all who went on such a journey would be forfeited, he neither would go himself, nor permit his people to accompany them. On the morning of the 27th, Lieutenant Franklin held a consultation with his officers, when all agreed that the descent to the Polar Sea this season could not be attempted, without hazarding a complete rupture with these Indians; and it was resolved that they should content themselves with making an excursion to the head of the Copper-mine river, in Point Lake, about 60 miles to the northward of their present resting place, merely to satisfy themselves of its size and position.
“During our little expedition,” says Lieutenant Franklin, “Mr. Wentzel had made great progress in the erection of our winter-house, (Fort Enterprise,) having nearly roofed it in. The men continued to work diligently, and by the 30th of September had almost completed it for our reception, when a heavy fall of rain washed the greater part of the mud off the roof. This rain was remarked by the Indians as unusual, after what they had deemed so decided a commencement of winter. In the mean time, we resided in our tents, which proved very cold habitations, although we maintained a fire in front of them, and also endeavoured to protect ourselves from the piercing winds by a barricade of pine branches. On the 6th of October, the house being completed, we removed into it; and having filled our capacious clay-built chimney with fagots, we spent a cheerful evening before the invigorating blaze. It was merely a log-building, 50 feet long, and 24 wide, divided into a hall, three bed-rooms, and a kitchen. The walls and roof were plastered with clay, the floor laid with planks rudely squared with the hatchet, and the windows closed with parchment of deer skin. The clay, which, from the coldness of the weather, required to be tempered before the fire with hot water, froze as it was daubed on, and afterwards cracked in such a manner as to admit the wind from every quarter. We took up our abode at first on the floor; but our working party, who had shewn such skill as house-carpenters, soon proved themselves to be, with the same tools, the hatchet and crooked knife, excellent cabinet-makers, and daily added a table, a chair, or a bedstead, to the comforts of our establishment.
“The weather becoming daily colder, all the lakes in the neighbourhood of the house were completely frozen over by the middle of the month. The rein-deer now began to quit us for more southerly and better sheltered pastures. Indeed their residence in our neighbourhood would have been of little service to us, for our ammunition was almost completely expended, although we had dealt it of late with a very sparing hand to the Indians. We had, however, already secured in the storehouse the car-