a disaster deeply affected the spirits of the
Canadians, and their natural vivacity gave way to melancholy
forebodings, while they erected a wooden cross in the rocks near the
spot where their companion perished.

[17] Mr. Hood himself was the first to leap into the canoe and incite
the men to follow him, and shoot the rapid to save the lives of
their companions.--DR. RICHARDSON'S _Journal_.

The loss of this man's services, and the necessity of procuring a guide,
determined us to wait for the arrival of the North-West Company's people
from Fort Chipewyan, and we encamped accordingly. The canoe was much
shattered, but as the gunwales were not broken, we easily repaired it.
In the evening a N.W. canoe arrived, with two of the partners. They gave
us an account of Mr. Franklin's proceedings and referred us to the
brigade following them for a guide.

During the 20th it rained heavily, and we passed the day in anxious
suspense confined to our tents. A black bear came to the bank on the
opposite side of the river, and on seeing us glided behind the trees.

Late on the 21st, Mr. Robertson, of the Hudson's Bay Company arrived,
and furnished us with a guide, but desired that he might be exchanged
when we met the northern canoes. We took advantage of the remainder of
the day, to cross the next portage, which was three-fourths of a mile in
length.

On the 22nd we crossed three small portages, and encamped at the fourth.
At one of them we passed some of the Hudson's Bay Company's canoes, and
our application to them was unsuccessful. We began to suspect that Isle
a la Crosse was the nearest place at which we might hope for assistance.
However, on the morning of the 23rd, as we were about to embark, we
encountered the last brigades of canoes belonging to both the Companies,
and obtained a guide and foreman from them. Thus completely equipped, we
entered the Black Bear Island Lake, the navigation of which requires a
very experienced pilot. Its length is twenty-two miles, and its breadth
varies from three to five, yet it is so choked with islands, that no
channel is to be found through it, exceeding a mile in breadth. At
sunset we landed, and encamped on an island, and at six A.M. on the
24th, left the lake and crossed three portages into another, which has,
probably, several communications with the last, as that by which we
passed is too narrow to convey the whole body of the Missinippi. At one
of these portages c