offered to accompany us to the next party, providing we
would undertake to carry his baggage. This we consented to do, little
expecting, from the appearance of poverty in himself and his family, and
still less from that of his tent, a mere covering of bark and pine
branches, supported on three poles, that load upon load of unsavoury
fish would be tossed into the boat. However, we were unwilling to
retract our promise, and suffered our vessel to be completely lumbered.
We then pushed off, leaving the family to follow in the canoe, but in a
short time our ears were assailed by the loud cries of the man demanding
that we should stop. On his coming up, we found he was apprehensive of
the canoe sinking, it being very leaky and overloaded, and of his losing
his wife and infant child. The water being thrown out, the man proposed
going forward and keeping by our side. There was nothing now to fear,
yet the lamentations of the woman became louder and louder, and at last
the poor creature threw off her only covering, raised the most piteous
cries, and appeared a perfect object of despair. We learned from
Baptiste that she was mourning the loss of two near relatives who had
recently died near the spot we were passing. In this manner do these
simple people show their sorrow for the death of their connexions. As we
drew near the tents of the party on shore, the husband proclaimed with a
stentorian voice who we were; this produced a long reply, of which
Baptiste could only collect enough to inform us that many persons were
lying sick in the lodges, and that two had died the preceding day. Not
choosing to expose ourselves to the hazard of contagion, we put the
baggage of our friend on shore at some distance below the lodges. All
those who were able to manage a canoe, came off to receive presents, and
to see Augustus, the principal object of attraction. Each person
crowded to the side on which he sat to shake him by the hand; and two of
the party, who had been occasionally with the Esquimaux, contrived to
make him understand that, being accompanied by him, we need apprehend no
violence from them, though they were a treacherous people. At the end of
five miles farther we put on shore to sup, and afterwards slept in the
boat; but Augustus spread his blankets on the beach before the fire, and
allowed four of the Loucheux, who had followed us from the tents, to
share them with him.

[Sidenote: Friday, 12th.] At daylight we loosened from the