156 THE FUR COUNTRY. colonists were able to leave off their winter clothing. They worked zealously at repairing the house, the foundations of which had to be propped up ; and Hobson also ordered the construction of a large magazine at the southern corner of the court. The quantity of game justified the expenditure of time and labour involved : the number of furs collected was already considerable, and it was necessary to have some place set aside in which to keep them. The Lieutenant now expected every day the arrival of the detachment to be sent by Captain Craventy. A good many things were still required for the new settlement. The stores were getting low; and if the party had left the fort in the beginning of May, they ought to reach Cape Bathur.st towards the middle of June. It will be remembered that the Captain and his Lieutenant had fixed upon the cape as the spot of rendezvous, and Hobson having constructed his fort on it, there was no fear of the reinforcements failing to find him. From the 15th June the districts surrounding the cape were carefully watched. The British flag waved from the summit of the cliff, and could be seen at a considerable distance. It was probable that the convoy would follow the Lieutenant's example, and skirt along the coast from Coronation Gulf. If not exactly the shortest, it was the surest route, at a time when, the sea being free from ice, the coast-line could be easily followed. When the month of June passed without the arrival of the expected party, Hobson began to feel rather uneasy, especially as the country again became wrapped in fogs. He began to fear that the agents might lose their way, and often talked the matter over with Mrs Barnett, Mac-Nab, and Rae. Thomas Black made no attempt to conceal his uneasiness, for he was anxious to return with the party from Fort Reliance as soon as he had seen his eclipse ; and should anything keep them back from coming, he would have to resign himself to another winter, a prospect which did not please him at all ; and in reply to his eager questions, Hobson could say little to reassure him. The 4th July dawned. No news ! Some men sent to the south- east to reconnoitre, returned, bringing no tidings. Either the agents had never started, or they had lost their way. The latter hypothesis was unfortunately the more probabla Hobson knew Captain Craventy, and felt confident that he had sent off the convoy at the time named.
