Mr. Birnie[275] & the men busy packing beaver these two days.-- Thursday 2 Overcast cold weather. The people still employed packing furs. Friday 3rd Overcast cold weather, the snow thawing a little about the Fort but diminishing very little in the woods. Saturday 4 Weather as yesterday. Keen frost in the night.-- Sunday 5 Cloudy mild weather in the middle of the day, but cold in the night morning & evening. Snow dimishing very slowly.-- The men finished packing the furs. I am employed arranging the accounts. Monday 6th (Monday, Sunday & Tuesday here given in exact order of original M. S.) Keen frost in the night. Cloudy cold weather during the day. The Chiefs we spoke to about horses to carry off part of the furs and property to the Forks,[276] they engaged to furnish 80 horses. Sunday 7 Clear fine weather but cold & the snow wasting very little. Tuesday 7th Cloudy cold weather keen frost in the night. The men busy tying up the pieces & preparing to go off tomorrow. The Indians collecting the horses.-- Mr. Birnie with 3 men, 13 Indians and 80 loaded horses set out for the forks the first trip. Mr. B. is to remain in charge of the furs & property. Only 4 or 6 pieces of this is private property. Tuesday 7th In the evening Cholefaux arrived with my trunk & blankets about 100 lb.--The other things he left.--The snow on the Portage is now very deep, more so than when I passed it is now not less than 4 feet. There is no knowing when horses may be able to pass through it. The night before Cholefaux arrived at the other end of the Portage some Inds slept there with the man who was left in charge of the goods, & stole a small bag 25 lb. fine pimican.-- Wed.y. 8 Cloudy cold weather, sharp frost in the night.-- Chalifaux was sent off to the Forks to remain with Mr. Birnie. Thursday 9th Sharp frost in the night. Cold bleak weather during the day.--The snow wasting very little to be this season of the year.-- Friday 10 Keen frost in the night, Raw cold weather. Snow in the afterpart of the day. The men[8] employed with two Indians pressing the fur packs, but had to give it up on account of the snow. Saturday 11th Froze keen in the night. Light clouds fine weather though cold during the day. The people above mentioned employed pressing the furs which was finished in the evening having done 36 packs in the day. In the evening an Indian with part of the horses that went off to the Forks on tuesday, arrived, the whole reached their destination safe, & the property all in good order, having had dry weather. Sunday 12 Frost in the night, cloudy cold weather during day. All the rest of the horses & Indians & men returned from the Forks. Monday 13 Keen frost in the night. The men employed tying up and arranging the pieces for the next trip. Busy all day paying the Indians for their horses for their last trip. Tuesday 14 Frost in the night, light, cloudy, cold weather during the day.