
upon myself to give him the shirt on credit."

Here a new hand writes the records, untrammelled by any orthographic
rules.

"_1837, June 24_. Flys very numerus and trublsome to the Cattel."

"_1837, July 11_. Starvan Indians going and coming ourly."

"_1837, July 13_. Six squas arrived with plenty Bearrys--that's all they
subsist on in this part of the River."

"_1837, July 26_. Barley is getting ripe. But small birds nip off the
ends of the stalks as fast as it ripens."

"_1837, August 23_. Last night the bull broke into one of the gardens
where oats was sown and eat the whole up."

"_1837, September 18_. An Express arrived from Fort Norman with
despatches from the Gentlemen of the Arctic Discovery Expedition, and it