Original - North Central Michigan College Library

was frozen over. Happily we were now at aplace abounding with fish, and here, therefore,we resolved on wintering.Our first object was to procure food. Wehad only three days' stock remaining and wewere forty-three persons in number. Our fortymen were divided into three parties, of which51two were detached to the River aux Castors,on which the ice was strong enough to allow ofsetting the nets, in the manner heretoforedescribed. The third party was employed inbuilding our house, or fort; and in this withinten days we saw ourselves commodiouslylodged. Indeed, we had almost built a village;or, in soberer terms, we had raised buildingsround a quadrangle such as really assumed inthe wilds which encompassed it a formidableappearance. In front was the house designedfor Messrs. Frobisher and myself; and the menhad four houses, of which one was placed oneach side and two in the rear.Our canoes were disposed of on scaffolds,for the ground being frozen we could not burythem, as is the usual practice, and which isdone to protect them from that severity of coldwhich occasions the bark to contract and split.The houses being finished, we divided themen anew, making four parties of nine each.51 Still known by the English equivalent of BeaverRiver. It was early an important trade route, since byits headwaters there is an easy portage to Lac la Biche,which drains into the Athabasca River. Editor.254