avelling to the coast. This
agreeable intelligence had a happy effect upon the Canadian voyagers,
many of their fears being removed: several of them seemed now disposed
to volunteer; and indeed, on the same evening, two men from the
North-West Company offered themselves and were accepted.

_June 5_.--This day Mr. Back and I went over to Fort Wedderburne, to see
Mr. Robertson respecting his quota of men. We learned from him that,
notwithstanding his endeavours to persuade them, his most experienced
voyagers still declined engaging without very exorbitant wages. After
some hesitation, however, six men engaged with us, who were represented
to be active and steady; and I also got Mr. Robertson's permission for
St. Germain, an interpreter belonging to this Company, to accompany us
from Slave Lake if he should choose. The bowmen and steersmen{39} were
to receive one thousand six hundred livres Halifax per annum, and the
middle men one thousand two hundred, exclusive of their necessary
equipments; and they stipulated that their wages should be continued
until their arrival in Montreal, or their rejoining the service of their
present employers.

I delivered to Mr. Robertson an official request, that the stores we had
left at York Factory and the Rock Depot, with some other supplies, might
be forwarded to Slave Lake by the first brigade of canoes which should
come in. He also took charge of my letters addressed to the Admiralty.
Five men were afterwards engaged from the North-West Company for the
same wages, and under the same stipulations as the others, besides an
interpreter for the Copper Indians; but this man required three thousand
livres Halifax currency, which we were obliged to give him, as his
services were indispensable.

The extreme scarcity of provision at the posts rendered it necessary to
despatch all our men to the Mamma-wee{40} Lake, where they might procure
their own subsistence by fishing. The women and children resident at the
fort were also sent away for the same purpose; and no other families
were permitted to remain at the houses after the departure of the
canoes, than those belonging to the men who were required to carry on
the daily duty.

The large party of officers and men, which had assembled here from the
different posts in the department, was again quickly dispersed. The
first brigade of canoes, laden with furs, was despatched to the depot on
May 30th, and the others followed in two or three days