"CONTENTdm"@en . "[The trailmakers of Canada]"@en . "http://resolve.library.ubc.ca/cgi-bin/catsearch?bid=101093\u00A0"@en . "British Columbia Historical Books Collection"@en . "Combe, William, 1742-1823"@en . "Waite, Robert"@en . "Mackenzie, Alexander, 1764-1820"@en . "2016-04-06"@en . "1911"@en . "\"(Half-title: The trailmakers of Canada). With a four-page introduction by W.L. Grant.\" -- Strathern, G. M., & Edwards, M. H. (1970). Navigations, traffiques & discoveries, 1774-1848: A guide to publications relating to the area now British Columbia. Victoria, BC: University of Victoria, p. 185."@en . ""@en . "https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/bcbooks/items/1.0304566/source.json"@en . "cxci, 193-355 pages : illustration, map (folded), table ; 18 cm"@en . "application/pdf"@en . " VOYAGES from MONTREAL\nTHROUGH THE CONTINENT of NORTH AMERICA\nTO THE\nFROZEN AND PACIFIC OCEANS\n.-/ . IN 1789 AND 1793\nWITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE RISE AND STATE\nOF THE FUR TRADE\nBy\nALEXANDER MACKENZIE\nWITH INTRODUCTION BY\nW. L. GRANT\nProfessor of Colonial History, Queens University\nKingston, Ontario\nTWO VOLUMES\nVOL. I\nTORONTO\nTHE COURIER PRESS, LIMITED\n1911\n SSSSBSfeBH I\nCopyright, 191 i, by\nThe A. S. Barnes Company.\n INTRODUCTION\nChamplain had pushed as far as Lake\nHuron and the Georgian Bay. Before the\nend of the seventeenth century French explorers had reached the western end of Lake\nSuperior; La Salle had set up the lilies of\nFrance at the month of the Mississippi; Rad-\nisson had gone overland to James Bay.*\nIn the eighteenth century began the exploration of the western plains, in which the\nfirst great name is that of a native-born\nCanadian, Pierre Gualtier de la Verendrye.\nBorn at Three Rivers in 1685, La Verendrye early entered the army, saw service in\nFlanders and was left for dead on the field of\nMalplaquet. Returning to Canada he took\nto the fur trade, and from 1731 on he and\nhis heroic sons made journey after journey to\nthe westward. In 1737 he built a fort on the\nsite where is now the city of Winnipeg, and\nin 1742-3 an expedition under his son Pierre\nreached the lodges of the Mandans on the\nUpper Missouri, and saw rise into view the\n*Justin Winsor, Geographical Discovery in the\nInterior of North America, 153^-1698, and Lawrence J. Burpee, The Search for the Western Sea,\ngive good accounts of the gradual exploration of\nthe continent.\nIll\n INTRODUCTION\njagged line of the Rockies. But lack oi\nguides compelled the young explorer to turn\nback, and the death of La Verendrye in 1749\nleft the mountain barrier still unpierced.\nWith the expulsion of France from the\ncontinent of North America in 1763, the\nHudson's Bay Company, which had hitherto\nconfined its operations to the neighborhood\nof Hudson Bay, began to send trading and\nexploring parties inland, which gathered such\nlarge profit's that in 1783-4 the merchants of\nMontreal founded in opposition the Northwest Fur-Trading Company. The chief factories of the older company were on Hudson\nBay, whence the furs were shipped by water\nto England, but the partners of the Northwest\nCompany, most of whom were young and energetic Scotchmen, brought their furs from inland posts to Montreal by many a winding river\nand toilsome portage, and so added impetus\nto exploration. Among their employees was\nAlexander Mackenzie, a sturdy young high-\nlander, born at Stornoway in the island of\nLewis in 1763. After some years in the\ncounting-house at Montreal, and a year at\nDetroit, Mackenzie came west, and was stationed at Fort Chipewyan on Lake Athabasca.\nHence on June 3, 1789, he started northward with a small party of Indians; on\nJuly 13th he reached the mouth of the great\niv\n\\n1\n INTRODUCTION\nriver which bears his name; on Sept. 12th\nhe was back at his post. Three years later he\nessayed an even bolder journey. On Oct.\n10, 1792, he set out along the valley of the\nPeace, and wintered near the mouth of\nSmoky River; in the spring he struggled on\nto the Fraser, but after descending it for\nsome distance left it for a last dash across\ncountry, and after a thousand perils splendidly surmounted by himself and his French-\nCanadian Voyageurs, on July 20, 1793, he\ncame out on the shores of the Pacific. (See\nvol. ii., p. 282.) The problem of Cartier, of\nChamplain, of La Verendrye was solved at\nlast; the continent had been crossed; the\ngreat South Sea was won. Agamemnon's\nwas a small heroism compared to that of this\nScottish fuT-trader.\nMackenzie's later life was prosperous and\nturbulent. He returned with a competence\nto London, where in 1801 he published his\nvoyages in a large quarto volume, dedicated\nto King George III. In the following year\nhe was knighted. Soon afterward he returned to Canada, and was a prominent member of the X. Y. Co., which was for some\nyears a vigorous rival of the older companies,\nbut which in 1804-5 united with the Northwest Company. He was elected to the parliament of Lower Canada as member for Hunt-\n INTRODUCTION\ningdon, but made no special mark. A few\nyears later he retired to Scotland, married\nand bought an estate in Kosshire, on which he\nresided till his death in March, 1820.\n.W. L. Grant.\n Preface.\n| On presenting this Volume to my Country,\nit is not necessary to enter into a particular\naccount of those voyages whose journals form\nthe principal part of it, as they will be found,\nI trust, to explain themselves. It appears,\nhowever, to be a duty, which the Public have\na right to expect from me, to state the reasons\nwhich have influenced me in delaying the\npublication of them.\nIt has been asserted, that a misunderstanding between a person high in office and myself, was the cause of this procrastination.\nIt has also been propagated, that it was occasioned by that precaution which the policy\nof commerce will sometimes suggest; but\nthey are both equally devoid of foundation.\nThe one is an idle tale; and there could be\nno solid reason for concealing the circumstances of discoveries, whose arrangements\nand prosecution were so honourable to my\nassociates and myself, at whose expense they\nwere undertaken. The delay actually arose\nfrom the very active and busy mode of life in\nwhich I was engaged since the voyages have\nbeen completed; and when, at length, the\nopportunity arrived, the apprehension of pre-\nvii\n PREFACE.\nsenting myself to the Public in the character\nof an Author, for which the course and occupations of my life have by no means qualified me, made me hesitate in committing my\npapers to the Press; being much better calculated to perform the voyages, arduous as\nthey might be, than to write an account of\ntheni. However, they are now offered to the\nPublic with the submission that becomes me.\nI was led, at an early period of life, by\ncommercial views, to the country North-West\nof Lake Superior, in North America, and being endowed by Nature with an inquisitive\nmind and enterprising spirit; possessing also\na constitution and frame of body equal to the\nmost arduous undertakings, and being familiar\nwith toilsome exertions in' the prosecution of\nmercantile pursuits, I not only contemplated\nthe practicability of penetrating across the\ncontinent of America, but was confident in\nthe qualifications, as I was animated by the\ndesire, to undertake the perilous enterprise.\nThe general utility of such a discovery,\nhas been universally acknowledged; while\nthe wishes of my particular friends and commercial associates, that I should proceed in\nthe pursuit of it, contributed to quicken the\nexecution of this favourite project of my own\nambition: and as the completion of it extends\nthe boundaries of geographic science, and\nadds new countries to the realms of British\nviii\n PREFACE.\ncommerce, the dangers I have encountered,\nand the toils I have suffered, have found\ntheir recompence; nor will the many tedious\nand weary days, or the gloomy and inclement\nnights which I have passed, have been passed\nin vain.\nThe first voyage has settled the dubious\npoint of a practicable North-West passage;\nand I trust it has set that long agitated question at rest, and extinguished the disputes\nrespecting it for ever. An enlarged discussion of that subject will be found to occupy\nthe concluding pages of this volume.\nIn this voyage, I was not only without the\nnecessary books and instruments, but also\nfelt myself deficient in the sciences of astronomy and navigation; I did not hesitate,\ntherefore, to undertake a winter's voyage to\nthis country, in order to procure the one, and\nacquire the other. These objects being accomplished, I returned, to determine the\npracticability of a commercial communication\nthrough the continent of North America, between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, which\nis proved by my second journal. Nor do I\nhesitate to declare my decided opinion, that\nvery great and essential advantages may be\nderived by extending our trade from one sea\nto the other.\nSome account of the fur trade of Canada\nfrom that country, of the native inhabitants*\nix\ni\n mm\nPREFACE.\nand of the extensive districts connected with\nit, forms a preliminary discourse, which will,\nI trust, prove interesting to a nation, whose\ngeneral policy is blended with, and whose\nprosperity is supported by, the pursuits of\ncommerce. It will also qualify the reader\nto pursue the succeeding voyages with superior\nintelligence and satisfaction.\nThese voyages will not, I fear, afford the\nvariety that may be expected from them;\nand that which they offered to the eye, is not\nof a nature to be effectually transferred to\nthe page. Mountains and valleys, the dreary\nwaste, and the wide-spreading forests, the\nlakes and rivers succeed each other in general\ndescription; and, except on the coasts of the\nPacific Ocean, where the villages were permanent, and the inhabitants in a great measure stationary, small bands of wandering\nIndians are the only people whom I shall\nintroduce to the acquaintance of my readers.\nThe beaver and the buffalo, the moose-deer\nand the elk, which are the principal animals\nto be found in these countries, are already so\nfamiliar to the naturalists of Europe, and\nhave been so often as well as correctly described in their works, that the bare mention\nof them, as they enlivened the landscape, or\nwere hunted for food; with a cursory account of the soil, the course and navigation ofi\nlakes and rivers, and their various produce,\n PREFACE.\nis all that can be reasonably expected from\nme.\nI do not possess the science of the naturalist; and even if the qualifications of that\ncharacter had been attained by me, its curious\nspirit would not have been gratified. I could\nnot stop to dig into the earth, over whose\nsurface I was compelled to pass with rapid\nsteps; nor could I turn aside to collect the\nplants which nature might have scattered on\nthe way, when my thoughts were anxiously\nemployed in making provision for the day\nthat was passing over me. I had to encounter\nperils by land and perils by water; to watch\nthe savage who was our guide, or to guard\ni against those of his tribe who might meditate\nour destruction. I had, also, the passions\nand fears of others to control and subdue.\nTo-day, I had to assuage the rising discon-\ns tents, and on the morrow, to cheer the faint-\ndng spirits of the people who accompanied\ns me. The toil of our navigation was inces-\nisant, and oftentimes extreme; and in our\nprogress over land, we had no protection from\nithe severity of the elements, and possessed\nno accommodations or conveniences but such\nias could be contained in the burden on our\n(shoulders, which aggravated the toils of our\nmarch, and added to the wearisomeness of\nour way.\nThough the events which compose my\nxi\n PREFACE.\njournals may have little in themselves to\nstrike the imagination of those who love to\nbe astonished, or to gratify the curiosity of\nsuch as are enamoured of romantic adventures;\nnevertheless, when it is considered, that I\nexplored those waters which had never before\nborne any other vessel than the canoe of the\nsavage; and traversed those deserts where an\nEuropean had never before presented himself\nto the eye of its swarthy natives; when to\nthese considerations are added the important\nobjects which were pursued, with the dangers\nthat were encountered, and the difficulties\nthat were surmounted to attain them, this\nwork will, I flatter myself, be found to excite\nan interest, and conciliate regard, in the\nminds of those who peruse it.\nThe general map which illustrates this volume, is reduced by Mr. Arrowsmith from his\nthree-sheet map of North America, with the\nlatest discoveries, which he is about to republish. His professional abilities are well\nknown, and no encomium of mine will advance the generaland merited opinion of them.\nBefore I conclude, I must beg leave to inform my readers, that they are not to expect\nthe charms of embellished narrative, or animated description; the approbation due to\nsimplicity and to truth, is all I presume to\nclaim; and I am not without the hope that\nthis claim will be allowed me. I have de-\nxii\n PREFACE.\nscribed whatever I saw with the impressions\nof the moment which presented it to me.\nThe successive circumstances of my progress\nare related without exaggeration or display.\nI have seldom allowed myself to wander into\nconjecture; and whenever conjecture has\nbeen indulged, it will be found, I trust, to\nbe accompanied with the temper of a man\nwho is not disposed to think too highly of\nhimself: and if, at any time, I have delivered\nmyself with confidence, it will appear, I hope,\nto be on those subjects, which, from the\nhabits and experience of my life, will justify\nan unreserved communication of my opinions.\nI am not a candidate for literary fame; at\nthe same time, I cannot but indulge the hope\nthat this volume, with all its imperfections,\nwill not be thought unworthy the attention\nof the scientific geographer; and that, by\nunfolding countries hitherto unexplored, and\nwhich, I presume, may now be considered as\na part of the British dominions, it will be\nreceived as a faithful tribute to the prosperity\nof my country.\nI ALEXANDEE MACKENZIE.\nLondon,\nNovember 30, 1801,\nXlll\n Table of Contents.\nCHAPTER I.\nEmbarked at Fort Chepewyan, on the Lake of the\nHills, in company with M. Le Roux. Account\nof the party, provisions, etc. Direction of the\ncourse. Enter one of the branches of the Lake.\nArrive in the Peace River. Appearance of the\nland. Navigation of the river. Arrive at the\nmouth of the Dog River. Successive description\nof several carrying places. A canoe lost in one of\nthe Falls. Encamp on Point de Roche. Course\ncontinued. Set the nets, etc. Arrive at the Slave\nLake. The weather extremely cold. Banks of\nthe river described, with its trees, soil, etc. Account of the animal productions, and the fishery\nof the Lake. Obliged to wait till the moving of\nthe ice. Three families of Indians arrive from\nAthabasca. Beavers, geese, and swans killed.\nThe nets endangered by ice. Re-embark and land\non a small island. Course continued along the\nshores, and across the bays of the Lake. Various\nsuccesses of the hunters. Steer for an island where\nthere was plenty of cranberries and small onions.\nKill several reindeer. Land on an island named\nIsle a la Cache. Clouds of mosquitoes . . 193\nCHAPTER II.\nLanded at some lodges of Red-Knife Indians: pro\ncure one of them to assist in navigating the bays\nConference with the Indians. Take leave of M\nXV\n CONTENTS.\nLe Roux, and continue the voyage. Different\nappearances of the land; its vegetable produce.\nVisit an island where the wood had been felled.\nFurther description of the coast. Plenty of remind moose-deer, and white partridges. Enter a\nvery deep bay. Interrupted by ice. Very blowing weather. Continue to cross the bay. Arrive\nat the mouth of a river. Great numbers of fish\nand wild-fowl. Description of the land on either\nside. Curious appearance of woods that had been\nburned. Came in sight of the Horn Mountain.\nContinue to kill geese and swans, etc. Violent\nstorm 211\nCHAPTER III.\nContinued our course. The river narrows. Lost\nthe lead. Passed a small river. Violent rain.\nLand on a small island. Expect to arrive at the\nrapid. Conceal two bags of pemmican in an\nisland. A view of mountains. Pass several encampments of the natives. Arrive among the\nislands. Ascend a high hill. Violence of the\ncurrent. Ice seen along the banks of the river.\nLand at village of the natives. Their conduct\nand appearance. Their fabulous stories. The\nEnglish chief and Indians discontented. Obtain\na new guide. Singular customs of the natives.\nAn account of their dances. Description of their\npersons, dress, ornaments, buildings, arms for war\nand hunting, canoes, etc. Passed on among islands. Encamped beneath a hill, and prevented\nfrom ascending by the mosquitoes. Landed at an\nencampment. Conduct of the inhabitants. They\nabound in fabulous accounts of dangers. Land\nat other encampments. Procure plenty of hares\nand partridges. Our guide anxious to return.\nLand and alarm the natives, called the Hare In-\nxvi\n CONTENTS.\ndians, etc. Exchange our gi4de. State of the\nweather 224\nCHAPTER IV.\nThe new guide makes his escape. Compel another\nto supply his place. Land at an encampment of\nanother tribe of Indians. Account of their manners, dress, weapons, etc. Traffic with them.\nDescription of a beautiful fish. Engage another\nguide. His curious behaviour. Kill a fox and\nground-hog. Land at an encampment of a tribe\ncalled the Degutbee Denees, or Quarrellers. Saw\nflax growing wild. The varying character of the\nriver and its banks. Distant mountains. Perplexity from the numerous channels of the river.\nDetermined to proceed. Land where there had\nbeen an encampment of the Esquimaux. Saw\nlarge flocks of wild-fowl. View of the sun at\nmidnight. Description of a place lately deserted\nby the Indians. Houses of the natives described.\nFrequent showers. Saw a black fox. The discontents of our hunters renewed, and pacified.\nFace of the country. Land at a spot lately inhabited. Peculiar circumstances of it. Arrive at the\nentrance of the lake. Proceed to an island. Some\naccount of it . . . . * . . . 248\nCHAPTER V.\nThe baggage removed from the rising of the water.\nOne of the nets driven away by the wind and\ncurrent. Whales are seen. Go in pursuit of\nthem, but prevented from continuing it by the\nfog. Proceed to take a view of the ice. Canoe\nin danger from the swell. Examine the islands.\nDescribe one of them. Erect a post to perpetuate\nour visit there. The rising of the water appears\nto be the tide. Successful fishing. Uncertain\nxvii\n CONTENTS.\nweather. Sail among the islands. Proceed to a\nriver. Temperature of the air improves. Land\non a small island, which is a place of sepulture.\nDescription of it. See a great number of wildfowl. Fine view of the river from the high land.\nThe hunters kill reindeer. Cran berries, etc., found\nin great plenty. The appearance and state of the\ncountry. Our guide deserts. Large flight of\ngeese; kill many of them. Violent rain. Return\nup the river. Leave the channels for the main\nstream. Obliged to tow the canoe. Land among\nthe natives. Circumstances concerning them.\nTheir account of the Esquimaux Indians. Accompany the natives to their huts. Account of\nour provisions 268\nCHAPTER VI.\nEmploy the towing line. Description of a place\nwhere the Indians come to -collect flint. Their\nshyness and suspicions. Current lessons. Appearance of the country. Abundance of hares.\nViolent storm. Land near three lodges. Alarm\nof the Indians. Supply of fish from them. Their\nfabulous accounts. Continue to see Indian lodges.\nTreatment of a disease. Misunderstanding with\nthe natives. The interpreter harangues them.\nTheir accounts similar to those we have already\nreceived. Their curious conduct. Purchase some\nbeaver skins. Shoot one of their dogs. The consequence of that act. Apprehensions of the women.\nLarge quantities of liquorice. Swallows' nests\nseen in the precipices. Fall in with a party of the\nnatives killing geese. Circumstances concerning\nthem. Hurricane. Variation of the weather.\nKill great numbers of geese. Abundance of several kinds of berries. State of the river and itsv\nbank. ......... 287\nxviii\n CONTENTS.\nCHAPTER VII.\nVoyage continued. Suspect the integrity of the\ninterpreter. Stars visible. Springs of mineral\nwater, and lumps of iron ore. Arrive at the river\nof the Bear Lake. Coal mine in a state of combustion. Water of the river diminished. Continue to see Indian encampments, and kill geese,\netc. Hunting excursions. A canoe found on the\nedge of the wood. Attempt to ascend a mountain. Account of the passage to it. See a few of\nthe natives. Kill a beaver and some hares. Design of the English chief. Kill a wolf. Changeable state of the weather. Recover the pemmican,\nwhich had been hidden in an island. Natives fly\nat our approach. Meet with dogs. Altercation\nwith the English chief. Account of the articles\nleft by the fugitives. Shoals of the river covered\nwith saline matter. Encamp at the mouth of the\nriver of the mountain. The ground on fire on\neach side of it. Continue to see encampments of\nthe natives. Various kinds of berries. Kill geese,\nswans, etc., etc., etc. Corroding quality of the\nwater. Weather changeable. Reach the entrance\nof the Slave Lake. Dangers encountered on entering it. Caught pike and trout. Met M. Le\nRoux on the lake. Further circumstances till our\nreturn to Fort Chepewyan. Conclusion of the\nvoyage 306\nCHAPTER VIII.\nLeave Fort Chepewyan. Proceed to the Peace\nRiver. State of the Lakes. Arrive at Peace\nPoint. The reason assigned for its name. The\nweather cold. Arrive at the Falls. Description\nof the country. Land at the Fort, called The Old\nxix\nl&n\n CONTENTS.\nEstablishment. The principal building destroyed!\nby fire. Course of the river. Arrive at another\nfort. Some account of the natives. Depart from\nthence. Course of the river continued. It divides\ninto two branches. Proceed along the principal!\none. Land at the place of our winter's residence\nAccount of its circumstances and inhabitants, etc\nPreparations for erecting a fort, etc., etc. Table\nof the weather. Broke the thermometer. Frostj\nsets in. Description of birds.\n A GENERAL HISTORY\nOF THE\nFUR TRADE FROM CANADA\nTO THE NORTH-WEST.\nThe fur trade, from the earliest settlement\n[of Canada, was considered of the first importance to that colony. The country was\nthen so populous, that, in the vicinity of the\nestablishments, the animals whose skins were\nprecious, in a commercial view, soon became\nvery scarce, if not altogether extinct. They\nWere, it is true, hunted at former periods,\nbut merely for food and clothing. The Indians, therefore, to procure the necessary\nsupply, were encouraged to penetrate into\nthe country, and were generally accompanied\nby some of the Canadians, who found means\nbo induce the remotest tribes of natives to\nbring the skins which were most in demand,\nbo their settlements, in the way of trade.\nIt is not necessary for me to examine the\n3ause, but experience proves that it requires\nnuch less time for a civilized people to deviate into the manners and customs of savage\ndfe, than for savages to rise into a state of\njivilisation. Such was the event with those\nxxi\n A GENERAL HISTORY\nwho thus accompanied the natives on their\nhunting and trading excursions; for they\nbecame so attached to the Indian mode of\nlife, that they lost all relish for their former\nhabits and native homes. Hence they derived the title of Coureurs des Bois, became\na kind of pedlars, and were extremely useful\nto the merchants engaged in the fur trade;\nwho gave them the necessary credit to proceed on their commercial undertakings.\nThree or four of these people would join\ntheir stock, put their property into a birch-\nbark canoe, which they worked themselves,\nand either accompanied the natives in their\nexcursions, or went at once to the country\nwhere they knew they were to hunt. At\nlength, these voyages extended to twelve or\nfifteen months, when they returned with rich\ncargoes of furs, and followed by great numbers of the natives. During the short time\nrequisite to settle their accounts with the\nmerchants, and procure fresh credit, they\ngenerally contrived to squander away all their\ngains, when they returned to renew their\nfavourite mode of life: their views being answered, and their labour sufficiently rewarded,\nby indulging themselves in extravagance and\ndissipation, during the short space of one\nmonth in twelve or fifteen.\nThis indifference about amassing property,\nand the pleasure of living free from all re-\nxxii\n OF THE FUR TRADE, &c.\nstraint, soon brought on a licentiousness of\nmanners which could not long escape the\nvigilant observation of the missionaries, who\nhad much reason to complain of their being\na disgrace to the Christian religion; by not\nonly swerving from its duties themselves, but\nby thus bringing it into disrepute with those\nof the natives who had become converts to\nit; and, consequently, obstructing the great\nobject to which those pious men had devoted\ntheir lives. They therefore exerted their influence to procure the suppression of these\npeople, and accordingly, no one was allowed\nto go up the country to traffic with the Indians, without a license from the government.\nAt first these permissions were, of course,\ngranted only to those whose character was\nsuch as could give no alarm to the zeal of the\nmissionaries: but they were afterwards bestowed as rewards for services, on officers,\nand their widows; and they, who were not\nwilling or able to make use of them (which\nmay be supposed to be always the case with\nthose of the latter description), were allowed\nto sell them to the merchants, who necessarily employed the Coureurs des bois, in\nquality of their agents; and these people, as\nmay be imagined, gave sufficient cause for the\nrenewal of former complaints; so that the remedy proved, in fact, worse than the disease.\nAt length, military posts were established\nxxiii\n 1\nA GENERAL HISTORY\nat the confluence of the different large lakes\nof Canada, which, in a great measure checked\nthe evil consequences that followed from the\nimproper conduct of these foresters, and, at\nthe same time, protected the trade. Besides,\na number of able and respectable men, retired\nfrom the army, prosecuted the trade in person, under their respective licences, with\ngreat order and regularity, and extended it\nto such a distance, as, in those days, was\nconsidered to be an astonishing effort of commercial enterprize. These persons and the\nmissionaries having combined their views at\nthe same time, secured the respect of the\nnatives, and the obedience of the people necessarily employed in the laborious parts of this\nundertaking. These gentlemen denominated\nthemselves commanders, and not traders,\nthough they were entitled to both those characters : and, as for the missionaries, if sufferings and hardships in the prosecution of the\ngreat work which they had undertaken, deserved applause and admiration, they had an\nundoubted claim to be admired and applauded:\nthey spared no labour and avoided no danger\nin the execution of their important office;\nand it is to be seriously lamented, that their\npious endeavours did not meet with the success which they deserved: for there is hardly\na trace to be found beyond the cultivated\nparts, of their meritorious functions.\nxxiv\n OF THE FUR TRADE, &c.\nThe cause of this failure must be attributed\nto a want of due consideration in the mode\nemployed by the missionaries, to propagate\nthe religion of which they were the zealous\nministers. They habituated themselves to\nthe savage life, and naturalized themselves\nto the savage manners, and, by thus becoming j\ndependent, as it were, on the natives, they j\nacquired their contempt rather than their vemj\nI\neration. If they had been as well acquainted\nwith human nature, as they were with the\narticles of their faith, they would have known\nthat the uncultivated mind of an Indian must\nbe disposed by much preparatory method and\ninstruction to receive the revealed truths of\nChristianity, to act under its sanctions, and\nbe impelled to good by the hope of. its reward, or turned from evil by the fear of its\npunishments. They should have begun their\nwork by teaching some of those useful arts\nwhich are the inlets of knowledge, and lead\nthe mind by degrees to objects of higher comprehension. Agriculture, so formed to fix\nand combine society, and so preparatory to\nobjects of superior consideration, should have\nbeen the first thing introduced among a savage people: it attaches the wandering tribe\nto that spot where it adds so much to their\ncomforts; while it gives them a sense of\nproperty, and of lasting possession, instead\nof the uncertain hopes of the chase, and the\nxxv\n A GENERAL HISTORY\nfugitive produce of uncultivated wilds. Such\nwere the means by which the forests of Paraguay were converted into a scene of abundant\ncultivation, and its savage inhabitants introduced to all the advantages of a civilised life.\nThe Canadian missionaries should have\nbeen contented to improve the morals of their\nown countrymen, so that by meliorating their\ncharacter and conduct, they would have given\na striking example of the effect of religion in\npromoting the comforts of life to the surrounding savages; and might by degrees have\nextended its benign influence to the remotest\nregions of that country, which was the object, and intended to be the scene, of their\nevangelical labours. But by bearing the\nlight of the Gospel at once to the distance of\ntwo thousand five hundred miles from the\ncivilised part of the colonies, it was soon obscured by the cloud of ignorance that darkened the human mind in those distant regions.\nThe whole of their long route I have often\ntravelled, and the recollection of such a people as the missionaries having been there, was\nconfined to a few superannuated Canadians,\nwho had not left that country since the cession\nto the English, in 1763, and who particularly\nmentioned the death of some, and the distressing situation of them all. But if these\nreligious men did not attain the objects of\ntheir persevering piety, they were, during\nxxvi\n OF THE FUR TRADE, &c.\ntheir mission, of great service to the commanders who engaged in those distant expeditions, and spread the fur trade as far West\nas the banks of the Saskatchiwine river, in\n53. North latitude, and longitude 102. West.\nAt an early period of their intercourse with\nthe savages, a custom was introduced of a\nvery excellent tendency, but is now unfortunately discontinued, of not selling any spirituous liquor to the natives. This admirable\nregulation was for some time observed, with\nall the respect due to the religion by which\nit was sanctioned, and whose severest censures\nfollowed the violation of it. A painful penance could alone restore the offender to the\nsuspended rites of the sacrament. The casuistry of trade, however, discovered a way to\ngratify the Indians with their favourite cordial\nwithout incurring the ecclesiastical penalties,\nby giving, instead of selling it to them.\nBut notwithstanding all the restrictions\nwith which commerce was oppressed under\nthe French government, the fur trade was\nextended to the immense distance which has\nbeen already stated; and surmounted many\nmost discouraging difficulties, which will be\nhereafter noticed; while, at the same time,\nno exertions were made from Hudson's Bay\nto obtain even a share of the trade of a country, which according to the charter of that\ncompany, belonged to it, and, from its prox-\nxx vii\n A GENERAL HISTORY\nimity, is so much more accessible to the mercantile adventurer.\nOf these trading commanders, I understood,\nthat two attempted to penetrate to the Pacific\nOcean, but the utmost extent of their journey\nI could never learn; which may be attributed,\nindeed, to a failure of the undertaking.\nFor some time after the conquest of Canada,\nthis trade was suspended, which must have\nbeen very advantageous to the Hudson' s-Bay\nCompany, as all the inhabitants to the westward of Lake Superior were obliged to go to\nthem for such articles as their habitual use\nliad rendered necessary. Some of the Canadians who had lived long with them, and\nwere become attached to a savage life, accompanied them thither annually, till mercantile\nadventurers again appeared from their own\ncountry, after an interval of several years,\nowing, as I suppose, to an ignorance of the\ncountry in the conquerors, and their want\nof commercial confidence in the conquered.\nThere were, indeed, other discouragements,\nsuch as the immense length of the journey\nnecessary to reach the limits beyond which\nthis commerce must begin; the risk of property; the expenses attending such a long\ntransport; and an ignorance of the language\nof those who, from their experience, must be\nnecessarily employed as the intermediate\nagents between them and the natives. But,\nxxviii\n OF THE FUR TRADE, &c.\nnotwithstanding these difficulties, the trade,\nby degrees, began to spread over the differ^\nent parts to which it had been carried by the\nFrench, though at a great risk of the lives,\nas well as the property of their new possessors, for the natives had been taught by their\nformer allies to entertain hostile dispositions\ntowards the English, from their having been\nin alliance with their natural enemies the\nIroquois; and there were not wanting a sufficient number of discontented, disappointed\npeople, to keep alive such a notion; so that\nfor a long time they were considered and\ntreated as objects of hostility. To prove\nthis disposition of the Indians, we have only\nto refer to the conduct of Pontiac, at Detroit,\nand the surprise and taking of Michilimakinac,\nabout this period.\nHence it arose, that it was so late as the\nyear 1766, before which, the trade I mean\nto consider, commenced from Michilimakinac.\nThe first who attempted it were satisfied to\ngo the length of the river Camenistiquia,\nabout thirty miles to the Eastward of the\nGrande Portage, where the French had a\nprincipal establishment, and was the line of\ntheir communication with the interior country. It was once destroyed by fire. Here\nthey went and returned successful in the following spring to Michilimakinac. Their success induced them to renew their journey,\nxxix\n A GENERAL HISTORY\nand incited others to follow their example.\nSome of them remained at Camenistiquia,\nwhile others proceeded to and beyond the\nGrande Portage, which, since that time has\nbecome the principal entrepot of that trade,\nand is situated in a bay, in latitude 48. North,\nand longitude 90. West. After passing the\nusual season there, they went back to Michilimakinac as before, and encouraged by the\ntrade, returned in increased numbers. One\nof these, Thomas Curry, with a spirit of enterprise superior to that of his contemporaries,\ndetermined to penetrate to the furthest limits\nof the French discoveries in that country; or\nat least till the frost should stop him. For\nthis purpose he procured guides and interpreters, who were acquainted with the country, and with four canoes arrived at Fort\nBourbon, which was one of their posts, at\nthe West end of the Cedar Lake, on the\nwaters of the Saskatchiwine. His risk and\ntoil were well recompensed, for he came back\nthe following spring with his canoes filled\nwith fine furs, with which he proceeded to\nCanada, and was satisfied never again to return to the Indian country.\nFrom this period, people began to spread\nover every part of the country, particularly\nwhere the French had established settlements.\nMr. James Finlay was the first who followed Mr. Curry's example, and with the\nxxx\n OF THE FUR TRADE, &c.\name number of canoes, arrived, in the course\nif the next season, at Nipawee, the last of\nQhe French settlements on the bank of the\nSaskatchiwine river, in latitude nearly 43J.\nNorth, and longitude 103. West: he found\nthe good fortune, as he followed, in every\nrespect, the example, of his predecessor.\nAs may be supposed, there were now people enough ready to replace them, and the\ntrade was pursued with such avidity, and\nirregularity, that in a few years it became\nthe reverse of what it ought to have been.\nAn animated competition prevailed, and the\ncontending parties carried the trade beyond\nthe French limits, though with no benefit to\nthemselves or neighbours, the Hudson's-Bay\nCompany; who in the year 1774, and not till\nthen, thought proper to move from home to\nthe East bank of Sturgeon Lake, in latitude\n53. 56. North, and longitude 102. 15. West,\nand became more jealous of their fellow subjects; and, perhaps, with more cause, than\nthey had been of those of France. From this\nperiod, to the present time, they have been\nfollowing the Canadians to their different\nestablishments, while, on the contrary, there\nis not a solitary instance that the Canadians\nhave followed them; and there are many trading posts which they have not yet attained.\nThis, however, will no longer be a mystery,\nwhen the nature and policy of the Hudson's-\nxxxi\n A GENERAL HISTORY\nBay Company is compared with thfc s\nhas been pursued by their rivals in thi o\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094But to return to my subject. t]\nThis competition, which has been already\n''mentioned, gave a fatal blow to the trade\nfrom Canada, and, with other incidental\ncauses, in my opinion, contributed to its ruin.\nThis trade was carried on in a very distant\ncountry, out of the reach of legal restraint,\nand where there was a free scope given to\nany ways or means in attaining advantage.\nThe consequence was not only the loss of\ncommercial benefit to the persons engaged in\nit, but of the good opinion of the natives,\nand the respect of their men, who were inclined to follow their example; so that with\ndrinking, carousing, and quarrelling with the\nIndians along their route, and among themselves, they seldom reached their winter\nquarters; and if they did, it was generally\nby dragging their property upon sledges, as\nthe navigation was closed up by the frost.\nWnen at length they were arrived, the object\nof each was to injure his rival traders in the\nopinion of the natives as much as was in their\npower, by misrepresentation and presents, for\nwhich the agents employed were peculiarly\ncalculated. They considered the command;\nof their employer as binding on them, and\nhowever wrong or irregular the transaction,\nthe responsibility rested with the principal\nxxxii\n OF THE FUR TRADE, &c.\nwho directed them. This is Indian law.\nThus did they waste their credit and their\nproperty with the natives, till the first was\npast redemption, and the last was nearly exhausted; so that towards the spring in each\nyear, the rival parties found it absolutely\nnecessary to join, and make one common\nstock of what remained, for the purpose of\ntrading with the natives, who could entertain no respect for persons who had conducted\nthemselves with so much irregularity and\ndeceit. The winter, therefore, was one continued scene of disagreements and quarrels.\nIf any one had the precaution or good sense\nto keep clear of these proceedings, he derived\na proportionable advantage from his good\nconduct, and frequently proved a peacemaker\nbetween the parties. To such an height had\nthey carried this licentious \u00C2\u00ABonduct, that they\nwere in a continual state of alarm, and were\neven frequently stopped to pay tribute on\ntheir route into the country; though they\nhad adopted the plan of travelling together\nin parties of thirty or forty canoes, and keeping their men armed; which sometimes, indeed, proved necessary for their defence.\nThus was the trade carried on for several\nyears, and consequently becoming worse and\nworse, so that the partners, who met them at\nthe Grande Portage, naturally complained of\ntheir ill success. But specious reasons were\n3 xxxiii\n A GENERAL HISTORY\nalways ready to prove that it arose from circumstances which they could not at that time\ncontrol; and encouragements were held forth\nto hope that a change would soon take place,\nwhich would make ample amends for past\ndisappointments.\nIt was about this time, that Mr. Joseph\nFrobisher, one of the gentlemen engaged in\nthe trade, determined to penetrate into the\ncountry yet unexplored, to the North and\nWestward, and, in the spring of the year\n1775, met the Indians from that quarter on\ntheir way to Fort Churchill, at Portage de\nTraite, so named from that circumstance, on\nthe banks of the Missinipi, or Churchill river,\nlatitude 55. 25. North, longitude 103J. West.\nIt was indeed, with some difficulty that he\ncould induce them to trade with him, but he\nat length procured as many furs as his canoes\ncould carry. In this perilous expedition he\nsustained every kind of hardship incident to\na journey through a wild and savage country,\nwhere his subsistence depended on what the\nwoods and the waters produced. These difficulties, nevertheless, did not discourage him\nfrom returning in the following year, when\nhe was equally successful. He then sent his\nbrother to explore the country still further\nWest, who penetrated as far as the lake of\nIsle a la Crosse, in latitude 55. 26. North,\nand longitude 108. West.\nxxxiv\nWW\n OF THE FUR TRADE, &c.\nHe, however, never after wintered among\nthe Indians, though he retained a large interest in the trade, and a principal share in the\ndirection of it till the year 1798, when he retired to enjoy the fruits of his labours; and,\nby his hospitality, became known to every\nrespectable stranger who visited Canada.\nThe success of this gentleman induced\nothers to follow his example, and in the\nspring of the year 1778, some of the traders\non the Saskatchiwine river, finding they had\na quantity of goods to spare, agreed to put\nthem into a joint stock, and gave the charge\nand management of them to Mr. Peter Pond/\"\"\nwho, in four canoes, was directed to enter the\nEnglish River, so called by Mr. Frobisher, to\nfollow his track, and proceed still further; if\npossible, to Athabasca, a country hitherto\nunknown but from Indian report. In this\nenterprise he at length succeeded and pitched\nhis tent on the banks of the Elk river, by him\nerroneously called the Athabasca river, about\nforty miles from the Lake of the Hills, into\nwhich it empties itself. \\nHere he passed the winter of 1778-9; saw\na vast concourse of the Knisteneaux and\nChepewyan tribes, who used to carry their\nfurs annually to Churchill; the latter by the |\nbarren grounds, where they suffered innumerable hardships, and were sometimes even\nstarved to death. The former followed the\nxxxv\n,V\n-\u00E2\u0080\u0094~r\n A GENERAL HISTORY\ncourse of the lakes and rivers, through a\ncountry that abounded in animals, and where\nthere was plenty of fish: but though they did\nnot suffer from want of food, the intolerable\nfatigue of such a journey could not be easily\nrepaid to an Indian: they were, therefore,\nhighly gratified by seeing people come to their\ncountry to relieve them from such long, toilsome, and dangerous journeys; and were\nimmediately reconciled to give an advanced\nprice for the articles necessary to their comfort and convenience. Mr. Pond's reception\nand success was accordingly beyond his expectation; and he procured twice as many\nfurs as his canoes would carry. They also\nsupplied him with as much provision as he\nrequired during his residence among them,\nand sufficient for his homeward voyage.\nSuch of the furs as he could not embark, he\nsecured in one of his winter huts, and they\nwere found the following season, in the same\nstate in which he left them.\nThese, however, were but partial advantages, and could not prevent the people of\nCanada from seeing the improper conduct of\nsome of their associates, which rendered it\ndangerous to remain any longer among the\nnatives. Most of them who passed the winter\nat the Saskatchiwine, got to the Eagle hills,\nwhere, in the spring of the year 1780, a few\ndays previous to their intended departure, a\nxxxvi\n F\nOF THE FUR TRADE, &c.\nlarge band of Indians being,engaged in drinking about their houses, one of the traders, to\nease himself of the troublesome importunities\nof a native, gave him a dose of laudanum in\na glass of grog, which effectually prevented\nhim from giving further trouble to any one,\nby setting him asleep for ever. This accident\nproduced a fray, in which one of the traders,\nand several of the men were killed, while the\nrest had no other means to save themselves\nbut by a precipitate flight, abandoning a considerable quantity of goods, and near half the\nfurs which they had collected during the\nwinter and the spring.\nAbout the same time, two of the establishments on the Assiniboin river, were attacked\nwith less justice, when several white men, and\na great number of Indians were killed. In\nshort, it appeared, that the natives had\nformed a resolution to extirpate the traders;\nand, without entering into any further reasonings on the subject, it appears to be incontrovertible, that the irregularity pursued in\ncarrying on the trade has brought it into its\npresent forlorn situation; and nothing but\nthe greatest calamity that could have befallen\nthe natives, saved the traders from destruction: this was the small-pox, which spread\nits destructive and desolating power, as the\nfire consiirnp^thp jjry s^rass of the field. The\nfatal infection spread around with a baneful\nxxx vii\nHi'\n A GENERAL HISTORY\nrapidity which no flight could escape, and\nwith a fatal effect that nothing could resist.\nIt destroyed with its pestilential breath whole\nfamilies and tribes; and the horrid scene\npresented to those who had the melancholy\nand afflicting opportunity of beholding it, a\ncombination of the dead, the dying, and such\nas to avoid the horrid fate of their friends\naround them, prepared to disappoint the\nplague of its prey, by terminating their own\nexistence.\nThe habits and lives of these devoted people, which provided not to-day for the wants\nof to-morrow, must have heightened the pains\nof such an affliction, by leaving them not only\nwithout remedy, but even without alleviation.\nNaught was left them but to submit hi agony\nand despair.\nTo aggravate the picture, if aggravation\nwere possible, may be added, the putrid carcases which the wolves, with a furious voracity, dragged forth from the huts, or which\nwere mangled within them by the dogs, whose\nhunger was satisfied with the disfigured remains of their masters. Nor was it uncommon for the father of a family, whom the\ninfection had not reached, to call them around\nhim, to represent the cruel sufferings and\nhorrid fate of their relations, from the influence of some evil spirit who was preparing to\nextirpate their race; and to incite them to\nxxxviii\n OF THE FUR TRADE, &c.\noaffle death, with all its horrors, by their own\nponiards. At the same time, if their hearts\nfailed them in this necessary act, he was\nliimself ready to perform the deed of mercy\nwith his own hand, as the last act of his\naffection, and instantly to follow them to the\ncommon place of rest and refuge from human\n^vil.\nIt was never satisfactorily ascertained by\nwhat means this malignant disorder was introduced, but it was generally supposed to be\nfrom the Missisouri, by a war party.\nThe consequence of this melancholy event\nto the traders must be self-evident; the means\nof disposing of their goods were cut off; and\njlo furs were obtained, but such as had been\ngathered from the habitations of the deceased\nIndians, which could not be very considerable: nor did they look from the losses of\nthe present year, with any encouraging expectations to those which were to come. The\nonly fortunate people consisted of a party\nivho had again penetrated to the Northward\nand Westward in 1780, at some distance\nup the Missinipi, or English river, to Lake\nla Rouge. Two unfortunate circumstances,\nhowever, happened to them; which are as\nfollow:\nV Mr. Wadin, a Swiss gentleman, of striet\nprobity and known sobriety, had gone there\nin the year 1779, and remained during the\nxxxix\n A GENERAL HISTORY\nsummer of 1780. His partners and others,\nengaged in an opposite interest, when at the\nGrande Portage, agreed to send a quantity of\ngoods on their joint account, which was accepted, and Mr. Pond was proposed by them\nto be their representative to act in conjunct\ntion with Mr. Wadin. Two men, of more\nopposite characters, could not, perhaps, have\nbeen found. In short, from various causes,\ntheir situations became very uncomfortable\nto each other, and mutual ill-will was the\nnatural consequence: without entering, therefore, into a minute history of these transactions, it will be sufficient to observe, that,\nabout the end of the year 1780, or the beginning of 1781, Mr. Wadin had received Mr.\nPond and one of his own clerks to dinner;\nand, in the course of the night, the former\nwas shot through the lower part of the thigh,\nwhen it was said that he expired from the\nloss of blood, and was buried next morning\nat eight o'clock. Mr. Pond, and the clerk,\nwere tried for this murder at Montreal, and\nacquitted: nevertheless, their innocence was\nnot so apparent as to extinguish the original\nsuspicion.\nThe other circumstance was this. In the\nspring of the year, Mr. Pond sent the above-\nmentioned clerk to meet the Indians from the\nNorthward, who used to go annually to Hud||\nson's Bay; when he easily persuaded them to\nxl\n OF THE FUR TRADE, &c.\ntrade with him, and return back, that they\nmight not take the contagion which had depopulated the country to the Eastward of\nthem: but most unfortunately they caught it\nhere, and carried it with them, to the destruction of themselves and the neighbouring tribes.\nThe country being thus depopulated, the\ntraders and their friends from Canada, who,\nfrom various causes already mentioned, were\nvery much reduced in number, became confined\nto two parties, who began seriously to think\nof making permanent establishments on the\nMissinipi river, and at Athabasca; for which\npurpose, in 1781-2, they selected their best\ncanoe-men, being ignorant that the smaU-pox\npenetrated that way. The most expeditious\nparty got only in time to the Portage la Loche,\n\u00C2\u00ABr Mithy-Ouinigam, which divides the waters\nof the Missinipi from those that fall into the\nElk river, to despatch one canoe strong-\nhanded, and light-loaded, to that country;\nbut, on their arrival there, they found, in\nevery direction, the ravages of the small-pox;\nso that, from the great diminution of the\nnatives, they returned in the spring with no\nmore than seven packages of beaver. The\nstrong woods and mountainous countries\nafforded a refuge to those who fled from the\ncontagion of the plains; but they were so\nalarmed at the surrounding destruction, that\nthey avoided the traders, and were dispirited\nxli\n A GENERAL HISTORY\nfrom hunting, except for their subsistence.\nThe traders, however, who returned into the\ncountry in the year 1782-3, found the inhabitants in some sort of tranquillity, and\nmore numerous than they had reason to expect, so that their success was proportion-\nably better.\nDuring the winter of 1783-4, the merchants of Canada, engaged hi this trade,\nformed a junction of interests, under the\nname of the North-West Company, and divided it into sixteen shares, without depositing any capital; each party furnishing a proportion or quota of such articles as were\nnecessary to carry on the trade: the respective parties agreeing to satisfy the friends\nthey had in the country, who were not provided for, according to this agreement, out\nof the proportions which they held. The\nmanagement of the whole was accordingly\nentrusted to Messrs. Benjamin and Joseph\nFrobisher, and Mr. Simon M'Tavish, two\ndistinct houses, who had the greatest interest\nand influence in the country, and for which\nthey were to receive a stipulated commission\nin all transactions.\nIn the spring, two of those gentlemen went\nto the Grande Portage with their credentials,\nwhich were confirmed and ratified by all the\nparties having an option, except Mr. Peter\nPond, who was not satisfied with the share\nxlii\n OF THE FUR TRADE, &c.\nallotted him. Accordingly he, and another\ngentleman, Mr. Peter Pangman, who had a\nright to be a partner, but for whom no provision had been made, came to Canada, with\na determination to return to the country, if\nthey could find any persons to join them, and\ngive their scheme a proper support.\nThe traders in the country, and merchants\nat Montreal, thus entered into a co-partnership, which, by these means, was consolidated\nand directed by able men, who, from the\npowers with which they were entrusted,\nwould carry on the trade to the utmost extent it would bear. The traders in the country, therefore, having every reason to expect\nthat their past and future labours would be\nrecompensed, forgot all their former animosities, and engaged with the utmost spirit and\nactivity, to forward the general interest; so\nthat, in the following year, they met their\nagents at the Grande Portage, with their\ncanoes laden with rich furs from the different\nparts of that immense tract of country. But\nthis satisfaction was not to be enjoyed without some interruption; and they were mortified to find that Mr. Pangman had prevailed\non Messrs. Gregory and Macleod to join him,\nand give him their support in the business,\nthough deserted by Mr. Pond, who accepted\nthe terms offered by his former associates.\nIn the counting-house of Mr. Gregory I\nxliii\n A GENERAL HISTORY\nhad been five years; and at this period had\nleft him, with a small adventure of goods,\nwith which he had entrusted me, to seek my\nfortune at Detroit. He, without any solicitation on my part, had procured an insertion\nin the agreement, that I should be admitted\na partner in this business, on condition that\nI would proceed to the Indian country in the\nfollowing spring, 1785. His partner came to\nDetroit to make me such a proposition. I\nreadily assented to it, and immediately proceeded to the Grande Portage, where I joined\nmy associates.\nWe now found that independent of the\nnatural difficulties of the undertaking, we\nshould have to encounter every other which\nthey, who were already in possession of the\ntrade of the country, eould throw in our way,\nand which their circumstances enabled them\nto do. Nor did they doubt, from their own\nsuperior experience, as well as that of their\nclerks and men, with their local knowledge\nof the country and its inhabitants, that they\nshould soon compel us to leave the country\nto them. The event, however, did not justify\ntheir expectations; for, after the severest\nstruggle ever known in that part of the world,\nand suffering every oppression which a jealous and rival spirit could instigate; after the\nmurder of one of our partners, the laming of\nanother, and the narrow escape of one of our\n*div\n OF THE FUR TRADE, Ni-de-ni-guom.\niMouth\n0 toune\n0 tonne.\n|My teeth\nWip pit tah\nNibit.\nTongue\nOtaithani\nO-tai-na-ni.\nBeard\nMichitoune\nOmichitonn.\nBrain\nWith i tip\nAba-e winikan.\nEars\nO tow ee gie\nO-ta wagane.\n(Neck\n0 qui ow\nclix\nO'quoi gan.\nl\n A GENERAL HISTORY\nKnisteneaux.\nAlgonquin.\nThroat\n0 koot tas gy\nNigon dagane\nArms\nO nisk\n0 nic.\nFingers\nChe chee\nNi nid gines.\nNails\nWos kos sia\nOs-kenge.\nSide\nO's spig gy\nOpikegan.\nMy back\nNo pis quan\nNi-pi quoini.\nMy belly\nNattay\nNi my sat.\nThighs\n0 povam\nObouame.\nMy knees\nNo che quoin noh Ni gui tick.\nLegs\nNos\nNi gatte.\nHeart\nOk thea\nOthai\nMy father\nNoo ta wie\nNossai.\nMy mother\nNigah wei\nNigah.\nMy boy (son)\nNegousis\nNigouisses.\nMy girl (daugh\nNetanis\nNidaniss.\nter)\nMy brother,\nNi stess\nNis-a-yen.\nelder\nMy sister, elder\nNe miss\nNimisain.\nMy grandfather\nNe moo shum\nNi-mi-chomiss.\nMy grandmother\nN'o kum\nNo-co-miss.\nMy uncle\nN' o'kamiss\nNi ni michomen.\nMy nephew\nNe too sim\nNe do jim.\nMy niece\nNe too sim es\nquois\n- Ni-do-jim equois\nMy mother - in\nNisi gouse\nNi sigousiss.\nlaw\nMy brother - in\nNistah\nNitah.\nlaw\nMy companion\nNe wechi wagan Ni wit - chi \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 wa\ngan.\nMy husband\nNi nap pern\nNi na bem.\nBlood\nMith coo\nMisquoi.\nOld Man\nShi nap\nAki win se.\nI am angry\nNekis si wash en Nis Katissiwine.\nI fear\nNe goos tow\nclx\nNisest guse.\n OF THE FUR TRADE, &c.\nKnisteneaux.\nAlgonquin.\nJoy\nNe hea tha torn\nMamond gikisi.\nHearing\nPethom\nOda wagan.\nTrack\nMis conna\nPemi ka wois.\nChief, greal\n, Haukimah\nKitchi onodis.\nruler\nThief\nKismouthesk\nKe moutiske.\nExcrement\nMeyee\nMoui.\nBuffalo\nMoustouche\nPichike.\nFerret\nSigous\nShingouss.\nPolecat\nShicak\nShi kak.\nElk\nMoustouche\nMichai woi.\nRein deer\nAttick\nAtick.\nFallow deer\nAttick\nWa wasquesh.\nBeaver\nAmisk\nAmic.\nWolverine\nQui qua katch\nQuin quoagki.\nSquirrel\nEnnequachas\nOtchi ta mou.\nMinx\nSa quasue\nShaugouch.\nOtter\nNekick\nNi guick.\nWolf\nMayegan\nMaygan.\nHare\nWapouce\nWapouce.\nMarten\nWappistan\nWabichinse.\nMoose\nMouswah\nMonse.\nBear\nMasqua\nMacqua.\nFisher\nWijask\nOd-jisck.\nLynx\nPicheu\nPechou.\nPorcupine\nCau quah\nKack.\nFox\nMikasew\nWagouche.\n!Musk Rat\nWajask\nWa-jack.\nMouse\nAbicushiss\nWai wa be gou\nnoge.\nCow Buffalo\nNoshi Mous\ntouche\n- Nochena pichik.\nMeat-flesh\nWias\nWi-ass.\nDog\nAtim\nAni-mouse.\nEagle\nMakusue\nMe-guissis.\nDuck\nSy Sip\nShi-sip.\n11\nclxi\n A GENERAL HISTORY\nKnisteneaux.\nAlgonquin.\nCrow, Corbeau\nCa Cawkeu\nKa Kak.\nSwan\nWapiseu\nWa-pe-sy.\nTurkey\nMes sei thew\nMississay.\nPheasants\nOkes kew\nA jack.\nBird\nPethesew\nPi-na-sy.\nOutard\nNiscag\nNic kack.\nWhite Goose\nWey Wois\nWoi wois.\nGrey Goose\nPestasish\nPos ta kisk.\nPartridge\nPithew\nPen ainse.\nWater Hen\nChiquibish\nChe qui bis.\nDove\nOmi Mee\n0 mi-mis.\nEggs fit\nWa Wah\nWa Weni.\nPike or Jack\nKenonge\nKenonge.\nCarp\nNa may bin\nNa me bine.\nSturgeon\nNa May\nNa Maiu.\nWhite fish\nAticaming\nAticaming.\nPickerel\nOc-chaw\nOh-ga.\nFish (in general)\nKenonge\nKi-cons.\nSpawn\nWaquon\nWa quock.\nFins\nChi chi kan\n0 nidj-igan.\nTrout\nNay gouse\nNa Men Gouse.\nCraw Fish\nA shag gee\nA cha kens chac-\nque.\nFrog\nAthick\n0 ma ka ki.\nWasp\nAh moo\nA mon.\nTurtle\nMikinack\nMi-ki-nack.\nSnake\nKinibick\nKi nai bick.\nAwl\nOscajick\nMa-gose.\nNeedle\nSaboinigan\nSha-bo nigan.\nFire steel\nAppet\nScoutecgan.\nFire wood\nMich-tah\nMissane.\nCradle\nTeckinigan\nTickina-gan.\nDagger\nTa Comagau\nNa - ba - ke - gou-\nman.\nArrow\nAugusk or Atou\n- Mettickanouins.\nche\nclxii\n OF THE FUR TRADE, &c.\nKnisteneaux.\nAlgonquin.\nFish Hook\nQuosquipichican Maneton Miquis-\ncan.\nAx\nShegaygan\nWagagvette.\nEar-bob\nChi-kisebisoun\nNa be chi be\nsoun.\nComb\nSicahoun\nPin ack wan.\nNet\nAthabe\nAssap.\nTree\nMistick\nMiti-coum.\nWood\nMistick\nMitic.\nPaddle\nAboi\nAboui.\nCanoe\nChiman\nS-chiman.\nBirch Rind\nWasquoi\nWig nass.\nBark\nWasquoi\nOn-na-guege.\nTouch Wood\nPousagan\nSa-ga-tagan.\nLeaf\nNepeshah\nNi-biche.\nGrass\nMasquosi\nMasquosi.\nRaspberries\nMisqui-meinac\nMisqui meinac.\nStrawberries\nO'-tai-e minac\nO'-tai-e minac.\nAshes\nPecouch\nPengoui.\nFire\nScou tay\nScou tay.\nGrapes\nShomenac\nShomenac.\nFog |\nPakishihow\nA Winni.\nMud\nAsus ki\nA Shiski.\nCurrant\nKisijiwin\nKi si chi woin.\nRoad\nMescanah\nMickanan.\nWinter\nPipoun\nPipone.\nIsland\nMinistick\nMiniss,\nLake\nSagayigan\nSagayigan.\nSun\nPisim\nKijis.\nMoon\nTibisca pesim\n(the night Sun]\nDibic Kiji\n1\n\u00C2\u00B0ay ' ,i||\nKigigah\nKigi gatte.\nNight\nTabisca\nDibic kawte.\nSnow\nCounah\nSo qui po.\nRain\nKimiwoin\nKi mi woini\nDrift\nPewan\nclxiii\nPi-woine.\n A GENERAL HISTORY\nHail\nIce\nFrost\nMist\nWater\nWorld\nMountain\nSea |\nMorning\nMid-day\nPortage\nSpring\nRiver\nRapid\nRivulet\nSand\nEarth\nStar\nThunder\nWind\nCalm\nHeat\nEvening\nNorth\nSouth\nEast\nWest\nTo-morrow\nBone\nBroth\nFeast\nGrease or oil\nKnisteneaux.\nShes eagan\nMesquaming\nAquatin\nPicasyow\nNepec\nMesseasky (all\nthe earth)\nWachee\nKitchi kitchi gaming\nKequishepe\nAbetah quisheik\nUnygam\nMenouscaming\nSipee\nBawastick\nSepeesis\nThocaw\nAskee\nAttack\nPithuseu\nThoutin\nAthawostin\nQuishipoi\nTa kashike\nKywoitin\nSawena woon\nCoshawcastak\nPaquisimow\nWabank\nOskann\nMichim waboi\nMa qua see\nPimis\nclxiv\nAlgonquin.\nMe qua mensan.\nMe quam.\nGas-ga-tin.\nAn-quo-et.\nNipei.\nMissi achki.\nWatchive.\nKitchi kitchi gaming.\nKi-ki-jep.\nNa ock quoi.\nOuni-gam.\nMino ka ming.\nSipi.\nBa wetick.\n- Sipi wes chin.\nNe gawe.\nAch ki.\nAnang.\nNi mi ki.\nNo tine.\nA-no-a-tine.\nAboyce.\nO'n-a-guche.\nKe woitinak.\nS h a - w a -n a-\nwang.\nWa-ban on o-\ntine.\nPanguis-chi-mo.\nWa-bang.\nOc-kann.\nThaboub.\nWi con qui wine.\nPimi-tais.\n'\u00C2\u00ABjT\n OF THE FUR TRADE, &c.\nMarrow fat\nSinew\nLodge\nBed\nWithin\nDoor\nDish\nFort\nSledge\nCincture\nCap\nSocks\nShirt\nCoat\nBlanket\nCloth\nThread\nGarters\nMittens\nShoes\nSmoking bag\nPortage sling\nStrait on\nMedicine\nRed \u00C2\u00A7\nBlue\nWhite\nYellow\nGreen\nBrown\nGrey, etc.\nUgly\nKnisteneaux.\nOscan pimis\nAsstis\nWig-waum\nNe pa win\nPendog ke\nSquandam\nOthagan\nWasgaigan\nTabanask\nPoquoatehoun\nAstotin\nAshican\nPapackeweyan\nPapise-co-wagan\nWape weyang\nManeto weguin\nAssabab\nChi ki-bisoon\nAstissack\nMaskisin\nKusquepetagan\nApisan\nGoi ask\nMas ki kee\nMes coh\nKasqutch (same\nas black)\nWabisca\nSaw waw\nChibatiquare\nMache na gou-\nseu\nclxv\nAlgonquin.\nOska-pimitais.\nAttiss.\nWi-gui-wam.\nNe pai wine.\nPendig.\nScouandam.\nO' na gann.\nWa-kuigan.\nOtabanac.\nKetche pisou.\nPe matinang.\nA chi-gan.\nPa pa ki weyan.\nPapise - c o - w a <\ngan.\nWape weyan.\nManeto weguin.\nAssabab.\nFi gaske-tase be-\nsoun.\nMedjica wine.\nMakisin.\nKasquepetagan.\nApican.\nGoi-ack.\nMacki-ki.\nMes-cowa.\nO-jawes-cowa.\nWabisca.\nO-jawa.\nO'jawes-cowa.\nO'jawes-cowa.\nO'jawes-cowa.\nMous-counu-\ngouse.\n A GENERAL HISTORY\nKnisteneaux.\nAlgonquin.\nHandsome\nCatawassiseu\nNam bissa.\nBeautiful\nKissi Sawenogan Quoi Natch.\nDeaf\nNima petom\nKa ki be chai.\nGood-natured\nMithi washin\nOnichishin.\nPregnant\nPaawie\nAnd-jioko.\nFat\nOuthineu\nOui-ni-noe.\nBig i\nMushikitee\nMessha.\nSmall or little\nAbisasheu\nAgu-chin.\nShort\nChemasish\nTackosi.\nSkin\nWian\nWian.\nLong\nKinwain\nKiniwa.\nStrong\nMascawa\nj Mache-cawa.\ni Mas-cawise.\nCoward\nSagatahaw\nCha-goutai-ye.\nWeak\nNitha missew\nCha-gousi.\nLean\nMahta waw\nKa wa ca tosa.\nBrave\nNima Gustaw\nSon qui taige.\nYoung man\nOsquineguish\nOskinigui.\nCold\nKissin\nKissinan.\nHot\nKichatai\nKicha tai.\nSpring\nMinouscaming\nMinokaming.\nSummer\nNibin\nNibiqui.\nFall\nTagowagonk\nTagowag.\nOne\nPeyac\nPecheik.\nTwo\nNisheu\n! Nige.\nThree\nNishtou\nNis-wois.\nFour\nNeway\nNe-au.\nFive\nNi-annan\nNa-nan.\nSix\nNegoutawoesic\nNi gouta waswois.\nSeven\nNish woisic\nNigi-was-wois.\nEight\nJannanew\nShe was wois.\nNine\nShack\nShann was wois.\nTen\nMitatat\nMit-asswois.\nEleven\nPeyac osap\nMitasswois,\nhachi pecheik.\nclxvi\n li\nOF THE FUR TRADE, &c.\nKnisteneaux.\nAlgonquin.\nTwelve\nNisheu osap\nMitasswois,\nhachi, nige.\nThirteen\nNichtou osap\nMitasswois,\nhachi, niswois.\nFourteen\nNeway osap\nMitasswois,\nhachi, ne-au.\nFifteen\nNiannan osap\nMitasswois,\nhachi, nanan.\nSixteen\nNigoutawoesic\nMitasswois,\nosap\nhachi, negou-\ntawaswois.\nSeventeen\nNish woesic osap\nMitasswois,\nhachi, nigi\nwas-wois.\nEighteen\nJannanew osap\nMitasswois,\nhachi, shiwass-\nwois.\nNineteen\nShack osap\nMitasswois,\nhachi, shang\nas wois.\nTwenty\nNisheu mitenah\nNigeta-nan.\nTwenty-one\nNishew mitenah\nNigeta nan,\npeyac osap\nhachi, pechic.\nTwenty-two,\nNisheu mitenah\netc.\nnishew osap\nThirty\nNishtou mitenah Niswois mita-\nnan.\nForty\nNeway mitenah\nNeau mitanan.\nFifty\nNiannan mitenah\nNanan mitanan.\nSixty\nNegouta woisic\nNig out a was\nmitenah\nwois mitanan.\nSeventy\nNish woisic mite\nNigi was wois\nnah\nmitanan.\nEighty\nJannaeu mitenah She was wos mi-\ntanan.\nclxvii\n A GENERAL HISTORY\nKnisteneaux.\nAlgonquin.\nNinety\nShack mitenah\nShang was wois\nmitanan.\nHundred\nMitana mitenan\nNingoutwack.\nTwo hundred\nNeshew mitena 8\nmitenah\ni Nige wack.\nOne thousand\nMitenah mitena Kitchi wack.\nmitenah\nFirst\nNican\nNitam.\nLast\nSquayatch\nShaquoiyanke.\nMore\nMinah\nAwa-chi min.\nBetter\nAthiwack mitha\n- A wachimin o\nwashin\nnichi shen.\nBest\nAtniwack mitha\nKitchi o nichi\nwashin\nshin.\nI, or me\nNitha\nNin.\nYou, or thou\nKitha\nKin.\nThey, or them\nWithawaw\nWin na wa.\nWe\nNithawaw\nNina wa.\nMy, or mine\nNitayan\nNida yam.\nYour's\nKitayan\nKitayam.\nWho\nAuoni.\nWhom\nAwoine\nKegoi nin.\nWhat\nWa.\nHis, or her's\n0 tay an\nOtayim mis.\nAll I\nKakithau\nKakenan.\nSome, or some\ni Pey peyac\nPe-picnic.\nfew\nThe same\nTabescoutch\nMi ta yoche.\nAll the world\nMissi acki wan\nque\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2 Mishiwai asky.\nAll the men\nKakithaw Ethi Missi Inini\nnyock\nwock.\nMore\nMina\nMina wa.\nNow and then\nNannigouten-\ngue.\nSometimes\nI as cow-puco\nclxviii\n Seldom\nArrive\nBeat\nTo burn\nTo sing\nTo cut\nTo hide\nTo cover\nTo believe\nTo sleep\nTo dispute\nTo dance\nTo give\nTo do\nTo eat\nTo die\nTo forget\nTo speak\nTo cry (tears)\nTo laugh\nTo set down\nTo walk\nTo fall\nTo work\nTo kill\nTo sell\nTo live\nTo see\nTo come\nEnough\nCry (tears)\nIt hails\nThere is )\nThere is some f\nIt rains\nAfter to-morrow\nTa couchin\nOtamaha\nMistascasoo\nNagamoun\nKisquishan\nCatann\nAcquahoun\nTaboitam\nNepan\nKe ko mitowock\nNemaytow\nMith\nOgitann\nWissinee\nNepew\nWinnekiskisew\nAthimetakcouse\nMantow\nPapew\nNematappe\nPimoutais\nPackisin\nAh tus kew\nNipahaw\nAttawoin\nPimatise\nWabam\nAstamoteh\nEgothigog\nManteau\nShisiagan\nAya wa\nQuimiwoin\nAwis wabank\nclxix\nAnokeh.\nNishi-woes.\nAta wois.\nPematis.\nWab.\nPitta-si-mouss.\nMi mi nic.\nAmbai ma wita\nSai saigaun.\nAya wan.\nQui mi woin.\nAwes wabang.\n A GENERAL HISTORY\nTo-day\nThereaway\nMuch\nPresently\nMake, heart\nThis morning\nThis night\nAbove\nBelow\nTruly\nAlready\nYet more\nYesterday\nFar\nNear\nNever\nNo\nYes\nBy-and-bye\nAlways\nMake haste\nIt's long since\nKnisteneaux.\nAnoutch\nNetoi\nMichett\n[ Pichisqua\nQuithipeh\nShebas\nTibiscag\nEspiming\nTabassish\nTaboiy\nSashay\nMinah\nTacoushick\nWathow\nQuishiwoac\nNima wecatch\nNima\nAh\nPa-nima\nKa-ki-kee\nQuethepeh\nMewaisha\nAlgonquin.\nNon gum.\nAwoite.\nNi bi wa.\nPitchinac.\nWai we be.\nShai bas.\nDe bi cong.\nO kitchiai.\nAna mai.\nNe de wache.\nSha shaye.\nMina wa.\nPitchinago.\nWassa.\nPaishou.\nKa wi ka.\nKa wine.\nIn. ||\nPa-nima.\nKa qui nick\nNiguim.\nMon wisha.\nclxx\n OF THE FUR TRADE, &c.\nSOME ACCOUNT OF THE CHEPEWYAN INDIANS.\nThey are a numerous people, who consider\nthe country between the parallels of latitude\n60. and 65. North, and longitude 100. to\n110. West, as their lands or home. They\nspeak a copious language, which is very difficult to be attained, and furnishes dialects to\nthe various emigrant tribes which inhabit the\nfollowing immense track of country, whose\nhoundary I shall describe.# It begins at\nChurchill, and runs along the line of separation between them and the Knisteneaux, up\nthe Missinipi to the Isle a la Crosse, passing\non through the Buffalo Lake, River Lake,\nand Portage la Loche: from thence it proceeds by the Elk River to the Lake of the\nHills, and goes directly West to the Peach\n^River; and up that river to its source and\ntributary waters; from whence it proceeds to\nthe waters of the river Columbia; and follows that river to latitude 52. 24. North, and\nlongitude 22. 54. West, where the Chepe-\n* Those of them who come to trade with us, do not\nexceed eight hundred men, and have a smattering\nof the Knisteneau tongue, in which they carry on\ntheir dealings with us.\nclxxi\n A GENERAL HISTORY\nwyans have the Atnah or Chin Nation for\ntheir neighbours. It then takes a line due\nWest to the seacoast, within which, the country is possessed by a people who speak their\nlanguage* and are consequently descended\nfrom them: there can be no doubt, therefore,\nof their progress being to the Eastward. A\ntribe of them is even known at the upper\nestablishments on the Saskatchiwine; and I\ndo not pretend to ascertain how far they may\nfollow the Rocky Mountains to the East.\nIt is not possible to form any just estimate\nof their numbers, but it is apparent, nevertheless, that they are by no means proportionate to the vast extent of their territories,\nwhich may, in some degree, be attributed to\nthe ravages of the small-pox, which are,\nmore or less, evident throughout this part of\nthe continent.\nThe notion which these people entertain of\nthe creation, is of a very singular nature.\nThey believe that, at the first, the globe was\none vast and entire ocean, inhabited by no\nliving creature, except a mighty bird, whose\neyes were fire, whose glances were lightning,\nand the clapping of whose wings were thunder. On his descent to the ocean, and touching it, the earth instantly arose, and re-\n*The coast is inhabited on the North-West by the\nEskimaux, and on the Pacific Ocean by a people\ndifferent from both.\nclxxii\n OF THE FUR TRADE, &c.\nmained on the surface of the waters. This\nomnipotent bird then called forth all the\nvariety of animals from the earth, except the\nChepewyans, who were produced from a dog;\nand this circumstance occasions their aversion\nto the flesh of that animal, as well as the\npeople who eat it. This extraordinary tradition proceeds to relate, that the great bird,\nhaving finished his work, made an arrow,\nwhich was to be preserved with great care,\nand to remain untouched; but that the Chepewyans were so devoid of understanding, as to\ncarry it away; and the sacrilege so enraged\nthe great bird, that he has never since appeared.\nThey have also a tradition amongst them,\nthat they originally came from another country, inhabited by very wicked people, and\nhad traversed a great lake, which was narrow, shallow, and full of islands, where they\nhad suffered great misery, it being always\nwinter, with ice and deep snow. At the\nCopper-Mine River, where they made the\nfirst land, the ground was covered with copper, over which a body of earth had since\nbeen collected, to the depth of a man's height.\nThey believe, also, that in ancient times their\nancestors lived till their feet were worn out\nwith walking, and their throats with eating.\nThey describe a deluge, when the waters\nspread over the whole earth, except the high-\nclxxiii\n A GENERAL HISTORY\nest mountains, on the tops of which they preserved themselves.\nThey believe, that immediately after their\ndeath, they pass into another worid, where\nthey arrive at a large river, on which they\nembark in a stone canoe, and that a gentle\ncurrent bears them on to an extensive lake,\nin the centre of which is a most beautiful\nisland j and that, in the view of this delightful abode, they receive that judgment for\ntheir conduct during life, which terminates\ntheir final state and unalterable allotment.\nIf their good actions are declared to predominate, they are landed upon the island, where\nthere is to be no end to their happiness;,\nwhich, however, according to their notions,\nconsists in an eternal enjoyment of sensual\npleasure, and carnal gratification. But if\ntheir bad actions weigh down the balance,,\nthe stone canoe sinks at once, and leaves\nthem up to their chins in the water, to behold and regret the reward enjoyed by the\ngood, and eternally struggling, but with unavailing endeavours, to reach the blissful\nisland, from which they are excluded for ever.\nThey have some faint notions of the transmigration of the soul; so that if a child be\nborn with teeth, they instantly imagine, from\nits premature appearance, that it bears a resemblance to some person who had lived to\nan advanced period, and that he has assumed\nclxxiv\n OF THE FUR TRADE, &c.\na renovated life, with these extraordinary\ntokens of maturity.\nThe Chepewyans are sober, timorous, and\nvagrant, with a selfish disposition that has\nsometimes created suspicions of their integrity. Their stature has nothing remarkable\nin it; but though they are seldom corpulent,\nthey are sometimes robust. Their complexion\nis swarthy; their features coarse, and their\nhair lank, but always of a dingy black; nor\nhave they universally the piercing eye, which\ngenerally animates the Indian countenance.\nThe women have a more agreeable aspect than\nthe men, but their gait is awkward, which\nproceeds from their being accustomed, nine\nmonths in the year, to travel on snow-shoes\nand drag sledges of a weight from two to four\nhundred pounds. They are very submissive to\ntheir husbands, who have, however, their fits\nof jealousy; and, for very trifling causes,\ntreat them with such cruelty as sometimes to\noccasion their death. They are frequently\nobjects of traffic; and the father possesses the\nright of disposing of his daughter,* The\nmen in general extract their beards, though\nsome of them are seen to prefer a bushy black\nbeard, to a smooth chin. They cut their hair\nin various forms, or leave it in a long, natural\n* They do not, however, sell them as slaves, but as\ncompanions to those who are supposed to live more\ncomfortably than themselves.\nclxxv\n A GENERAL HISTORY\nflow, according as their caprice or fancy suggests. The women always wear it in great\nlength, and some of them are very attentive\nto its arrangement. If they at any time appear despoiled of their tresses, it is to be\nesteemed a proof of the husband's jealousy,\nand is considered as a severer punishment\nthan manual correction. Both sexes have\nblue or black bars, or from one to four\nstraight lines on their cheeks or forehead, to\ndistinguish the tribe to which they belong.\nThese marks are either tattooed, or made by\ndrawing a thread, dipped in the necessary\ncolour, beneath the skin.\nThere are no people more attentive to the\ncomforts of their dress, or less anxious respecting its exterior appearance. In the winter it is composed of the skins of deer, and\ntheir fawns, and dressed as fine as any\nchamois leather, in the hair. In the summer\ntheir apparel is the same, except that it is\nprepared without the hair. Their shoes and\nleggins are sewed together, the latter reaching upwards to the middle, and being supported by a belt, under which a small piece\nof leather is drawn to cover the private parts,\nthe ends of which fall down both before and\nbehind. In the shoes they put the hair of\nthe moose or reindeer with additional pieces\nof leather as socks. The shirt or coat, when\ngirted round the waist, reaches to the middle\nclxxvi\n OF THE FUR TRADE, &c.\nof the thigh, and the mittens are sewed to the\nsleeves, or are suspended by strings from the\nshoulders. A ruff or tippet surrounds the\nneck, and the skin of the head of the deer\nforms a curious kind of cap. A robe, made\nof several deer or fawn skins sewed together,\ncovers the whole. This dress is worn single\nor double, but always in the winter, with the\nhair within and without. Thus arrayed a\nChepewyan will lay himself down on the ice\nlin the middle of a lake, and repose in com-\nuort; though he wiU sometimes find a difficulty in the morning to disencumber himself\nfrom the snow drifted on him during the\nnight. If in his passage he should be in want\nof provision, he cuts a hole in the ice, when\nhe seldom fails of taking some trout or pike,\nwhose eyes he instantly scoops out, and eats\nas a great delicacy; but if they should not be\nsufficient to satisfy his appetite, he will, in\nthis necessity make his meal of the fish in its\nraw state; but, those whom I saw, preferred\nto dress their victuals when circumstances\nadmitted &he necessary preparation. When\nthey are irl that part of their country which\ndoes not produce a sufficient quantity of\nwood for fuel, they are reduced to the same\nexigency, though they generally dry their\nmeat in the sun.*\n*The provision called pemmican, on which the\nChepewyans, as well as the other savages of this\n12 clxxvii\n A GENERAL HISTORY\nThe dress of the women differs from that\nof the men. Their leggins are tied below the\nknee; and their coat or shift is wide, hanging down to the ankle, and is tucked up at\npleasure by means of a belt, which is fastened\nround the waist. Those who have children\nhave these garments made very full about the\nshoulders, as when they are travelling they\ncarry their infants upon their backs, next\ntheir skin, in which situation they are perfectly comfortable and in a position convenient to be suckled. Nor do they discontinue\ncountry, chiefly subsist in their journeys, is prepared\nin the following manner: The lean parts of the flesh\nof the larger animals are cut in thin slices, and psre\nplaced on a wooden grate over a slow fire, or exposed\nto the sun, and sometimes to the frost. These operations dry it, and in that state it is pounded between\ntwo stones; it will then keep with care for several\nyears. If, however, it is kept in large quantities, it\nis disposed to ferment in the spring of the year,\nwhen it must be exposed to the air, or it will soon\ndecay. The inside fat, and that of the rump, which\nis much thicker in these wild than our domestic ani-<\nmals, is melted down and mixed, in a boiling state\nwith the pounded meat, in equal proportions: it is\nthen put in baskets or bags for the convenience of\ncarrying it. Thus it becomes a nutritious food, and\nis eaten, without any further preparation, or the\naddition of spice, salt, or any vegetable or farinaceous substance. A little time reconciles it to the\npalate. There is another sort made with the addition of marrow and dried berries, which is of a superior quality,\nclxxviii\n OF THE FUR TRADE, &c.\nto give their milk to them till they have another child. Childbirth is not the object of\nthat tender care and serious attention among\nthe savages as it is among civilised people.\nAt this period no part of their usual occupation is omitted, and this continual and regular exercise must contribute to the welfare of\nthe mother, both in the progress of parturition and in the moment of delivery. The\nwomen have a singular custom of cutting off\na small piece of the navel string of the newborn children, and hang it about their necks:\nthey are also curious in the covering they\nmake for it, which they decorate with porcupine's quills and beads.\nThough the women are as much in the\npower of the men, as other articles of their\nproperty, they are always consulted, and\npossess a very considerable influence in the\ntraffic with Europeans, and other important\nconcerns.\nPlurality of wives is common among them,\nand the ceremony of marriage is of a very\nsimple nature. The girls are betrothed at a\nvery early period to those whom the parents\nthink the best able to support them: nor is\nthe inclination of the women considered.\nWhenever a separation takes place, which\nsometimes happens, it depends entirely on\nthe will and pleasure of the husband. In\ncommon with the other Indians of this coun-\nclxxix\n A GENERAL HISTORY\ntry, they have a custom respecting the periodical state of a woman, which is rigorously\nobserved: at that time she must seclude herself from society. They are not even allowed\nin that situation to keep the same path as the\nmen, when travelling: and it is considered a\ngreat breach of decency for a woman so circumstanced to touch any utensils of manly\noccupation. Such a circumstance is supposed to defile them, so that their subsequent\nuse would be followed by certain mischief or\nmisfortune. There are particular skins which\nthe women never touch, as of the bear and\nwolf; and those animals the men are seldom\nknown to kill.\nThey are not remarkable for their activity\nas hunters, which is owing to the ease with\nwhich they snare deer and spear fish: and\nthese occupations are not beyond the strength\nof their old men, women, and boys: so that\nthey participate in those laborious occupa*\ntions, which among their neighbours are confined to the women. They make war on the\nEsquimaux, who cannot resist their superior\nnumbers, and put them to death, as it is a\nprinciple with them never to make prisoners.\nAt the same time they tamely submit to the\nKnisteneaux, who are not so numerous as\nthemselves, when they treat them as enemies.\nThey do not affect that cold reserve at\nmeeting, either among themselves or stran-\nclxxx\n OF THE FUR TRADE, &c.\ngers, which is common with the Knisteneaux,\nbut communicate mutually, and at once, all\nthe information of which they are possessed.\nNor are they roused like them from an apparent torpor to a state of great activity.\nThey are consequently more uniform in this\nrespect, though they are of a very persevering disposition when their interest is concerned.\nAs these people are not addicted to spirituous liquors, they have a regular and uninterrupted use of their understanding, which\nis always directed to the advancement of\ntheir own interest; and this disposition, as\nmay be readily imagined, sometimes occasions them to be charged with fraudulent\nhabits. They will submit with patience to\nthe severest treatment, when they are conscious that they deserve it, but will never\nforget or forgive any wanton or unnecessary\nrigour. A moderate conduct I never found,\nto fail, nor do I hesitate to represent them,,\naltogether, as the most peaceable tribe of Indians known in North America.\nThere are conjurers and high-priests, but I\nwas not present at any of their ceremonies;\nthough they certainly operate in an extraordinary manner on the imaginations of the\npeople in the cure of disorders. Their principal maladies are, rheumatic pains, the flux\nand consumption. The venereal complaint is\nclxxxi\n A GENERAL HISTORY\nvery common; but though its progress is slow,\nit gradually undermines the constitution, and\nbrings on premature decay. They have recourse to superstition for their cure, and\ncharms are their only remedies, except the\nbark of the willow, which being burned and\nreduced to powder, is strewed upon green\nwounds and ulcers, and places contrived for\npromoting perspiration. Of the use of simples and plants they have no knowledge; nor\ncan it be expected, as their country does not\nproduce them.\nThough they have enjoyed so long an intercourse with Europeans, their country is so\nbarren, as not to be capable of producing the\nordinary necessaries naturally introduced by\nsuch a communication; and they continue, in\na great measure, their own inconvenient and\nawkward modes of taking their game and\npreparing it when taken. Sometimes they\ndrive the deer into the small lakes, where\nthey spear them, or force them into inclo-\nsures, where the bow and arrow are employed\nagainst them. These animals are also taken\nin snares make of skin. In the former instance the game is divided among those who\nhave been engaged in the pursuit of it. In\nthe latter it is considered as private property;\nnevertheless, any unsuccessful hunter passing by, may take a deer so caught, leaving\nthe head, skin, and saddle for the owner.\nclxxxii\n OF THE FUR TRADE, &c.\nThus, though they have no regular government, as every man is lord in his own family,\nthey are influenced, more or less, by certain\nprinciples which condone to their general\nbenefit.\nIn their quarrels with each other, they very\nrarely proceed to a greater degree of violence\nthan is occasioned by blows, wrestling, and\npulling of the hair, while their abusive language consists in applying the name of the\nmost offensive animal to the object of their\ndispleasure, and adding the term ugly, and\nchiay, or still-born.*\nTheir arms and domestic apparatus, in addition to the articles procured from Europeans, are spears, bows, and arrows, fishing-\nnets, and lines made of green deer-skin thongs.\nThey have also nets for taking the beaver as\nhe endeavours to escape from his lodge when\nit is broken open. It is set in a particular\nmanner for the purpose, and a man is employed to watch the moment when he enters\nthe snare, or he would soon cut his way\nthrough it. He is then thrown upon the ice\nwhere he remains as if he had no life in him.\nThe snow-shoes are of a very superior\nworkmanship. The inner part of their frame\nis straight, the outer one is curved, and it is\n*This name is also applicable to the foetus of an\nanimal, when killed, which is considered as one of\nthe greatest delicacies.\nclxxxiii\n A GENERAL HISTORY\npointed at both ends, with that in front\nturned up. They are also laced with great\nneatness with thongs made of deer-skin. The\nsledges are formed of thin slips of board\nturned up also in front, and are highly polished with crooked knives, in order to slide\nalong with facility. Close-grained wood is,\non that acount, the best; but theirs are made\nof the red or swamp spruce-fir tree.\nThe country, which these people claim as\ntheir land, has a very small quantity of earth,\nand produces little or no wood or herbage.\nIts chief vegetable substance is the moss, on\nwhich the deer feed; and a kind of rock\nmoss, which, in times of scarcity, preserves\nthe lives of the natives.- When boiled in\nwater, it dissolves into a clammy, glutinous\nsubstance, that affords a very sufficient nourishment. But, notwithstanding the barren\nstate of their country, with proper care and\neconomy, these people might live in great\ncomfort, for the lakes abound in fish, and the\nhills are covered with deer. Though, of all\nthe Indian people of this continent they are\nconsidered as the most provident, they suffer\nseverely at certain seasons, and particularly\nin the dead of winter, when they are under\nthe necessity of retiring to their scanty,\nstinted woods. To the Westward of them the\nmusk-ox may be found, but they have no dependence on it as an article of sustenance.\nclxxxiv\n OF THE FUR TRADE, &c.\nThere are also large hares, a few white\nwolves, peculiar to their country, and several\nkinds of foxes, with white and grey partridges, etc. The beaver and moose-deer\nthey do not find till they come within 60 degrees North latitude; and the buffalo is still\nfurther South. That animal is known to frequent an higher latitude to the Westward of\ntheir country. These people bring pieces of\nbeautiful variegated marble, which are found\non the surface of the earth. It is easily\nworked, bears a fine polish, and hardens with\ntime; it endures heat, and is manufactured\ninto pipes or calumets, as they are very fond\nof smoking tobacco; a luxury which the Europeans communicated to them.\nTheir amusements or recreations are but\nfew. Their music is so inharmonious, and\ntheir dancing so awkward, that they might\nbe supposed to be ashamed of both, as they\nvery seldom practise either. They also shoot\nat marks, and play at the games common\namong them; but in fact they prefer sleeping to either; and the greater part of their\ntime is passed in procuring food, and resting\nfrom the toil necessary to obtain it.\nThey are also of a querulous disposition,\nand are continually making complaints; which\nthey express by a constant repetition of the\nword eduiy, \"it is hard,\" in a whining and\nplaintive tone of voice.\nclxxxv\n A GENERAL HISTORY\nThey are superstitious in the extreme, and\nalmost every action of their lives, however\ntrivial, is more or less influenced by some\nwhimsical notion. I never observed that\nthey had any partcular form of religious worship ; but as they believe in a good and evil\nspirit, and a state of future rewards and\npunishments, they cannot be devoid of religious impressions. At the same time they\nmanifest a decided unwillingness to make any\ncommunications on the subject.\nThe Chepewyans have been accused of\nabandoning their aged and infirm people to\nperish, and of not burying their dead; but\nthese are melancholy necessities, which proceed from their wandering way of life. They\nare by no means universal, for it is within my\nknowledge, that a man, rendered helpless by\nthe palsy, was carried about for many years,\nwith the greatest tenderness and attention,\ntill he died a natural death. That they should\nnot bury their dead in their own country,\ncannot be imputed to them as a custom arising from a savage insensibility, as they inhabit such high latitudes that the ground\nnever thaws; but it is well known, that when\nthey are in the woods, they cover their dead\nwith trees. Besides, they manifest no common respect to the memory of their departed\nfriends, by a long period of mourning, cutting off their hair, and never making use of\nclxxxvi\n OF THE FUR TRADE, &c.\nthe property of the deceased. Nay, they\nfrequently destroy or sacrifice their own, as\na token of regret and sorrow.\nIf there be any people who, from the barren state of their country, might be supposed\nto be cannibals by nature, these people, from\nthe difficulty they, at times, experience in\nprocuring food, might be liable to that imputation. But, in all my knowledge of them,\nI never was acquainted with one instance of\nthat disposition; nor among all the natives\nwhich I met with in a route of five thousand\nmiles, did I see or hear of an example of\ncannibalism, but such as arose from that irresistible necessity, which has been known to\nimpel even the most civilised people to eat\neach other.\nExample op the Chepewyan Tongue.\nMan\nWoman\nYoung man\nYoung woman\nMy son\nMy daughter\nMy husband\nMy wife\nMy brother\nMy father\nMy mother\nMy grandfather\nMe, or my\nDinnie.\nChequois.\nQuelaquis.\nQuelaquis chequoi.\nZi azay.\nZi lengai.\nZi dinnie.\nZi zayunai.\nZi raing.\nZi tah.\nZi nah.\nZi unai.\nSee.\nclxxxvii\n A GENERAL HISTORY\nBerries\nGui-eh.\nHot\nEdowh.\nCold \MJ\nEdzah.\nIsland\nNouey.\nGun\nTelkithy.\nPowder\nTelkithy counna.\nKnife\nBess.\nAxe\nThynlc.\nSun\nSah.\nMoon\nRed\nDeli couse.\nBlack\nDell zin.\nTrade, or barter\nNa-houn-ny.\nGood\nLeyzong.\nNot good\nLeyzong houliey.\nStinking\nGeddey.\nBad, ugly\nSlieney.\nLong since\nGalladinna.\nNow, to-day\nGanneh.\nTo-morrow\nGambeh.\nBy-and-bye, or presently Garahoulleh.\nHouse, or lodge\nCooen.\nCanoe\nShaluzee.\nDoor\nThe o ball.\nLeather-lodge\nN'abalay.\nChief\nBuchahudry.\nMine\nZidzy.\nHis /|H\nBedzy.\nYours\nNuntzy.\nLarge\nUnshaw.\nSmall, or little\nChautah.\nI love you\nBa eioinichdinh.\nI hate you\nBucnoinichadinh hillay.\nI am to be pitied\nEst-chounest-hinay.\nMy relation\nSy lod, innay.\nGive me water\nToo hanniltu.\nGive me meat\nBeds-hanniltu.\ncxc\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE, &c.\nCHAPTER I.\nJUNE, 1789.\nWednesday, 3.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We embarked at nine in\nthe morning, at Fort Chepewyan, on the\nSouth side of the Lake of the Hills, in latitude 58. 40. North, and longitude 110 30.\nWest from Greenwich, and compass has sixteen degrees variation East, in a canoe made\nof birch bark. The crew consisted of four\nCanadians, two of whom were attended by\ntheir wives, and a German; we were accompanied also by an Indian, who had acquired\nthe title of English Chief, and his two wives,\nin a small canoe, with two young Indians;\nhis followers in another small canoe. These\nmen were engaged to serve us in the twofold\ncapacity of interpreters and hunters. This\nchief has been a principal leader of his countrymen who were in the habit of carrying\nfurs to Churchill Factory, Hudson's Bay, and\ntill of late very much attached to the interest\nof that company. These circumstances procured him the appellation of the English\nChief. # f. fl\n13 193\nu.\n ,RNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nWe were also accompanied by a canoe that\nI had equipped for the purpose of trade, and\ngiven the charge of it to M. Le Roux, one of\nthe Company's clerks. In this I was obliged\nto ship part of our provision; which, with\nthe clothing necessary for us on the voyage,\na proper assortment of the articles of merchandise as presents, to ensure us a friendly\nreception among the Indians, and the ammunition and arms requisite for defence, as well\nas a supply for our hunters, were more than\nour own canoe could carry, but by the time\nwe should part company, there was every\nreason to suppose that our expenditure would\nmake sufficient room for the whole.\nWe proceeded twenty-one miles to the\nWest, and then took a course of nine miles\nto North-North-West, when we entered the\nriver, or one of the branches of the lake, of\nwhich there are several. We then steered\nNorth five miles, when our course changed for\ntwo miles to North-North-East, and here at\nseven in the evening we landed and pitched\nour tents. One of the hunters killed a goose,\nand a couple of ducks: at the same time the\ncanoe was taken out of the water, to be\ngummed, which necessary business was effec-\ntuaUy performed.\nThursday, 4-\u00E2\u0080\u0094We embarked at four thi3\nmorning, and proceeded North-North-Eas|\nhalf a mile, North one mile and a half, Wesi\n194\n ^KccUoo\nNORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\ntwo miles, North-West two miles, West-\nNorth-West one mile and a half, North-\nNorth-West half a mile, and West-North-\nWest two miles, when this branch loses itself\nin the Peace River. It is remarkable, that\nthe currents of these various branches of the\nlake, when the Peace River is high, as in May\nand August, run into the lake, which, in the\nother months of the year returns its waters\nto them; whence, to this place, the branch is\nnot more than two hundred yards wide, nor\nless than an hundred and twenty. The banks\nare rather low, except in one place, where an\nhuge rock rises above them. The low land is\ncovered with wood, such as white birch, pines\nof different kinds, with the poplar, three kinds\nof willow, and the Hard.\nThe Peace River is upwards of a mile broad\nat this spot, and its current is stronger than\nthat of the channel which communicates with\nthe lake. It here, indeed, assumes the name\nof the Slave River. * The course of this day\nwas as follows:\u00E2\u0080\u0094North-West two miles,\nNorth-North-West, through islands,six miles,\nNorth four miles and a half, North by East\n*The Slave Indians, having been driven from\ntheir original country by their enemies, the Knisteneaux, along the borders of this part of the river, it\nreceived that title, though it by no means involves\nthe idea of servitude, but was given to these fugitives as a term of reproach, that denoted more than\ncommon savageness.\n195\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nX\ntwo miles, West by North six miles, North\none mile, North-East by East two miles,\nNorth one mile. We now descended a rapid,\nand proceeded North-West seven miles and a\nhalf, North-West nine miles, North by West\nsix miles, North-West by West one mile and\na half, North-West by North half a mile,\nNorth-North-West six miles, North one mile,\nNorth-West by West four miles, North-\nNorth-East one mile. Here we arrived at the\nmouth of the Dog River, where we landed,\nand unloaded our canoes, at half past seven\nin the evening, on the East side, and close by\nthe rapids. At this station the river is near\ntwo leagues in breadth.\nFriday, 5.\u00E2\u0080\u0094At three o'clock in the morning we embarked, but unloaded our canoes at\nthe first rapid. When we had reloaded, we\nentered a small channel, which is formed by\nthe islands, and, in about half an hour, we\ncame to the carrying-place It is three hundred and eighty paces in length, and very\ncommodious, except at the further end of it.\nWe found some difficulty in reloading at this\nspot, from the large quantity of ice which\nhad not yet thawed. From hence to the next\ncarrying-place, called the Portage d*Embar-\nras, is about six miles, and is occasioned by\nthe drift wnnrl filling up thp. small p.hannp.lj\nwhich is one thousand and twenty paces in\nlength; from hence to the next is one mile\n196\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nand a half, while the distance to that which\nsucceeds, does not exceed one hundred and\nfifty yards. It is about the same length as\nthe last; and from hence to the carrying-\nplace called the Mountain, is about four miles\nfurther; when we entered the great river.\nThe smaller one, or the channel, affords by\nfar the best passage, as it is without hazard\nof any kind; though I believe a shorter\ncourse would be found on the outside of the\nislands, and without so many carrying-places.\nThat called the Mountain is three hundred\nand thirty-five paces in length; from thence\nto the next, named the Pelican, there is about\na mile of dangerous rapids. The landing is\nvery steep, and close to the fall. The length\nof this carrying-place is eight hundred and\ntwenty paces.\nThe whole of the party were now employed\nin taking the baggage and the canoe up the\nhill. One of the Indian canoes went down\nthe fall, and was dashed to pieces. The\nwoman who had the management of it, by\nquitting it in time, preserved her life, though\nshe lost the little property it contained.\nThe course from the place we quitted in the\nmorning is about North-West, and comprehends a distance of fifteen miles. From hence\nto the next and last carrying-place, is about\nnine miles; in which distance there are three\nrapids: course North-West by West. The\n197\n**rr\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\ncarrying path is very bad, and t\ve hundred\nand thirty-five paces in length. Our canoes\nbeing lightened, passed on the outside of the\nopposite island, which rendered the carrying\nof the baggage very short indeed, being not\nmore than the length of a canoe. In the\nyear 1786, five men were drowned, and two\ncanoes and some packages lost, in the rapids\non the other side of the river, which occasioned this place to be called the Portage des\nNoyes. They were proceeding to the Slave\nLake, in the fall of that year, under the direction of Mr. Cuthbert, Grant. We proceeded from hence six miles, and encamped\non Point de Roche, at half past five in the\nafternoon. The men and Indians were very\nmuch fatigued; but the hunters had provided\nseven geese, a beaver, and four ducks.\nSaturday, 6.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We embarked at half past\ntwo in the morning, and steered North-West\nby North twenty-one miles, North-West by\nWest five miles, West-North-West four miles,\nWest six miles, doubled a point North-\nNorth-East one mile, East five miles, North\ntwo miles, North-West by North one mile\nand a half, West-North-West three miles,\nNorth-East by East two miles; doubled a\npoint one mile and a half, West by North\nnine miles, North-West by West six miles\nNorth-North-West five miles; here we landed\nat six o'clock in the evening, unloaded, and\n198\n NORTH WEST CONTINEN^OF AMERICA,\nencamped. Nets were also set in a small ad*\njacent river. We had an head wind during\nthe greater part of the day and the weather\nwas become so cold that the Indians were\nobliged to make use of their mittens. In this\nday's progress we killed seven geese and six\nducks.\nSunday, 7.\u00E2\u0080\u0094At half past three we renewed\nour voyage, and proceeded West-North-West\none mile, round an island one mile, North-\nWest two miles and a half, South by West\nthree miles, West-South-West one mile,\nSouth-West by South half a mile, North-\nWest three miles, West-North-West three\nmiles and a half, North seven miles and a\nhalf, North-West by North four miles, North\ntwo miles and a half, North-West by North\ntwo miles. The rain, which had prevailed\nfor some time, now came on with such violence, that we were obliged to land and unload, to prevent the goods and baggage from\ngetting wet; the weather, however, soon\ncleared up, so that we reloaded the canoe,\n\u00C2\u00AB,nd got under way. We now continued our\n'Course North ten miles, West one mile and a\nhalf, and North one mile and a half, when\nthe rain came on again, and rendered it absolutely necessary for us to get on shore for the\nnight, at about half past three. We had a\nstrong North-North-East wind throughout\nthe day, which greatly impeded us; M. Le\n199\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nRoux, however, with his party, passed on in\nsearch of a landing place more agreeable to\nthem. The Indians killed a couple of geese,\nand as many ducks. The rain continued\nthrough the remaining part of the day.\nMonday, 8.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The night was very boisterous, and the rain did not cease till two in the\nafternoon of this day; but as the wind did\nnot abate of its violence, we were prevented\nfrom proceeding till the morrow.\nTuesday, 9.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We embarked at half past\ntwo in the morning, the weather being calm\nand foggy. Soon after our two young men\njoined us, whom we had not seen for two\ndays; but during their absence they had killed\nfour beavers and ten geese. After a course\nof one mile North-West by North, we observed an opening on the right, which we took\nfor a fork of the river, but it proved to be a\nlake. We returned and steered South-West\nby West one mile and a half, West-South-\nWest one mile and a half, West one mile,\nwhen we entered a very small branch of the\nriver on the East bank; at the mouth of\nwhich I was informed there had been a carrying-place, owing to the quantity of drift\nwood, which then filled up the passage, but\nhas since been carried away. The course of\nthis river is meandering, and tends to the\nNorth, and in about ten miles falls into the\nSlave Lake, where we arrived at nine in the\n200\n NORTHWEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nmorning, when we found a great change in\nthe weather, as it was become extremely cold.\nThe lake was entirely covered with ice, and\ndid not seem in any degree to have given\nway, but near the shore. The gnats and\nmosquitoes, which were very troublesome\nduring our passage along the river, did not\nventure to accompany us to this colder region.\nThe banks of the river both above and below the rapids, were on both sides covered\nwith the various kinds of wood common to\nthis country, particularly the Western side;\nthe land being lower and consisting of a rich\nblack soil. This artificial ground is carried\ndown by the stream, and rests upon drift\nwood, so as to be eight or ten feet deep.\nThe eastern banks are more elevated, and the\nsoil a yellow clay mixed with gravel; so that\nthe trees are neither so large or numerous as\non the opposite shore. The ground was not\nthawed above fourteen inches in depth; notwithstanding the leaf was at its full growth;\nwhile along the lake there was scarcely any\nappearance of verdure.\nThe Indians informed me, that, at a very\nsmall distance from either bank of the river,\nare very extensive plains, frequented by large\nherds of buffaloes; while the moose and reindeer keep in the woods that border on it.\nThe beavers, which are in great numbers,\nbuild their habitations in the small lakes and\n201\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\n1 ^ers, as, in the larger streams, the ice car*\nries every thing along with it, during the\nspring. The mud-banks in the river are covered with wild fowl; and we this morning\nkilled two swans, ten geese, and one beaver,\nwithout suffering the delay of an hour; so\nthat we might have soon filled the canoe with,\nthem, if that had been our object.\nFrom the small river we steered East,,\nalong the inside of a long sand-bank, covered\nwith drift wood and enlivened by a few willows, which stretches on as far as the houses\nerected by Messrs. Grant and Le Roux, in\n1786. We often ran aground, as for five\nsuccessive miles the depth of the water nowhere exceeded three feet. There we found\nour people, who had arrived early in the\nmorning, and whom we had not seen since the\npreceding Sunday. We now unloaded the\ncanoe, and pitched our tents, as there was;\nevery appearance that we should be obliged\nto remain here for some time. I then ordered\nthe nets to be set, as it was absolutely necessary that the stores provided for our future\nvoyage should remain untouched. The fish\nwe now caught were carp, poisson ineonnu,,\nwhite fish, and trout.\nWednesday, 10. \u00E2\u0080\u0094It rained during the greatest part of the preceding night, and the\nweather did not clear up tiU the afternoon of\nthis day. This circumstance had very much\n202\n NORTH WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nweakened the ice, and I sent two of the Indians on an hunting party to a lake at the\ndistance of nine miles, which, they informed\nme, was frequented by animals of various\nkinds. Our fishery this day was not so\nabundant as it had been on the preceding\nafternoon.\nThursday, 11.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The weather was fine and\nclear with a strong westerly wind. The\nwomen were employed in gathering berries of\ndifferent sorts, of which there are a great\nplenty; and I accompanied one of my people\nto a small adjacent island, where we picked\nup some dozens of swan, geese, and duck-\neggs ; we also killed a couple of ducks and a\ngoose.\nIn the evening the Indians returned, without having see any of the larger animals. A\nswan and a grey crane were the only fruits of\ntheir expedition. We caught no other fish\nbut a small quantity of pike, which is too\ncommon to be a favourite food with the people of the country. The ice moved a little to\nthe eastward.\nFriday, 12.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The weather continued the\nsame as yesterday, and the mosquitoes began\nto visit us in great numbers. The ice moved\nagain in the same direction, and I ascended\nan hill, but could not perceive that it was\nbroken in the middle of the lake. The hunters killed a goose and three ducks.\n203\nVC\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nSaturday, 13.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The weather was cloudy,\nand the wind changeable till about sunset,\nwhen it settled in the North. It drove back\nthe ice which was now very much broken\nalong the shore, and covered our nets. One\nof the hunters who had been at the Slave\nRiver the preceding evening, returned with\nthree beavers and fourteen geese. He was\naccompanied by three families of Indians,\nwho left Athabasca the same day as myself:\n\j they did not bring me any fowl; and they\npleaded in excuse, that they had traveUed\nwith so much expedition, as to prevent them\nfrom procuring sufficient provisions for themselves. By a meridian line, I found the\nvariation of the compass to be about twenty\ndegrees East.\nSunday, 14\u00E2\u0080\u0094The weather was clear and\nthe wind remained in the same quarter. The\nice was much broken, and driven to the side\nof the lake, so that we were apprehensive for\nthe loss of our nets, as they could not, at\npresent, be extricated. At sunset there was\nan appearance of a violent gust of wind\nfrom the southward, as the sky became on a\nsudden, in that quarter, of a very dusky blue\ncolour, and the lightning was very frequent.\nBut instead of wind there came on a very\nheavy rain, which promised to diminish the\nquantity of broken ice.\nMonday, 15. \u00E2\u0080\u0094In the morning, the bay still\n204\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\ncontinued to be so full of ice, that we could\nnot get at our nets. About noon, the wind\nveered to the Westward, and not only uncovered the nets, but cleared a passage to the\nopposite islands. When we raised the nets\nwe found them very much shattered, and but\nfew fish taken. We now struck our tents,\nand embarked at sunset, when we made the\ntraverse, which was about eight miles North-\nEast by North, in about two hours. At half-\npast eleven P. M. we landed on a small\nisland and proceed to gum the canoe. At\nthis time the atmosphere was sufficiently\nclear to admit of reading or writing without\nthe aid of artificial light. We had not seen\na star since the second day after we left\nAthabasca. About twelve o'clock, the moon\nmade its appearance above the tops of the\ntrees, the lower horn being in a state of\neclipse, which continued for about six minutes, in a cloudless sky.\nI took soundings three times in the course\nof the traverse, when I found six fathoms\nwater, with a muddy bottom.\nTuesday, 16.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We were prevented from\nembarking this morning by a very strong\nwind from the North, and the vast quantity\nof floating ice. Some trout were caught with\nthe hook and line, but the net was not so\nsuccessful. I had an observation which gave\n61. 28. North latitude.\n205\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nThe wind becoming moderate, we embarked\nabout one, taking a North-West course*\nthrough islands of ten miles, in which we\ntook in a considerable quantity of water.\nAfter making several traverses, we landed at\nfive P. M., and having pitched our tents, the\nhooks, lines, and nets were immediately set..\nDuring the course of the day there was occasional thunder.\nWednesday, 17.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We proceeded, and taking up our nets as we passed, we found no>\nmore than seventeen fish, and were stopped\nwithin a mile by the ice. The Indians, however, brought us back to a point where our\nfishery was very successful. They proceeded\nalso on a hunting party, as well as to discover a passage among the islands; but at\nthree in the afternoon they returned without\nhaving succeeded in either object. We\nwere, however, in expectation, that, as the\nwind blew very strong, it would force a\npassage. About sunset, the weather became overcast, with thunder, lightning, and\nrain.\nThursday, 18.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The nets were taken up at\nfour this morning with abundance of fish, and\nwe steered North-West four miles, where the\nice again prevented our progress. A South-\nEast wind drove it among the islands, in\nsuch a manner as to impede our passage, and\nwe could perceive at some distance ahead*\n206\n NORTH WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA\nthat it was but little broken. We now set\nour nets in four fathom water. Two of our\nhunters had killed a rein-deer and its fawn.\nThey had met with two Indian families, and\nin the evening, a man belonging to one of\nthem, paid us a visit; he informed me, that\nthe ice had not stirred on the side of the\nisland opposite to us. These people live\nentirely on fish, and were waiting to cross,\nthe lake as soon as it should be clear of\"\nice.\nFriday, 19.\u00E2\u0080\u0094This morning our nets were\nunproductive, as they yielded us no more\nthan six fish, which were of a very bad kind.\nIn the forenoon, the Indians proceeded to the\nlarge island opposite to us, in search of game.\nThe weather was cloudy, and the wind\nchangeable; at the same time, we were pestered by mosquitoes, though, in a great measure, surrounded with ice.\nSaturday, 20.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We took up our nets, but\nwithout any fish. It rained very hard during\nthe night and this morning: nevertheless, M.\nLe Roux and his people went back to the\npoint which we had quitted on the 18th, but\nI did not think it prudent to move As I was\nwatching for a passage through the ice, I\npromised to send for them when I could obtain it. It rained at intervals till about five\no'clock; when we loaded our canoe, and\nsteered for the large island, West six milea\n207\n/\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nWhen we came to the point of it, we found a\ngreat quantity of ice; we, however, set our\nnets, and soon caught plenty of fish. In our\nway thither we met our hunters, but they\nhad taken nothing. I took soundings at an\nhundred yards from the island, when we were\nin twenty-one fathom water. Here we found\nabundance of cranberries and small spring\nonions. I now despatched two men for M.\nLe Roux, and his people.\nSunday, 21.\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Southerly wind blew\nthrough the night, and drove the ice to the\nNorthward. The two men whom I had sent\nto M. Le Roux, returned at eight this morning ; they parted with him at a small distance\nfrom us, but the wind blew so-hard, that he\nwas obliged to put to shore. Having a\nglimpse of the sun, when it was twelve by\nmy watch, I found the latitude 61. 34.\nNorth latitude. At two in the afternoon, M.\nLe Roux and his people arrived. At five,\nthe ice being almost all driven past to the\nNorthward, we accordingly embarked, and\nsteered West fifteen miles, through much\nbroken ice, and on the outside of the islands,\nthough it appeared to be very solid to the\nNorth-East. I sounded three times in this\ndistance, and found it seventy-five, forty-four,\nand sixty fathom water. We pitched our\ntents on one of a cluster of small islands that\nwere within three miles of the main land,\n208\n NORTH WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nwhich we could not reach in consequence of\nthe ice.\nWe saw some rein-deer on one of these\nislands, and our hunters went in pursuit of\nthem, when they killed five large and two\nsmall ones, which was easily accomplished,\nas the animals had no shelter to which they\ncould run for protection. They had, without\ndoubt, crossed the ice to this spot, and the\nthaw coming on had detained them there,\nand made them an easy prey to the pursuer.\nThis island was accordingly named Isle de\nCarreboeuf.\nI sat up the whole of this night to observe\nthe setting and rising of the sun. That orb\nwas beneath the horizon four hours twenty-\ntwo minutes, and rose North 20. East by\ncompass. It, however, froze so hard, that,\nduring the sun's disappearance, the water\nwas covered with ice half a quarter of an\ninch thick.\nMonday, 22.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We embarked at half past\nthree in the morning, and rounding the outside of the islands, steered North-West thirteen miles along the ice, edging in for the\nmain land, the wind West, then West two\nmiles; but it blew so hard as to oblige us to\nland on an island at half past nine, from\nwhence we could just distinguish land to the\nSouth-East, at the distance of about twelve\nleagues; though we could not determine\n14 209\n /\nJOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nwhether it was a continuation of the islands,\nor the shores of the lake.* I took an observation at noon, which gave me 61. 53. North,\nthe variation of the compass being, at the\nsame time, about two points. M. Le Roux's\npeople having provided two bags of pent'\nmicanf to be left in the island against their\nreturn; it was called Isle a la Cache.\nThe wind being moderated, we proceeded\nagain at half past two in the afternoon, and\nsteering West by North among the islands,\nmade a course of eighteen miles. We encamped at eight o'clock on a small island,\nand since eight in the morning had not passed\nany ice. Though the weather was far from\nbeing warm, we were tormented, and our rest\ninterrupted, by the host of mosquitoes that\naccompanied us.\n* Sometimes the land looms, so that there may be\na great deception as to the distance; and I think this\nwas the case at present.\nf Flesh dried in the sun, and afterwards pounded\nfor the convenience of carriage.\n210\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nCHAPTER II.\nJUNE, 1789. m\nTuesday, 23.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Towards morning, the Indians who had not been able to keep up with\nus the preceding day, now joined us, and\nbrought two swans and a goose. At half past\nthree we re-embarked, and steering West by\nNorth a mile and an half, with a Northerly\nwind, we came to the foot of a traverse across\na deep bay, West five miles, which receives a\nconsiderable river at the bottom of it; the\ndistance about twelve miles. The North-\nWest side of the bay was covered with many\nsmall islands that were surrounded with ice;\nbut the wind driving it a little off the land,\nwe had a clear passage on the inside of them.\nWe steered South-West nine miles under sail,\nthen North-West nearly, through the islands,\nforming a course of sixteen miles. We landed\non the main land at half past two in the afternoon at three lodges of Red-Knife Indians,\nso called from their copper knives. They\ninformed us, that there were many more\nlodges of their friends at no great distance;\nand one of the Indians set off to fetch them:\nthey also said, that we should see no more of\nthem at present; as the Slave and Beaver In-\n211\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\ndians, as well as others of the tribe, would\nnot be here till the time that the swans cast\ntheir feathers. In the afternoon it rained a\ntorrent.\nWednesday, 2Jf.\u00E2\u0080\u0094M. Le Roux purchased\nof these Indians upwards of eight packs of\ngood beaver and marten skins; and there\nwere not above twelve of them qualified to\nkill beaver. The English chief got upwards\nof an hundred skins on the score of debts due\nto him, of which he had many outstanding\nin this country. Forty of them he gave on\naccount of debts due by him since the winters\nof 1786 and 1787, at the Slave Lake; the\nrest he exchanged for rum and other necessary articles; and I added a small quantity\nof that liquor as an encouraging present to\nhim and his young men. I had several consultations with these Copper Indian people,\nbut could obtain no information that was material to our expedition; nor were they acquainted with any part of the river, which\nwas the object of my research, but the mouth\nof it. In order to save as much time as possible in circumnavigating the bays, I engaged\none of the Indians to conduct us; and I accordingly equipped him with various articles\nof clothing, etc. I also purchased a large\nnew canoe, that he might embark With the\ntwo young Indians in my service.\nThis day, at noon, I took an observation,\n212\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nwhich gave me 62. 24. North latitude;\nthe variation of the compass being about\ntwenty-six or twenty-seven degrees to the\nEast.\nIn the afternoon I assembled the Indians,\nin order to inform them that I should take\nmy departure on the following day; but that\npeople would remain on the spot till their\ncountrymen, whom they had mentioned,\nshould arrive; and that, if they brought a\nsufficient quantity of skins to make it answer,\nthe Canadians would return for more goods,\nwith a view to winter here, and build a fort,*\nwhich would be continued as long as they\n'should be found to deserve it. They assured\nme that it would be a great encouragement to\nthem to have a settlement of ours in their\ncountry; and that they should exert themselves to the utmost to kill beaver, as they\nwould then be certain of getting an adequate\nvalue for them. Hitherto, they said, the\nChepewyans always pillaged them; or, at\nmost, gave little or nothing for the fruits of\ntheir labour, which had greatly discouraged\nthem; and that, in consequence of this treatment, they had no motive to pursue the\nbeaver, but to obtain a sufficient quantity of\nfood and raiment.\nI now wrote to Messrs. Macleod and Mac-\n* Fort is the name given to any establishment in\nthis country.\n213\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nkenzie, and addressed my papers to the\nformer, at Athabasca.\nThursday, 25.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We left this place at three\n~this morning, our canoe being deeply laden,\nas we had embarked some packages that had\ncome in the canoes of M. Le Roux. We\nwere saluted on our departure with some volleys of small arms, which we returned, and\nsteered South by West straight across the\nbay, which is here no more than two miles\n-and a half broad, but, from the accounts of\nthe natives, it is fifteen leagues in depth*\nwith a much greater breadth in several parts,\nand full of islands. I sounded in the course\nof the traverse and found six fathoms with a\nsandy bottom. Here, the land has a very\ndifferent appearance from that on which we\nhave been since we entered the lake. Till\nwe arrived here there was one continued view\nof high hills and islands of solid rock, whose\nsurface was occasionally enlivened with moss,\n^shrubs, and a few scattered trees, of a very\nstinted growth, from an insufficiency of soil\nto nourish them. But, notwithstanding their\nbarren appearance, almost every part of them\nproduces berries of various kinds, such as\ncranberries, juniper berries, raspberries, partridge berries, gooseberries, and the pathe-\ngomenan, which is something like a raspberry;\nit grows on a small stalk about a foot and a\nhalf high, in wet, mossy spots. These fruits\n214\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nare in great abundance, though they are not\nto be found in the same places, but in situations and aspects suited to their peculiar natures.\nThe land which borders the lake in this\npart is loose and sandy, but is well covered\nwith wood, composed of trees of a larger\ngrowth: it graduaUy rises from the shore,\nand at some distance forms a ridge of high\nland running along the coast, thick with\nwood and a rocky summit rising above it.\nWe steered South-South-East nine miles,\nwhen we were very much interrupted by\ndrifting ice, and with some difficulty reached\nan island, where we landed at seven. I immediately proceeded to the further part of it,\nin order to discover if there was any probability of our being able to get from thence\nin the course of the day. It is about five\nmiles in circumference, and I was very much\nsurprised to find that the greater part of the\nwood with which it was formerly covered,\nhad been cut down within twelve or fifteen\nyears, and that the remaining stumps were\nbecome altogether rotten. On making inquiry concerning the cause of this extraordinary circumstance, the English chief informed me, that several winters ago, many of\nthe Slave Indians inhabited the islands that\nwere scattered over the bay, as the surrounding waters abound with fish throughout the\n215\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nyear, but that they had been driven away\nby the Knisteneaux, who continually made\nwar upon them. If an establishment is to be\nmade in this country, it must be in the neighbourhood of this place, on account of the\nwood and fishery.\nAt eleven we ventured to re-embark, as the\nwind had driven the greatest part of the ice\npast the island, though we still had to encounter some broken pieces of it, which\nthreatened to damage our canoe. We steered\nSouth-East from point to point across five\nbays, twenty-one miles. We took soundings\nseveral times, and found from six to ten\nfathom water. I observed that the country\ngradually descended inland,' and was still\nbetter covered with wood than in the higher\nparts.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Wherever we approached the land,\nwe perceived deserted lodges. The hunters\nkilled two swans and a beaver; and at length\nwe landed at eight o'clock in the evening,\nwhen we unloaded and gummed our canoe.\nFriday, 26.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We continued our route at\nfive o'clock, steering South-East for ten miles\nacross two deep bays; then South-South-\nEast, with islands in sight to the Eastward.\nWe then traversed another bay in a course of\nthree miles, then South one mile to a point\nwhich we named the Detour, and South-South-\nWest four miles and an half, when there was\nan heavy swell of the lake. Here I took an\n216\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nobservation, when we were in 61 40. North v\nlatitude We then proceeded South-West\nfour miles, and West-South-West among\nislands: on one of which our Indians killed\ntwo rein-deer, but we lost three hours aft\nwind in going for them: this course was nine\nmiles. About seven in the evening we were\nobliged to land for the night, as the wind became too strong from the South-East. We\nthought we could observe land in this direction when the wind was coming on from some\ndistance. On the other side of the Detour,\nthe land is low, and the shore is flat and dangerous, there being no safe place to land in\nbad weather, except in the islands which we\nhad just passed. There seemed to be plenty\nof moose and rein-deer in this country, as we\nsaw their tracks wherever we landed. There\nare also great numbers of white partridges,\nwhich were at this season of a grey colour,\nlike that of the moor-fowl. There was some\nfloating ice in the lake, and the Indians killed\na couple of swans.\nSaturday, 27.\u00E2\u0080\u0094At three this morning we\nwere in the canoe, after having passed a very\nrestless night from the persecution of the\nmosquitoes The weather was fine and calm,\nand our course West-South-West nine miles,\nwhen we came to the foot of a traverse, the\nopposite point in sight bearing South-West,\ndistance twelve miles. The bay is at least\n217\nmm\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\neight miles deep, and this course two miles\nmore, in all ten miles. It now became very\nfoggy, and as the bays were so numerous, we\nlanded for two hours, when the weather\ncleared up, and we took the advantage of\nsteering South thirteen miles, and passed\nseveral small bays, when we came to the\npoint of a very deep one, whose extremity\nwas not discernible; the land bearing South\nfrom us, at the distance of about ten miles.\nOur guide not having been here for eight\nwinters, was at a loss what course to take,\nthough as well as he could recollect, this bay\nappeared to be the entrance of the river.\nAccordingly, we steered down it, about West-\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2^L South-West, till we were involved in a field\nof broken ice. We still could not discover\nthe bottom of the bay, and a fog coming on,\nmade it very difficult for us to get to an\nisland to the South-West, and it was nearly\ndark when we effected a landing.\nSunday, 28.\u00E2\u0080\u0094At a quarter past three we\nwere again on the water, and as we could\nperceive no current setting into this bay, we\nmade the best of our way to the point that\nbore South from us yesterday afternoon. We\ncontinued our course South three miles more,\nSouth by West seven miles, West fifteen\nmiles, when by observation we were in 61 degrees North latitude; we then proceeded\nWest-North-West two miles. Here we came\n218\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nto the foot of a traverse, the opposite land\nbearing South-West, distance fourteen miles,\nwhen we steered into a deep bay, about a\nwesterly course; and though we had no land\nahead in sight, we indulged the hope of finding a passage, which, according to the Indian, v\nwould conduct us to the entrance of the river.\nHaving a strong wind aft, we lost sight of\nthe Indians, nor could we put on shore to\nwait for them, without risking material damage to the canoe, till we ran to the bottom of\nthe bay, and were forced among the rushes;\nwhen we discovered that there was no passage there. In about two or three hours they\njoined us, but would not approach our fire,\nas there was no good ground for an encampment: they emptied their canoe of the water\nwhich it had taken in, and continued their\nroute, but did not encamp till sunset The\nEnglish chief was very much irritated against\nthe Red-Knife Indian, and even threatened\nto murder him, for having undertaken to \s\nguide us in a course of which he was ignorant;\nnor had we any reason to be satisfied with\nhim, though he still continued to encourage\nus, by declaring that he recollected having\npassed from the river, through the woods, to\nthe place where he had landed. In the blowing weather to-day, we were obliged to make\nuse of our large kettle, to keep our canoe\nfrom filling, although we did not carry above\n219\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nthree feet sail. The Indians very narrowly\nescaped.\nMonday, 29.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We embarked at four this\nmorning, and steered along the South-West\nside of the bay. At half past five we reached\nthe extremity of the point, which we doubled,\nand found it to be the branch or passage that\nwas the object of our search, and occasioned\nby a very long island, which separates it\nfrom the main channel of the river. It is\nabout half a mile across, and not more than\nsix feet in depth; the water appeared to\nabound in fish, and was covered with fowl,\nsuch as swans, geese, and several kinds of\nducks, particularly black ducks, that were\nvery numerous, but we could not get within\ngun shot of them.\nThe current, though not very strong, set us\nSouth-West by West, and we followed this\ncourse fourteen miles, till we passed the point\nof the long island, where the Slave Lake discharges itself, and is ten miles in breadth.\nThere is not more than from five to two\nfathom water, so that when the lake is low,\nit may be presumed the greatest part of this\nchannel must be dry. The river now turns\nto the Westward, becoming gradually narrower for twenty-four miles, till it is not\nmore than half a mile wide; the current,\nhowever, is then much stronger, and the\nsounding were three fathom and a half. The\n220\nJ\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nland on the North shore from the lake is low,\nand covered with trees; that to the South is\nmuch higher, and has also an abundance of\nwood. The current is very strong, and the\nbanks are of an equal height on both sides,\nconsisting of a yellow clay, mixed with small\nstones; they are covered with large quantities of burned wood, lying on the ground,\nand young poplar trees, that have sprung up\nsince the fire that destroyed the larger wood.\nIt is a very curious and extraordinary circumstance, that land covered with spruce pine,\nand white birch, when laid waste by fire,\nshould subsequently produce nothing but\npoplars, where none of that species of tree\nwere previously to be found.\nA stiff breeze from the Eastward drove us\non at a great rate under sail, in the same\ncourse, though obliged to wind among the\nislands. We kept the North channel for\nabout ten miles, whose current is much\nstronger than that of the South; so that the\nlatter is consequently the better road to come\nup. Here the river widened, and the wind\ndying away, we had recourse to our paddles.\nWe kept our course to the North-West, on\nthe North side of the river, which is here\nmuch wider, and assumes the form of a small\nlake; we could not, however, discover an\nopening in any direction, so that we were at\na loss what course to take, as our Red-Knife\n221\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nIndian had never explored beyond our present\nsituation. He at the same time informed us\nthat a river falls in from the North, which\ntakes its rise in the Horn Mountain, now in\nsight, which is the country of the Beaver Indians; and that he and his relations frequently meet on that river. He also added,\nthat there are very extensive plains on both\nsides of it, which abound in buffaloes and\nmoose deer.\nBy keeping this course, we got into shallows, so that we were forced to steer to the\nleft, till we recovered deep water, which we\nfollowed till the channel of the river opened\non us to the southward, we now made for the\nshore, and encamped soon after sunset. Our\ncourse ought to have been West fifteen miles,\nsince we took to the paddle, the Horn Mountains bearing from us North-West, and running North-North-East and South-South-\nWest. Our soundings, which were frequent\nduring the course of the day, were from three\nto six fathoms water. The hunters killed\ntwo geese and a swan: it appeared, indeed,\nthat great numbers of fowls breed in the\nislands which we had passed.\nTuesday, 30.\u00E2\u0080\u0094At four this morning we got\nunder way, the weather being fine and calm.\nOur course was South-West by South thirty-\nsix miles. On the South side of the river is\na ridge of low mountains, running East and\n222\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nWest by compass. The Indians picked up a\nwhite goose, which appeared to have been\nlately shot with an arrow, and was quite\nfresh. We proceeded South-West by South\nsix miles, and then came to a bay on our left,\nwhich is full of small islands, and appeared\nto be the entrance of a river from the South.\nHere the ridge of mountains terminates.\nThis course was fifteen miles.\nAt six in the afternoon there was an appearance of bad weather; we landed therefore, for the night; but before we could pitch\nour tents, a violent tempest came on, with\nthunder, lightning, and rain, which, however,\nsoon ceased, but not before we had suffered\nthe inconvenience of being drenched by it.\nThe Indians were very much fatigued, having\nbeen employed in running after wild fowl,\nwhich had lately cast their feathers; they,\nhowever, caught x\ve swans, and the same\nnumber of geese. I sounded several times\nin the course of the day, and found from four\nto six fathoms water.\n223\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nCHAPTER III.\nJULY, 1789.\nWednesday, 1. At half past four in the\nmorning we continued our voyage, and in a\nshort time found the river narrowed to about\nhalf a mile. Our course was Westerly among\nislands, with a strong current. Though the\nland is high on both sides, the banks are not\nperpendicular. This course was twenty-one\nmiles; and on sounding we found nine fathoms\nwater. We then proceeded West-North-West\nnine miles, and passed a river upon the\nSouth-East side; we sounded, and found\ntwelve fathoms; and then we went North-\nWest by West three miles. Here I lost my\nlead, which had fastened at the bottom, with\npart of the line, the current running so strong\nthat we could not clear h with eight paddles,\nand the strength, of the line, which was equal\nto four paddles. Continued North \"by West\ntiYe miles, and saw a high mountain, bearing\nSouth from us; we then proceeded North-\nWest by North four miles. We now passed\na small river on the North side, then doubled\na point to West-South-West. At one o'clock\nthere came on lightning and thunder, with\nwind and rain, which ceased in about half an\n224\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nhour, and left us almost deluged with wet, as\nwe did not land. There were great quantities\nof ice along the banks of the river.\nWe landed upon a small island, where there\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2were the poles of four lodges standing, which w;\nwe concluded to have belonged to the Knisteneaux, on their war excursions, six or seven\nyears ago. This course was fifteen miles\nWest, to where the river of the Mountain\nfalls in from the Southward. It appears to\nbe a very large river, whose mouth is half a\nmile broad. About six miles further a small\nriver flows in the same direction; and our\nwhole course was twenty-four miles. We\nlanded opposite to an island, the mountains\nto the Southward being in sight. As our\ncanoe was deeply laden, and being also in\ndaily expectation of coming to the rapids or\nfalls, which we had been taught to consider\nwith apprehension, we concealed two bags of\npemmican in the opposite island, in the hope\nthat they would be of future service to us.\nThe Indians were of a different opinion, as\nthey entertained no expectation of returning\nthat season, when the hidden provisions\nwould be spoiled. Near us were two Indian\nencampments of the last year. By the manner in which these people cut their wood, it\nappears that they have no iron tools. The\ncurrent was very strong during the whole of\nthis day's voyage, and in the article of pro-\n15 225\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nvisions two swans were all that the hunters\nwere able to procure.\nThursday, 2.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The morning was very\nfoggy: but at half past five we embarked; it\ncleared up, however, at seven, when we discovered that the water, from being very limpid and clear, was become dark and muddy.\nThis alteration must have proceeded from the\ninflux of some river to the Southward, but\nwhere' these streams first blended their waters, the fog had prevented us from observing. At nine we perceived a very high mountain ahead, which appeared, on our nearer\napproach, to be rather a cluster of mountains,\nstretching as far as our view could reach to\nthe Southward, and wh^je tops were lost in\nthe clouds. At noon there was Hghtning,\nthunder, and rain, and at one, we came\nabreast of the mountains; their summits appeared to be barren and rocky, but their declivities were covered with wood; they appeared also to be sprinkled with white stones,\nwhich glistened in the sun, and were called\nby the Indians manetoe aseniah, or spirit\nstones. I suspected that thoy were Talc,\nthough they possessed a more brilliant whiteness; on our return, however, these appearances were dissolved, as they were nothing\nmore than patches of snow.\nOur course had been West-South-West\nthirty miles and we proceeded with great\n226\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\ncaution, as we continually expected to approach some great rapid or fall. This was\nsuch a prevalent idea, that all of us were occasionally persuaded that we heard those\nsounds which betokened a fall of water. Our\ncourse changed to West by North, along the\nmountains, twelve miles, North by West,\ntwenty-one miles, and at eight o'clock in the\nevening, we went on shore for the night, on\nthe North side of the river. We saw several\nencampments of the natives, some of which\nhad been erected in the present spring, and\nothers at some former period. The hunters\nkilled only one swan and a beaver; the latter\nwas the first of its kind which we had seen\nin this river. The Indians complained of the\nperseverance with which we pushed forward,\nand that they were not accustomed to such\nsevere fatigue as it occasioned.\nFriday, 3.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The rain was continual through\nthe night, and did not subside till seven this\nmorning, when we embarked and steered\nNorth-North-West for twelve miles, the river\nbeing enclosed by high mountains on either\nside. We had a strong head-wind, and the\nrain was so violent as to compel us to land at\nten o'clock. According to my reckoning,\nsince my last observation, we had run two\nhundred and seventeen miles West, and forty-\nfour miles North. At a quarter past two the\nrain subsided, and we got again under way,\n227\n\mm\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nour former course continuing for five miles.\nHere a river fell in from the North, and in a\nshort time the current became strong and\nrapid, running with great rapidity among\nrocky islands, which were the first that we\nhad seen in this river, and indicated our near\napproach to rapids and falls. Our present\ncourse was North-West by North ten miles,\nNorth-West three miles, West-North-West\ntwelve miles, and North-West three miles,\nwhen we encamped at eight in the evening, at\nthe foot of an high hill, on the North shore,\nwhich in some parts rose perpendicular from\nthe river. I immediately ascended it, accompanied by two men and some Indians, and\nin about an hour and an half,'with very hard\nwalking, we gained the summit, when I was\nvery much surprised to find it crowned by an\nencampment. The Indians informed me, that\nit is the custom of the people who have no\narms to choose these elevated spots for the\nplaces of their residence, as they can render\nthem inaccessible to their enemies, particularly the Knisteneaux, of whom they are in\ncontinual dread. The prospect from this\nheight was not so extensive as we expected,\nas it was terminated by a circular range of\nhills, of the same elevation as that on which\nwe stood. The intervals between the hills\nwere covered with small lakes, which were\ninhabited by great numbers of swans. We,\n228\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nsaw no trees but the pine and the birch, which\nwere small in size and few in number.\nWe were obliged to shorten our stay here,\nfrom the swarms of mosquitoes which attacked us on all sides and were, indeed, the\nonly inhabitants of the place. We saw several encampments of the natives in the course\nof the day, but none of them were of this\nyear's establishment. Since four in the afternoon the current had been so strong, that it\nwas at length, in an actual ebullition, and\nproduced an hissing noise like a kettle of\nwater in a moderate state of boiling. The\nweather was now become extremely cold,\nwhich was the more sensibly felt, as it had\nbeen very sultry sometime before and since\nwe had been in the river.\nSaturday, If. At five in the morning, the\nwind and weather having undergone no alteration from yesterday, we proceeded North-\nWest by West twenty-two miles, North-West\nsix miles, North-West by North four miles\nand West-North-West five miles; we then\npassed the mouth of a small river from the\nNorth, and after doubling a point, South-\nWest one mile, we passed the influx of another river from the South. We then continued our course North-North-West, with a\nmountain ahead, fifteen miles, when the opening of two rivers appeared opposite to each\nother: we then proceeded West four miles,\n229\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nand North-West thirteen miles. At eight\nin the evening, we encamped on an island.\nThe current was as strong through the whole\nof this day as it had been the preceding afternoon ; nevertheless, a quantity of ice appeared\nalong the banks of the river. The hunters\nkilled a beaver and a goose, the former of\nwhich sunk before they could get to him:\nbeavers, otters, bears, etc., if shot dead at\nonce, remain like a bladder, but if there remains enough of life for them to struggle,\nthey soon fill with water and go to the bottom.\nSunday, 5. The sun set last night at fifty-\nthree minutes past nine, by my watch, and\nrose at seven minutes before'two this morn-\niing: we embarked soon after, steering North-\nNorth-West, through islands for five miles,\nand West four miles. The river then increased in breadth, and the current began to\nslacken in a small degree; after the continuation of our course, we perceived a ridge of\nhigh mountains before us, covered with snow.\nWest-South-West ten miles, and at three-\nquarters past seven o'clock, we saw several\nsmokes on the North shore, which we made\nevery exertion to approach. As we drew\nnearer, we discovered the natives running\nabout in great apparent confusion; some were\nmaking to the woods, and others hurrying to\ntheir canoes. Our hunters landed before us,\n230\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nand addressed the few that had not escaped,\nin the Chipewyan language, which, so great\nwas their confusion and terror, they did not\nappear to understand. But when they perceived that it was impossible to avoid us, as\nwe were all landed, they made us signs to\nkeep at a distance, with which we complied,\nand not only unloaded our canoe, but pitched\nour tents, before we made any attempt to approach them. During this interval, the English chief and his young men were employed\nin reconciling them to our arrival; and when\nthey had recovered from their alarm of, hostile intention, it appeared that some of them V\nperfectly comprehended the language of our\nIndians; so that they were at length persuaded, though not without evident signs of\nreluctance and apprehension, to come to us.\nTheir reception, however, soon dissipated\ntheir fears, and they hastened to call their\nfugitive companions from their hiding places.\nThere were five families, consisting of\ntwenty-five or thirty persons, and of two different tribes, the Slave and Dog-rib Indians.\nWe made them smoke, though it was evi- \ 7\ndent they did not know the use of tobacco;\nwe likewise supplied them with grog; but I\nam disposed to think, that they accepted our\ncivilities rather from fear than inclination.\nWe acquired a more effectual influence over\n%em by the distribution of knives, beads,\n231\n >\nJOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nawls, rings, gartering, fire-steels, flints, and\nhatchets; so that they became more familiar\neven than we expected, for we could not keep\nthem out of our tents: though I did not observe that they attempted to purloin anything.\nThe information which they gave respecting the river, had so much of the fabulous,\nthat I shall not detail it: it will be sufficient\njust to mention their attempts to persuade\nus that it would require several winters to\nget to the sea, and that old age would come\nupon us before the period of our return: we\nwere also to encounter monsters of such horrid shapes and destructive powers as could\nonly exist in their wild imaginations. They\nadded, besides, that there were two impassable falls in the river, the first of which was\nabout thirty days' march from us.\nThough I placed no faith in these strange\nrelations, they had a very different effect\nupon our Indians, who were already tired of\nthe voyage. It was their opinion and anxious wish, that we should not hesitate to return. They said that, according to the information which they had received, there\nwere very few animals in the country beyond\nus, and that as we proceeded, the scarcity\nwould increase, and we should absolutely\nperish from hunger, if no other accident be-\nfel us. It was with no small trouble that\n232\nJ\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nthey were convinced of the folly of these\nreasonings; and by my desire, they induced\none of those Indians to accompany us, in\nconsideration of a small kettle, an axe, a\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2knife, and some other articles.\nThough it was now three o'clock in the\nafternoon, the canoe was ordered to be reloaded, and as we were ready to embark our\nnew recruit was desired to prepare himself\nfor his departure, which he would have declined ; but as none of his friends would take\nhis place, we may be said, after the delay of\nan hour, to have compelled him to embark.\nPrevious to his departure a ceremony took\nplace, of which I could not learn the meaning ; he cut off a lock of his hair, and having\ndivided it into three parts, he fastened one of\nthem to the hair on the upper part of his\nwife's head, blowing on it three times with\nthe utmost violence in his power, and uttering certain words. The other two he fastened\nwith the same formalities, on the heads of\nhis two children.\nDuring our short stay with these people,\nthey amused us with dancing, which they\naccompanied with their voices: but neither\ntheir song or their dance possessed much\nvariety. The men and women formed a promiscuous ring. The former have a bone dagger or piece of stick between the fingers of\nthe right hand, which they keep extended\n233\nIp\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nabove the head, in continual motion: the\nleft they seldom raise so high, but work it\nbackwards and forwards in a horizontal direction; while they leap about and throw\nthemselves into various antic postures, to the\nmeasure of their music, always bringing their\nheels close to each other at every pause. The\nmen occasionally howl in imitation of some\nanimal, and he who continues this violent\nexercise for the longest period, appears to be\nconsidered as the best performer. The women\nsuffer their arms to hang as without the\npower of motion. They are a meagre, ugly,\nill-made people, particularly about the legs,\nwhich are very clumsy and covered with\nscabs. The latter circumstance proceeds\nrv probably from their habitually roasting them\nbefore the fire. Many of them appeared to\nbe in a very unhealthy state, which is owing,\nas I imagine, to their natural filthiness. They\nare of a moderate stature, and as far as could\nbe discovered, through the coat of dirt and\ngrease that covers them, are of a fairer complexion than the generality of Indians who\nare the natives of warmer climates.\nSome of them have their hair of a great\nlength; while others suffer a long tress to\nfall behind, and the rest is cut so short as to\nexpose their ears, but no other attention\nwhatever is paid to it. The beards of some\nof the old men were long, and the rest had\n234\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA,\nthem pulled out by the roots so that not a\nhair could be seen on their chins. The men\nhave two double lines, either black or blue,\ntattooed upon each cheek, from the ear to the\nnose. The gristle of the latter is perforated\nso as to admit a goose-quill or a small piece\nof wood to be passed through the orifice.\nTheir clothing is made of the dressed skins of\nthe rein or moose-deer, though more commonly of the former. These they prepare in\nthe hair for winter, and make shirts of both,\nwhich reach to the middle of their thighs.\nSome of them are decorated with an embroidery of very neat workmanship with porcupine\nquills and the hair of the moose, coloured\nred, black, yellow, and white. Their upper\ngarments are sufficiently large to cover the\nwhole body, with a fringe round the bottom,\nand are used both sleeping and awake. Their\nleggins come half way up the thigh, and are\nsewed to their shoes: they are embroidered\nround the ancle, and upon every seam. The\ndress of the women is the same as that of the\nmen. The former have no covering on their\nprivate parts, except a tassel of leather which\ndangles from a small cord, as it appears, to\nkeep off the flies, which would otherwise be\nvery troublesome. Whether circumcision be\npractised among them, I cannot pretend to\nsay, but the appearance of it was general\namong those whom I saw.\n235\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nTheir ornaments consist of gorgets, bracelets for the arms and wrists, made of wood,\nhorn, or bone, belts, garters, and a kind of\nband to go round the head, composed of\nstrips of leather of one inch and an half\nbroad, embroidered with porcupine quills,\nand stuck round with the claws of bears or\nwild fowl inverted, to which are suspended a\nfew short thongs of the skin of an animal\nthat resembles the ermine, in the form of a\ntassel. Their cinctures and garters are formed\nof porcupine quills woven with sinews, in a\nstyle of peculiar skill and neatness: they\nhave others of different materials, and more\nordinary workmanship; and to both they attach a long fiinge of strings of leather,\nworked round with hair of various colours.\nTheir mittens are also suspended from the\nneck in a position convenient for the reception of the hands.\nTheir lodges are of a very simple structure:\na few poles supported by a fork, and forming\na semicircle at the bottom, with some branches\nor a piece of bark as a covering, constitutes\nthe whole of their native architecture. They\nbuild two of these huts facing each other, and\nmake the fire between them. The furniture\nharmonises with the buildings: they have a\nfew dishes of wood, bark, or horn; the vessels in which they cook their victuals are in\nthe shape of a gourd, narrow at the top and\n236\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nwide at the bottom, and of watape,* fabricated in such a manner as to hold water,\nwhich is made to boil by putting a succession\nof red-hot stones into it. These vessels contain from two to six gallons. They have a\nnumber of small leather bags to hold their\nembroidered work, lines, and nets. They\nalways keep a large quantity of the fibres of\nwillow bark, which they work into thread on\ntheir thighs. Their nets are from three to\nforty fathoms in length, and from thirteen to\nthirty-six inches in depth. The short deep\nones they set in the eddy current of rivers,\nand the long ones in the lakes. They likewise make lines of the sinews of the rein-deer,\nand manufacture their hooks from wood,\nhorn, or bone. Their arms and weapons for\nhunting, are bows and arrows, spears, daggers, and pogamagans, or clubs. The bows\nare about five or six feet in length, and the\nstrings are of sinews or raw skins. The arrows are two feet and an half long, including\nthe barb, which is variously formed of bone,\nhorn, flint, iron, or copper, and are winged\nwith three feathers. The pole of the spears\n* Watape is the name given to the divided roots\nof the spruce fir, which the natives weave into a degree of compactness that renders it capable of containing a fluid. The. different parts of the bark\ncanoes are also sewed together with this kind of filament.\n237\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nis about six feet in length, and pointed with a\nbarbed bone of ten inches. With this weapon\nthey strike the rein-deer in the water. The\ndaggers are flat and sharp-pointed, about\ntwelve inches long, and made of horn or bone.\nThe pogamagon is made of the horn of the\nrein-deer, the branches being all cut off, except that which forms the extremity. This\ninstrument is about two feet in length, and\nis employed to despatch their enemies in\nbattle, and such animals as they catch in\nsnares placed for that purpose. These are\nabout three fathom long, and are made of the\ngreen skin of the rein or moose-deer, but in\nsuch smaU strips, that it requires from ten to\nthirty strands to make this cord, which is\nnot thicker than a cod-line; and strong\nenough to resist any animal that can be entangled in it. Snares or nooses are also made\nof sinews to take lesser animals, such as\nhares and white partridges, which are very\nnumerous. Their axes are manufactured of\na piece of brown or grey stone from six to\neight inches long, and two inches thick. The\ninside is flat, and the outside round and\ntapering to an edge, an inch wide. They are\nfastened by the middle with the flat side inwards to a handle two feet long, with a cord\nof green skin. This is the tool with which\nthey split their wood, and we believe, the\nonly one of its kind among them. They\n238\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nkindle fire, by striking together a piece of\nwhite or yeUow pyrites and a flint stone, over\na piece of touchwood. They are universaUy\nprovided with a small bag containing these\nmaterials, so that they are in a continual\nstate of preparation to produce fire. From\nthe adjoining tribes, the Red-Knives and\nChepewyans, they procure, in baiter for\nmarten skins and a few beaver, small pieces\nof iron, of which they manufacture knives,\nby fixing them at the end of a short stick,\nand with them and the beaver's teeth, they\nfinish all their work. They keep them in a\nsheath hanging to their neck, which also contains their awls both of iron and horn.\nTheir canoes are small, pointed at both\nends, flat-bottomed and covered in the fore\npart. They are made of the bark of the\nbirch-tree and fir-wood, but of so slight a construction, that the man whom one of these\nlight vessels bears on the water, can, in return, carry it over land without any difficulty. It is very seldom that more than one\nperson embarks in them, nor are they capable\nof receiving more than two. The paddles\nare six feet long, one half of which is occupied by a blade of about eight inches wide.\nThese people informed us, that we had passed\nlarge bodies of Indians who inhabit the mountains on the east side of the river.\nAt four in the afternoon we embarked, and\n239\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nS,\n\\nour Indian acquaintance promised to remain\non the bank of the river till the fall, in case\nwe should return. Our course was West-\nSouth-West, and we soon passed the Great-\nBear-Lake River, which is of a considerable\ndepth, and a hundred yards wide: its water\nis clear, and has the greenish hue of the sea.\nWe had not proceeded more than six miles\nwhen we were obliged to land for the night,\nin consequence of an heavy gust of wind, accompanied with rain. We encamped beneath\na rocky hill, on the top of which, according\nto the information of our guide, it blew a\nstorm every day throughout the year. He\nfound himself very uncomfortable in his new\nsituation, and pretended that he was very ill,\nin order that he might be permitted to return\nto his relations. To prevent his escape it became necessary to keep a strict watch over\nhim during the night.\nMonday, 6.\u00E2\u0080\u0094At three o'clock, in a very\nraw and cloudy morning, we embarked, and\nsteered West-South-West four miles, West\nfour miles, West-North-West five miles,\nWest eighi miles, West by South, sixteen\nmiles, West twenty-seven miles, South-West\nnine miles, then West six miles, and encamped at half past seven. We passed\nthrough numerous islands, and had the ridge\nof snowy mountains always in sight. Our\nconductor informed us that great numbers of\n240\n\\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nbears and small white buffaloes frequent those\nmountains, which are also inhabited by Indians. We encamped in a similar situation\nto that of the preceding evening, beneath another high rocky hill, which I attempted to\nascend, in company with one of the hunters,\nbut before we had got half way to the summit, we were almost suffocated by clouds of\nmosquitoes, and were obliged to return. I\nobserved, however, that a river flowed from\nthe Westward: I also discovered a strong\nrippling current or rapid which ran close under a steep precipice of the hill.\nTuesday, 7.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We embarked at four in the\nmorning, and crossed to the opposite side of\nthe river, in consequence of the rapid; but\nwe might have spared ourselves this trouble,\nas there would have been no danger in continuing our course, without any circuitous\ndeviation whatever. This circumstance convinced us of the erroneous account given by\nthe natives of the great and approaching\ndangers of our navigation, as this rapid was\nstated to be one of them. Our course was\nnow North-North-West three miles. West-\nNorth-West four miles, North-West ten\nmiles, North two miles, when we came to a\nriver that flowed from the Eastward. Here\nwe landed at an encampment >cf four fires, all\nthe inhabitants of which ran off with the utmost speed, except an old man and an old\n16 241\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nX\nwoman. Our guide caUed aloud to the fugitives, and entreated them to stay, but without effect: the old man, however, did not\nhesitate to approach us, and represented himself as too far advanced in life, and too indifferent about the short time he had to remain in the world, to be very anxious about\nescaping from any danger that threatened\nhim; at the same time he pulled his grey\nhairs from his head by handfuls to distribute\namong us, and implored our favour for himself and his relations. Our guide, however,\nat length removed his fears, and persuaded\nhim to recall the fugitives, who consisted of\neighteen people; whom I reconciled to me on\ntheir return with presents of beads, knives,\nawls, &c, with which they appeared to be\ngreatly delighted. They differed in no respect from those whom we had already seen >\nnor were they deficient in hospitable attentions ; they provided us with fish, which wa&\nvery well boiled, and cheerfully accepted by us.\nOur guide still sickened after his home, and\nwas so anxious to return thither, that we were\nunder the necessity of forcing him to embark.\nThese people informed us that we were close\nto another great rapid, and that there were\nseveral lodges of their relations in its vicinity.\nFour canoeo with a man in each, followed\nus, to point out the particular channels we\nshould follow for the secure passage of the\n242\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nrapid. They also abounded in discouraging\nstories concerning the dangers and difficulties\nwhich we were to encounter.\nFrom hence our course was North-North-\nEast two miles, when the river appeared to\nbe enclosed, as it were, with lofty, perpendicular, white rocks, which did not afford us\na very agreeable prospect. We now went on\nshore, in order to examine the rapid, but did\nnot perceive any signs of it, though the Indians still continued to magnify its dangers:\nhowever, as they ventured down it, in their\nsmall canoes, our apprehensions were consequently removed, and we followed them at\nsome distance, but did not find any increase\nin the rapidity of the current; at length the\nIndians informed us that we should find no\nother rapid but that which was now bearing\nus along. The river at this place is not above\nthree hundred yards in breadth, but on sounding I found fifty fathoms water. At the two\nrivulets that offer their tributary streams from\neither side, we found six families, consisting\nof about thirty-five persons, who gave us an\nample quantity of excellent fish, which were,\nhowever, confined to white fish, the poisson\ninconnu, and another of a round form and\ngreenish colour, which was about fourteen\ninches in length. We gratified them with a\nfew presents, and continued our voyage. The\nmen, however, followed us in fifteen canoes.\n243\n JOURNAL OF A VOYGAE THROUGH THE\nThis narrow channel is three miles long,\nand its course North-North-East. We then\nsteered North three miles, and landed at an\nencampment of three or more families, containing twenty-two persons, which was situ^\nated on the bank of a river, of a considerable\nappearance, which came from the Eastward..\nWe obtained hares and partridges from these\npeople, and presented in return such articles\nas greatly delighted them. They very much\nregretted that they had no goods or merchandise to exchange with us, as they had\nleft them at a lake, from whence the river issued, and in whose vicinity some of their\npeople were employed in setting snares for\nrein-deer. They engaged to go for their articles of trade, and would wait our return,\nwhich we assumed them would be within two\nmonths. There was a youth among them in\nthe capacity of a slave, whom our Indians\nunderstood much better than any of the natives of this country whom they had yet seen;\nhe was invited to accompany us, but took the\nfirst opportunity to conceal himself, and we\nsaw him no more.\nWe now steered West five miles, when we\nagain landed, and found two families, containing seven people, but had reason to believe that there were others hidden in the\nwoods. We received from them two dozen\nof hares, and they were about to boil two\n244\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nmore, which they also gave us. We were not\nungrateful for their kindness, and left them.\nOur course was now North-West four miles,\nand at nine we landed and pitched our tents,\nwhen one of our people killed a grey crane.\nOur conductor renewed his complaints, not,\nas he assured us, from any apprehension of\nour ill-treatment, but of the Esquimaux,\nwhom he represented as a very wicked and\nmalignant people; who would put us all to\ndeath. He added, also, that it was but two-\nsummers since a large party of them came up\nthis river, and killed many of his relations.\nTwo Indians followed us from the last lodges.\nWednesday, <\u00C2\u00A3.\u00E2\u0080\u0094At half past two in the\nmorning we embarked, and steered a Westerly\ncourse, and soon after put ashore at two\nlodges of nine Indians. We made them a\nfew trifling presents, but without disembarking, and had proceeded but a small distance\nfrom thence, when we observed several\n^smokes beneath a hill, on the North shore,\nand on our approach we perceived the natives\nclimbing the ascent to gain the woods. The\nIndians, however, in the two small canoes\nwhich were ahead of us, having assured them\nof our friendly intentions, they returned to\ntheir fires, and we disembarked. Several of\nthem were clad in hare-skins, but in every\nother circumstance they resembled those\nwhom we had already seen. We were, how-\n245\nX\nL\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\never, informed that they were of a different\ntribe, called the Hare Indians, as hares and\nfish are their principal support, from the\nscarcity of rein-deer and beaver, which are\nthe only animals of the larger kind that frequent this part of the country. They were\ntwenty-five in number; and among them was\na woman who was afflicted with an abscess in\nthe belly, and reduced, in consequence, to a\nmere skeleton: at the same time several old\nwomen were singing and howling around her;\nbut whether these noises were to operate as\na charm for her cure, or merely to amuse and\nconsole her, I do not pretend to determine.\nA small quantity of our usual presents were\nreceived by them with the greatest satisfaction.\nHere we made an exchange of our guide,\nwho had become so troublesome that we were\nobliged to watch him night and day, except\nwhen he was upon the water. The man,\nhowever, who had agreed to go in his place\nsoon repented of his engagement, and endeavoured to persuade us that some of his relations further down the river, would readily\naccompany us, and were much better acquainted with the river than himself. But,\nas he had informed us ten minutes before\nthat we should see no more of his tribe, we\npaid very little attention to his remonstrances,\nand compelled him to embark.\n246\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nIn about three hours a man overtook us in\na canoe, and we suspected that his object was\nto facilitate, in some way or other, the escape\nof our conductor. About twelve we also observed an Indian walking along the North-\nEast shore, when the small canoes paddled\ntowards him. We accordingly followed, and\nfound three men, three women, and two children, who had been on an hunting expedition.\nThey had some flesh of the rein-deer, which\nthey offered to us, but it was so rotten, as\nwell as offensive to the smell, that we excused ourselves from accepting it. They had\nalso their wonderful stories of danger and\nterror, as well as their countrymen, whom we\nhad already seen; and we were now informed,\nthat behind the opposite island there was a\nManitoe or spirit, in the river, which swallowed every person that approached it. As\nit would have employed half a day to have\nindulged our curiosity in proceeding to examine this phenomenon, we did not deviate\nfrom our course, but left these people with\nthe usual presents, and proceeded on our\nvoyage. Our course and distance this day\nwere West twenty-eight miles, West-North-\nWest twenty-three miles, West-South-West\nsix miles, West by North five miles, South-\nWest four miles, and encamped at eight\no'clock. A fog prevailed the greater part of\nthe day, with frequent showers of small rain.\n247\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nCHAPTER IV.\nJULY, 1789. S\nThursday, 9.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Thunder and rain prevailed\nduring the night, and, in the course of it, our\nguide deserted; we therefore compelled another of these people, very much against his\nwill, to supply the place of his fugitive countryman. We also took away the paddles of\none of them who remained behind, that he\nmight not follow us on any scheme of promoting the escape of his companion, who was not\neasily pacified. At length,' however, we succeeded in the act of conciliation, and at half\npast three quitted our station. In a short\ntime we saw a smoke on the East shore, and\ndirected our course towards it. Our new\nguide began immediately to call to the people\nthat belonged to it in a particular manner,\nwhich we did not comprehend. He informed\nus that they were not of his tribe, but were a\nvery wicked, malignant people, who would\nbeat us cruelly, pull our hair with great violence from our heads, and maltreat us in\nvarious other ways.\nThe men waited our arrival, but the women and children took to the woods. There\nwere but four of these people, and previous\n248\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nto our landing, they all harangued us at the\nsame moment, and apparently with violent\nanger and resentment. Our hunters did not\nunderstand them, but no sooner had our guide\naddressed them, than they were appeased. I\npresented them with beads, awls, etc., and\nwhen the women and children returned from\nthe woods, they were gratified with similar\narticles. There were fifteen of them; and of\na more pleasing appearance than any which\nwe had hitherto seen, as they were healthy,\nfull of flesh, and clean in their persons.\nTheir language was somewhat different, but\nI believe chiefly in the accent, for they and\nour guide conversed intelligibly with each\nother; and the English chief clearly comprehended one of them, though he was not himself understood.\nTheir arms and utensils differ but little\nfrom those which have been described in a\nformer chapter. The only iron they have is\nin small pieces, which serve them for knives.\nThey obtain this metal from the Esquimaux\nIndians. Their arrows are made of very light\nwood, and are winged only with two feathers;\ntheir bows differed from any which we had\nseen, and we understood that they were furnished by the Esquimaux, who are their\nneighbours: they consist of two pieces, with\na very strong cord of sinews along the back,\nwhich is tied in several places, to preserve\n249\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nits shape; when this cord becomes wet, it\nrequires a strong bow-string, and a powerful\narm to draw it. The vessel in which they\nprepare their food, is made of a thin frame\nof wood, and of an oblong shape; the bottom\nis fixed in a groove, in the same manner as a\ncask. Their shirts are not cut square at the\nbottom, but taper to a point, from the belt:\ndownwards as low as the knee, both before\nand behind, with a border, embellished with\na short fringe. They use also another fringe,\nsimilar to that which has been already described, with the addition of the stone of a\ngrey farinaceous berry, of the size and shape\nof a large barley-corn: it is of a brown colour, and fluted, and being bored is run on\neach string of the fringe; with this they decorate their shirts, by sewing it in a semicircle\non the breast and back, and crossing over\nboth shoulders; the sleeves are wide and\nshort, but the mittens supply their deficiency,\nas they are long enough to reach over a part\nof the sleeve, and are commodiously sus*\npended by a cord from the neck. If their\nleggins were made with waistbands, they\nmight with great propriety be denominated\ntrousers: they fasten them with a cord round\nthe middle, so that they appear to have a\nsense of decency which their neighbours can\nnot boast. Their shoes are sewed to their\nleggins, and decorated on every seam. One\n250\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nof the men was clad in a shirt made of the\nskins of the musk-rat. The dress of the\nwomen is the same as that of the men, except\nin their shirts, which are longer, and without\nthe finishing of a fringe on their breast.\nTheir peculiar mode of tying the hair is as\nfollows:\u00E2\u0080\u0094that which grows on the temples,\nor the fore part of the skull, is formed into\ntwo queues, hanging down before the ears;\nthat of the scalp or crown is fashioned in the\nsame manner to the back of the neck, and is\nthen tied with the rest of the hair, at some\ndistance from the head. A thin cord is employed for these purposes, and very neatly\nworked with hair, artificially coloured. The\nwomen, and, indeed, some of the men, let\ntheir hair hang loose on their shoulders,\nwhether it be long or short.\nWe purchased a couple of very large moose\nskins from them, which were very well\ndressed; indeed we did not suppose that\nthere were any of those animals in the country ; and it appears from the accounts of the\nnatives themselves, that they are very scarce.\nAs for the beaver, the existence of such a\ncreature does not seem to be known by them.\nOur people bought shirts of them, and many\ncurious articles, &c. They presented us with\na most delicious fish, which was less than a\nherring, and very beautifully spotted with\nblack and yellow: its dorsal fin reached from\n251\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nthe head to the tail; in its expanded state\ntakes a triangular form, and is variegated\nwith the colours that enliven the scales: the\nhead is very small, and the mouth is armed\nwith sharp-pointed teeth.\nWe prevailed on the native, whose language\nwas most inteUigible, to accompany us. He\ninformed us that we should sleep ten nights\nmore before we arrived at the sea; that several of his relations resided in the immediate\nvicinity of this part of the river, and that in\nthree nights we should meet with the Esquimaux, with whom they had formerly made\nwar, but were now in a state of peace and\namity. He mentioned the last Indians whom\nwe had seen in terms of great derision; describing them as being no better than old\nwomen, and as abominable liars; which coincided with the notion we already entertained\nof them.\nAs we pushed off, some of my men discharged their fowling pieces, that were only\nloaded with powder, at the report of which|\nthe Indians were very much alarmed, as they\nhad not before heard the discharge of firearms. This circumstance had such an effect\nupon our guide, that we had reason to apprehend he would not fulfil his promise.\nWhen, however, he was informed that the\nnoise which he had heard was a signal of\nfriendship, he was persuaded to embark in\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nhis own small canoe, though he had been\noffered a seat in ours.\nTwo of his companions, whom he represented as his brothers, followed us in their\ncanoes; and they amused us not only with\ntheir native songs, but with others, in imitation of the Esquimaux; and our new guide\nwas so enlivened by them, that the antics he\nperformed, in keeping time to the singing,\nalarmed us with continual apprehension that\nhis boat must upset: but he was not long\ncontent with his confined situation, and paddling up alongside our canoe, requested us to\nreceive him in it, though but a short time before he had resolutely refused to accept our\ninvitation. No sooner had he entered our\ncanoe, than he began to perform an Esquimaux dance, to our no small alarm. He was,\nhowever, soon prevailed upon to be more\ntranquil; when he began to display various\nindecencies, according to the customs of the\nEsquimaux, of which he boasted an intimate\nacquaintance. On our putting to shore, in\norder to leave his canoe, he informed us, that\non the opposite hill the Esquimaux, three\nwinters before, killed his grandfather. We\nsaw a fox, and a ground-hog on the hill, the\nlatter of which the brother of our guide shot\nwith his bow and arrow.\nAbout four in the afternoon we perceived a\nsmoke on the West shore, when we traversed\n253\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nand landed. The natives made a most terrible uproar, talking with great vociferation,\nand running about as if they were deprived\nof their senses, while the greater part of the\nwomen, with the children, fled away. Perceiving the disorder which our appearance\noccasioned among these people, we had waited\nsome time before we quitted the canoe; and\nI have no doubt, if we had been without\npeople to introduce us, that they would have\nattempted some violence against us; for when\nthe Indians send away their women and children, it is always with a hostile design. At\nlength we pacified them with the usual presents, but they preferred beads to any of the\narticles that I offered them; particularly such\nas were of a blue colour; and one of them\neven requested to exchange a knife which I\nhad given him for a small quantity of those\nornamental baubles. I purchased of them\ntwo shirts for my hunters; and at the same\ntime they presented me with some arrows,\nand dried fish. This party consisted of five\nfamilies, to the amount, as I suppose, of\nforty men, women, and children; but I did\nnot see them aU, as several were afraid to\nventure from their hiding-places. They are\ncalled Deguthee Dinees, or the Quarrellers.\nOur guide, like his predecessors, now manifested his wish to leave us, and entertained\nsimilar apprehensions that we should not re-\n254\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nturn by this passage. He had his alarms also\nrespecting the Esquimaux, who might kill us\nand take away the women. Our Indians,\nhowever, assured him that we had no fears\nof any kind, and that he need not be alarmed\nfor himself. They also convinced him that\nwe should return by the way we were going,\nso that he consented to re-embark without\ngiving us any further trouble; and eight small\ncanoes followed us. Our courses this day\nwere South-West by West six miles, South-\nWest by South thirty miles, South-West three\nmiles, West by South twelve miles, West by\nNorth two miles, and we encamped at eight\nin the evening on the Eastern bank of the\nriver.\nThe Indians whom I found here, informed\nme, that from the place where I this morning\nmet the first of their tribe, the distance overland, on the East side, to the sea, was not\nlong, and that from hence, by proceeding to\nthe Westward, it was still shorter. They\nalso represented the land on both sides as\nprojecting to a point. These people do not\nappear to harbour any thievish dispositions;\nat least we did not perceive that they took,\nor wanted to take, anything from us by stealth\nor artifice. They enjoyed the amusements of\ndancing and jumping in common with those\nwe had already seen; and, indeed, these exercises seem to be their favourite diversions.\n255\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nAbout mid-day the weather was sultry, but\nin the afternoon it became cold. There was\na large quantity of wild flax, the growth of\nthe last year, laying on the ground, and the\nnew plants were sprouting up through it.\nThis circumstance I did not observe in any\nother part.\nAt four in the morning we embarked, at a\nsmall distance from the place of our encampment: the river, which here becomes narrower, flows between high rocks; and a\nmeandering course took us North-West four\nmiles. At this spot the banks became low;\nindeed, from the first rapid, the country does\nnot wear a mountainous appearance; but the\nbanks of the river are generally lofty, in\nsome places perfectly naked, and in others\nwell covered with small trees, such as the fir\nand the birch. We continued our last course\nfor two miles, with mountains before us,,\nwhose tops were covered with snow.\nThe land is low on both sides of the river,\nexcept these mountains, whose base is distant about ten miles: here the river widens,\nand runs through various channels, formed\nby islands, some of which are without a tree,\nand little more than banks of mud and sand;\nwhile others are covered with a kind of\nspruce fir, and trees of a larger size than we\nhad seen for the last ten days. Their banks,\nwhich are about six feet above the surface of\n256\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\n><\nthe water, display a face of solid ice, intermixed with veins of black earth, and as the\nheat of the sun melts the ice, the trees frequently fall into the river.\nSo various were the channels of the river\nat this time, that we were at a loss which to\ntake. Our guide preferred the Easternmost,\non account of the Esquimaux, but I determined to take the middle channel, as it appeared to be a larger body of water, and running North and South: besides, as there Was\na greater chance of seeing them I concluded,\nthat we could always go to the Eastward,\nwhenever we might prefer it. Our course\nwas now West by North six miles, North-\nWest by West, the snowy mountains being\nWest by South from us, and stretching to the\nNorthward as far as we could see. According to the information of the Indians, they\nare part of the chain of mountains which we\napproached on the third of this month. I\nobtained an observation this day that gave\nme 67. 47. North latitude, which was farther^\nNorth than I expected, according to the\ncourse I kept: but the difference was owing\nto the variation of the compass, which was\nmore Easterly than I imagined. From hence\nit was evident that these waters emptied\nthemselves into the Hyperborean Sea; and\nthough it was probable that, from the want\nof provision, we could not return to Atha-\n17 257\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nbasca in the course of the season, I nevertheless, determined to penetrate to the discharge\nof them.\nMy new conductor being very much discouraged and quite tired of his situation,\nused his influence to prevent our proceeding.\nHe had never been, he said, at the Benahullo\nToe, or White Man's Lake; and that when\nhe went to the Esquimaux Lake, which is at\nno great distance, he passed over land from\nthe place where we found him, and to that\npart where the Esquimaux pass the summer.\nIn short, my hunters also became so disheartened from these accounts, and other circumstances, that I was confident they would have\nleft me, if it had been in their power. I,\nhowever, satisfied them in some degree, by\nthe assurance, that I would proceed onwards\nbut seven days more, and if I did not then\nget to the sea, I would return. Indeed, the\nlow state of our provisions, without any\nother consideration, formed a very sufficient\nsecurity for the maintenance of my engagement. Our last course was thirty-two miles,\nwith a stronger current than could be expected\nin such a low country.\nWe now proceeded North-North-West four\nmiles, North-West three miles, North-East\ntwo miles, North-West by West three miles,\nand North-East two miles. At half past\neight in the evening we landed and pitched\n258\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nour tents, near to where there had been three\nencampments of the Esquimaux, since the\nbreaking up of the ice. The natives, who\nfollowed us yesterday, left us at our station\nthis morning. In the course of the day we\nsaw large flocks of wild fowl.\nSaturday, 11.\u00E2\u0080\u0094I sat up all night to observe the sun. At half past twelve I called\nup one of the men to view a spectacle which\nhe had never before seen; when, on seeing\nthe sun so high, he thought it was a signal\nto embark, and began to call the rest of his\ncompanions, who would scarcely be persuaded\nby me, that the sun had not descended nearer\nto the horizon, and that it was now but a\nshort time past midnight.\nWe reposed, however, till three quarters\nafter three, when we entered the canoe, and\nsteered about North-West, the river taking a\nvery serpentine course. About seven we saw\na ridge of high land; at twelve we landed at\na spot where we observed that some of the\nnatives had lately been. I counted thirty\nplaces where there had been fires; and some\nof the men who went further, saw as many\nmore. They must have been here for a considerable time, though it does not appear that\nthey had erected any huts. A great number\nof poles, however, were seen fixed in the\nriver, to which they had attached their nets,\nand there seemed to be an excellent fishery.\n259\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nOne of the fish, of the many which we saw\nleap out of the water, feU into our canoe; it\nwas about ten inches long, and of a round\nshape. About the places where they had\nmade their fires, were scattered pieces of\nwhalebone, and thick burned leather, with\nparts of the frames of three canoes; we could\nalso observe where they had spilled train oil;\nand there was the singular appearance of a\nspruce fir, stripped of its branches to the top\nlike an English May-pole. The weather was\ncloudy, and the air cold and unpleasant.\nFrom this place for about five miles, the river\nwidens, it then flows in a variety of narrow,\nmeandering channels, amongst low islands,\nenlivened with no trees, but a few dwarf willows.\nAt four, we landed, where there were three\nhouses, or rather huts, belonging to the natives. The ground-plot is of an oval form,\nabout fifteen feet long, ten feet wide in the\nmiddle, and eight feet at either end; the\nwhole of it is dug about twelve inches below\nthe surface of the ground, and one half of it\nis covered over with willow branches; which\nprobably serves as a bed for the whole family.\nA space, in the middle of the other part,\nof about four feet wide, is deepened twelve\ninches more, and is the only spot in the house\nwhere a grown person can stand upright.\nOne side of it is covered, as has been already\n260\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\ndescribed, and the other is the hearth or fireplace, of which, however, they do not make\nmuch use. Though it was close to the wall,\nthe latter did not appear to be burned. The\ndoor or entrance is in the middle of one end\nof the house, and is about two feet and an\nhalf high, and two feet wide, and has a covered way or porch five feet in length; so that\nit is absolutely necessary to creep on all fours\nin order to get into, or out of, this curious\nhabitation. There is a hole of about eighteen\ninches square on the top of it, which serves\nthe threefold purpose of a window, an occasional door, and a chimney. The underground part of the floor is lined with split\nwood. Six or eight stumps of smaU trees\ndriven into the earth, with the root upwards,\non which are laid some cross pieces of timber,\nsupport the roof of the building, which is an\noblong square of ten feet by six. The whole\nis made of drift-wood covered with branches\nand dry-grass; over which is laid a foot deep\nof earth. On each side of these houses are a\nfew square holes in the ground of about two\nfeet in depth, which are covered with split\nwood and earth, except in the middle. These\nappeared to be contrived for the preservation\nof the winter stock of provisions. In and\nabout the houses we found sledge runners and\nbones, pieces of whalebone, and poplar bark\ncut in circles, which are used as corks to buoy\n261\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\n//\nthe nets, and are fixed to them by pieces of\nwhalebone. Before each hut a great number\nof stumps of trees were fixed in the ground,\nupon which it appeared that they hung their\nfish to dry.\nWe now continued our voyage, and encamped at eight o'clock. I calculated our\ncourse at about North-West, and, allowing\nfor the windings, that we had made fifty-four\nmiles. We expected, throughout the day, to\nmeet with some of the natives. On several\nof the islands we perceived the print of their\nfeet in the sand, as if they had been there\nbut a few days before, to procure wild fowl.\nThere were frequent showers of rain in the\nafternoon, and the weather was raw and disagreeable. We saw a black fox; but trees\nwere now become very rare objects, except a\nfew dwarf willows, of not more than three\nfeet in height.\nThe discontents of our hunters were now\nrenewed by the accounts which our guide had\nbeen giving of that part of our voyage that\nwas approaching. According to his information, we were to see a larger lake on the\nmorrow. Neither he nor his relations, he\nsaid, knew any thing about it, except that\npart which is opposite to, and not far from,\ntheir country. The Esquimaux alone, he\nadded, inhabit its shores, and kill a large fish\nthat is found in it, which is a principal part\n262\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA\n,\nThursday, 23.\u00E2\u0080\u0094At five in the morning we\nproceeded on our voyage, but found it very\ndifficult to travel along the beach. We observed several places where the natives had\nstationed themselves and set their nets since\nour passage downwards. We passed a small\nriver, and at five o'clock our Indians put to\nshore in order to encamp, but we proceeded\nonwards, which displeased them very much,\nfrom the fatigue they suffered, and at eight\nwe encamped at our position of the 8th instant. The day was very fine, and we employed the towing line throughout the course\nof it. At ten, our hunters returned, sullen\nand dissatisfied. We had not touched any of\nour provision stores for six days, in which\ntime we had consumed two rein-deer, four\nswans, forty-five geese, and a considerable\nquantity of fish: but it is to be considered,\nthat we were ten men, and four women. I\nhave always observed, that the north men\npossessed very hearty appetites, but they\nwere very much exceeded by those with me,\nsince we entered this river. I should really\nhave thought it absolute gluttony in my people, if my own appetite had not increased in\na similar proportion.\n286\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nCHAPTER VI.\nJULY, 1789.\nFriday, 24.\u00E2\u0080\u0094At Ore we continued our\ncourse, but, in a very short time, were under\nthe necessity of applying to the aid of the\nline, the stream being so strong as to render\nall our attempts unavailing to stem it with\nthe paddles. We passed a small river, on\neach side of which the natives and Esquimaux collect flint. The bank is an high,\nsteep, and soft rock, variegated with red,\ngreen, and yellow hues. From the continual\ndripping of water, parts of it frequently fall\nand break into small stony flakes like slate,\nbut not so hard. Among them are found\npieces of Petrolium, which bears a resemblance to yellow wax, but is more friable.\nThe English chief informed me that rocks of\na similar kind are scattered about the country\nat the back of the Slave Lake, where the\nChepewyans collect copper.\n. At ten, we had an aft wind, and the men\nwho had been engaged in towing, re-embarked. At twelve, we observed a lodge on\nthe side of the river, and its inhabitants running about in great confusion, or hurrying to\nthe woods. Three men waited our arrival,\n287\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nthough they remained at some distance from\nus, with their bows and arrows ready to be\nemployed; or at least, that appeared to be\nthe idea they wished to convey to us, by continually snapping the strings of the former,\nand the signs they made to forbid our approach. The English chief, whose language\nthey, in some degree understood, endeavoured\nto remove their distrust of us; but till I went\nto them with a present of beads, they refused\nto have any communication with us.\nWhen they first perceived our sail, they\ntook us for the Esquimaux Indians, who employ a sail in their canoes. They were\nsuspicious of our designs, and questioned us\nwith a view to obtain some knowledge of\nthem. On seeing us in possession of some\nof the clothes, bows, etc., which must have\nbelonged to some of the Deguthee Denees, or\nQuarrellers, they imagined that we had killed\nsome of them, and were bearing away the\nfruits of our victory. They appeared, indeed,\nto be of the same tribe, though they were\nafraid of acknowledging it. From their\nquestions, it was evident that they had not\nreceived any notice of our being in those\nparts.\nThey would not acknowledge that they had\nany women with them, though we had seen\nthem running to the woods; but pretended\nthat they had been left at a considerable dis-\n288\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\ntance from the river, with some relations,\nwho were engaged in killing rein-deer.\nThese people had been here but a short time,\nand their lodge was not yet completed; nor\nhad they any fish in a state of preparation\nfor their provision. I gave them a knife and\nsome beads for an horn-wedge or chisel, with\nwhich they split their canoe-wood. One of\nmy Indians having broken his paddle, attempted to take one of theirs, which was immediately contested by its owner, and on my\ninterfering to prevent this act of injustice,\nhe manifested his gratitude to me on the occasion. We lost an hour and a half in this\nconference.\nThe English chief was during the whole of\nthe time in the woods, where some of the\nhidden property was discovered, but the\nwomen contrived to elude the search that was\nmade after them. Some of these articles\nwere purloined, but I was ignorant of this\ncircumstance till we had taken our departure,\nor I should have given an ample remuneration. Our chief expressed his displeasure at\ntheir running away to conceal themselves,\ntheir property, and their young women, in\nvery bitter terms. He said his heart was\nagainst those slaves; and complained aloud of\nhis disappointment in coming so far without\nseeing the natives, and getting something\nfrom them.\n19 289\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nWe employed the sail and the paddle since\nten this morning, and pitched our tents at\nseven in the evening. We had no sooner encamped than we were visited by an Indian\nwhom we had seen before, and whose family\nwas at a small distance up the river: at nine\nhe left us. The weather was clear and\nserene.\nSaturday, 25.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We embarked this morning\nat a quarter past three, and at seven we\npassed the lodge of the Indian who had visited us the preceding evening. There appeared to have been more than one family,\nand we naturally concluded that our visitor\nhad made such an unfavourable report of us,\nas to induce his companions to fly on our approach. Their fire was not extinguished, and\nthey had left a considerable quantity of fish\nscattered about their dwelling.\nThe weather was now very sultry; but the\ncurrent had relaxed of its force, so that the\npaddle was sufficient for our progress during\nthe greatest part of the day. The inland\npart of the country is mountainous and the\nbanks of the river low, but covered with\nwood, among which is the poplar, but of\nsmall growth, and the first which we had\nseen on our return. A pigeon also flew by\nus, and hares appeared to be in great plenty.\nWe passed many Indian encampments which\nwe did not see in our passage down the river.\n290\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nAbout seven the sky, to the Westward, became of a steel blue colour, with lightning\nand thunder. We accordingly landed to\nprepare ourselves against the coming storm;\nbut before we could erect our tents, it came\non with such violence that we expected it to\ncarry every thing before it. The ridge pole\nof my tent was broken in the middle, where\nit was sound, and nine inches and an half in\ncircumference; and we were obliged to throw\nourselves flat on the ground to escape being\nwounded by the stones that were hurled\nabout in the air like sand. The violence of\nthe storm, however, subsided in a short time,\nbut left the sky overcast with the appearance\nof rain.\nSunday, 26.\u00E2\u0080\u0094It rained from the preceding\nevening to this morning, when we embarked\nat four o'clock. At eight we landed at three\nlarge Indian lodges. Their inhabitants, who\nwere asleep, expressed uncommon alarm and\nagitation when they were awakened by us,\nthough most of them had seen us before.\nTheir habitations were crowded with fish,\nhanging to dry in every part; but as we\nwanted some for present use, we sent their\nyoung men to visit the nets, and they returned with abundance of large white fish, to\nwhich the name has been given of poisson in-\nconnu; some of a round shape, and green\ncolour; and a few white ones; all which were\n291\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nvery agreeable food. Some beads, and a few\nother trifles, were gratefully received in return. These people are very fond of iron\nwork of any kind, and my men purchased\nseveral of their articles for small pieces of\ntin.\nThere were five or six persons whom we\nhad not seen before; and among them was a\nDog-rib Indian, whom some private quarrel\nhad driven from his country. The English\nchief understood him as well as one of his\nown nation, and gave the following account\nof their conversation:\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nHe had been informed by the people with\nwhom he now lives, the Hare Indians, that\nthere is another river on the other side of the\nmountains to the South-West, which falls\ninto the Belhoullay Teo, or White-man's\nLake, in comparison of which that on whose\nbanks we then were, was but a small stream;\nthat the natives were very large, and very\nwicked, and kill common men with their\neyes; that they make canoes larger than ours;\nthat those who inhabit the entrance of it kill\na kind of beaver, the skin of which is almost\nred; and that large canoes often frequent it.\nAs there is no known communication by\nwater with this river, the natives who saw it\nwent over the mountains.\nAs he mentioned that there were some\nbeavers in this part of the country, I told him\n292\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nto hunt it, and desire the others to do the\nsame, as well as the martens, foxes, beaver-\neater or wolverine, &c, which they might\ncarry to barter for iron with his own nation,\nwho are supplied with goods by us, near their\ncountry. He was anxious to know whether\nwe should return that way; at the same time\nhe informed us, that we should see but few\nof the natives along the river, as all the\nyoung men were engaged in killing rein-deer,\nnear the Esquimaux Lake, which, he also\nsaid, was at no great distance. The latter\nhe represented as very treacherous, and added, that they had killed one of his people.\nHe told us likewise, that some plan of revenge was meditating, unless the offending\nparty paid a sufficient price for the body of\nthe murdered person.\nMy Indians were very anxious to possess\nthemselves of a woman that was with the natives, but as they were not willing to part\nwith her, I interfered, to prevent her being\ntaken by force; indeed, I was obliged to exercise the utmost vigilance, as the Indians\nwho accompanied me were ever ready to take\nwhat they could from the natives, without\nmaking them any return. About twelve, we\npassed a river of some appearance, flowing\nfrom the Eastward. One of the natives who\nfollowed us, called it the Winter Road River.\nWe did not find the stream strong to-day,\n293\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nalong the shore, as there were many eddy\ncurrents; we therefore employed the sail during some hours of it, and went on shore for\nthe night at half past seven.\nMonday, 27.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The weather was now fine,\nand we renewed our voyage at half past two.\nAt seven we landed where there were three\nfamilies, situated close to the rapids. We\nfound but few people; for as the Indian who\nfollowed us yesterday had arrived here before us, we supposed that the greater part\nhad fled, on the intelligence which he gave\nof our approach. Some of these people we\nhad seen before, when they told us that they\nhad left their property at a lake in the neighbourhood, and had promised to fetch it before our return; but we now . found them as\nunprovided as when we left them. They\nhad plenty of fish, some of which was packed\nup in birch bark.\nDuring the time we remained with them,\nwhich was not more than two hours, I endeavoured to obtain some additional intelligence respecting the river which had been\nmentioned on the preceding day; when they\ndeclared their total ignorance of it, but from\nthe reports of others, as they had never been\nbeyond the mountains, on the opposite side of\ntheir own river; they had, however, been in-\nformed that it was larger than that which\nwashed the banks whereon they lived, and\n294\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nthat its course was towards the mid-day sun.\nThey added, that there were people at a\nsmall distance up the river, who inhabited\nthe opposite mountains, and had lately descended from them to obtain supplies of fish.\nThese people, they suggested, must be well\nacquainted with the other river, which was\nthe object of my inquiry. I engaged one of\nthem, by a bribe of some beads, to describe\nthe circumjacent country upon the sand.\nThis singular map he immediately undertook\nto. delineate, and accordingly traced out a\nvery long point of land between the rivers,\nthough without paying the least attention to\ntheir courses, which he represented as running into the great lake, at the extremity of\nwhich, as he had been told by Indians of\nother nations, there was a Belhoullay Couin,\nor White Man's Fort. This I took to be\nUnalascha Fort, and consequently the river\nto the West to be Cook's River; and that the\nbody of water or sea into which this river\ndischarges itself at Whale Island, communicates with Norton Sound. I made an advantageous proposition to this man to accompany\nme across the mountains to the other river,\nbut he refused it. At the same time he recommended me to the people already mentioned, who were fishing in the neighbourhood, as better qualified to assist me in the\nundertaking which I had proposed.\n295\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nOne of this small company of natives was\ngreviously afflicted with ulcers in his back,\nand the only attention which was paid to his\nmiserable condition, as far at least as we\ncould discover, proceeded from a woman,\nwho carefully employed a bunch of feathers\nin preventing the flies from settling upon his\nsores.\nAt ten this morning we landed near the\nlodges which had already been mentioned to\nus, and I ordered my people to make preparation for passing the remaining part of the\nday here, in order to obtain that familiarity\nwith the natives which might induce them to\nafford me, without reserve, the information\nthat I should require from them. This object, however, was in danger of being altogether frustrated, by a misunderstanding that\nhad taken place between the natives and my\nyoung Indians, who had already arrived\nthere. Before the latter could disembark,\nthe former seized the canoe, and dragged it\non shore, and in this act of violence the boat\nwas broken, from the weight of the persons\nin it. This insult was on the point of being\nseriously revenged, when I arrived, to prevent the consequences of such a disposition.\nThe variation of the compass was about\ntwenty-nine degrees to the East.\nAt four in the afternoon I ordered my interpreter to harangue the natives, assembled\n296\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nin council; but his long discourse obtained\nlittle satisfactory intelligence from them.\nTheir account of the river to the Westward,\nwas similar to that which he had already received : and their description of the inhabitants of that country was still more absurd\nand ridiculous. They represented them as\nbeing of a gigantic stature, and adorned with\nwings; which, however, they never employed\nin flying. That they fed on large birds, which\nthey killed with the greatest ease, though\ncommon men would be certain victims of their\nferocity if they ventured to approach them.\nThey also described the people that inhabited\nthe mouth of the river as possessing the extraordinary power of killing with their eyes,\nand devouring a large beaver at a single meal.\nThey added that canoes of very large dimensions visited that place. They did not, however, relate these strange circumstances from\ntheir own knowledge, but on the reports of\nother tribes, as they themselves never ventured to proceed beyond the first mountains,\nwhere they went in search of the small white\nbuffaloes, as the inhabitants of the other side\nendeavour to kill them whenever they meet.\nThey likewise mentioned that the sources of\nthose streams which are tributary to both the\ngreat rivers are separated by the mountains.\nIt appeared to us, however, that these people\nknew more about the country than they chose\n297\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nto communicate, or at least reached me, as\nthe interpreter, who had long been tired of\nthe voyage, might conceal such a part of their\ncommunications as, in his opinion, would induce me to follow new routes, or extend my\nexcursions.\nNo sooner was the conference concluded,\nthan they began to dance, which is their favourite, and, except jumping, their only\namusement. In this pastime old and young,\nmale and female, continued their exertions,\ntill their strength was exhausted. This exercise was accompanied by loud imitations of\nthe various noises produced by the rein-deer,\nthe bear, and the wolf.\nWhen they had finished their antics, I desired the English chief to renew the former\nsubjects; which he did without success. I\ntherefore assumed an angry air, expressed\nmy suspicions that they withheld their information, and concluded with a menace, that if\nthey did not give me aU the satisfaction in\ntheir power, I would force one of them along\nwith me to-morrow, to point out the other\nriver. On this declaration, they all, at one\nand the same moment, became sick, and answered in a very faint tone, that they knew\nno more than they had already communicated,\nand that they should die if I took any of\nthem away. They began to persuade my in-\nterpeter to remain with them, as they loved\n298\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nhim as well as they did themselves, and that\nhe would be killed if he continued with me.\nNor did this proposition, aided as it was by\nthe solicitation of his women, fail of producing a considerable effect upon him, though\nhe endeavoured to conceal it from me.\nI now found that it would be fruitless for\nme to expect any accounts of the country, or\nthe other great river, till I got to the river of\nthe Bear Lake, where I expected to find some\nof the natives who promised to wait for us\nthere. These people had actually mentioned\nthis river to me when we passed them, but I\nthen paid no attention to that circumstance,\nas I imagined it to be either a misunderstanding of my interpreter, or that it was an invention which, with their other lies, might\ntend to prevent me from proceeding down\ntheir river.\nWe were plentifully supplied with fish, as\nwell dry as fresh, by these people; they also\ngathered as many whortle berries as we chose,\nfor which we paid with the usual articles of\nbeads, awls, knives, and tin. I purchased a\nfew beaver-skins of them, which, according\nto their accounts, are not very numerous in\nthis country; and that they do not abound in\nmoose-deer and buffaloes. They were alarmed\nfor some of their young men, who were killing geese higher up the river, and entreated us to do them no harm. About sunset I\n299\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGB THROUGH THE\nwas under the necessity of shooting one of\ntheir dogs, as we could not keep those animals from our baggage. It was in vain that\nI had remonstrated on this subject, so that I\nwas obliged to commit the act which has been\njust mentioned. When these people heard\nthe report of the pistol, and saw the dog dead,\nthey were seized with a very general alarm,\nand the women took their children on their\nbacks and ran into the woods. I ordered the\ncause of this act of severity to be explained,\nwith the assurance that no injury would be\noffered to themselves. The woman, however,\nto whom the dog belonged, was very much\naffected, and declared that the loss of five\nchildren, during the preceding winter, had\nnot affected her so much as the death of this\nanimal. But her grief was not of very long\nduration; and a few beads, &c, soon assuaged\nher sorrow. But as they can without difficulty get rid of their affliction, they can\nwith equal ease assume it, and feign sickness\nif it be necessary with the same versatility.\nWhen we arrived this morning, we found the\nwomen in tears, from an apprehension that\nwe were come to take them away. To the\neye of an European they certainly were objects of disgust; but there were those among\nmy party who observed some hidden charms\nin these females which rendered them objects\nof desire, and means were found, I believe,\n300\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nthat very soon dissipated their alarms and\nsubdued their coyness.\nOn the upper part of the beach, liquorice\ngrew in great abundance and it was now in\nblossom. I pulled up some of the roots,\nwhich were large and long; but the natives\nwere ignorant of its qualities, and considered\nit as a weed of no use or value.\nTuesday, 28.\u00E2\u0080\u0094At four this morning I ordered my people to prepare for our departure;\nand while they were loading the canoe, I\nwent with the English chief to visit the\nlodges, but the greater part of their inhabitants had quitted them during the night, and\nthose that remained pretended sickness and\nTefused to rise. When, however, they were\nconvinced that we did not mean to take any\nof them with us, their sickness abandoned\nthem, and when we had embarked, they came\nforth from their huts, to desire that we would\nvisit their nets, which were at a small distance up the river, and take all the fish we\nmight find in them. We accordingly availed\nourselves of this permission, and took as\nmany as were necessary for our own supply.\nWe landed shortly after where there were\ntwo more lodges, which were full of fish, but\nwithout any inhabitants, who were probably\nwith the natives whom we had just left. My\nIndians, in rummaging these places, found\nseveral articles which they proposed to take;\n301\n / JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nI therefore gave beads and awls to be left as\nthe purchase of them; but this act of justice\nthey were not able to comprehend, as the\npeople themselves were not present. I took\nup a net and left a large knife in the place of\nit. It was about four fathoms long, and\nthirty-two meshes in depth; these nets are\nmuch more convenient to set in the eddy current than our long ones. This is the place\nthat the Indians call a rapid, though we went\nup it all the way with the paddle; so that\nthe current could not be so strong here, as in\nmany other parts of the river; indeed, if it\nwere so, the difficulty of towing would be\nalmost insuperable, as in many parts, the\nrocks, which are of a great height, and rather\nproject over the water, leave no shore between\nthem and the stream. These precipices\nabound in swallows' nests. The weather was\nnow very sultry, and at eleven we were under\nthe necessity of landing to gum our canoe.\nIn about an hour we set forward, and at\none in the afternoon, went on shore at a fire,\nwhich we supposed to have been kindled by\nthe young men, who, as we had been already\ninformed, were hunting geese. Our hunters\nfound their canoe and the fowl they had got,\nsecreted in the woods; and soon after, the\npeople themselves, whom they brought to the\nwater side. Out of two hundred geese, we\npicked thirty-six which were eatable; the\n302\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nrest were putrid, and emitted a horrid stench.-\nThey had been killed some time without having been gutted, and in this state of loathsome\nrottenness, we have every reason to suppose\nthey are eaten by the natives. We paid for\nthose which we had taken, and departed.\nAt seven in the evening, the weather became\ncloudy and overcast; at eight we encamped;\nat nine it began to thunder with great violence ; a heavy rain succeeded, accompanied\nwith a hurricane, that blew down our tents,\nand threatened to carry away the canoe,\nwhich had been fastened to some trees with\na cod-line. The storm lasted two hours, and\ndeluged us with wet.\nWednesday, 29.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Yesterday the weather\nwas cloudy, and the heat insupportable; and\nnow we could not put on clothes enough to\nkeep us warm. We embarked at a quarter\npast four with an aft wind, which drove us\non at a great rate, though the current is very\nstrong. At ten we came to the other rapid,\nwhich we got up with the line on the West\nside, where we found it much stronger than\nwhen we went down; the water had also fallen\nat least five feet since that time, so that several shoals appeared in the river which we\nhad not seen before. One of my hunters\nnarrowly escaped being drowned in crossing\na river that falls in from the Westward, and\nis the most considerable, except the mountain\n303\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nriver, that flows in this direction. We had\nstrong Northerly and cold wind throughout\nthe whole of the day, and took our station\nfor the night at a quarter past eight. We\nkilled a goose and caught some young ones.\nThursday, 80.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We renewed our voyage at\nfour this morning, after a very rainy night.\nThe weather was cloudy, but the cold had\nmoderated, and the wind was North-West.\nWe were enabled to employ the sail during\npart of the day, and encamped at about seven\nin the evening. We killed eleven old geese\nand forty young ones which had just begun\nto fly. The English chief was very much irritated against one of his young men: that\njealousy occasioned this uneasiness, and that\nit was not without very sufficient cause, was\naU I could discover. For the last two or\nthree days we had eaten the liquorice root,\nof which there is a great abundance on the\nbanks of the river. We found it a powerful\nastringent.\nFriday, 81. \u00E2\u0080\u0094 The rain was continual\nthroughout the night, and did not subside till\nnine this morning, when we renewed our progress. The wind and weather the same as\nyesterday. About three in the afternoon it\ncleared up and the wind died away, when\nit became warm. At five the wind veered to\nthe East, and brought cold along with it.\nThere were plenty of whortle berries, raspber-\n304\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nries, and a berry called poire, which grows in\nthe greatest abundance. We were very much\nimpeded in our way by shoals of sand and\nsmall stones which render the water shallow\nat a distance from the shore. In other places\nthe bank of the river is lofty: it is formed of\nblack earth and sand, and, as it is. continually falling, displayed to us, in some parts, a\nface of solid ice, to within a foot of the surface. We finished this day's voyage at a\nquarter before eight, and in the course of it\nkilled seven geese.\nWe now had recourse to our corn, for we\nhad only consumed three days of our original\nprovision since we began to mount the current. It was my intention to have ascended\nthe river on the South side from the last\nrapid, to discover if there were any rivers of\nconsequence that flow from the Westward;\nbut the sand-banks were so numerous and the\ncurrent so strong, that I was compelled to\ntraverse to the opposite side, where the eddy\ncurrents are very frequent, which gave us an\nopportunity of setting our nets and making\nmuch more headway.\n20\n305\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nCHAPTER VII.\nAUGUST, 1789.\nSaturday, 1.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We embarked at three this\nmorning, the weather being clear and cold,\nwith the wind at South-East. At three in\nthe afternoon we traversed and landed to take\nthe canoe in tow: here was an encampment\nof the natives, which we had reason to suppose they had quitted the preceding day. At\nfive we perceived a family, consisting of a\nman, two women, and as many children, stationed by the side of the water, whom we\nhad not seen before. They informed us, that\nthey had but few fish, and that none of their\nfriends were in the neighbourhood, except\nthe inhabitants of one lodge on the other side\nof the river, and a man who belonged to\nthem, and who was now occupied in hunting.\nI now found my interpreter very unwilling to\nask such questions as were dictated to him,\nfrom the apprehension, as I imagined, that\nI might obtain such intelligence as would prevent him from seeing Athabasca this season.\nWe left him with the Indian, and pitched\nour tents at the same place where we had\npassed the night on the fifth of last month.\nThe English chief came along with the Indian\n306\n\"\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00C2\u00BB\u00E2\u0080\u0094\"\"H\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA\nto our Ore; and the latter informed us that\nthe native who went down part of the river\nwith us had passed there, and that we should\nmeet with three lodges of his tribe above the\nriver of the Bear Lake. Of the river to the\nWestward he knew nothing, but from the relation of others. This was the first night\nsince our departure from Athabasca, when it\nwas sufficiently dark to render the stars\nvisible.\nSunday, 2.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We set off at three this morning with the towing-line. I walked with my\nIndians, as they went faster than the canoe,\nand particularly as I suspected that they\nwanted to arrive at the huts of the natives\nbefore me. In our way, I observed several\nsmall springs of mineral water running from\nthe foot of the mountain, and along the beach\nI saw several lumps of iron ore. When we\ncame to the river of the Bear Lake, I ordered\none of the young Indians to wait for my\ncanoe, and I took my place in their small\ncanoe. This river is about two hundred and\nfifty yards broad at this place, the water\nclear and of a greenish colour. When I\nlanded on the opposite shore, I discovered\nthat the natives had been there very lately\nfrom the print of their feet in the sand. We\ncontinued walking till five in the afternoon,\nwhen we saw several smokes along the shore.\nAs we naturally concluded, that these were\n307\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\ncertain indications where we should meet the\nnatives who were the objects of our search\nwe quickened our pace; but, in our progress,\nexperienced a very sulphurous smell, and at\nlength discovered that the whole bank was\non fire for a very considerable distance. It\nproved to be a coal mine, to which the fire\nhad communicated from an old Indian encampment. The beach was covered with\ncoals, and the English chief gathered some of\nthe softest he could find, as a black dye; it\nbeing the mineral, as he informed me, with\nwhich the natives render their quills black.\nHere we waited for the large canoe, which\narrived an hour after us. At half past ten\nwe saw several Indian marks, which consisted\nof pieces of bark fixed on poles, and pointing\nto the woods, opposite to which is an old\nbeaten road, that bore the marks of being\nlately frequented; the beach also was covered\nwith tracks. At a small distance were the\npoles of five lodges standing; where we landed\nand unloaded our canoe. I then despatched\none of my men and two young Indians to see\nif they could find any natives within a day's\nmarch of us. I wanted the English chief to\ngo, but he pleaded fatigue, and that it would\nbe of no use. This was the first time he had\nrefused to comply with my desire, and jealousy, I believe, was the cause of it in the\npresent instance; though I had taken every\n308\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nprecaution that he should not have cause to\nbe jealous of the Canadians. There was not,\nat this time, the least appearance of snow on\nthe opposite mountains, though they were\nalmost covered with it, when we passed before. Set two nets, and at eleven o'clock at\nnight the men and Indians returned. They\nhad been to their first encampment, where\nthere were four fires, and which had been\nquitted a short time before; so that they were\nobliged to make the circuit of several small\nlakes, which the natives cross with their\ncanoes. This encampment was on the borders of a lake which was too large for them\nto venture round it, so that they did not proceed any further. They saw several beavers\nand beaver lodges in those small lakes. They\nkilled one of these animals whose fur began\nto get long, a sure indication that the fall of\nthe year approaches. They also saw many\nold tracks of the moose and reindeer. This\nis the time when the rein-deer leave the\nplains to come to the woods, as the mosquitoes begin to disappear; I, therefore, apprehended that we should not find a single Indian on the river side, as they would be in or\nabout the mountains setting snares to take\nthem.\nMonday, 3.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We proceeded with a strong\nWesterly wind, at four this morning, the\nweather being cloudy and cold. At twelve it\n309\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\ncleared up and became fine; the current also\nincreased. The water had fallen so much\nsince our passage down the river, that here,\nas in other places, we discovered many shoals\nwhich were not then visible. We killed several geese of a larger size than those which\nwe had generally seen. Several Indian encampments were seen along the river, and we\nlanded at eight for the night.\nTuesday, J+.\u00E2\u0080\u0094At four in the morning we renewed our course, when it was fine and calm.\nThe night had been cold and a very heavy\ndew had fallen. At nine we were obliged to\nland in order to gum the canoe, when the\nweather became extremely warm. Numerous\ntracks of rein-deer appeared on the side of\nthe river. At half past five we took our station for the night, and set the nets. The current was very strong all day, and we found it\nvery difficult to walk along the beach, from\nthe large stones which were scattered over it.\nWednesday, 5.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We raised our nets, but\nhad not the good fortune to take a single fish.\nThe water was now become so low that the\neddv currents would not admit of setting\nthem. The current had not relaxed its\nstrength; and the difficulty of walking along\nthe beach was continued. The air was now\nbecome so cold, that our exercise, violent as\nit was, scarce kept us warm. We passed several points which we should not have accom-\n310\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nplished, if the canoe had been loaded. We\nwere very much fatigued, and at six were\nglad to conclude our toilsome march. The\nIndians killed two geese. The women, who\ndid not quit the canoe, were continually employed in making shoes of moose-skin, for\nthe men, as a pair did not last more than a\nday.\nThursday, 6.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The rain prevented us from\nproceeding till half past six, when we had a\nstrong aft wind, which, aided by the paddles,\ndrove us on at a great rate. We encamped\nat six to wait for our Indians, whom we had\nnot seen since the morning; and at half past\nseven they arrived very much dissatisfied with\ntheir clay's journey. Two days had now\nelapsed, since we had seen the least appearance of Indian habitations.\nFriday, 7.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We embarked at half past\nthree, and soon after perceived two rein-deer\non the beach before us. We accordingly\nchecked our course; but our Indians, in contending who should be the first to get near\nthese animals, alarmed and lost them. We,\nhowever, killed a female rein-deer, and from\nthe wounds in her hind legs, it was supposed\nthat she had been pursued by wolves, who\nhad devoured her young one: her udder was\nfull of milk, and one of the young Indians\npoured it among some boiled corn, which he\nate with great delight, esteeming it a very\n311\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\ndelicious food. At five in the afternoon we\nsaw an animal running along the beach, but\ncould not determine whether it was a grey\nfox or a dog. In a short time, we went\nashore for the night, at the entrance of a\nsmall river, as I thought there might be some\nnatives in the vicinity of the place. I ordered my hunters to put their fusees in order, and gave them ammunition to proceed\non a hunting party the next day; they were\nalso instructed to discover if there were any\nnatives in the neighbouring mountains. I\nfound a small canoe at the edge of the woods,\nwhich contained a paddle and a bow: it had\nbeen repaired this spring, and the workmanship of the bark excelled any that I had yet\nseen. We saw several encampments in the\ncourse of the day. The current of the river\nwas very strong, and along the points equal\nto rapids.\nSaturday, 8.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The rain was very violent\nthroughout the night, and continued till the\nafternoon of this day, when the weather began to clear, with a strong, cold, and Westerly wind. At three the Indians proceeded\non the hunting expedition, and at eight they\nreturned without having met with the least\nsuccess; though they saw numerous tracks\nof the rein-deer. They came to an old beaten\nroad, which one of them followed for some\ntime; but it did not appear to have been\n312\n\u00C2\u00BB ' J- w\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nlately frequented. The rain now returned,\nand continued till the morning.\nSunday, 9.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We renewed our voyage at\nhalf past three, the weather being cold and\ncloudy; but at ten it became clear and moderate. We saw another canoe at the outside\nof the wood, and one of the Indians killed a\ndog, which was in a meagre, emaciated condition. We perceived various places where\nthe natives had made their fires; for these\npeople reside but a short time near the river,\nand remove from one bank to the other, as it\nsuits their purposes. We saw a path which\nwas connected with another on the opposite\nside of the river. The water had risen considerably since last night, and there had been\na strong current throughout the day. At\nseven we made to the shore and encamped.\nMonday, 10.\u00E2\u0080\u0094At three this morning we returned to our canoe; the weather fine and\nclear, with a light wind from the South-East.\nThe Indians were before us in pursuit of\ngame. At ten we landed opposite to the\nmountains which we had passed on the second\nof the last month, in order to ascertain the\nvariation of the compass at this place: but\nthis was accomplished in a very imperfect\nmanner, as I could not depend on my watch.\nOne of the hunters joined us here, fatigued\nand unsuccessful. As these mountains are\nthe last of any considerable magnitude on the\n313\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nSouth-West side of the river, I ordered my\nmen to cross to that side of it, that I might\nascend one of them. It was near foui in the\nafternoon when I landed, and I lost no time\nin proceeding to the attainment of my object.\nI was accompanied only by a young Indian,\nas the curiosity of my people was subdued by\nthe fatigue they had undergone; and we soon\nhad reason to believe that we should pay\ndearly for the indulgence of our own. The\nwood, which was chiefly of spruce firs, was so\nthick that it was with great difficulty we made\nour way through it. When we had walked\nupwards of an hour, the under-wood decreased, while the white birch and poplar\nwere the largest and tallest of their kind that\nI had ever seen. The ground now began to\nrise, and was covered with small pines, and\nat length we got the first view of the mountains since we had left the canoe; as they appeared to be no nearer to us, though we had\nbeen walking for three hours, than when we\nhad seen them from the river, my companion\nexpressed a very great anxiety to return; his\nshoes and leggins were torn to pieces, and he\nwas alarmed at the idea of passing through\nsuch bad roads during the night. I persisted,\nhowever, in proceeding, with a determination\nto pass the night on the mountains and return\non the morrow. As we approached them, the\nground was quite marshy, and we waded in\n314\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nwater and grass up to the knees, till we came\nwithin a mile of them, when I suddenly sunk\nup to my arm-pits, and it was with some difficulty that I extricated myself from this disagreeable situation. I now found it impossible to proceed; to cross this marshy ground\nin a straight line was impracticable, and it\nextended so far to the right and left, that I\ncould not attempt to make the circuit; I\ntherefore determined to return to the canoe,\nand arrived there about midnight, very much\nfatigued with this fruitless jorney.\nTuesday, 11.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We observed several tracks\nalong the beach, and an encampment at the\nedge of the woods, which^ppeared to be five\nor six days old. We should have continued\nour route along this side of the river, but we\nhad not seen our hunters since yesterday\nmorning. We accordingly embarked before\nthree, and at five traversed the river, when\nwe saw two of them coming down in search\nof us. They had killed no other animals\nthan one beaver, and a few hares. According\nto their account, the woods were so thick that\nit was impossible to follow the game through\nthem. They had seen several of the natives'\nencampments, at no great distance from the\nriver; and it was their opinion that they had\ndiscovered us in our passage down it, and had\ntaken care to avoid us; which accounted for\nthe small number we had seen on our return.\n315\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nI requested the English chief to return\nwith me to the other side of the river, in order\nthat he might proceed to discover the natives,\nwhose tracks and habitations we had seen\nthere; but he was backward in complying with\nmy desire, and proposed to send the young\nmen; but I could not trust to them, and at\nthe same time was become rather doubtful of\nhim. They were still afraid lest I should\nobtain such accounts of the other river as\nwould induce me to travel overland to it, and\nthat they should be called upon to accompany\nme. I was, indeed, informed by one of my\nown people, that the English chief, his wives\nand companions, had determned to leave me\non this side of the Slave Lake, in order to go\nto the country of the Beaver Indians, and\nthat about the middle of the winter he would\nreturn to that lake, where he had appointed\nto meet some of his relatons, who, during the\nlast spring, had been engaged in war.\nWe now traversed the river, and continued\nto track the Indians till past twelve, when\nwe lost all traces of them; in consequence, as\nwe imagined, of their having crossed to the\nEastern side. We saw several dogs on both\nshores; and one of the young Indians killed\na wolf, which the men ate with great satisfaction: we shot, also, fifteen young geese\nthat were now beginning to fly. It was eight\nwhen we took our evening station, having\n316\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nlost four hours in making our traverses.\nThere was no interruption of the fine weather\nduring the course of this day.\nWednesday, 12.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We proceeded on our\nvoyage at three this morning, and despatched\nthe two young Indians across the river, that\nwe might not miss any of the natives that\nshould be on the banks of it. We saw many\nplaces where fires had been lately made along\nthe beach, as well as fire running in the\nwoods. At four we arrived at an encampment which had been left this morning.\nTheir tracks were observable in several places\nin the woods, and as it might be presumed\nthat they could not be at any great distance,\nit was proposed to the chief to accompany me\nin search of them. We accordingly, though\nwith some hesitation on his part, penetrated\nseveral miles into the woods, but without discovering the objects of our research. The\nfire had spread all over the country, and had\nburned about three inches of the black, light\nsoil, which covered a body of cold clay, that\nwas so hard as not to receive the least impression of our feet. At ten we returned\nfrom our unsuccessful excursion. In the\nmean time the hunters had killed seven\ngeese. There were several showers of rain,\naccompanied with gusts of wind and thunder.\nThe nets had been set during our absence.\nThursday, 13.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The nets were taken up,\n317\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nbut not one fish was found in them; and at\nhalf past three we continued our route, with\nvery favourable weather. We passed several\nplaces, where fires had been made by the natives, and many tracks were perceptible along\nthe beach. At seven we were opposite the\nisland where our pemmican had been concealed : two of the Indians were accordingly\ndespatched in search of it, and it proved very\nacceptable, as it rendered us more independent of the provisions which were to be obtained by our fowling pieces, and qualified\nus to get out of the river without that delay\nwhich our hunters would otherwise have required. In a short time we.perceived a smoke\non the shore to the South-West, at the distance of three leagues, which did not appear\nto proceed from any running fire. The Indians, who were a little way ahead of us, did\nnot discover it, being engaged in the pursuit\nof a flock of geese, at which they fired several\nshots, when the smoke immediately disappeared; and in a short time we saw several\nof the natives run along the shore, some of\nwhom entered their canoes. Though we were\nalmost opposite to them, we could not cross\nthe river without going further up it, from\nthe strength of the current; I therefore ordered our Indians to make every possible exertion, in order to speak with them, and wait\nour arrival. But as soon as our smaU canoe\n318\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nstruck off, we could perceive the poor affrighted people hasten to the shore, and after\ndrawing their canoes on the beach, hurry into\nthe woods. It was past ten before we landed\nat the place where they had deserted their\ncanoes, which were four in number. They\nwere so terrified that they had left several\narticles on the beach. I was very much displeased with my Indians, who instead of\nseeking the natives, were dividing their property. I rebuked the English chief with some\nseverity for his conduct, and immediately ordered him, his young men, and my own people, to go in search of the fugitivs, but their\nfears had made them too nimble for us, and\nwe could not overtake them. We saw several\ndogs in the woods, and some of them foUowed\nus to our canoe.\nThe English chief was very much displeased\nat my reproaches, and expressed himself to\nme in person to that effect. This was the\nvery opportunity which I wanted, to make\nhim acquainted with my dissatisfaction for\nsome time past. I stated to him that I had\ncome a great way, and at a very considerable\nexpense, without having completed the object\nof my wishes, and that I suspected he had\nconcealed from me a principal part of what\nthe natives had told him respecting the country, lest he should be obliged to follow me:\nthat his reason for not killing game, &c, was\n319\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nhis jealousy, which likewise prevented him\nfrom looking after the natives as he ought;\nand that we had never given him any cause\nfor any suspicions of us. These suggestions\nirritated him in a very high degree, and he\naccused me of speaking ill words to him; he\ndenied the charge of jealousy, and declared\nthat he did not conceal any thing from us;\nan that as to the ill success of their hunting,\nit arose from the nature of the country, and\nthe scarcity, which had hitherto appeared, of\nanimals in it. He concluded by informing\nme that he would not accompany me any\nfurther: that though he was without ammunition, he could live in the same manner as\nthe slaves (the name given to the inhabitants\nof that part of the country), and that he\nwould remain among them. His harangue\nwas succeeded by a loud and bitter lamentation ; and his relations assisted the vociferations of his grief; though they said that their\ntears flowed for their dead friends. I did\nnot interrupt their grief for two hours, but as\nI could not well do without them, I was at\nlength obliged to soothe it, and induce the\nchief to change his resolution, which he did,\nbut with great apparent reluctance; when we\nembarked as we had hitherto done.\nThe articles which the fugitives had left behind them, on the present occasion, were\nbows, arrows, snares for moose and rein-deer,\n320\nJ\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA\nand for hares; to these may be added a few\ndishes, made of bark, some skins of the marten and the beaver, and old beaver robes,\nwith a small robe made of the skin of the\nlynx. Their canoes were coarsely made of\nthe bark of the spruce-fir, and will carry two\nor three people. I ordered my men to remove\nthem to the shade, and gave most of the other\narticles to the young Indians. The English\nchief would not accept of any of them. In\nthe place, and as the purchase of them, I left\nsome cloth, some small knives, a file, two fire-\nsteels, a comb, rings, with beads and awls.\nI also ordered a marten skin to be placed on\na proper mould, and a beaver skin to be\nstretched on a frame, to which I tied a\nscraper. The Indians were of opinion that\nall these articles would be lost, as the na-\ntivs were so much frightened that they would\nnever return. Here we lost six hours; and\non our quitting the place, three of the dogs\nwhich I have already mentioned followed us\nalong the beach.\nWe pitched our tents at half past eight, at\nthe entrance of the river of the mountain;\nand while the people were unloading the\ncanoe, I took a walk along the beach, and on\nthe shoals, which being uncovered since we\npassed down, by the sinking of the waters,\nwere now white with a saline substance. I\nsent for the English chief to sup with me,\n21 321\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nand a dram or two dispelled all his heartburning and discontent. He informed me\nthat it was a custom with the Chepewyan\nchiefs to go to war after they had shed tears,\nin order to wipe away the disgrace attached\nto such a feminine weakness, and that in the\nensuing spring he should not fail to execute\nhis design; at the same time he declared his\nintention to continue with us as long as I\nshould want him. I took care that he should\ncarry some liquid consolation to his lodge, to\nprevent the return of his chagrin. The\nweather was fine, and the Indians killed three\ngeese.\nFriday, H.\u00E2\u0080\u0094At a quarter before four this\nmorning, we returned to our canoe, and went\nabout two miles up the river pf the mountains. Fire was in the ground on each side of\nit. In traversing, T took soundings, and\nfound five, four and an half, and three and\nan half fathoms water. Its stream was very\nmuddy, and formed a cloudy streak along the\nwater of the great river, on the West side to\nthe Eastern rapid, where the waters of the\ntwo rivers at length blend in one. It was impossible not to consider it as an extraordinary\ncircumstance, that the current of the former\nriver should not incorporate with that of the\nlatter, but flow, as it were, in distinct streams\nat so great a distance, and till the contracted\nstate of the channel unites them. We passed\n322\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nseveral encampments of the natives, and a\nriver which flowed in from the North, that\nhad the appearance of being navigable. We\nconcluded our voyage of this day at half past\nfive in the afternoon. There were plenty of\nberries, which my people called poires: they\nare of a purple hue, somewhat bigger than a\npea, and of a luscious taste; there were also\ngooseberries, and a few strawberries.\nSaturday, 15.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We continued our course\nfrom three in the morning till half past five\nin .the afternoon. We saw several encampments along the beach, till it became too narrow to admit them; when the banks rose into\na considerable degree of elevation, and there\nwere more eddy currents. The Indians killed\ntwelve geese, and berries were collected in\ngreat abundance. The weather was sultry\nthroughout the day.\nSunday, 16.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We continued our voyage at\na quarter before four, and in five hours passed\nthe place where we had been stationed on the\n13th of June. Here the river widened, and\nits shores became flat. The land on the\nNorth side is low, composed of a black soil,\nmixed with stones, but agreeably covered\nwith the aspen, the poplar, the white birch,\nthe spruce-fir, &c. The current was so moderate, that we proceeded upon it almost as\nfast as in dead water. At twelve we passed\nan encampment of three fires, which was the\n323\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nonly one we saw in the course of the day.\nThe weather was the same as yesterday.\nMonday, 17.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We proceeded at half past\nthree; and saw three successive encampments.\nFrom the peculiar structure of the huts, we\nimagined that some of the Red-Emife Indians\nhad been in this part of the country, though\nit is not usual for them to come this way. I\nhad last night ordered the young Indians to\nprecede us, for the purpose of hunting, and\nat ten we overtook them. They had killed\nfive young swans; and the English chief presented us with an eagle, three cranes, a small\nbeaver, and two geese. We encamped at\nseven this evening on the same spot which\nhad been our resting-place on the 29th of\nJune.\nTuesday, 18.\u00E2\u0080\u0094At four this morning I\nequipped all the Indians for an hunting excursion, and sent them onward, as our stock\nof provision was nearly exhausted. We followed at half past six, and crossed over to the\nNorth shore, where the land is low and\nscarcely visible in the horizon. It was near\ntwelve when we arrived. I now got an observation, when it was 61. 33. North latitude.\nWe were near five miles to the North of the\nmain channel of the river. The fresh tracks\nand beds of buffaloes were very perceptible.\nNear this place a river flowed in from the\nHorn Mountains, which are at no great dis-\n324\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\ntance. We landed at five in the afternoon,\nand before the canoe was unloaded, the English chief arrived with the tongue of a cow,\nor female buffalo, when four men and the Indians were despatched for the flesh; but they\ndid not return till it was dark. They informed me, that they had seen several human\ntracks in the sand on the opposite island.\nThe fine weather continued without interruption.\nWednesday, 19.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Indians were again\nsent forward in pursuit of game; and some\ntime being employed in gumming the canoe,\nwe did not embark till half past five, and at\nnine we landed to wait the return of the\nhunters. I here found the variation of the\ncompass to be about twenty degrees East.\nThe people made themselves paddles and\nrepaired the canoe. It is an extraordinary\ncircumstance for which I do not pretend to\naccount, that there is some peculiar quality\nin the water of this river, which corrodes\nwood, from the destructive effect it had on\nthe paddles. The hunters arrived at a late\nhour, without having seen any large animals.\nTheir booty consisted only of three swans and\nas many geese. The women were employed\nin gathering cranberries and crowberries,\nwhich were found in great abundance.\nThursday, 20.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We embarked at four\no'clock, and took the North side of the\n325\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nchannel, though the current was on that side\nmuch stronger, in order to take a view of the\nriver, which had been mentioned to me in our\npassage downwards, as flowing from the\ncountry of the Beaver Indians, and which fell\nin hereabouts. We could not, however, discover it, and it is probable that the account\nwas referable to the river which we had\npassed on Tuesday. The current was very\nstrong, and we crossed over to an island opposite to us; here it was still more impetuous, and assumed the hurry of a rapid. We\nfound an awl and a paddle on the side of the\nwater; the former we knew to belong to the\nKnisteneaux: I supposed it to be the chief\nMerde-d'our's and his party, who went to\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2war last spring, and had taken this route on\ntheir return to Athabasca. Nor is it improbable that they may have been the cause that\nwe saw so few of the natives on the banks of\nthis river. The weather was raw and cloudy,\nand formed a very unpleasant contrast to the\nwarm, sunny days, which immediately preceded it. We took up our abode for the\nnight at half past seven, on the Northern\nshore, where the adjacent country is both low\nand flat. The Indians killed five young\nswans, and a beaver. There was an appearance of rain.\nFriday, 21.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The weather was cold, with a\nstrong Easterly wind and frequent showers,\n326\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nso that we were detained in our station. In\nthe afternoon the Indians got on the track of\na moose-deer, but were not so fortunate as to\novertake it.\nSaturday, 22.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The wind veered round to\nthe Westward, and continued to blow strong\nand cold. We, however, renewed our voyage,\nand in three hours reached the entrance of\nthe Slave Lake, under half sail; with the\npaddle, it would have taken us at least eight\nhours. The Indians did not arrive till four\nhours after us; but the wind was so violent,\nthat it was not expedient to venture into the\nlake; we therefore set a net, and encamped\nfor the night. The women gathered large\nquantities of the fruit already mentioned,\ncalled Pathagomenan, and cranberries, crow-\nberries, mooseberries, &c. The Indians killed\ntwo swans and three geese.\nSunday, 23.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The net produced but five\nsmall pike, and at five we embarked, and entered the lake by the same channel through\nwhich we had passed from it. The South-\nWest side would have been the shortest, but\nwe were not certain of there being plenty of\nfish along the coast, and we were sure of\nfinding abundance of them in the course we\npreferred. Besides, I expected to find my\npeople at the place where I left them, as they\nhad received orders to remain there till the\nfall. | I ' ' fj\n327\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nWe paddled a long way into a deep bay to\nget the wind, and having left our mast behind us, we landed to cut another. We then\nhoisted sail, and were driven on at a great\nrate. At twelve the wind and swell were\naugmented to such a degree, that our under\nyard broke, but luckily the mast thwart resisted, tiU we had time to fasten down the\nyard with a pole, without lowering sail.\nWe took in a large quantity of water, and\nhad our mast given way, in aU probability,\nwe should have filled and sunk. Our course\ncontinued to be very dangerous, along a flat\nlee-shore, without being able to land till\nthree in the afternoon. Two. men were continually employed in bailing out the water\nwhich we took in on all sides. We fortunately doubled a point that screened us from\nthe wind and swell, and encamped for the\nnight, in order to wait for our Indians. We\nthen set our nets, made a yard and mast, and\ngummed the canoe. On visiting the nets, we\nfound six white fish, and two pike. The\nwomen gathered cranberries and crowberries\nin great plenty; and as the night came on,\nthe weather became more moderate.\nMonday, 21f.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Our nets this morning produced fourteen white fish, ten pikes, and a\ncouple of trouts. At five we embarked with a\nlight breeze from the South, when we hoisted\nsail, and proceeded slowly, as our Indians\n328\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nhad not come up with us. At eleven we went\non shore to prepare the kettle, and dry the\nnets; at one we were again on the water.\nAt four in the afternoon, we perceived a large\ncanoe with a sail, and two small ones ahead;\nwe soon came up with them, when they\nproved to be M. Le Roux and an Indian, with\nhis family, who were on a hunting party, and\nhad been out twenty-five days. It was his\nintention to have gone as far as the river, to\nleave a letter for me, to inform me of his\nsituation. He had seen no more Indians\nwhere I had left him; but had made a\nvoyage to Lac la Marte, where he met eighteen small canoes of the Slave Indians, from\nwhom he obtained five pack of skins, which\nwere principally those of the marten. There\nwere four Beaver Indians among them, who\nhad bartered the greatest part of the above\nmentioned articles with them, before his arrival. They informed him that their relations had more skins, but that they were\nafraid to venture with them, though they\nhad been informed that people were to come\nwith goods to barter for them. He gave\nthese people a pair of ice chisels each, and\nother articles, and sent them away to conduct their friends to the Slave Lake, where\nhe was to remain during the succeeding\nwinter.\nWe set three nets, and in a short time\n329\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\ncaught twenty fish of different kinds. In the\ndusk of the evening, the English chief arrived\nwith a most pitiful account that he had like\nto have been drowned in trying to follow us;\nand that the other men had also a very narrow escape. Their canoe, he said, had broken\non the swell, at some distance from the shore,\nbut as it was flat, they had with his assistance been able to save themselves. He added,\nthat he left them lamenting, lest they should\nnot overtake me, if I did not wait for them;\nhe also expressed his apprehensions that they\nwould not be able to repair their canoe. This\nevening I gave my men some rum to cheer\nthem after their fatigues.\nTuesday, 25.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We rose this morning at a\nlate hour, when we visited the nets, which\nproduced but few fish: my people, indeed,\npartook of the stores of M. Le Roux. At\neleven, the young Indians arrived, and reproached me for having left them so far behind. They had kiUed two swans, and\nbrought me one of them. The wind was\nSoutherly throughout the day, and too strong\nfor us to depart, as we were at the foot of a\ngrand traverse. At noon I had an observation, which gave 61. 29. North latitude.\nSuch was the state of the weather, that we\ncould not visit our nets. In the afternoon,\nthe sky darkened, and there was lightning,\naccompanied with loud claps of thunder.\n330\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nThe wind also veered round to the Westward,\nand blew a hurricane.\nWednesday, 26.\u00E2\u0080\u0094It rained throughout the\nnight, and till eight in the morning, without\nany alteration in the wind. The Indians\nwent on a hunting excursion, but returned\naltogether without success in the evening.\nOne of them was so unfortunate as to miss a\nmoose-deer. In the afternoon there were\nheavy showers, with thunder, &c.\nThursday, 27.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We embarked before four,\nand hoisted sail. At nine we landed to dress\nvictuals, and wait for M. Le Roux and the\nIndians. At eleven, we proceeded with fine\nand calm weather. At four in the afternoon,\na light breeze sprang up to the Southward, to\nwhich we spread our sail, and at half past\nHve in the afternoon, went on shore for the\nnight. We then set our nets. The English\nchief and his people being quite exhausted\nwith fatigue, he this morning expressed his\ndesire to remain behind, in order to proceed\nto the country of the Beaver Indians, engaging at the same time, that he would return to\nAthabasca in the course of the winter.\nFriday, 28.\u00E2\u0080\u0094It blew very hard throughout\nthe night, and this morning, so that we found\nit a business of some difficulty to get to our\nnets; our trouble, however, was repaid by a\nconsiderable quantity of white fish, trout, &c.\nTowards the afternoon the wind increased.\nool\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nTwo of the men who had been gathering berries saw two moose-deer, with the tracks of\nbuffaloes and rein-deer. About sunset we\nheard two shots, and saw a fire on the opposite side of the bay; we accordingly made a\nlarge fire also, that our position might be determined. When we were all gone to bed, we\nheard the report of a gun very near us, and\nin a very short time the English chief presented himself drenched with wet, and in\nmuch apparent confusion informed me that\nthe canoe with his companions was broken to\npieces; and that they had lost their fowling\npieces, and the flesh of a rein-deer, which\nthey had killed this morning. .|| They were,\nhe said, at a very short distance from us;\nand at the same time requested that fire might\nbe sent to them, as they were starving with\ncold. They and his women, however, soon\njoined us, and were immediately accommodated with dry clothes.\nSaturday, 29.\u00E2\u0080\u0094I sent the Indians on an\nhunting party, but they returned without success ; and they expressed their determination\nnot to follow me any further, from their apprehension of being drowned.\nSunday, 30.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We embarked at one this\nmorning, and took from the nets a large\ntrout, and twenty white fish. At. sunrise a\nsmart aft breeze sprang up, which wafted us\nto M. Le Roux's house by two in the after-\n332\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nnoon. It was late before he and our Indians\narrived; when, according to a promise which\nI had made the latter, I gave them a plentiful equipment of iron ware, ammunition, tobacco, &c, as a recompense for the toil and\ninconvenience they had sustained with me.\nI proposed to the English chief to proceed\nto the country of the Beaver Indians, and\nbring them to dispose of their peltries to M.\nLe Roux, whom I intended to leave there the\nensuing winter. He had already engaged to\nbe at Athabasca, in the month of March next,\nwith plenty of furs.\nMonday, 31.\u00E2\u0080\u0094I sat up all night to make\nthe necessary arrangements for the embarkation of this morning, and to prepare instructions for M. Le Roux. We obtained some\nprovisions here, and parted from him at five,\nwith fine calm weather. It soon, however,\nbecame necessary to land on a small island,\nto stop the leakage of the canoe, which had\nbeen occasioned by the shot of an arrow under\nthe water mark, by some Indian children.\nWhile this business was proceeding, we took\nthe opportunity of dressing some fish. At\ntwelve, the wind sprang up from the South-\nEast, which was in the teeth of our direction,\nso that our progress was greatly impeded. I\nhad an observation, which gave 62. 15. North\nlatitude. We landed at seven in the evening,\nand pitched our tents.\n333\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nTuesday, 1.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We continued our voyage at\nfive in the morning, the weather calm and\nfine, and passed the Isle a la Cache about\ntwelve, but could not perceive the land, which\nwas seen in our former passage. On passing\nthe Carreboeuf Islands, at five in the afternoon, we saw land to the South by West,\nwhich we thought was the opposite side of\nthe lake, stretching away to a great distance.\nWe landed at half past six in the evening,\nwhen there was thunder, and an appearance\nof change in the weather.\nWednesday, 2.\u00E2\u0080\u0094It rained and blew hard\nthe latter part of the night. At half past\nfive the rain subsided, when we made a traverse of twelve miles, and took in a good deal\nof water. At twelve it became calm, when I\nhad an observation, which gave 61. 36.\nNorth latitude. At three in the afternoon,\nthere was a slight breeze from the Westward\nwhich soon increased, when we hoisted sail,\nand took a traverse of twenty-four miles, for\nthe point of the old Fort, where we arrived\nat seven, and stopped for the night. This\ntraverse shortened our way three leagues; indeed we did not expect to have cleared the\nlake in such a short time.\nThursday, 8.\u00E2\u0080\u0094 It blew with great violence\nthroughout the night, and at four in the\nmorning we embarked, when we did not make\nmore than five miles in three hours, without\n334\n NORTH WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nstopping; notwithstanding we were sheltered\nfrom the swell by a long bank. We now entered the small river, where the wind could\nhave no effect upon us. There were frequent\nshowers in the course of the day, and we encamped at six in the evening.\nFriday, If.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The morning was dark and\ncloudy, nevertheless we embarked at five;\nbut at ten it cleared up. We saw a few fowl,\nand at seven in the evening, went on shore\nfor the night.\nSaturday, 5.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The weather continued to be\ncloudy. At five we proceeded, and at eight it\nbegan to rain very hard. In about half an\nhour we put to shore, and were detained for\nthe remaining part of the day.\nSunday, 6.\u00E2\u0080\u0094It rained throughout the night,\nwith a strong North wind. Numerous flocks\nof wild fowl passed to the Southward; at six\nin the afternoon, the rain, in some measure,\nsubsided, and we embarked, but it soon returned with renewed violence; we, nevertheless took the advantage of an aft wind,\nthough it cost us a complete drenching. The\nhunters killed seven geese, and we pitched\nour tents at half past six in the evening.\nMonday, 7.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We were on the water at five\nthis morning, with a head wind, accompanied\nby successive showers. At three in the afternoon, we ran the canoe on a stump, and it\nfilled with water before she could be got to\n335\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nland. Two hours were employed in repairing\nher, and at seven in the evening, we took our\nstation for the night.\nTuesday, 8.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We renewed our voyage at\nhalf past four in a thick mist which lasted\ntill nine, when it cleared away, and fine\nweather succeeded. At three in the afternoon we came to the first carrying-place, Portage des Noyes, and encamped at the upper\nend of it to dry our clothes, some of which\nwere almost rotten.\nWednesday, 9.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We embarked at five in\nthe morning, and our canoe was damaged on\nthe men's shoulders, who were bearing it over\nthe carrying-place, called Portage du Che-\ntique. The guide repaired her, however,\nwhile the other men were employed in carrying the baggage. The canoe was gummed at\nthe carrying-place named the Portage de la\nMontague. After having passed the carrying-\nplaces, we encamped at the Dog River, at\nhalf past four in the afternoon, in a state of\ngreat fatigue* The canoe was again gummed,\nand paddles were made to replace those that\nhad been broken in ascending the rapids. A\nswan was the only animal we killed throughout the day.\nThursday, 10.\u00E2\u0080\u0094There was rain and violent\nwind during the night: in the morning the\nformer subsided and the latter increased.\nAt half past five we continued our course\n336\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nwith a North-Westerly wind. At seven we\nhoisted sail: in the forenoon there were frequent showers of rain and hail, and in the\nafternoon two showers of snow: the wind\nwas at this time very strong, and at six in\nthe evening we landed at a lodge of Knisteneaux, consisting of three men and five women and children. They were on their return\nfrom war, and one of them was very sick:\nthey separated from the rest of their party in\nthe enemy's country, from absolute hunger.\nAfter this separation, they met with a family\nof the hostile tribe, whom they destroyed.\nThey were entirely ignorant of the fate of\ntheir friends, but imagined that they had returned to the Peace River, or had perished\nfor want of food. I gave medicine to the\nsick,* and a small portion of ammunition to\n* This man had conceived an idea, that the people\nwith whom he had been at war, had thrown medicine at him, which had caused his present complaint,\nand that he despaired of recovery. The natives are\nso superstitious, that this idea alone was sufficient to\nkill him. Of this weakness I took advantage; and\nassured him, that if he would never more go to war\nwith such poor defenceless people, I would cure\nhim. To this proposition he readily consented, and\non my giving him medicine, which consisted of\nTurlington's balsam, mixed in water, I declared\nthat it would lose its effect, if he was not sincere in\nthe promise that he made me. In short, he actually\nrecovered, was true to his engagements, and on aXk\noccasions manifested his gratitude to me.\n22 337\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nthe healthy; which, indeed, they very much\nwanted, as they had entirely lived for the\nlast six months on the produce of their bows\nand arrows. They appeared to have been\ngreat sufferers by their expedition.\nFriday, 11.\u00E2\u0080\u0094It froze hard during the\nnight, and was very cold throughout the day,\nwith an appearance of snow. We embarked\nat half past four in the morning, and continued our course till six in the evening,\nwhen we landed for the night at our encampment of the third of June.'\nSaturday, 12.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The weather was cloudy,\nand also very cold. At night, we embarked\nwith a North-East wind, and entered the\nLake of the Hills. About ten, the wind\nveered to the West-ward, and was as strong\nas we could bear it with the high sail, so\nthat we arrived at Chepewyan fort by three\no'clock in the afternoon, where we found Mr.\nMacleod, with five men busily employed in\nbuilding a new house. Here, then, we concluded this voyage, which had occupied the\nconsiderable space of one hundred and two\ndays.\n338\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nCHAPTER VIII.\nOCTOBER 10, 1792.\nHaving made every necessary preparation,\nI left Fort Chepewyan, to proceed up the\nPeace River. I had resolved to go as far as\nour most distant settlement, which would occupy the remaining part of the season, it being the route by which I proposed to attempt\nmy next discovery, across the mountains\nfrom the source of that river; for whatever\ndistance I could reach this fall, would be a\nproportionate advancement of my voyage.\nIn consequence of this design, I left the\nestablishment of Fort Chepewyan, in charge\nof Mr. Roderic Mackenzie, accompanied by\ntwo canoes laden with the necessary articles\nfor trade: we accordingly steered West for\none of the branches that communicates with\nthe Peace River, called the Pine River; at\nthe entrance of which we waited for the other\ncanoes, in order to take some supplies from\nthem, as I had reason to apprehend they\nwould not be able to keep up with us. We\nentered the Peace River at seven in the morning of the 12th, taking a Westerly course.\nIt is evident, that all the land between it and\nthe Lake of the Hills, as far as the Elk River,\n339\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nis formed by the quantity of earth and mud,\nwhich is carried down by the streams of those\ntwo great rivers. In this space there are several lakes. The Lake Clear Water, which is\nthe deepest, Lake Vassieu, and the Athabasca\nLake, which is the largest of the three, and\nwhose denomination in the Kneisteneaux lanr\nguage implies, a flat, low, swampy country,\nsubject to inundations. The two last lakes\nare now so shallow, that from the cause just\nmentioned, there is every reason to expect,\nthat in a few years they will have exchanged\ntheir character, and become extensive forests.\nThis country is so level, that, at some seasons, it is entirely overflowed, which accounts\nfor the periodical influx and reflux of the\nwaters between the Lake of the Hills and the\nPeace River.\nOn the 13th at noon we came to the Peace\nPoint; from which, according to the report\nof my interpreter, the river derives its name;\nit was the spot where the Knisteneaux and\nBeaver Indians settled their dispute; the real\nname of the river and point being that of\nthe land which was the object of contention.\nWhen this country was formerly invaded\nby the Knisteneaux, they found the Beaver\nIndians inhabiting the land about Portage la\nRoche; and the adjoining tribe were those\nwhom they called slaves. They drove both\n340\nu\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nthese tribes before them; when the latter\nproceeded down the river from the Lake of\nthe Hills, in consequence of which that part\nof it obtained the name of the Slave River.\nThe former proceeded up the river; and when\nthe Knisteneaux made peace with them, this\nplace was settled to be the boundary.\nWe continued our voyage, and I did not\nfind the current so strong in this river as I\nhad been induced to believe, though this, perhaps, was not the period to form a correct\nnotion of that circumstance, as well as of the\nbreadth, the water being very low; so that\nthe stream has not appeared to me to be in\nany part that I have seen, more than a quarter of a mile wide.\nThe weather was cold and raw, so as to\nrender our progress unpleasant; at the same\ntime we did not relax in our expedition, and,\nat three on the afternoon of the 17th we arrived at the falls. The river at this place is\nabout four hundred yards broad, and the fall\nabout twenty feet high: the first carrying\nplace is eight hundred paces in length, and\nthe last, which is about a mile onwards, is\nsomething more than two-thirds of that distance. Here we found several fires, from\nwhich circumstance we concluded, that the\ncanoes destined for this quarter, which left\nthe fort some days before us, could not be far\na-head. The weather continued to be very\n311\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\ncold, and the snow that fell during the night\nwas several inches deep.\nOn the morning of the 18th, as soon as we\ngot out of the draught of the fall, the wind\nbeing at North-East, and strong in our favour, we hoisted sail, which carried us on at\na considerable rate against the current, and\npassed the Loon River before twelve o'clock;\nfrom thence we soon came along the Grande\nIsle, at the upper end of which we encamped\nfor the night. It now froze very hard: indeed, it had so much the appearance of winter, that I began to entertain some alarm lest\nwe might be stopped by the ice: we therefore\nset off at three o'clock in the morning of the\n19th, and about eight we landed at the Old\nEstablishment.\nThe passage to this place from Athabasca\nhaving been surveyed by M. Vandrieul, formerly in the Company's service, I did not\nthink it necessary to give any particular attention to it; I shall, however, just observe,\nthat the course in general from the Lake of\nthe Hills to the falls, is Westerly, and as\nmuch to the North as the South of it, from\nthence it is about West-South-West to this\nfort.\nThe country in general is low from our entrance of the river to the falls, and with the\nexception of a few open parts covered with\ngrass, it is clothed with wood. Where the\n342\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nbanks are very low the soil is good, being\ncomposed of the sediment of the river and\nputrefied leaves and vegetables. Where they\nare more elevated, they display a face of yellowish clay, mixed with small stones. On a\nline with the falls, and on either side of the\nriver, there are said to be very extensive\nplains, which afford pasture to numerous herds\nof buffaloes. Our people a-head slept here\nlast night, and, from their carelessness, the\nfire was communicated to and burned down,\nthe large house, and was proceeding fast to\nthe smaller buildings when we arrived to extinguish it.\nWe continued our voyage, the course of the\nriver being South-West by West one mile\nand a quarter, South by East one mile, South-\nWest by South three miles, West by South\none mile, South-South-West two miles, South\nfour miles, South-West seven miles and a\nhalf, South by West one mile, North-North-\nWest two miles and a half, South fire miles\nand a quarter, South-West one mile and a\nhalf, North-East by East three miles and a\nhalf, and South-East by East one mile.\nWe overtook Mr. Finlay, with his canoes,\nwho was encamped near the fort of which he\nwas going to take the charge, during the ensuing winter, and made every necessary preparative for a becoming appearance on our ar-\nrival the following morning. Although I had\n343\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nbeen since the year 1787, in the Athabasca\ncountry, I had never yet seen a single native\nof that part of it which we had now reached\nAt six o'clock in the morning of the 20th,\nwe landed before the house amidst the rejoicing and firing of the people, who were animated with the prospect of again indulging\nthemselves in the luxury of rum, of which\nthey had been deprived since the beginning of\nMay; as it is a practice throughout the North-\nWest neither to sell or give any rum to the\nnatives during the summer. There was at\nthis time only one chief with his people, the\nother two being hourly expected with their\nbands; and on the 21st and 22d they all arrived except the war chief and fifteen men.\nAs they very soon expressed their desire of\nthe expected regale, I called them together,\nto the number of forty-two hunters, or men\ncapable of bearing arms, to offer some advice,\nwhich would be equally advantageous to them\nand to us, and I strengthened my admonition\nwith a nine gallon cask of reduced rum, and\na quantity of tobacco. At the same time I\nobserved, that as I should not often visit\nthem, I had instanced a greater degree of liberality than they had been accustomed to.\nThe number of people belonging to this\nestablishment amounts to about three hundred, of which, sixty are hunters. Although\nthey appear from their language to be of the\n344\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nsame stock as the Chepewyans, they differ\nfrom them in appearance, manners, and customs, as they have adopted those of their\nformer enemies, the Knisteneaux; they speak\ntheir language, as well as cut their hair, paint,\nand dress like them, and possess their immoderate fondness for liquor and tobacco. This\ndescription, however, can be applied only to\nthe men, as the women are less adorned even\nthan those of the Chepewyan tribes. We\ncould not observe, without some degree of\nsurprize, the contrast between the neat and\ndecent appearance of the men, and the nasti-\nness of the women. I am disposed, however,\nto think, that this circumstance is generally\nowing to the extreme submission and abasement of the latter: for I observed, that one\nof the chiefs allowed two of his wives more\nliberty and familiarity.than were accorded to\nthe others, as well as a more becoming exterior, and their appearance was proportion-\nably pleasing; I shall, however, take a future\nopportunity to speak more at large on this\n[subject.\nThere were frequent changes of the weather\nin the course of the day, and it froze rather\nhard in the night. The thickness of the ice\nin the morning was a sufficient notice for me\nto proceed. I accordingly gave the natives\nsuch good counsel as might influence their be-\nliaviour, communicated my directions to Mr.\n345\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nFindlay for his future conduct, and took my\nleave under several vollies of musketry, on\nthe morning of the 23d. I had already dispatched my loaded canoes two days before,\nwith directions to continue their progress\nwithout waiting for me. Our course was\nSouth-South-East one mile and an half, South\nthree quarters; East seven miles and a half,\nveering gradually to the West four miles and\nan half. South-East by South three miles,\nSouth-East three miles and an half, East-\nSouth-East to Long Point three miles, South-\nWest one mile and a quarter, East by North\nfour miles and three quarters, West three\nmiles and an half, West-South-West one mile,\nEast by South five miles and a half, South\nthree miles and three quarters, South-East by\nSouth three miles, East-South-East three\nmiles, East-North-East one mile, when there\nwas a river that flowed in on the right, East\ntwo miles and an half, East-South-East half\na mile, South-East by South seven miles and\nan half, South two miles, South-South-East\nthree miles and an half; in the course of\nwhich we passed an island South by West,\nwhere a rivulet flowed in on the right, one\nmile, East one mile and an half, South five\nmiles, South-East by South four miles and an\nhalf, South-West one mile, South-East by\nEast four miles and an half, West-South-\nWest half a mile, South-West six miles and\n346\n NORTHWEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nJiree quarters,' South-East by South one mile\n\nd an half, South one mile and an half;\nSouth-East by South two miles, South-West\nthree quarters of a mile, South-East by South\ntwo miles and an half, East by South one\nmile and three quarters, South two miles,\nSouth-East one mile and an half, South-\nSouth-East half a mile, East by South two\nmiles and an half, North-East three miles,\nSouth-West by West short distance to the\nestablishment of last year, East-North-East\nfour miles, South-South-East one mile and\nthree quarters, South half a mile, South-East\nby South three quarters of a mile, North-East\nby East one mile, South three miles, South-\nSouth-East one mile and three quarters, South\nby East four miles and an half, South-West\nthree miles, South by East two miles, South\nby West one mile and an half, South-West-\ntwo miles, South by West four miles and an\nhalf, South-West one mile and an half, and\nSouth by East three miles. Here we arrived\nat the forks of the river; the Eastern branch\nappearing to be not more than half the size\nof the Western one. We pursued the latter,\nin a course South-West by West six miles,\nand landed on the first of November at the\nplace which was designed to be my winter\nresidence: indeed, the weather had been so\ncold and disagreeable, that I was more than\nonce apprehensive of our being stopped by\n347\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE*\nthe ice, and, after all, it required the utmosjL\nexertions of which my men were capable ttib\nprevent it; so that on their arrival they werel\nquite exhausted. Nor were their labours at\nan end, for there was not a single hut to receive us: it was, however, now in my power\nto feed and sustain them in a more comfortable manner.\nWe found two men here who had been sent\nforward last spring, for the purpose of squaring timber for the erection of a house, and\ncutting pallisades, &c, to surround it. With\nthem was the principal chief of the place,\nand about seventy men, who had been anxiously waiting for our arrival, and received\nus with every mark of satisfaction and regard\nwhich they could express. If we might judge\nfrom the quantity of powder that was wasted\non our arrival, they certainly had not been in\nwant of ammunition, at least during the summer.\nThe banks of the river, from the falls, are\nin general lofty, except at low woody points,\naccidentally formed in the manner I have already mentioned: they also displayed, in all\ntheir broken parts, a face of clay, intermixed\nwith stone; in some places there likewise\nappeared a black mould.\nIn the summer of 1788, a smaU spot was\ncleared at the Old Establishment, which is\nsituated on a bank thirty feet above the level\n348\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nof the river, and was sown with turnips, carrots, and parsnips. The first grew to a large\nsize, and the others thrived very well. An\nexperiment was also made with potatoes and\ncabbage, the former of which were successful ; but for want of care the latter failed.\nThe next winter the person who had undertaken this cultivation, suffered the potatoes\nwhich had been collected for seed, to catch\nthe frost, and none had been since brought to\nthis place. There is not the least doubt but\nthe soil would be very productive, if a proper\nattention was given to its preparation. In\nthe fall of the year 1787, when I first arrived\nat Athabasca, Mr. Pond was settled on the\nbanks of the Elk River, where he remained\nfor three years, and had formed as fine a\nkitchen garden as I ever saw in Canada.\nIn addition to the wood which flourished\nbelow the fall, these banks produce the cypress tree, arrow-wood, and the thorn. On\neither side of the river, though invisible from\nit, are extensive plains, which abound in buffaloes, elks, wolves, foxes, and bears. At a\nconsiderable distance to the Westward, is an\nimmense ridge of high land or mountains,\nwhich take an oblique direction from below\nthe falls, and are inhabited by great numbers\nof deer, which are seldom disturbed, but\nwhen the Indians go to hunt the beaver in\nthose parts; and, being tired with the flesh\n349\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nof the latter, vary their food with that of the\nformer. This ridge bears the name of the\nDeer Mountain. Opposite to our present situation, are beautiful meadows, with various\nanimals grazing on them, and groves of poplars irregularly scattered over them.\nMy tent was no sooner pitched, than I summoned the Indians together, and gave each of\nthem about four inches of Brazil tobacco, a\ndram of spirits, and lighted the pipe. As they\nhad been very troublesome to my predecessor,\nI informed them that I had heard of their misconduct, and was come among them to inquire\ninto the truth of it. I added also that it\nwould be an established rule with me to treat\nthem with kindness, if their behaviour should\nbe such as to deserve it; but, at the same\ntime, that I should be equally severe if they\nfailed in those returns which I had a right to\nexpect from them. I then presented them\nwith a quantity of rum, which I recommended\nto be used with discretion; and added some\ntobacco, as a token of peace. They, in return, made me the fairest promises; and having expressed the pride they felt on beholding\nme in their country, took their leave.\nI now proceeded to examine my situation j\nand it was with great satisfaction I observed\nthat the two men who had been sent hither\nsome time before us, to cut and square timber for our future operations, had employed\n350\n p\u00C2\u00ABf\u00C2\u00BB\u00C2\u00ABjyf X*-\nNORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nthe intervening period with activity and skill.\nThey had formed a sufficient quantity of pal-\nlisades of eighteen feet long, and seven inches\nin diameter, to inclose a square spot of an\nhundred and twenty feet; they had also dug\na ditch of three feet deep to receive them;\nand had prepared timber, planks, &c, for the\nerection of a house.\nI was, however, so much occupied in settling matters with the Indians, and equipping\nthem for their winter hunting, that I could\nnot give my attention to any other object, till\nthe 7th, when I set all hands at work to construct the fort, build the house, and form\nstore houses. On the preceding day the river\nbegan to run with ice, which we call the last\nof the navigation. On the 11th we had a\nSouth-West wind, with snow. On the 16th,,\nthe ice stopped in the other fork, which was-,\nnot above a league from us, across the intervening neck of land. The water in this\nbranch continued to flow till the 22d, when\nit was arrested also by the frost, so that we\nhad a passage across the river, which would\nlast to the latter end of the succeeding April.\nThis was a fortunate circumstance, as we depended for our support upon what the hunters\ncould provide for us, and they had been prevented by the running of the ice from crossing the river. They now, however, very\nshortly procured us as much fresh meat as we\n351\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nrequired, though it was for some time a toilsome business to my people, for as there was\nnot yet a sufficient quantity of snow to run\nsledges, they were under the necessity of\nloading themselves with the spoils of the\nchase.\nOn the 27th the frost was so severe that\nthe axes of the workmen became almost as\nbrittle as glass. The weather was very various until the 2d of December, when my Faren-\nheit's thermometer was injured by an accident, which rendered it altogether useless.\nThe table on page 353, therefore, from the\n16th of November, to this unfortunate circumstance, is the only correct account of the\nweather which I can offer.\nIn this situation, removed from all those\nready aids which add so much to the comfort, and, indeed is a principal characteristic\nof civilized life, I was under the necessity of\nemploying my judgment and experience in\naccessory circumstances by no means connected with the habits of my life, or the enterprise in which I was immediately engaged.\nI was now among the people who had no\nknowledge whatever of remediable application to those disorders and accidents to which\nman is liable in every part of the globe, in\nthe distant wilderness, as in the peopled city.\nThey had not the least acquaintance with that\nprimitive medicine, which consists in an ex-\n352\n JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE\nperience of the healing virtues of herbs and\nplants, and is frequently found among uncivilised and savage nations. This circumstance\nnow obliged me to be their physician and\nsurgeon, as a woman with a swelled breast,\nwhich had been lacerated with flint stones for\nthe cure of it, presented herself to my attention, and by cleanliness, poultices, and healing salve, I succeeded in producing a cure.\nOne of my people, also, who was at work in\nthe woods, was attacked with a sudden pain\nnear the first joint of his thumb, which disabled him from holding an axe. On examining his arm, I was astonished to find a narrow red stripe, about half an inch wide, from\nhis thumb to his shoulder; the pain was violent, and accompanied with chilliness and\nshivering. This was a case that appeared to\nbe beyond my skill, but it was necessary to\ndo something towards relieving the mind of\nthe patient, though I might be unsuccessful\nin removing his complaint. I accordingly prepared a kind of volatile linament of rum and\nsoap, with which I ordered his arm to be\nrubbed, but with little or no effect. He was\nin a raving state throughout the night, and the\nred stripe not only increased, but was also accompanied with the appearance of several\nblotches on his body, and pains in his stomach ; the propriety of taking some blood from\nhim now occurred to me, and I ventured* from\n354\n NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.\nabsolute necessity, to perform that operation\nfor the first time, and with an effect that justified the treatment. The following night\nafforded him rest, and in a short time he regained his former health and activity.\nI was very much surprised on walking in\nthe woods at such an inclement period of the\nyear, to be saluted with the singing of birds,\nwhile they seemed by their vivacity to be actuated by the invigorating power of a more\ngenial season. Of these birds the male was\nsomething less than the robin; part of his\nbody is of a delicate fawn colour, and his\nneck, breast, and belly, of a deep scarlet;\nthe wings are black, edged with fawn colour,\nand two white stripes running across them;\nthe tail is variegated, and the head crowned\nwith a tuft. The female is smaller than the\nmale, and of a fawn colour throughout, except on the neck, which is enlivened by an\nhue of glossy yellow. I have no doubt but\nthey are constant inhabitants of this climate,\nas well as some other small birds which we\nsaw, of a grey colour.\n355\n \u00E2\u0096\u00A0I.\n fe\nUi\n6 1911.\nBritish Coluir\nDAr\nUNIVERSITY OF B.C. LIBRARY\n..-\u00E2\u0080\u00A2 ..\u00C2\u00AB\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0096\u00A0> ma i mm t in ill lM\njry*MJ5fipy\nI II II I .1 \u00E2\u0096\u00A0 \u00E2\u0096\u00A0<\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 \u00E2\u0096\u00A0 \"\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 \u00E2\u0096\u00A0\n9424 0\n665 1\n512\n\t\n gg\nKOERNER\nI IDDAgV\nr\nUniversity of British Columbia Library\n1 DUE DATE\n(y AefiURoco\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\nml\nn-&=i\nh\nit\ni\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094' i\n1 j\nfin J\n'\n1 i\ni _\u00E2\u0080\u0094_\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\nHj\nJr\n-\n \u00E2\u0096\u00A0 - \u00E2\u0096\u00A0 -\n1\n-\nET-S\nd 1\nf 1 .^__j z^\u00E2\u0080\u0094-\u00E2\u0080\u0094 ll' \u00E2\u0080\u0094\n "@en . "UBC does not have a copy of this edition's second volume.

Pages clxxxviii-clxxxix missing in print.

Alternative title from Lowther & Laing (1970).

Other Copies: http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1284925"@en . "Books"@en . "Travel literature"@en . "FC3212.1 .M33 1911"@en . "II-0343-xi-V01"@en . "10.14288/1.0304566"@en . "English ; Cree ; Algonquin ; Chipewyan"@en . "Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library"@en . "Toronto : The Courier Press, Limited"@en . "Original Format: University of British Columbia. Library. Koerner Library. FC3212.1 .M33 1911"@en . "Indians of North America--Languages--Glossaries, vocabularies, etc"@en . "Indians of North America--Northwest, Canadian"@en . "Fur trade--Northwest, Canadian"@en . "Northwest, Canadian--Description and travel"@en . "Voyages from Montreal through the continent of North America to the frozen and Pacific oceans in 1789 and 1793, with an account of the rise and state of the fur trade. With introduction by W. L. Grant. Two volumes. Vol. I"@en . "Text"@en .