JOURNEY TO THE SHORES
OF
THE POLAR SEA.
CHAPTER VIII. [ToC]
[Transactions at Fort Enterprise]—[Mr. Back's Narrative of his Journey to Chipewyan and Return.]
1820.
September.
During our little expedition to the Copper-Mine River, Mr. Wentzel had made great progress in the erection of our winter-house, having nearly roofed it in. But before proceeding to give an account of a ten months' residence at this place, henceforth designated Fort Enterprise, I may premise, that I shall omit many of the ordinary occurrences of a North American winter, as they have been already detailed in so able and interesting a manner by Ellis[1], and confine myself principally to the circumstances which had an influence on our progress in the ensuing summer. The observations on the magnetic needle, the temperature of the atmosphere, the Aurora Borealis, and other meteorological phenomena, together with the mineralogical and botanical notices, being less interesting to the general reader, are omitted in this edition.
[1] Voyage to Hudson's Bay in the Dobbs and California.