Original - North Central Michigan College Library

15JOURNEY TO MONTREALATAHE days being now lengthened and thesnow capable of bearing the foot, wetraveled swiftly; and the weather, thoughcold, was very fine.On the fifth of April we arrived withoutaccident at Cumberland House. On our waywe saw nothing living except wolves, whofollowed us in great numbers, and againstwhom we were obliged to use the precaution ofmaintaining large fires at our encampments.On the seventh we left Cumberland House,and on the ninth, in the morning, reached ourfort on Beaver Lake, where I had the pleasureof finding my friends well.In my absence the men had supported themselvesby fishing; and they were all in healthwith the exception of one, who was hurt at theGrand Portage by a canoe's falling upon him.On the twelfth Mr. Thomas Frobisher withsix men was despatched to the River Churchill,where he was to prepare a fort, and informsuch Indians as he might see on their way toHudson's Bay of the approaching arrival ofhis partners.The ice was still in the same state as inJanuary; but as the season advanced the305