an four times at
deer, but unfortunately without success. It was satisfactory, however,
to ascertain that the country was not destitute of animals. We had the
mortification to discover that two of the bags of pemmican, which was
our principal reliance, had become mouldy by wet. Our beef too had been
so badly cured, as to be scarcely eatable, through our having been
compelled, from haste, to dry it by fire instead of the sun. It was not,
however, the quality of our provision that gave us uneasiness, but its
diminution, and the utter incapacity to obtain any addition. Seals were
the only animals that met our view at this place, and these we could
never approach.

Dr. Richardson discovered near the beach a small vein of galena,
traversing gneiss rocks, and the people collected a quantity of it in
the hope of adding to our stock of balls; but their endeavours to smelt
it, were, as may be supposed, ineffectual. The drift timber on this part
of the coast consists of pine and taccamahac, (_populus balsamifera_),
most probably from Mackenzie's, or some other river to the westward of
the Copper Mine. It all appears to have lain long in the water, the bark
being completely worn off, and the ends of the pieces rubbed perfectly
smooth. There had been a sharp frost in the night, which formed a pretty
thick crust of ice in a kettle of water that stood in the tents; and for
several nights thin films of ice had appeared on the salt water amongst
the cakes of stream ice[10]. Notwithstanding this state of temperature,
we were tormented by swarms of musquitoes; we had persuaded ourselves
that these pests could not sustain the cold in the vicinity of the sea,
but it appears they haunt every part of this country in defiance of
climate. Mr. Back made an excursion to a hill at seven or eight miles'
distance, and from its summit he perceived the ice close to the shore as
far as his view extended.

[10] This is termed _bay-ice_ by the Greenland-men.

On the morning of the 29th the party attended divine service. About noon
the ice appearing less compact, we embarked to change our situation,
having consumed all the fuel within our reach. The wind came off the
land just as the canoes had started, and we determined on attempting to
force a passage along the shore; in which we happily succeeded, after
seven hours' labour and much hazard to our frail vessels. The ice lay so
close that the crews disembarked on it, and effected a passage by
bearin