Two or three days of cold weather however towards the middle of the month damped their hopes, and they began to say that another moon must elapse before the arrival of the wished-for season.

In the meantime their premature departure from the woods caused them to suffer from want of food and we were in some degree involved in their distress.

We received no supplies from the hunters, our nets produced but very few fish, and the pounded meat which we had intended to keep for summer use was nearly expended.
Our meals at this period were always scanty and we were occasionally restricted to one in the day.
The Indian families about the house, consisting principally of women and children, suffered most.

I had often requested them to move to Akaitcho's lodge where they were more certain of receiving supplies but, as most of them were sick or infirm, they did not like to quit the house, where they daily received medicines from Dr.Richardson, to encounter the fatigue of following the movements of a hunting camp.

They cleared away the snow on the site of the autumn encampments to look for bones, deer's feet, bits of hide, and other offal.