These alarming fears I never could persuade them to dismiss from their minds; they always sneered at what they called my credulity.

"If," said the Gros Pied (also Akaitcho) "the Great Chief (meaning Captain Franklin) or any of his party should pass at my tents, he or they shall be welcome to all my provisions or anything else that I may have." And I am sincerely happy to understand by your communication that in this he had kept his word, in sending you with such promptitude and liberality the assistance your truly dreadful situation required.

But the party of Indians on whom I had placed the utmost confidence and dependence was Humpy and the White Capot Guide with their sons and several of the discharged hunters from the Expedition.

This party was well-disposed and readily promised to collect provisions for the possible return of the Expedition, provided they could get a supply of ammunition from Fort Providence, for when I came up with them they were actually starving and converting old axes into ball, having no other substitute; this was unlucky.

Yet they were well inclined and I expected to find means at Fort Providence to send them a supply, in which I was however disappointed, for I found that establishment quite destitute of necessaries, and then shortly after I had left them they had the misfortune of losing three of their hunters who were drowned in Marten Lake; this accident was of all others the most fatal that could have happened, a truth which no one who has the least knowledge of the Indian character will deny, and as they were nearly connected by relationship to the Leader, Humpy, and White Capot Guide, the three leading men of this part of the Copper Indian Tribe, it had the effect of unhinging (if I may use the expression) the minds of all these families and finally destroying all the fond hopes I had so sanguinely conceived of their assisting the Expedition, should it come back by the Annadesse River of which they were not certain.
As to my not leaving a letter at Fort Enterprise it was because by some mischance you had forgot to give me paper when we parted.* (*Footnote.