Seeing That There Was No Longer Life In Him I Threw
Your Covering Over Him And Placed His Snowshoes On The Top Of It."
I had not even thought of so serious an occurrence in our little party
and for a short time was obliged to give vent to my grief.
Left with one
person and both of us weak, no appearance of Belanger, a likelihood that
great calamity had taken place amongst our other companions, still
upwards of seventeen days' march from the nearest establishment, and
myself unable to carry a burden; all these things pressed heavy on me,
and how to get to the Indians or to the fort I did not know but, that I
might not depress St. Germain's spirits, I suppressed the feelings to
which these thoughts gave rise and made some arrangements for the journey
to Fort Providence.
October 18.
While we were this day occupied in scraping together the remains of some
deer's meat we observed Belanger coming round a point apparently scarcely
moving. I went to meet him and made immediate inquiries about my friends.
Five, with the Captain, he said, were at the house, the rest were left
near the river unable to proceed, but he was too weak to relate the
whole. He was conducted to the encampment and paid every attention to,
and by degrees we heard the remainder of his tragic tale, at which the
interpreter could not avoid crying. He then gave me a letter from my
friend the Commander which indeed was truly afflicting.
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