Wilcocke, Samuel Hull. Narrative of Circumstances attending the death of the late Benjamin Frobisher, Esquire a partner of the North West Company of Montreal, ca. 1820. An electronic transcription. MFTP #0019

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to the other causes effects of disease and debility Mr Frobisher had now got swelled legs; walking across the numerous portages had been all along a painful exertion to him, and when under the necessity of traversing on foot so many hundred miles as yet remained to pass before he could expect to obtain relief, and it is wonderful to reflect that he supported himself as he did. In the course of their subsequent journey the weather appears to have been peculiarly against them. Before they could expect it for according to the usual course of the season, they were prevented from proceeding by water, by the severity of the frost; and in less than a week after, when frost and ice was would have been the most acceptable, the weather broke, and thaws and floods, impeded and retarded their progress on foot, nearly as much as the ice did when in a canoe. But to continue the journal "Octr 24th. Clear weather, very cold, the ice not breakable. Threw away our canoe, set our net, took 2 white fish."* "Oct 25th. We marched all day, passed many portages in the woods along the rapids, the river we find long; encamped on a lake" (This was Wepenapee Lake, which is about six leagues eighteen miles long) "set our net, took 3 carp. We found vestiges of Indians here. Oct 26th. We followed the Indians' track all day; passed Hill portage, and one large lake, encamped

*Nets are set under the ice by making two holes on it at a distance from each other equal to the length of the net, and passing it from one to the other by means of holes. The white fish mentioned

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