"0c415bfe-ab7c-4a21-846b-c03f2981a1f0"@en . "CONTENTdm"@en . "Harmon's Journal"@en . "http://resolve.library.ubc.ca/cgi-bin/catsearch?bid=1591369"@en . "British Columbia Historical Books Collection"@en . "Harmon, Daniel Williams, 1778-1843"@en . "2016-06-29"@en . "1820"@en . "\"Half-title: Harmon's journal. Errata slip pasted to the inner back cover in some copies. T .W. Field considered that the pious observations were interpolated by the editor, Daniel Haskel, but W.K. Lamb (no.246) has proved they were Harmon's own. Harmon was in New Caledonia from 1810 to 1819. Contents: pp[v]-xxiii. Preface by the editor [signed by Daniel Haskel] - pp[2S]-273. Journal.- pp[27S]-277. Character of the Canadian voyageurs.- pp[28I]-383. An account of the Indians living west of the Rocky Mountain.- pp[38S]-401. A specimen of the Cree or Knisteneux tongue.- pp[402]-403. Numerical terms of the Crees or Knisteneux.- pp.403-[412] A specimen of the Tacully or Carrier tongue.- p[413] The numerical terms of the Tacullies.- pp[415-432. A concise account of the principal animals which are found in the north western part of North America.\"-- 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. 125."@en . ""@en . "https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/bcbooks/items/1.0305702/source.json"@en . "432 pages : map (folded), frontispiece (portrait) ; 21 cm"@en . "application/pdf"@en . " \u00E2\u0080\u00A2'-'.\n I\n -\nf^S\n \u00C2\u00BB!\nsniub\n it\n\\n JOURNAL\nf I\nOF\nVOYAGES AND TRAVELS\ni\nIN THE\nINTERIOUR OF NORTH AMERICA>f\u00C2\u00A7 *\nBETWEEN THE 47TH AND 58TH DEGREES OF NORTH LATITUDE, EXTENDING FROM MONTREAL -NEARLY TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN, A DISTANCE\nOF ABOUT 5,000 MILES, INCLUDING AN ACCOUNT OF THE PRINCIPAL* OCCURRENCES, DURING A RESIDENCE OF NINETEEN\nYEARS, IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE COUNTRY.\n|J| TO WHICH ARE ADDED,\nA CONCISE DESCRIPTION OF THE FACE OF THE COUNTRY, ITS INHABITANTS,\nTHEIR MANNERS, CUSTOMS, LAWS, RELIGION, ETC. AND CONSIDERABLE SPECIMENS OF THE TWO LANGUAGES, MOST EXTENSIVELY\nSPOKEN ; TOGETHER WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE PRINCIPAL ANIMALS, TO BE FOUND IN THE FORESTS AND\nPRAIRIES OF THIS EXTENSIVE REGION.\nILLUSTRATED BY A MAP OF THE COUNTRY.\nBY DANIEL:WILLIAMS HARMON\nA PARTNER IN THE NORTH WEST COMPAH Y.\nANDOVER:\nPRINTED BY FLAGG AND GOULD.\n1820.\n= ^\u00E2\u0080\u0094-\u00E2\u0080\u0094\u00E2\u0080\u0094\n m\nft s&iqiSf\n&a**3*A ^/^\nDISTRICT OF VERMONT, to wit:\nBe it remembered,'that on the second day of August, in the forty fifth\nyear of the independence of the United States of America, Calvin Harmon\nof the said district, hath deposited in this office the title of a book, the right\nwhereof he claims as proprietor, in the words following, to wit;\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Journal\nof Voyages and Travels in the interiour of North America, between the 47th\nand 58th degrees of north latitude, extending from Montreal nearly to the\nPacific Ocean, a distance of about five thousand miles, including an account\nof the principal occurrences, during a residence of nineteen years, in different parts of the country. To which are added, a concise description of the\nface of the country, its inhabitants, their manners, customs, laws, religion,\n&c. and considerable specimens of the two languages, most extensively\nspoken ; together with an account of the principal animals, to be found in\nthe forests and prairies of this extensive region. Illustrated by a Map of\nthe country. *. By Daniel Williams Harmon, a partner in the north-west\ncompany. \u00E2\u0080\u0094In conformity to the act of the Congress of the United States,\nentitled, \"An act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies\nof maps, charts, and books, to the authours and proprietors of such copies,\nduring the times therein mentioned.\"\n9| JESSE GovEA^l.et;ko/J}eDis;\n' ( trtcl of Vermont.\n aving prepared tne loiiowin^\npress, I have a few things to say respecting it,\nand the part in regard to it, wJiich I have performed.\nThe authour of these Voyages and Travels,\nhad no thought, while in the N. W. Country, of\nmaking publick his Journal. It was commenced\nand coH&inued, partly for his own amusement, and\npartly to gratify his friends, who, he thought,\nwould be pleased to be informed, with some particularity ,Jln his return, how his time had been\nemployed, during his absence. When he returned to civilized society, he found that curiosity was\nawake, in regard to the state of the country which\n VI\nPREFACE.\nhe had visited ; and the repeated questions, relating to this subject, which he was called upon to\nanswer, together with the suggestions of some\npersons, in whose jiidgment he placed much confidence, that such a publication might be useful,\nfirst determined him to commit the following work\nto the press.\nHad he carried into the wilderness a greater\nstock of general information, and expected, on his\nreturn, to appear in this manner before the publick,\nhis inquiries would undoubtedly have been more\nextensive, and the result of them would be mor&\nsatisfactory, to men of science. Had literary\nmen been in the habit of traversing the regions\nwhich he has visited, he would have left it to\nthem, to give an adbount of them to the publick.\nHaving remained nineteen years in the interiour of\nNorth America, without visiting, during that time,\nthe civilized part of the world, and having, many\ntimeif changed the place of his residence, while\ntfeere, he has had an opportunity for taking a\nwide survey of the country, and of its inhabitants;\nand if the information which he has collected, be\n PREFACE.\nVH\nnot equal to his opportunities, it is such as no otheD\nexisting pfcblicatioBpvill fully afford.\nMcKenzfe's Voyages give some accoullt of a considerable part of the country which is here described. His residence in it, however, was much\nshorter than tfeat of the authour of thig*Wfirk9 and\nhis personal acquaintance with the different parts\nof it, was much more limited. It is not intended, by\nthis remark, to detract from the reputa^fon, winch\nthat respectable traveller ancLIais work, have deservedly gained. By his toilsome and dange#\u00C2\u00AEus\ny.pyage to the North Sea, and by leading the way,\nthrough tjjjfe Rocky Mountain, to the Pacific Oceai^\nhe has rkjhly merited the commendation which he\nhas received. \u00C2\u00AB\u00C2\u00A3$y comparing the following work\nwith that of MfKenzie,-it will appear, that, though\nthe geographical details are less minute, the country surveyed, if we except the| voyage tw call her, as tfaey hav#feeen r&f?tilte\u00C2\u00A3fr\nly married) and gr^at pains have been1 taken1 'fo\nmake this vocabulary correct, by making the iSee\ndistinetftms in the sound of the words, as derived\nfrom her repeated pronunciation of tHfem. With\nthis language he is, also, weffl acquainted, sffifce it\nhas been daily spoken1 in hif^famfly, and by Mn*-\nself, for many years. P|\nThe education of the stuthi&ur of thfeKwork\nwas not classical; and had ir bee*B more extfeiisTve\nmanf'ft wWs, a relfideflW for^fifefre thadS haMPflf his\nII\n X\nPREFACE.\n:\nlife, since he has arrived to years of understanding,\nin a country whej*e the English language is rarely\nspoken, would have poorly qualified him to give\nto this publication, a fgiitable English dress.\nThe editor undertook the business of preparing this workv|br the press, with some reluctance,\narising from the shortness of the time that could\nbe allowed him for the performance of it, and the\nnumerous avocations of the gospel ministry, which\nwould leavetlnit a part of that time at his own command. For undertaking it at all, in such circumstances, his only apology is, that, in the opinion of\nthe authour, there was no other person, conveniently situated for personal intercourse with him,\nwho would be willing to undertake it, whose cir-\nctfmstances would be more favourable. It is by\nthe particular request of the authour, and not because I suppose ihat I have performed the office\nof an editor, in a manner creditable to myself,\nthat I have consented to connect my name with\nthis publication.\nThe following work was furnished to my\nhand, fully written out; fand though I have written\nit wholly over, I sjkml/jl have been much better\n PREFACE.\nXI\nable to satisfy mysell, with respectJ|o its style, if\nI could as ftllly have possessed the materials, in\nthe form of notes and sketches, or by verbal recitals. Every man's own mind is the mould of\nhis language ; and he who has attempted to vary\nthat of another, if he be at all accustomed to\nwriting, must have foujad the task more difficult\nthan original composition. The style of this work\nis not properly my own, nor that of Mr. Harmon,\nbut something between both.\nThere is one subject, on which I wish especially to address a few remarks, through the medium of this preface, to the christian publick, and\nto all who feel any regard for the welfare of the\nIndian tribes, whose condition is unfolded injdgbSE\nwork. As Mr. Harmon has returned to the mte^\nriour of North America, and, therefore, ttfief observations which follow, wilt not be submitted to his\ninspection, before they are made tpubtiik, the editor alone must be made accountable fonthim.\nIn surveying the widely extended$he gloom of superstition, to mould their\nhearts $p qhrifiiaii 7 kindness, and to cheer their\n%IPg ho^iwith a'well founded hope of immortal\nglory* &nfl ble^edness, constitutes an aggregate of\ngood sufficient to call forth exertion ;|6r their re^\nlief. The time is rapidly corftisg,^vhen christian\nbenevofeneeafliBl emulate the activity and pe\u00C2\u00A3$e*\nverance, wWdbytha^re dtong been displayed ittxcom-\nmercial fcnterprizes; when no country will remain\nujjfexplore4ib^dJi^bera|dfcftf the cp^ wb$i& immortal souls are shrouded in the darkness of heathenism, and are perishing for lack of yisioai ,rThe\nwandering and benighted sons of our \u00C2\u00AEwn ,forests.\n PREFACE.\nXlll\nshall not be overlooked^ They are #pt a race\nabandoned by G$d, to inevitable destrugtiortrj\nthough the idea has, strangely, gott^pa possession of\nsome minds. In propor4ion to the ejforts which\nhave been fs|ade, perhaps no missions to the heathen have be/en crowned $yith greater success,\nthan those to the American Aborigines. To this\nfact, the frctiit of.' the^ab^rs of Elliott, of the\nMayhews, of B&ainerd, of th\u00C2\u00A9 Moravians, and, especially, of the |fecent establishment among the\nCherokees, will bear abundant wj|\u00C2\u00A3)ess.\nThe Indian tribes, whose condition is unfolded\nin this worl^ have claims upon christian compassion; and some facts, which the authour hasgife\nclosed to me, have led me to suppose that a missionary es^gbl^fjiment might be made, with reference to thejjr instruction, with a fair prospect\nof success, and with less expense, than ordinarily\natten4s such operations. j|j$|\n7]JnA the numerous e\u00C2\u00A7Jablishmgnts ofvthe Nor^h\nW.%st Cp#a|^ariy, there ar^^rom twelve to fifteen\nhundred women and chij$ren, wh%\u00C2\u00A3|re wholly, or\nin pafjU of jln^a^J^xtracl^nt f^omen hajfefirom\ntime toj^fme, been taken from among the Natives,\n XIV\nPREFACE.\n\[t\nto reside in the forts, byfehe men in the service\nof the company ; and families have been reared,\nwhich have generally been left in the country,\nwhen these men have retired to the civilized parts\nof the world. These women and children, with*%\nhumanity which desSJrves commendation, are not\nturned over to the savages ; but they are fed, if\nnot clothed, by the company. They have become\nso numerous, as to be a burden to the concern;\nand a rule has been established, that no person, in\nthe service of the company, shall hereafter take a\nwoman from among the Natives to reside with\nhim, as a sufficient number, of a mixed blood, can\nbe found, who are already connected with the\ncompany. There are, also, in the N. W. country,\nmany superannuated Canadians, who have spent\nthe flower of their days in the service of the company, who have families that they are unwilling for\nleave; and having nothing to attract them to the\ncivilized world, they continue %nder the protection of the company, and are supplied by them,\nwith the necessaries of life.\nA plan has bee% in contemplation,5 Ho provide'\nfor the future maintelHabe of thelle pebpfef a*flfij^\n PREFACE.\nXV\nfor the relief of the Company from an increasing\nburden, which is, to establish a settlement on the\nRainy Lake River, where the soil is excellent, to\nwhich the people, above mentioned, may resort.\nTo enable them to make a beginning^in the cultivation of the ^|and, and in the erection of mjpls,\n&c. the Company propose to give them fifteen\nor twenty thousand dollars, and to appoint one of\nthe Partners to superintend the affairs of the settlement, for three years, or for a longer time, if it\nshall be necessary.\nIt appears highly probable, that a s^tlemenf\nmight thus be formed, whi,eh, is a few years, would\nsecure to those who. should belong to it, the comforts of life, as the fruit of their own industry; and\nshould they prosper, so far as to rajige a supply\nbeyond their own necessities, it might, with gputu-\nal advantage, be disposed of to the Company.\nThe Partners and Clerks of the North West\nCompany, who are in the Indian country, as well\nas some of those who reside in Canada, and elsewhere, have subscribed several thousand dollars,\ntoward the establishment of a scho\u00C2\u00AB|], either at\nthe Rainy Lake, or at ^orJf Will^itn,, for tiggjfp-.\n XVI\nPREFACE.\nstruction^Wflie children^ connected with their establishments. Some of these children are the offspring of parents, who survey their comparative\ndegradation, wTith the deep interest of a strong\nnatural aflfection, who are able to bear the expense of their education, and who would cheerfully contribute, in this way, to raise them to increased Respectability, comfort antf usefulness. Should\nthis school be establishedfsuch persons would be\nrequired to support their children, who should belong to it ; while the children of the poor, would\nbe taught gratuitously.\nThese facts have opened lib my mind a pro^\npect, to which I wish to direct the eye of christian befievotence. I would ask, with deep inter-\nest, some one of the institutions, whose object is\nthe diffusion of civilization afid Christianity among\nthe Indian fftbes, whether a missionary establishment might not be formed, in concept with the\nNorth West Company, which would, with much\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0ft\u00C2\u00A3ss trouble and even expense to them, accomplish\nthe object which the Company have in view, than\nany establishment which they catWd independently\nmake; and which would, at tBe same tiitt\u00C2\u00A3,*feave-\ni\n PREFAfJE.\nXV11\na most auspicious bearing upon the^eligiolls interests of the tribes of the N. W. Country.\nA school for the instruction oftohildren in the\narts of life, and in thetrudiments of^teience, as well\nas in the principles of the christian religion, forms\nthe basis ofyihe most efficient misai#nary exertions\namong the Indians. The school among^he Cher-\nokees, is a most interesting object to JihristianiSllt\nnevolence ; and as the fruit of i^lthe light of scP\nence, and the still brighter light of the Sun^of\nRighteousness, is shedding a cheering radiance\noyer many minds, that would otherwise have been\nshrouded in intellectual and moral darkness. The\nschool ih&s received the unqualified approbation of\nmen of all descriptions who have visited it, among\nwhom are many persons of the most distinguished\ncharacter and rank in civil life. If such a school\nwere^ established, at a convenient place in the\nN,* W. Country, it would be as the day spring\nfrom on high to a region, now overspread by an\nintellectual and moral midnight. \u00C2\u00A7|\nMen, occupied as the gentlemen of the Nfrrth\nWest Company are, in the overwhelming c4res\nof a vast commercial concern, would find it diffi-\n xvm\nPREFACE.\ncult to bestow all that attention on a school for\nthe instruction ofllhe IShildren and youth, now in\ntheir establishments, wbom^iey might think it\nproper to educate, which would b# necessary to\nsecure its proper management. i#5j|ould this care\nbe entirely taken off their* hancks^by men of known\nand approved characters, acting under a respond\nbility to some respectable society ; by men who\nwould feel all the interest$fiwhich christian b&*\nnevoWnce can create in the welfare of the cfaifc*\ndren ted yoiifeh committed to their care, it does\nappear to me, that they would gladly coopeiHIltt\nwith them.\nr$&s the North West Company from motives of\nintej$$a\u00C2\u00A3, as well as from more ttoble considei^\n:^ns, would contribute something to the support\nof such an establishment, should it meet their &&\u00E2\u0080\u00A2\nprobation, the expense*of it would, 4f course, be\nless to the society that should embark in the&undertaking, than is commonly incurred, dp establishments of this sort.\nThe children* sted yoiith above mentioned,\nmight be instructed in the arts trf civilized life, iii\nscience and in Christianity, with much greater ease\n PREFACE.\nXIX\nthan the children of the Natives, evenj^they\ncould as easily be obtained ; and when^nstructeid^\nthey ^vould be equally promising, as the Instruments of spreading civiliza|%a aj*d the religion of\nthe gospel, among the Jndiai^f{be^j| They have\nfcfevays been habitu^ed fa a life, |g;a great measure settled ; and they j^auJLd, ^erefore, endure\nconfinement, better than children who have lived\namong the wandering savage^ iiYhep are partially civilized, by an intercourse wi||j those, who\nhave carriedpjto the wilderness many of the feelings and habits of cifilized society. jjThey would\nnot be' ljj&ble. to be withdrawn, at an improper\ntime, from^he place of their education, by the\nwhims and caprice^pf unstable parents. At the\nsame time, bei$ig familiarly acquainted ^h the\nmanners and customs and feelings^f the savages,\nby a frequent intercourse with them, being ,|gble\nI 111\nto speak their languages, and having some of -Jfefc\nIndian blood circulating in theif?veins, they would,\nwhen properly-ilggtructed, be as well quailed gg\ngain access to the Natives, and \u00C2\u00A30 have influence\novettthem, as if they had original been take^\ndirectiy from their families.\n \u00C2\u00A3.. r\n1\nXX\nPREFACE.\nAs this establishment cdBJd probably be made,\nwith the greatest convenience, withia&the British\ndominions, it might, perhaps, be und#taken with\nthe surest prospect o#success, by some society in\nGreat Britain. *lFhe Society in Scotland for Propagating Christian Knowledge has, heretofore,\ncontributed to the support of iaiteionaries am\u00C2\u00A7ng\nthe American Indians; and might, perhaps, be\nwilling to engage in this undertaking The Society in Massachusetts for Propagating the Gospel\nam^ig the fadians of North America has, in some\ninstance^, if I mistake not, acted in concert wifit\nthe Society in Scotland, above mentioned; and\nmight, perhaps, conveniently do it, in this instance.\nEvery association, however, who may become acquainted with the facts here disclosed, will be able\nthemselves, to judge most correctly, of their own\nresources, and W their own duty*-\u00E2\u0080\u0094At Fort William, on Lake Superior, a very considerable number of the partners of the North West Company\nassemble annually, about the middle of June, at\nwhich meeting, many important arrangements are\nmade, respecting the business of the Company.\nAt such a meeting, an agent from some benevo-\n^m\n PREFACE.\nXXI\nlent association, might asce#tifn their feelings, in\nregard $6 such an eilablighment as*f4fave ptopbSed.\n^Phe Aborigferes of ^me^rea, are capable of being exaittedHki the fc\u00C2\u00A3ale of existenc#0|nd *M arriving, even a1u*e^ainencfei in^*the^ q&&ob.iAsciences.\nThe native moratory of some of them, is proverbial\nin citffli&ed countries, anwtias caug\u00C2\u00A7d them to be\nenrolled among^fc&e son\u00C2\u00A3%Wgehius. Many offthem\nafford proof, tha^they possess acute a\u00C2\u00ABd %>mpre-\nhensive minds ; -dLtjA*$ftii*f)eWf&kk their megtal Capacity is certainly respectable. Nor, perhaps, can\na people be found on the eartfel who are not raised abo\u00C2\u00A5e them by superior cultivation ancl^eans\nof improvement^who possess greater'/ elevation of\nVJeeling^and-who appear more majeslick in ruins.\nTheir virtues and thefts^iijes top^are not those of\nignoble minds. Let tUeir condition be improved\nfey the arti^^f civilized life, theiiPmindsiSbe en-\n\u00C2\u00BB ..... |\nlightened by science, arid their hearts be softened\nby^the genial influence of Christianity, and they\nwill assdme^'a respectable rank among the nations.\nCodld we hear some of their superior geniuses unfold to their countrymen the wonderful sehempof\n XX11\nPREFACE*\nRedeeming meitijEy with the ^filJiajtcyi and path\u00C2\u00A9s5\nwhich have characterised some of their speeches,\non the interests of their tribes,\u00E2\u0080\u0094with a brilliancy,\nrendered more splendid) by cultivation, and a pathos, made doubly t^def hjkthe softening influ-\njejpce of the^iosf^^grho vsgrnldnot listen to th#ia\nwith admiration a^id -ifafchiipleasijpe ? Mights we\nnq^Ji^pe that, bgstfae bfe^ing of God,:they would\nbe made the honoured and happy instruments, of\n^tujning many of ttjw^untrymen, from th@ errour\nof their ways t#the wSgflom, o\u00C2\u00A3 the - juafe * Could\nnumbers of them bjetbrought tojf&ESert plans for\nthe^exten\u00C2\u00A7ipn frfVithe gogpefojin ,{>art of the country. But *jlhe better sort of their countrymen, would not join\nthem in such barbarous and unprovoked hostilities.\nAt length the good Indians, who wire well disposed towards the white people from Canada, pronounced these murderers a nuisance to society, and\nmade war upon them, until the greater part of\nthem were destroyed. The few that survived,\nretired into a distant part of the country, and nothing has since been heard, respecti^\u00C2\u00A3them.%Thc\nfriendly Indian^ for tfcteir exertions in extirpating\ntheir unworthy relations, were handsomely rewarded by the North West Company,\nThe Canadian Voyagers, when>thev leave one\nstream to go up or down another, have a custom\nof pulling off their hats, arid making the sign of the\ncross, upon which one in each canoe, or at least, in\neach brigade, repeats a short prayer. The same\ncereinonies are observed by them, whenever they\npass a place, where any one has been interred, and\n --r- I I \u00E2\u0080\u00A2\u00E2\u0080\u0094 .1\t\nflpp\n .\t\nHARMON S JOURNAL.\na cross has been erected. Tho#j^ therefore, who\nare in the habit of v&yaging this way, are obliged\nto say their prayers more frequently perhaps,\nthan$|when at home; for at almost every rapid which we have passed, since we left Mobt;\ntreal, we have seen a number of crosses erected^\nand at one, I counted no less than thirty ! It is\ntruly melancholy, and discouraging, seriously to^e-\nflect on the g#at number of my fe$ow c^atures,\nwho have been brought to an jfntimely end, by\nvoyaging this way, as I know not but ^shall myself, also, be doomed to the same watery grave.\nWith such dismal spectacles, hgwever, almost continually before^pur eyes, wey[press forward, with\nall the ardour and rashness of youth, in the same\ndangserojus path, stimulated by the hopes of gra^\nfying the*eye, and [of securing a little gold.\nSaturday, 24. Lake Huron. We find on the\nshore of this lfke, low Cifanberries, in great abu%\ndance. |^j\nSunday, 25. Th\u00C2\u00A7, wind has been so high, that\nit has prevented us from saijing, the greater part\nof the day. We are encamped on f|an island, of\nwhich there are many in this lake. On one of\nthem, it is reported, that the Natives killed a\nsnake, which measured thirty six feet in length.\nThe length and size of this astonishing serpent,\nthey have engraved on a large smooth rock, which\n\\n fl pi\nlis\nlife\n36\nHARMON'S TRAVELS.\nwe saw, as we passed by. But w\u00C2\u00AB\u00C2\u00A3 have often,\nseen other engravings, on the rocks, along the\nrivers and lakes, of many different kinds of animals,\nsome of which, I am told, are not now to be found,\nm this part of^the world, and probably nfHer\nexisted.\nWednesday, 28. -island of St. Joseph. To\nthis place the British troops came and built a fortification, when the Amerfeans took possession 6(\nMichilimackinack. There are stalfconed here one\nCaptain, one LiecHenant, one Ensign and thirty\nmne privates. The fort is built on a beautiful\nrise of groundpwhich is joined to the main island\nby a narrow neck of land. As it is not long since\na settlement was made he$e, they have only four\ndwelling houses and two stores, on the other parts\nof the peninsula; and the inhabitants appear like\nexUes. The North West Company have a house\nand store here. In the latter, they construct canoes, for sending into the interiour, and down to\nMontreal. Vessels, of about sixty tons burthen, come here from Detroit and Mackana and\nSoult St. Maries. The whole island is computed\nto be about twenty miles in circumference; the\nsoil is good; it is distant, nearly nine hundred\nmiles from Montreal, and forty five from Mackana, and is in Lat. 47\u00C2\u00B0 North1? Spirits are sold here\n Harmon's journal.\n37\nfor six dollars a gallon; and other things, in the\nsame proportion.\nThursday, 29. Duncan McGilvray, Esq. one\nof the agents for the North West Company, arrived in the morning, at St. Josephs, from Mackana;\nand soon after, we embarked o# board of our\ncanoes, to come to this small Island. As the\nweather is calm, my fellow-traveller and I intend sleeping in our canoe ; but the labourers\nwill pass the night on shore.\nFriday, 30. Soult St. Maries. MHere the\nBforth West Company have another establishment, on the north side ofethe Rapid ; and on\nthe opposite shore, there are a few Afiierieansv\nScotch and Canadians, who carry on a small traffic with the Natives, and also tMHhe ground aalit-\ntle. The soil about Lake Huron, which we have\njust passed, appears to be good, and the face of the\ncountry is low and level.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Here the North West\nCompany have built locks, in order to take up\nloaded canoes, that they may not be under the\nnecessity of carrying them by land, to the head of\nthe Rapid; for the current is too strong to be\nstemmed by any craft. The Company are likewise building a saw mill, at the foot of the Rapid,\nto furnish boards, &c. for the Grand Portagi, &c*\nHere is the outlet of Lake Superiour, by which its\nwaters pass into Lake Huron. On each of these\n 38\nHarmon's journal.\nlakes, the North West Comjolany havek?a> v^essej.\nOne goes to the Grand Portage, and the others-\nDetroit, &c.\nSaturday, 31. We shall sleep where we did\nthe last night. Several of us|thave visited the\npeople^lwho live on ihe other side of the rapid,\nwhere we saw a dance of the Natives* who are\nSauteux or Chippeways.\nSunday&June, 1. Pamt au:Pin$ or Pine Point,\nin Lake Superiour. We here find the vessel that\nsails from this to the Grand Portage. I went on\nboard, and the Captain5 informed mje, that she\nwould carry about ninety five tons, and that she\nmakes four or five trips every season. I left the\nSoult St. Maries, in company with three hundred\nmen, who are in thirty five canoes. \u00C2\u00A3H ^d^iw^dS\nMonday, 2. Point awe Erables, or$jlt\u00C2\u00A3aple\nPoint. We now for\u00C2\u00AB^ four Brigades, in which\nthere are six clerks.\nTuesday, 3. A high wind during the whole\nday. In the morning, we attempted to sail, but\nsoon found we could not, without shipping a;great\ndeal of water; we therefore soon landed again,\nand are encamped, within one hundred rods of\nthe place where we tarried the last night.\nWednesday, 4. As it has rained and snowed\nall day, accompanied by a high wind, we have not\nbeen able to leave our encampment of the last\n=\u00C2\u00A3\u00C2\u00A39M\u00C2\u00A3\u00C2\u00A3\u00C2\u00A3^(ij&aKBMS\n HARMON'S JOURNAL.\n39\nnigh#\u00C2\u00A3 Mons. St. Germainflwho has the charge\nof a small Fort, belonging to the North West\nCompany, not far from this, VMfhedlbs, and brought\nwith him a few necessaries.\nThursday, 5. Although the swells in the Lake\nare very flighj%e have made good progress, during the whole day. We are encamped near a\nlarge rock,^fe which*! the NslWls, as they pass\nthis way, leave an arrow or two, or some other\narticle of little value to appease the Devisor\nMucham^teatoo, aslthejptcall him, and prevent him\nfrom doing them harm. iji\nSunday, 8. fin the course^f the day, we have\npassed several islands, which, as well asithe main\nland, appear to be covered with little else besides\nmoss, with here and thereaa shabby sprueik\nMonday, 9. In th$ morribg we passed aneth-\nerlFort, belonging to the North West Company.\nTuesday, 10. We.are obliged^to anchor|pur\ncanoes by a small island, instead of unloading them,\nas is customary every night, for the whole country is on -fire ; but whether by accident or design,\nI am unable to learn. Our people, who pass this\nway every summer, say that, almost every year,\nfire runs over this part of the country, wh$h is,\nof course, nearly destitute of animals, of any kind.\nThursday, 12. Sugar Points Our people say\nwe have sailed ninety miles during the day.\n 40\nHARMON'S, JOURNAL.\n%%\nFriday, 13. Grand Portage, where we arr^fr^\ned late this evening. This place lies in the 48th\ndegree of north latitude ; and is said to be nine\nhundred miles from the Soult St. Maries, and\neighteen hundred from Montreal. The Fort,\nwhich is tweuty^ur rods by thirty, i$ bui|t on\nthe margki of a bay, at the foot of a hill or mountain, ot considerable height. Within the fort,\nthere is a considerable number of dwelling houses,\nshops and stores, all of which appear to be slight\nbuildings, and designed only for present convenience. The houses are surrounded by palisad^\nwhich are about eighteen inches in diameter, and\nare sunk nearly three fee^in Ike groqnd, and rise\nabout fifteen feet above it. The bay is so shallow\nthat the vessel cannot approach the shore, unless\nshe is almost without lading. There is a considerable island, directly opposite to the fort, which\nshelters the vessel from thewinds thatlHow from\nthe Lake ; and which renders this, a tolerably\ngood harbour. There is also another fort, which\nstands about two hundred rods from this, belonging to the X. Y. Company, under which firm, a\nnumber of merchants of Montreal and Quebec,\n&c. now carry on a trade into this part of the\ncountry. It is only three years since they made\nan establishment here $ and as yet, they have had\nbut little success.\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0.\u00E2\u0080\u00A2 !-U*-\"'\n Harmon's journal, 41\nThis is the Head Quarters or General Rendezvous, for all who trade in this part of the\nworld; and therefore, every summer, the great&ir\npart of the Proprietors and Clerks, who have spent\nthe winter in the Interiour, come here with the\nfurs which they hai^e been able to collect, during\nthe preceding seasotp^ Thi% as I am told, is about\nthe time when they generally arrive ; and some\nof them are already here. The people who come\nfrom Montreal with the gooj^ go no farther\nthan this, excepting a few who take those articles\nto the Rainy Lake, which are intended for Athabasca, as that place lies at too gpeat a distance\nfrom this, to permit people who reside there to\ncome to this place and return, before the winter\ncommences. Those who bring the goods from\nMontreal, on their return, take down the furs, &c.\nfrom the north.\nExcellent fish, I am informed are taken here.\nWhite fish are sometimes speared, which will\nweigh twenty two pounds. The water in the\nlake is uncommonly clear.\nSunday0.5. The people here pass the sabbath, much in the same manner as they do, the\nother days of the week. The labouring people\nhave feen employed, during the day, in making and\npressmg packs of furs, to be sent to Canada. This\nappears, not as it should be, to me, who have h&tifti\n 42\nHARMON'S JOURNAL.\ntaught to abstain form labour on the sabbath,and to\nconsider that it should be employed in a religious\nmanner. The people, however, who have been\nlong in.lth.is savage country, have no scruples of\nconscience on this subject.\nTuesday, 24. 1 have, for some days past, been\nemployed, together with several^other clerks, ia\nmarking packs of furs. Almost every day, for some\ntime past, people have* been flocking in from\nthe Interiomv wifeh the returns of the season.\nSaturday, 28. The last night, a squaw, in a\nstate of intoxication, stabbed her husband, who\nsoon after expired. This aftespoon, I went to\ntheh|j$ent, where I saw a number of Indians, of\nboth sexes, drinking and crying over the corpse,\nto which they would frequently-offer rum, and try\nto pour it down his throaty supposing him^b be as\nfond of rum when dead, as he was when alive.\nThe Natives of this place are Chippeways.\nFtiday, Jjdy 4. In the day time, the Natives\nwere permitted to dance in the fort, and the Company made them a present of thirty six gallons of\nshrub. In the evening, the gentlemen of the\nplace dressed, and we had a famous ball, in the\ndining room. For musick, we had the bag-pipe,\nthe violin and the flute, which added much to\ntfee interest of the occasion. At the ball, there\nwas a number of the ladies of this country ; and\nmilium \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 =-==\n >B\u00C2\u00BBu.'..\u00C2\u00BB.\nHARMON'S JOURNAL.\n43\nI was surprised to find that they could conduct\nwith^so muc^r propriety, and dance so wehg^\nSunday, 13. Yesterday, several gentlemen,\non their way to their winter quarters, accompanied me to Charlotte, at the other end of this Portage,? which is nine miles over. My business was\nto send off a number of canoes, bound for Fort\ndes Prairies. The country between tigs and Fort\nCharlotte, is tolerably level; and the soil appearj\nto be pretty good.\nTuesday, 15. TJ$s morning a number of gentlemen, as well as mjself, left the Grand Portage^\nto proceed to winter quarters. I a^n to accompany John McDonald, Esq. to Fort des Prairies. We\nleft fort Charlotte, about 3 o'clockuP. M. on board\nof two canoes, each of which wil,|rcarry abop|two\ntons, and is pushed on by six Canadians^ This is a\nsmall river ; and we have passed several places,\nwhere the men were obliged to carry the ladings, a short distance, and in some places, to transport the canoes also.\nWednesday, 16. The long Cherry Portage. In\nthe former part of the day, we crossed small\nlakes and ponds, connected by several portages,\nand then carne over the height of land. Since\npassing this, we have descended a small river,\n*\u00E2\u0080\u00A2 \u00C2\u00B0 \u00E2\u0096\u00A0 .' * K: '' ' Ww> . \u00E2\u0096\u00A0Wis \u00E2\u0096\u00A0\nwhich, I am informed, a$er running through several lakes, at length discharges itself into Hud-\n 44\nHARMOITS JOURNAL.\nson's Bay, in latitude 51\u00C2\u00B0 north. At the mouth\nof this river; the Hudson Bay Company h&fce a fort,\nwhich is called Albany Factory.\nFriday, 18. G&at Pines. We have this day\ncrossed the FKnty Lake, so named from me stones,\nfound on its shore. For some time past, I have\nhad a fit of the ague and fever, everyday. It\ncommenced when I was crossing the large' Lakes;\nand, I am told, that it is seldom that a persoiHs\nattacked with it, in the region where I now am.\nMondtijfa 21. For the last few days, we have\nbe&h crossing small lakes and ponds, and coming\ndown a small river. The country appears thinly\ntimbered, lies rather low, and the soil is good.\nTuesday, 22. This evening, there came here\nthree canoes, manned by Iroquois, who are going\ninto the vicinity of the upper Red River, to hunt\nBeaver, for the North West Company. Some of\nthem have their families with them. (jj|\nThursday, 24. Rainy Lake Fort. This is\nbuilt about a mile and an half down the river,\nfrom the entrance of the Lake, where there is\na considerable fall. Here the soil is better than\nany we have seen, since we left the Ottawa River. The timber, also, is of a very good size.\nThe Lake and River are said 4b contain excellent\nfish, such as sturgeon, white-fish, &c. In the vicinity, \"a considerable quantity of wild rice is gather-\nif\n HARMON S JOURNAL.\n45\ned, by the Natives, who Itre Chippeways. This\nis thought to be nearly as nourishing as the real\nrice, and almost as palatable, xhe kernel of the\nformer, is rather longer than that of the latter, and\nis of a brownish colour.\nFriday, 25. In the former pari\" of tire day,\nwe overtook several gentlemen, who, like ourselves, are on their wily to their winter quarters.\nThis is a beautiful river, and^pretty free from\nrapids;\nSaturday, 26. This morning, we met twenty\nfetllrcan^es from Athabasca. They say they suffered much for want of food, on their way ; and\nduring four days, ale nothing. We gave them a\ndram, which made them almost forget their late\nsufferings. They will arrive at the Rainy Lake,\nlater than usual. |P\nMonday, 28. We have come down several\nrapids, at one of which a canoe was broken, the\nlast year, and a man drowned. We are still in\nthe Rainy Lake river, which is about one hundred\nand twenty miles long, and twelve or fifteen rods\nbroad. Tne*iand on each side is low, and is said\nto be excellent. The timber consists of birch, a\nspecies of pine, hemlock, poplar, aspiri, cedar,\n&c.\nTuesday, 29. This day we came across the\nWoody Lake, which is full of islands. It is about\n 46\nHARMON'S JOURNAL.\nthirty six miles in length; and the soil about-mis\nmuch like that, along tfte Rainy Lake River.\nWe are now in Wfeipick River, and have passed\na rapid where the last year, three men were\ndrowned. One of our men fired at a black bear,\nbut did not kill him. M|\nWednesday, 30. Passed a number of miry\nPortages, and a place where, three years since,\nthe Natives, who are Chippeways, fired upon our\npeople, but without killing any of them. One of\nthe Indians was taken, with tlje intention of carrying him to the nearest Fort, and there punishing\nhim as he deserved. After proceeding a considerable distance, however, and when near a rapi^\nhe jumped out of the canoe, intending, as was supposed, to swim to the opposite shore, and thus escape. But the current was too strong; and he\nwent down the rapid, and was projgably drowned.\nThursday, 31. Mouth of the River Winipie^\nHere the North West Company, and the Hudson\nBay Company, have each a fort. Here the abo^\nnamed river discharges its waters into Lake Win-\nipick. The River Winipick, through the greater\npart of its course, is a succession of smal|? lakes ;\nand in several places there are falls, of a considerable height- The country around it is brokenjr\nand occasionally, majestick and frigl^fiil waterfalls\nare to be seenJl particularly where ijae ^Fhite\nsi\n Harmon's journal.\n47\nRiver joins this, about thirty miles above where\nwe now are. A few miles above this, there is a\nsmall lake, called Lac de Bonne, from which the\nHudsofgiBay people leave our rout, and proceed toward the Albany Factory. The soil is good ; and\namong#he fruit, I observe the red plum. The\ngrape, also, grows well in this vicinity. In the neighbouring woods, a few moose and deer are found;\nandi^ie Lake and River are well supplied with\nfish.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Ouji people are employed in drying the\ngoods some of which Were wet, in coming down\nthe rapids, yesterday. :\u00E2\u0080\u00A2- ^W$?\nSaturday, August 2. When I left the Grand\nPostage, it? was expected that I should go up the\nSisiscatchwii%piver, to spend the winter. That\nriver falls into the north western end of Lake\nWijaipick. But, since our arrival here, we have\nreceived intelligence from the Swan River Department, which country lies between Lake Win-\nipich and the Red and Assiniboin rivers, that, in\nthe opinion of M\u00C2\u00A7: McLeod, who superintends the\nconcerns of that region, it is necessary to make\nanother establishment there. It is therefore determined >$faat I shall go and take charge of it;\nand I shall accordingly remain here a few days,\nto wait for the arrival of the brigade, destined to\nthe Swan River department.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The after part of\nthe day, I spent in shooting pigeons, which I found\n 48\nHARMON S JOURNAL.\nft\nto be numerous, as at this season, red raspberries,\nand \u00C2\u00A9ther kinds of fruit, are ripe, and exist here\nin abundance.\nSunday, 3. In walking in the adjacent coun>\ntry, I saw the bushes and brambles loaded with\nripe fruit. While partaking of it, I was led to\nreflect on the beneficence of the great Authijar of\nnature, who scatters his favours with an unsparing\nhand, and spreads a table here in the wilderness}\nfor the refreshmeni&of his creatures.\nThis is the first day which I have ever spent,\nsince my infancy, without eating either bread d0\nbiscuit. As a.substitute for bread, we now make\nuse of what the Natives call f^mican^ which co^jt\nsists of lean meat, dried and pounded fine, an8\nthen mixed with melted fat. This compound is\nput into bags, made of the skins of the buffaloe,\n&c. and when cold, it becomes a solid body. If\nkept in a dry place, it will continue good for years.\nBut, if exposed to moisture, it will soon become\nmusty, and unfit for use. Pimican is a very pala-\ntalie^ nourishing and healthy food; and on it, our\nVoyagers subsist, while travelling in this country.\nSometimes we add to the two above named ingfre-\ndients, sugar or dried berries, which we procure\nfrom the Natives ; and the taste of it is thus very\nmuch improved. ^\nMonday, 4. 1 have visited ^^jp\u00C2\u00ABidson Bay\n wym-f\nHARMON'S JOURNAL.\n49\npeople, whose fort is but a few rods from ours.\nMr. Miller, the gentleman who has charge of it,\ninformed me, that they obtain #heir goods from Albany Factory; that, in going down with their barges, they are generally about forty days ; but, that\nthey are nearly twice that time in returning, m\nconsequence of the current. The Factory lies to\nthe north east from this.\nWednesday, 6. This morning Mr. McDonell,\nwhom we passed a few days since, overtook, and\ninformed us, that one of his canoes broke, in coming down the rapids, that one of the men was\ndrowned, and most of the property on board was\nlost.\nFriday, 8. This evening, Mons. Mayotte took\na woman of this country for a wife, or rather concubine. All the ceremonies attending such an\nevent, are the following. When a person is desirous of taking one of the daughters of the Natives,\nas a companion, he makes a present to the parents\nof the damsel, of such articles as he supposes will\nbe most acceptable ; and, among them, rum is indispensable ; for of that all the savages are fond,\nto excess. Should the parents accept the articles\noffered, the girl remains at the fort with her\nsuitor, and is clothed in the ^Canadian fashion.\nThe greater part of these young women, as I am\ninformed, are better pleased to remain with the\n 50\nHARMON'S JOURNAL.\nwhite people, than with their own relations.\nShould the couple, newly joined, not agree, they\nare at liberty, at any time, to separate ; but no\npart of the property, given to the parents of the\ngirl, will be refunded.\nSunday, 10. Lake Winipick. In the former\npart of the day, the people for whom I have long\nbeen waiting, came up; and soon after, I embarked wfth them, and came hither. Although we are\nnot in want of provisions, yet our people have\nkilled a dog to eat, the flesh of which, they say, is\ndelicious. The dogs of this country, which resemble wolves^differ considerably from the dogs,\nfound in the civilized part of the world.\nMonday, 11. We embarked, early in the\nmorning; but soon, the wind blew .so as to oblige\nus to make the land, which we have done, on a\npoint that projects far into the Lake. Soon after\nwe reached the shore, a number of the Indians of\nthis quarter, who are Chippeways and Muscagoes,\ncame to pay their respects to us, to whom we gave\nsome rum, tobacco, &c.\nSunday, 17. Entrance of the river Dauphine.\nLake Winipick, which we now leave to go up this\nriver, is about two hundred and fifty miles in\nlength, and from three to sixty or seventy, in\nbreadth. The country about this lake, for a considerable distance, is low, and is overspread with\n HARMON'S JOURNAL.\n51\npretty heavy timber, and the soil appears to be\ngood. Dauphine river is so shallow, at present,\nthat our people are under the necessity of leaving\nhalf their ladings, for which they will return, after\nhaving proceeded a certain distance with the remainder.\nTuesday, 19. Last night, the wind blew so\nhigh, that it drove the water of the Lake to such\na distance up the beach, that we were under the\nnecessity of removing our baggage farther into\nthe woods, at three different times. This morning, our people came back for the remainder of\nthe property; and we proceeded up the river,\nwhich is about ten rods wide. The country about\nitris level.\nWednesday, 20. Lac St. Martin. The river\nDauphine passes through this lake. We here\nsee a great number of swans, bustards, pelicans,\n&c. The country around is swampy ; and I am\ninformed, that Moose are numerous in the vicinity.\nFriday, 22. This morning we left Lac St.\nMartin, and entered the Muddy Lake, where we\nagain find fowls, in great abundance.\nSaturday, 23. North end of the Plain Portage.\nThis portage is about two miles over, through a\nbeautiful country, and the soil is excellent.\nSunday, 24. Little Lake Winipick. \u00C2\u00BB Here\n Harmon's journal.\nwe find ajtnumber of the Natives, who are\nChippeways, waiting our arrival, to get rum to\ndrink, and necessaries, to enable them to hunt\nthe beaver.\nMonday, 25. We remain still, where we\nwere the last night; and have been employed,\nduring, the day, in making out a selection of goods\nfor the establishment at the entrance of the\nriver Dauphine, which falls into the west end of\nthis Lake. At that place, a French missionary\nresided, before the British obtained possession\nof Canada. He remainffl there, but for a short\ntime ; and great success, therefore, could not\nhave been expected. I am told, however, that\nthere are some Indians, still living, who recollect\nprayers, which were taught them by the missionary.\nSaturday, 30. Encampment Island. Here we\narrived, in the fore part of the day ; and we have\nbeen employed, ever since, in setting aside goods\nfor the Red Deer River, which falls into this\nlake, at the north end. We are now nearly\nacross the lake, which is about one hundred and\ntwenty miles long, and from five, to thirty broad.\nThere are no mountains, of any magnitoide, in this\npart of the country. The land is generally low,\nand well covered with timber, which consists\n harmon's journal.\n63\nof a spei^es of pine, bujeh, poplar, as pin, willow, &c.\nFriday, September 1. |Jta the morning, Mr. Mc\nGillis, with most of the people, left us to proceed\nto the Red Deer River, where they are to pass\nthe ensuing winter. Mr. McLeod, wijjth a number of people in one canoe, has gone to Lac\nBourbon, which place lies nearly north west from\nthis. We here take, in nets, the white fish, which\nare excellent.\nWednesdayfJfcB. I hajre passed#the day in\nreading the Bible, and in meditating on my present way of living ; and, I must confess, that it too\nmuch resembles that of a savage.\nSunday, 7. Late the last evening, Mr. Mc\nLeod returned from Lac Bourbon; and, this\nmorning, they again embarked for Swan River,\nand left me here, with two men, and as many\nwomen, to wait for the arrival of a number of\ncanoes, which are still behind, but which are\nexpected in daily.\nWednesday, 10. Yesterday, a part of the\npeople arrived, for whom I have been waiting,\nsome of whom I sent to the Red Deer River, and\nothers to Swan River. gf|\nSunday, October 4. North end of Little Lake\nWinipick. From the 29th of August, until the\nmorning of this day, I remained on Encampment\n 54\nHARMON'S JOURNAL.\ntmt\nIsland, waiting for the arrival of the people, who\nwere left behind. But, as they had almost constantly high winds, whi\u00C2\u00ABh, I am told, are common\nin this late part of the season, they did not make\ntheir appearance, until the second instant.\nDuring the long stay which I made at that\nunpleasant Island, we had little or nothing to eat,\nexcepting what we took from the water with our\nnets. There were times, when we met with\nlittle success. When the wind was higl| we could\nnot set our nets ; and consequently took nothing.\nOne night'the wind was so high, that it took the\nonly canoe which weftiad, to the other side of the\nLake, a distance of five miles, at least. We were\nthus deprived of the means of setting our nets.\nOn the eighth day after this disaster, ProvP\ndence sent an Indian to the place of our encampment, who lent us his canoe to go in search\nof ours, which our people found, uninjured.\nWhile we had no canoe, we were under the\ndisagreeable necessity of living upon the fish\nwhich we had left on the beach, when we took\nthem in plenty. They had, by this time, become\nalmost putrid. Unsavoury, however, as they\nwere, they did not last so long as we could have\nwished; for, when they were expended, we had\nnothing to eat, until a kind Providence sent a\nblack bear near our tents. One of my men fired,\nII\n Harmon's journal.\n55\nand killed him, which was a blessing, for which\nwe endeavoured to be thankful. We cpnsidered\nit sent by Heaven; and felt, that we deserved not\nsuch a favour. But the rain descends on the unjust as well as the just.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Yesterday, it snowed,\nduring most of the day, which prevented us from\ndecamping. But early this morning, without reluctance,* we left the solitary Island, where many\na moment of ennui passed over me. As I had\nno other book, I read during my stay there the\ngreater part of the Bible. This afternoon, we\nmeet two men, in a small canoe, from v Swan\nRiver, loaded with provisions, for the people\nof the Red Deer River. We did not suffer so good\nan opportunity, for furnishing ourselves with a\nsufficiency of food, to slistain us until we should\nmeet with another supply, to pass unimproved.\nHow delicious is food to a person who ^ near\nfamishing! But there are thousands, who know\nnot how to prize abundance, because they have\nnever experienced the distresses of want.\nThursday, October 9. Little Swan River. Yesterday, on account of high winds, we could not\nleave our encampment; but early this morning,\nwe embarked on board of our canoes, and at\ntwelve, left Little Lake Winipick, and entered\nthis river, which is eight or ten rods wide, very\nshallow, and full of rapids. JL therefore debark*\n 56\nHarmon's journal.\ned, and walked along on the beach about four miles,\nin the snow, mud and water. The people, also,\nfor want of a sufficiency of water, were obliged to\ndebark, and drag their canoes up the shallow\nplaces. But we are now encamped around a\nlarge fire, with plenty of food; I have given to\neach of the people a dram, and we have all ceased to think of the fatigue and trouble of the day.\nTo make a place to lie down, the people scrape\naway the snow, and lay down a few branches of\nthe pine, such as this country in every part produces : and on this we spread a blanket or two,\nand coyer ourselves with another. A day of hard\nm\nlabour, and of great fatigue, will enable a person\nto sleep soundly, on such a bed; and to obtain\nrefreshment, such as a sluggard will seek for in\nvain, on a bed of down.\nFriday, 10. Swan River Fort. In the morn-\niag we crossed Swan Lake, which is nearly eight\nmiles long, and then entered the Great Swan\nRiver. This river is about eleven rods wide;\nthere is a sufficiency of water, and there is no\nrapid from its mouth to the fort, a distance of\ntwelve miles. The country adjoining, is low, and\nin many places, swampy, and the soil is rich.\nMons. Perigne, the superintendant of the fort, has\na tolerable kitchen garden. The Hudson Bay\npeople, once came here; but it is several years\n Harmon's journal.\n57\nsince they abandoned the place. As they have\nnothing to expect from the Company, but their\nsalaries, they seem, so far as I can learn, to make\nbut little exertion to extend their trade, and,\nthereby, to benefit their employers.\nSaturday, 11. The day has been employed in\nfitting out Mons. Perigne, who, with six labouring\nmen, is to go and build a fort, about fifty miles\nup this river, where they will pass the winter. A\nfew miles from this, there is a salt spring, by boiling down the water of which, tolerable salt is\nmade. It;fis less strong than that brought from\nCanada; bu^, useck in sufficient quantity, it will\npreserve meat very well.\nSunday, 12. The people destined to build a\nfort up the river, left us to day. I shall remain\nhere until some persons arrive from Alexandria,\nwhich is situated nearly one hundred miles to the\nwestward of this, among the Prairies. There I\nshall pass the winter, with Mr. McLeod, or go\narid build by the side of the Hudson Bay people,\nwho are about three leagues distant from him.\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094Our men shoot a few hares and ducks.\nThursday, 16. We have taken a few fish\nout of this river, with nets. This evening, two\nmen on horses arrived from Alexandria, by whom\nI received a letter from Mr. McLeod, requesting\nme to accompany them to that place.\n8\nM\n 58\nHarmon's journal.\n#\nSaturday, 18. Second crossing place in the Swan\nRiver. In the morning we left the fort. The\ncountry which we have passed through, is low:\nand the timber, consisting of poplar, aspin, birch,\nwillow, pine and an inferiour kind of maple, is\nsmall. Of the sap of the maple, sugar is made ;\nbut its quality is not equal to that, produced\nfrom the real maple.\nMonday, 20. Bird Mountain. Here Mons.\nJPerigne and others are building a fort. Yesterday and to day, our way has been through prairies, interrupted occasionally, by small groves of\nwood. Cranes and Pheasants are to be seen in\nthe prairies; and to day, I have also seen and\nfired at eight Elk, without having killed any of\nthem. They are about the size of a cow, and of\na light grey colour. The males, which have long\nbranching horns, are animals of a noble and majes-\ntick appearance.\nWednesday, 22. The foot of a high hill, and\nnear a small Lake. The waters of this lake\nhave a sulphureous taste. In the morning, we\nleft Swan River on our right, after having\ncrossed it on a raft, made by tying several dry\ntrees together. Since leaving that river the\ncountry appears more hilly, and almost destitute\nof timber of any kind. Cranes and pheasants\nare to be seen, every where.\n8Hr**\" : ijfe- -, \u00E2\u0080\u0094 \u00E2\u0096\u00A0 - \u00E2\u0080\u00A2\u00E2\u0080\u009E\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\n HARMON S JOURNAL.\n59\nThursday, 23. Alexandria. We arfived here\nin the afternoon; and I am happy to find myself,\nat length, at the end of my journey, and where I\nhope to pass a few months, at least, in quietness.\nThe fort is buijt of|fa small rise of ground, on the\nbank of the Assiniboine, or Upper Red River,\nthat separates it from a beautiful prairie, about\nten miles long, and from one-to four broad, which\nis as level as the floor of a house. At a little\ndistance behind^he fort, are small groves of\nbirch, poplar, aspin and pine. On the whole,\nthe scenery around it, is delightful. The fort is\nsixteen rods in length, by twelve in breadth;\nthe houses, stores, &c, are well built, are plaister-\ned on the inside and outside, and are washed over\nwith a white earth, which answers nearly as well\nas lime, for white washing. This earth is found,\nin certain places, in all parts of this country.\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nHere horses are to be bought of the Natives\nfor a mere trifle. They are well built, strong, and\ntolerably fleet.\nThis place lies in Latitude 52\u00C2\u00B0 north, and in\n103\u00C2\u00B0 west Longitude. Mr. McLeod is qow gone\nto fort Dauphine, on horse back, which lies only\nfour days' march from this, over land; yet it is\nnearly two months, since I passed there in a\ncanoe. Bl-\n 60\nHARMON S JOURNAL.\nTuesday, 28. Mr. McLeod and company\nhave just returned from fort Dauphine; anH I\nam happy in meeting him, after so long a separation, and he appears to be pleased to see me,\nsafely here. From the time that I was left at the\nEncampment Island until now, I have had no\nperson with whom Hfcould converse in English ;\nand I am not yet able to converse in French,\nthough I can read it tolerably well.\nSunday, November 9. On the 30th ultimo, I\nset off, in company with four Canadians, on horse\nback, for Swan River fort. The day we left\nthis, it snowed and rained, which caused us to\npass a very disagreeable night, as we had nothing but our wet blankets with which to cover\nourselves. The people went down for goods;\nand as there is no person there who can read and\nwrite, I went to deliver out such articles as we\nare in immediate want of here.\nSunday, 16. The Indians who come to this\nestablishment are Crees and Assiniboins. The\nprincipal part of the former, generally remain in\nthe wofedy part of the country, and hunt the\nmoose, elk, beaver, &c. and the latter remain in\nthe large prairies, and hunt buffaloes, wolves, &c.\nLast Wednesday, twelve families of Crees and\nAssiniboins came from the large prairies, and let\nus have furs and provisions. Both the men and\n Harmon's journal.\n61\nWomen have been drinking, ever since, and their\nnoise is very disagreeable ; for they talk, sing and\ncry, at the same time.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Our men play at cards on\nthe sabbath, the same as on any other day. For\nsuch improper conduct, I once reproved theui;\nbut their reply was, there is no sabbath in this\ncountry, and, they added, no God nor devil; and\ntheir behaviour but too plainly shows, that they\nspoke as they think. It is a lamentable fact, that\nthose who have been for any considerable time\nin this savage country, lay aside a greater part\nof the regulations of civilized and christian people, and behave little better than the savages.\nIt is true, we have it not at all times in our\npower, to observe the sabbath as. we ought, as\nthe Natives come to our establishments as often\non that day, as any other; and when they do\ncome, they must be attended to, and their wants\nmust be supplied. We are, also, frequently under\nthe necessity of travelling on the sabbath. But\nit is likewise true, that, if we were rightly disposed, our minds might, on this day, be almost\nwholly occupied with divine things. I must,\ntherefore, acknowledge, that we have no reasonable excuse for violating the sabbath, as we\nan do. m\nWednesday, 19. Last night, there fell about\nfour inches of snow, which is the first that we\n 62\nHarmon's journal.\nhave had, this season.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Yesterday, eight families\nof Crees came in. While drinking, one of their\nwomen, who had a sharp pointed knife about her,\nfell down, and drove it nearly two inches into her\nside ; but the wound is not thought to be mortal.\nTo see a house full of drunken Indians, consisting\nof men, women and children, is a most unpleasant\nsight; for, in that condition, they often wrangle,\npull each other by the hair, and fight. At some\ntimes, ten or twelve, of both sexes, may be seen,\nfighting eaeh other promiscuously, until at last,\nthey all fall on the floors one upon another, some\nspilling rum out of a small kettle or dish, which\nthey hold in their hands, while others are throwing up what they have just drunk. To add to\nthis uproar, a number of children, some on their\nmothers' shoulders, and others running about and\ntaking hold of their clothes, are constantly bawling, the older ones, through fear that their parents may be stabbed, or that some other misfor-\ntune may befal them, in the fray. These shrieks\nof the children, form a very unpleasant chorus to\nthe brutal noise kept up by their drunken parents, who are engaged in the squabble.\nSunday, November 30. This, being St. Andrew's day, which is a fete among the Scotch, and\nour Bourgeois, Mr. McLeod, belonging to that\nnation, the people of the fort, agreeably to the\n Harmon's journal. 63\ncustom of the country, early in the morning, presented him with a cross, &c. and at the same\ntime, a number of others, who were at his door,\ndischarged a volley or two of muskets. Soon after, they were invited into the hall, where they\nreceived a reasonable dram, after which, Mr.\nMcLeod made them a present of a sufficiency of\nspirits, to keep them merry during the remainder\nof the day, which they drank at their own house.\nIn the evening, they were invited to dance in the\nhall; and during it, they received several flagons\nof spirits. They behaved with considerable propriety, until about eleven o'clock, when tt^eir\nheads had become heated, by the great quantity\nof spiritous liquor which they had drunk, during\nthe course of the day and evening. Some o\u00E2\u0082\u00AC\nthem became quarrelsome, as the Canadians generally are, when intoxicated, and to high words,\nblows soon*%ucceeded; and finally, two battles\nwere fought, which put an end to this truly genteel,\nNorth Western ball.\nTuesday, December 2. As jet, we have only a\nfew inches of snow. Yesterday morning, accompanied by six men on horse-back, I went to the\nlodge or tent of one of our hunters. The people\nwent for meat, and I, for the pleasure of ridi&g,\nand seeing the country. We arrived at the place\nwhere the Indian was encamped, just as the sun\n 64\nHARMON'S JOURNAL.\nwas sinking below the horizon, and when the hunter was about to take a sweat, which is^frequently\ndone in the following manner. The women make\na kind of hut, of bended willows, which is nearly\ncircular, and if for one or two persons only, not\nmore than fifteen feet in circumference, and three\nor four in height. Over these, they lay the skins\nof\the buffaloe, &c. and in the centre of the hut,\nthey place heated stones. The Indian then enters, perfectly naked, with a dish of water in his\nhand, a little of which, he occasionally throws on\nthe hot stones, to create steam, which, in connex-\niofiywith the heat, puts him into a profuse perspiration. In this situation he will remain, for about\nan hour; but a person unaccustomed to endure\nsuch heat, could not sustain it for half that time.\nThey sweat themselves in this manner, they say,\nin order that thfir limbs may become more supple, and they more alert, in pursuing animals,\nwhich they are desirous of killing. They, also,\nconsider sweating a powerful remedy, for the most\nof diseases. As they come from sweating, they\nfrequently plunge into a river, or rub themselves\nover with snow. The country we passed\nthrough, is large prairies, with here and there\nfegrove of small trees. This evening we returned to the fort; and the horses of our people\nwere loaded with the flesh of the moose and elk.\n HARMON S JOURNAL.\n65\nThe buffaloes are as yet a considerable distance\nfarther, out in the spacious prairies. Nothing but\nsevere cold weather will drive them into the\nwoody part of the country, to which they jiill\nthen come, in order to be less exposed to the\nwind and weather, than they would be, to remain\nin the open plains.\nSunday, 21. There is now about a foot of\nSfeow en. the ground; and, on the 11th instant,\nI left this place, in company with seven Canadians,\nfor Swan River fort. Each* man had a sledge,\ndrawn by two dogs, loaded with one hundred and\nfifty pounds weight of furs&jhesides provisions to.\nserve man and beast, to perform the trip. On\nour return, the sledges were loaded with goods. ,\nWe reached our fort, this afternoon, where I am\nhappy to find Mr. Hugh McGilli&, on a visit from\nRed Dees River, and also, two men with letters,\nfrom Fort des Prairies, or Sisiscatchwin River.\nThe former place, lies about one hundred and\nfifty miles from this, and the latter, four or five\nhundred, in nearly a north direction.\nWednesday, 24. Yesterday, I went to see\nthe fort of the Hudson Bay Company, whfch is\nsituated about nine miles down this river, aiA is\nin the charge of a Mr. Sutherland. He has a\nwoman of this country, for a wife, who, I was\npleased to find, could speak the English language,\n9\n \u00E2\u0096\u00A0\nm\nHARMON'S JOURNAL.\ntolerably well. I understand, also, that she can\nboth read and write it, which she learned to do at\nJftidson's Bay, where the Company have a school.\nShe speaks, likewise, the Cree andt Sauteux languages. She appears to possess natural good\nsense, and is far from being deficient, in acquired\nknowledge.\nFriday, January 2, 1801. The weather,\nfor several days past, has been severely cold.\nYesterday, being the commencement of a new\nyear, our people, according to a Canadian custom,\nwhich is to get drunk if possible, spent the day\nin drinking, arid danced in the evening; ' but\nthere was neither scratching nor fighting, on this\noccasion.\nSunday, 4. In the morning, the greater part\nof our people, consisting of men, women and children, were sent away to pass the remainder of\nthe winter, about two days' march from this, in\nthe prairie. They will subsist on the flesh of the\nbuffaloe, which they will themselves kill in abundance. During their stay there, they will reside\nin tents or lodges, made of the skins of the buffaloe, moose or elk. These skins, after having been\ndressed, are sewed together ;:^and one tent will\ncontain from ten to twenty five of them. These\ntents are erected on poles, and assume the form of\na sugar loaf. Ten or fifteen persons will reside in\n Harmon's journal.\n67\none of them; for while|fhere^ihey are either sitting or lying down.\nThe Indians, who come to this establishment,\nare, as has been already observed^re es and Assiniboins ; or as some ca^ them, Kinistinoes and\nStone Indi$ps. 'Both of them are numerous\ntribes; and as they often meet, and some of them\nintermarry, their manners and customs are similar ; but there is no resemblance in their Ian-\nguages. Both|p tribes are well furnished with\nhorses. The Assiniboins, however, are, by far,\nthe best hopemen; they never go any distance\non foot, and it is generally on horse back, ^hat\nthey kill their game.\nThey mount their horses, and run down, and\nkill the buffaloe, and some^other animals, with\nbows and arrows, which they find every way as\nconvenient for this purpose, as fire arms. But the\nCrees, when they can procure them, always make\nuse of guns. Their clothing consists of leggins of\ncloth or dressed Antelope skins, a shirt or frock\nof the same materials, and a blanket ^r dressed\nBuffaloe skin, which they wrap round their bodies,\nand tie about their waists. To the above they\nwill often add a cap or bonnet, of the wolf shin,\nand shoes for their feet.\nLast evening, I wrote to two fellow travellers\nwith me from Montreal ; and the letters will be\n 68\nHarmon's journal.\ntaken to them by the winter express, which\nleaves this, tomorrow, and is to pass by the way of\nFort des Brairies, thence to the English River, and\nthence directly to Athabasca. And, I am informed, there lis an express, which every year leaves\nAthabasca, in the month of December, and fJasses\nthrough the whole country called the North West,\nand in the latter part of March, rea&hes the Soult\nSt. Maries. Thus the gentlemen who come up\nfrom Montreal, obtain from the interiour, intelligence respecting the transactions of the preceding\nsummer and fall much earlier than they could\notherwise do. This information, it is important\nNrbat they receive, as soon as possible. This conveyance of intelligence, extending to the distance\nof nearly three thousand miles, is attended with\nbut a trifling expense to the Company.\nThursday, 15. Beautiful weather. On the\neleventh, I accompanied six of our people to the\ntent of one of our hunters ; and the day following,\nthey returned with their sledges loaded with\nmeat; but I remained, to go along with the\nhunter, farther in the prairie. Accordingly, the\nnext day, I proceeded with him, and saw, indifferent herds, at least a thousand buffaloes, grazing. They would allow us to come within a few\nrods of them before they would leave^their places. At this season, they are tame, and it is not\n HARMON'S JOURNAL,\n69\nat all dangerous to go among them. But, in the\nAre part of the summer, which is their rutting season, it is quite the reverse. Then, if they perceive a human being, the males will pursue him,\nand if they cairtovertake, will trample him under\ntheir feet, or pierce their horns through his\nbody.\nThe male buffaloe, when fat, will weigh from\none Itoousand, to fifteen hundred pounds, and\nthe female, from eight hundred, to a thousand.\nTheir meat is excellent eating; but is not generally consMered so deliciousjas that of the moose.\nWednesday, February 11. On the 1st inst.iife-\ncompanied by eight of our people, and one of the\nNatives as a guide, I set off, with a small assortment of goods, to go and trade with about fifty\nfamilies of Crees and Assiniboins. In going to\ntheir camp or village, we were three days, and at\nall times, in an open country. After we had encamped the first night, there came on a terrible\nstorm of snow, accompanied by a strong and cold\nnorth wind ; and as we were in an open plain, we\nhad nothing to shelter us from the violence of the\nweather. In the morning, we were covered with\nsnow, a foot in depth. Our people, however, soon\nharnessed the dogs; and we proceeded, hoping to\nWarm ourselves, by running. This we found it\ndifficult to do, as the wind was strong, and directly\n 70\nHARMON'S JOURNAL.\nin our faces. At the close of the day, after.we\nhad encamped, our guide killed a*\u00E2\u0082\u00ACat buffaloe,\nwhich supplied food, both to men and beasts.\nWhile eating it around a large fire, we almost forgot the suffering\" which we endured, by the cold of\nthe preceding night and morning; and, if we were\nnot thankful for the blessing bestowed upon us, we\nwere, at least, glad to enjoy it. After having passed one or two cold days without eating, there is a\nrelish in food to which the sons of indolence and\nof pleasure, are perfect strangers; and which they\ncan purchase only, at the expense of toil and of\nhardship.\nWhen we had Approached within about a mile\nof the camp of the Natives, ten or twelve of their\nChiefs, or most** respectable men among them,\ncame on horseback, to meet, and conduct us to\ntheir dwellings. We arrived at them, through a\ncrowd of people, who hailed us with a shout of\njoy. Immediately after our arrival, the principal\nChief of the village sent his son, to invite me and\nmy interpreter to his tent. As soon as we had entered it, and ^were seated, the;irespect able old\nChief caused meat and berries, and the best of\nevery thing which he had, to be set before us. Before we had eaten much, we were sent for to another tent, where we received a similar treatment;\nand from this, we were invited to another ; and so\n Harmon's journal.\n71\non, till we had been||o more than half a dozen.\nAt all these, we ate a little, and^moked our\npipes; for, my interpreter informed me, they\nwould be greatly affronted, and think that we despised them, if we refused to taste of every thing\nwhich was set before us. Hospitality to strangers,\nis among the Indian virtues.\u00E2\u0080\u0094During several days\nthat we remained with these people, we were\ntreated with more real politeness, thanv is commonly shown to strangers, in the civilized part of\nthe world.\nWhile I wias at the camp of the Natives, 1\nwas invited to attend and see them dance. The\ndancers were about thirty in number, and were all\nclothed with the^skins of the Antelope, dressed,\nwhich were nearly as white as snow ; and upon\ntheir heads they sprinkled a white earth, which\ngave them a very genteel appearance. Their\ndance was conducted in the following manner. A\nman, nearly forty years of age, rose with his tomahawk in his hand, and made, with a very distinct\nvoice, a long harangue. He recounted all the\nnoble exploits which he had achkved, in the sev-,\neral war-parties with which he had engaged his\nenemies ; and he made mention of two persons, in\nparticular, whom he first killed, and thej^ took off\ntheir scalps; and for each of these, he gave a\nblow with his tomahawk against a post, which was\nI\ni\n 72\nHarmon's journal.\nset up, expressly for that purpose, near the center of the tent. And now the musick^Jbegan,\nwhich consisted of tambourines, and the shaking of\nbells, accompanied tap singing. Soon after, the\nman who had made the harangue, began the dance,\nwith great majesty; then another arose, and joined him; and.shortly after, another ; and so on, one\nafter another, until there were twelve or fifteen\nup, who all danced around a small fire, that was\nin the centre of the tent. While dancthg, they\nmade many savage gestures and shrieks, such as\nthey^re in the habit of making, when they encounter their enemies. In this course they continued,\nfor nearly an hour, when they took their seats,\nand another party got up, and went through with\nthe same ceremonies. Their dancing and singing,\nhowever, appeared, to be a succession of the same\nthings ; and therefore after having remained with\nthem two or three hours, I returned to my lodgings ; and how long they continued their amusement, I cannot say.\n. In this excursion, we saw buffaloes in abuo-\n. dance; and when on a small rise of ground, I think\nI may with truth affirm, that there were in view,\ngrazing on the surrounding plains, at least five\nthousand of them. Of these animals, we killed\nwhat we wanted for our own subsistence, and the\nsupport of our dogs $ and this evening, we return*-\n-\"\"qaBi\"\n Harmon's journal>\n73\ned to the fort, well pleased with our jaunt, loadM\nwith furs and provisions, andSNvithtout having received the least affront or the smallest injury from\nthe Natives, notwithstanding most oPlhem became\nintoxicated with the sjKrits, with which we supplied them.\nTuesday, \"February 17. We have now about\na foot and an half of snow on the groutid.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Mr.\nMonteur, ifceompanied by two Canadians, arrived,\nwith letters from our friends^ln Fort des Prairies.\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094This morning, oniPof our people killed a buffaloe in the Prairie, opposite to the fort; and another came within ten rods of the fort gate, when\nthe dogs pursuW him, and he ran oft.\nThursday, 19. Thfe day, I am twenty three\nyears oblige, and how rapidly does this space of\ntime appear to have passed away ! It seems as\nif it were but yesterday, that I was a child. The\ntruth is, the time that we are allowed to remain\nin this fleeting world is so short, even if wefehould\nbe permitted to reach^the utmost boundary of human life, that a person can scarcely have passed\nthe threshhold of existence, before he must^et his\nhouse^m order to die.\nFriday, 20. During the last night, we sat up\nto deal out spirits to the Indians. /One of them has\nhis own daughter for a wife, and her mother at the\nsame time! Incest, however, is a crime, of which\n10\n 74\nHARMON'S JOURNALS\n#\nthe Indians of this quarter are not often gtiHty.\nWhen one of them doesfeommil^t, he is regarded\nby the rest of his tribe, as void of sense.\nSaturday, Mardi 1#M The greater part of the\nsnow is now dissolved. On the sixth irist. accompanied by eighteen of our people, I left this, to go\nto Swan River-|&rt. We had thirty sledges, some\ndrawn by horses, and some by dogs, which were\nloaded with furs and provisions.\nSaturday, April 4. Swan River For& Here\nI arrived this afternoon, and have come to pass\nthe remainder of the spiing. While at Alexandria, Hry time passed agreeably in company with\nA. N. McLeod, Esq. who is a sensible man, and an\nagreeable companion. He appeared desirous of\ninstructing me in what was most necessary to be\nknown, respecting the affairs of this country ; and\na taste for reading I owe, in a considerable degree,\nto the influence of his ex ample. These, with many\nother favour0which he was pleased to show me,\nI shall ever hold in grateful remembrance.\u00E2\u0080\u0094But\nnow I am comparatively alone, there being no\nperson here, able to speak a word of English ; and\nas I have not been much in the company of those\nwho speak the French language, I do not aslyet,\nunderstand it very well. Happily for me, I have\na few books; and in perusing them, I shall pass\nmost of my leisure moments.\n harmon's journal.\n75\nMonday, 6. $3j&bre taken a ride on horseback,\nto a place where our people are making sugar.\nMy path led me over a small prairie, and through\na wood, where I saw a great variety of birds, that\nwere straining their tuHeful throats, as if to welcome the return of another spring; small animals,\nalso, were Running about, or skipping from tree to\ntree, and at the same time, were to be seen swans,\nbustards, ducks, &c. swimming about in the river\nand ponds. All these Aings together, rendered\nmy ramble beyond expression delightful.\nFriday, 10. Fine pleasant weather. This\nafternoon, I took a solitary, yet pleasing walk, to\nthe ruins of a fort, which was abandoned, a few\nyears since, by the Hudson Bay people, to whom\nit belonged, but who do not now come into this\npart of the country. While surveying these ruins, I could not avoid reflecting on the^Miort duration of every thing in this fleeting and perishing\nworlSHM I then went to a spot, where a number\nof their people had been interred, far from their\nnative country, their friends and relations! \"jlLnd\nwhile I was lamenting their sad fate, my blood\nchilled at the thought, that what had happened\nto them might, very probably, befal me also.\nBui%iy prayer shall ever be, that a merciful God\nwill, in due time, restore me to my friends and re-\n 70\nHARMON S JOURNAL.\nlations, in good health, and with an unblemished\ncharacter.\nSunday, 19. On Friday last, there fell yearly\na foot of snow, which, however, was soon dissolved ; and it caused the river to overflow its banks\nto such a distance, that our people who were making sugar, were obliged to leave the woods and\nto return to the fort.\nTuesday, 21. All the snow has left us ; and\nwe are again favoured with fine weather. The\nlast night, the ice in this river broke up.\nMonday, 27. It has snowed all day, and has\nfallen to the depth of six inches.\u00E2\u0080\u0094I now begin to\nfeel the want of books, having brought but few\nwith me, on account of the short time that I expect to remain here.\nSaturday, May 2. It has rained all day,\nwhich is the first time that an^has fallen, since\nthe last autumn.\u00E2\u0080\u0094As I have but little business\nthat requires my attention, I employ the greater\npart ofany time in reading the bible, and in studying the French language.\nSunday, 10. It has gained constantly, during\nthree successive days, which has caused the water in tge river, since yesterday, to rise more than\nfour feet.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Yesterday, one of my men wentgn$|rto\nshoot ducks, and lost his way, and was therefore under the necessity of passing the night in the woods,\n without any covering from the cold and the rain,\nwhich poured down in torrents. This morning, however, by chance, or rather directed by an all protecting Providence, he fell upon a small foot path,\nwhich brought him rfareotly to the fort, where he\nwas not a little pleased to arriveM4Experience\ntojaly can teach us how to value such a deliverance.\nWednesday, 13. The late rains have caused\n4hfe river to overflow its banks to such a^ uncommon distance, that when^I aifl^ this morning, to\nmy surprise, I found seven inches of water,^n %\u00C2\u00A7\nfirst floor of the house, which is an event that the\noldest person here does not remember before to\nhave witnessed. We are obliged to leaVe the\nfort, and to pitch our tents on a small ris^ of\nground, at no great distance off, where me shaj^\nremain, until the deluge is abated.\nFriday, 15. Sent five men with a^canoe, two\ndays march up this river, for Mr. McLeod and\ncompany, as the face of the country extensively,\nlies under water.\nWednesday, 20. The water has left the fort;\nand with pleasure, we leave our tents, t# occupy\nour former dwellings. This afternoon Mr. Af|\nLeod, and company, arrived, and are thus$ar on\ntheir way to the Grand Portage.\nTuesday, 26. Yesterday, our people finished\nK\n 78\nHARMON'S JOURNAL.\nmaking our furs into packs, of ninety pounds\nweight each. Two or three of these make a load\nfor a man, to c#rry across the portages. This\nmorning, all the hands, destined to this service,\nembarked on board; of five canoes, for Head-quarters. To Mr. McLeod, I delivered a packet of\nletters, to be forwarded to my friends, who reside\nat Vergennes, in the state of Vermont, and tomorrow, I shall set out for Alexandria, where I expects pass the ensuing summer, and&to superintend the affairs of that place and of this, until the\nnext autumn.\nMonday, June 1. Accompanied by two men,\nI arrived at Alexandria, this afternoon ; and I here\nfound six families of Crees, encamped about the\nfort. I ha\"Pe wi%h me one clerk, two interpreters\nand five labouring men, also six women and thh>\nteen children, belonging to our people, and a number of women and children belonging to the Natives, whose husbands have gone to make war upon the Rapid Indians, or as they call themselves,\nPaw-is-ttek I-e-ne-wuek. This is a small but brave\ntribe, who remain a considerable distance out in\nthe large prairies, and toward the upper part of\nthe Missouri river. We shall have nearly one hundred mouths to fill, for the greater parte of the\nsummer, out of our store; but to furnish the\nmeans, we have hired two of the Natiyes^lo hunt\n HARMON S JOURNAL.\n79\nfor us, during the season; and moose, elk, &c. are\nconsiderably numerous in this vicinity. We hope,\ntherefore, that we shall not want fo$rthe means of\nsubsistence. Buffaloes have now returned several\ndays' mareh from this place, into the spacious\nprairies; but this is no serious loss to us, since, if\nthey were near they would be but indifferent food,\nas at thfe seasofe of the year, they are always, lean,\nand consequently rank and tough.\nWednesday, 10. It is currently repofeted and\nbelieved, that $fae Rapid Indians are forming a\nwar-party, in order to come against the Indians\nof this quarter, whomifchey consider, and I think\nwith sufficient reason, as their enemies. Should\nthey come this way, they will as probably fall\nupon us as upon the Natives themselves; for\nthey say, that we furnish the Crees and Assiniboins\nwith what fire arms they want, while they get\nbut few. I have, therefore, thought it expedient\nto direct our people, to build block-house^over\nthe fort gates, and to put the bastions in order,\nthat we may be prepared to defend ourselves, in\ncase of an attack.\nSunday, 14. This afternooi^a number of the\nNatives danced in the fort. Their dance was\nconducted in the following manner. Two stakes\nwere driven into the ground, about twenty feet\napart; and as oneiperson beat the drum, the oth-\n 80\nHarmon's journal.\nipfp\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\ners, consisting of men and women, danced round\nthese stakes. The men had a differeriifstep from\nthat of the women. The latter placed both\nfeet together, and first moved their heels forward\nand then their toes, and thus went slowly round\nthe stakes. But the men rather hopped than\ndanced,^and therefore went twice round the\nstakes^, while the women went once. They all\nkept exact time with the music, for they have\nexcellent ears. Indeed, I believe that all their\nsenses are more acute than those of the white\npeople.\nThursday, July 9.dThis day, there %ame here an\nAmerican, that, when a small child, was taken\nfrom his parents, who then resided intthe Illinois\ncountry. He was kidnapped by the Sauteux, with\nwhom he has resided* ever since ; and he speajks no\nother language excepting theirs. He is now about\ntwenty years of age, and is regarded as a cHief\namong that tribe. He dislikes to hear people\nspeak to him, respecting his white relations; and\nin every respect excepting his colour, he resembles the savages, with whom he resides. He is\nsaid to be an excellent hunter. He remains with\nan old woman who, soon after he was taken from\nhis relations adopted him into her family; and\nthey appear to be mutually as fond of each\nother, as if they were actually mother and son.\n^\"iS^IiSSl\n HARMONS JOURNAL.\n81\nThursday, 30. Different kinds of berries are\nnow ripe, such as strawberries, raspberries^\nand what the Canadians call paires, which the\nNatives denominate Mi-sas-qui-to-min-uck. #The\nlast, if they are not the same in kind, exactly\nresemble, in shape and taste, what in the New\nEngland states are called shad berries. When\nthey are found in the prairies, tbgy grow on bushes, four or five feet high ; but in a thick wood they\noften reach to the height of fifteen or twenty feet.\nOf this wood, the Natives always^lpaake their arrows. These berries, when properly dried by the\nsun, have an agreeable taste, and are excellent to\nmix with pimican. The Natives generally boil\nthem in the broth of fat meat; and this constitutes\none of their most dainty dishes, and is intl^>duced\nat all their feasts.\nMr. A. N. McLeod has a son here named Alexander, who is nearly five years of age, and whose\nMother is of the tribe of the Rapid Indians. In my\nleisure time, I am teaching him the rudiments of the\nEnglish language. The boy speaks the Sauteux\nand Cree fluently, for a child; and makes himself understood tolerably well, in the Assiniboin\nand French languages. In short, he is like most\nof the children of this country, blessed with a retentive memory, and learns very reaclly.\nWe have made about ten tons of hay, to feed\nH 11.\n 82\nHarmon's journal.\nthose of our horses which we intend shall work,\nduring the winter season. The others live the\nwhole year, upon the grass which they find in\nthe prairies. In the winter, to procure it, they\nmust serape away, with their feet, the snow,\nwhich is generally eighteen inches deep, excepting on the highest hills, from which the wind\ndrives most of it into the^fcalleys.\nThursday, August 27. All the provision\nwhich we now have in the fort, consists of only\nabout fifteen pounds of pimican ; and when we\nshall be able to add to our supply, God only knows*\nAll our dependance is on our hunters; and it is\nnow a considerable time since they have killed any\nthing, though moose and elk areipumerous in this\nvicinity.\nSunday, 30. Yesterday, three of our people\narrived from the Grand Portage, with letters\nfrom Mr. McLeod, &c, which inform me, that\nthe above mentioned people, together with others who remained at Swan River fort, were sent\noff from head quarters, earlier than usual, with an\nassortment of goods, supposing, that we might\nneed sonie articles, before the main brigade arrives. \u00C2\u00A7sh|\n\"Sunday, September 6. This is thellthird day,\nduring which it has rained, without the least\ncessation.\u00E2\u0080\u0094There are five families of Crees, en-\n HARMON S JOURNAL.\n83\ncamped about the fort, who have been continual-\nly^funk, during the last forty eight hofjrs; but\nnow they begin to be troublesome,~for they have\nnothing more to sell, yet they wish to continue\ndrinking.\nOne of the Indians, who was of the party that\nHst spring went to war, has recently come in.\nWhen he arrived, his face was painted entirely\nflftack, which I am informed, is always their custom, when they return fron# such expeditions.\nAs h# drew nigh to the fort, he began to sing a\nwar song. He states, that his party, the Crees and\nAssiniboins, have made great slaughter among\ntheir enemies, the RapidWndians, and are bringing a number of their women fN children homey\nfor slaves. He was sent forward, as he says, to\ninform us of what they consider, glorious news.\nMonday, 7. More of the Indians, who have\nbeen to war, have reached this place, and have\nbrought several slaves, and a few scalps, with\nthem. This afternoon, \u00C2\u00A7 they danced and sung\ntheir war songs. Agreeably to the custom of the\ncountry, I gave them a few trifling articles, not as\na reward for having been to war, but because\nthey have done us honour, as they think, by dancing in our fort.\nSunday, 27. It has snowed and rained all\nday. r$Fhis afternoon, Mr. McLeod and company,\n 84\nharmon's journal.\nreturned from the Grand Portage, and delivered\nto me letters from my friends in my nitive land ;\nand I am happy in being informed, that they left\nthem blessed with good health. Self-banished,\nas I am, in this dreary country, and at such a distance from all I hold dear in this world, nothing\nbeside, could give me half the satisfaction, which\nthis intelligence affords. I also received several\nletters from gentlemen in different parts of the\nwidely extended North West Country.\nFriday, October 2. Montane Aiseau, or the\nBird Mountain. In the morning, I left Alexandria, on horse back, and arrived here this evening\nwhere, by permission of Providence, I shall pass\nthe ensuing winter. I have with me three inter-\npreters, six labouring men and two women. The\nfort is built on the bank of Swan River, a little\nmore than fifty miles distant from its entrance into Swan Lake. The Indians who frequent this\nestablishment are Sauteux, Crees and Mus-ca-goes,\nall of whom speak nearly the same language.\nMoose and elk are considerably numerous, in thfe\nvicinity; but buffaloes seldom come thus far, hlrto\nthe woody country.\nThursday, 29. On the 22nd instant, Mr.\nMcLeod, with ten of his people, arrived on horseback; and on the day following, I accomj&nied\nthem to the lower fort, where I met Mr. Williatf\n Harmon's journal.\n85\nHenry, a clerl^l Mr. McLeod has also brought\nanoth^ clerk into this country, by the name of\nFrederick Goedike. This evening, Messrs.\nMcLeod, Henry arid myself, returned, but left\ntheipeople behind, whose horses are loaded with\ngoods, for this place and Alexandria.\nTuesday, November 3. Snow has fallen, to the\ndepth of $hree inches, which is the first that we\nhave %ad, this fall.\nThursday, 19. A foot and an half of snow has\nWediifcsday, Detember 23. Clear, and cold. Q\u00C2\u00A7|\nthe 16th inst. I went to Alexandria, where I passed several days agreeably, in the company of\nMessrs. McLeod, Henry, and Goedike. We\nhave now more snow than we had at any time\nthe last winter. In consequence of lameness, I\nreturned on a sledge drawn by dogs.\nFriday, 25. This being Christmas day, agreeably to the custom of the country, I gave our people a dram, and a pint of spirits, each.\nMonday, 28. Payet, one of my interpreters,\nhas taken one of the daughters of the Natives for\na wife ; and to her parents, he gave in rum, dry\ngoods, &c. to the value of two hundred dollars.\nNo ceremonies attend the formation of such connexions, as I have before remarked, excepting that\nthe bridegroom* at the time to retire to rest, fhows\nw\n 86\nHARMON7S journal.\nhis bride where their common lodging place is;\nand they continue to cohabit, as long as both parties choose, but no longer. One thing is^secured\nby this arrangitneit, which is by n|f means always\nfound in the civilized world, and that is, while pe#\nsons live together, in a state of wedlock, they will\nlive in harmony.\nFriday, January 1, 1802. This being the first\nday of the year, in the morning, I gave the peo^\npie a dram or two, and a pint of rum each, to\ndrink in the course of the day, which enabled\nthem to pass it merrily, although they had very\nlittle to eat; for our hunters say they can kill\nnothing. One of them will not go out of his tent $\nfdr he imagines, that the \"Bad Spirit, as they call\nthe devil, is watching an opportunity to find him\nin the open air, in order to devour him. What\nwill not imagination do! Hi\nSaturday, 9. Several days since, I sent a number of my people to Alexandria for meat, as neither of my hunters kill any thing; though there is\nno scarcity of animals, ip this vicinity. But they\nhave just returned, without any thing. They say\nthat the buffaloes, in consequence of the late mild\nweather, have gone a considerable distance, into\nthe large prairie. We are therefore under the\nnecessity of subsisting on pounded meat, and dried\nchokecherries. This latjter article, is little better\n HARMON'S JOURNAL.\n87\nthan nothing. When we shall be irr j| better situation, God only knows. Hope, however, which\nseldom abandons the wretched, denies us not her\ncomforting aid ; and past experience teaches us,\nthat it is possible our circumstances may suddenly\nchange for the better.\nSunday, 17. Last evening, our people brought\nfrom the tent of our hunter, the meat of a moose,\nwhich^ighte^t up a smile of joy upon our countenances. We were happy to find, that a kind\nProvidence, instead of abandoning, had favoured\nus with one of the richest dainties, that this country affords. It would be well if our joy was true\ngratitude to our kind Benefactor.\u00E2\u0080\u0094There are\ntwelve persons in the fort; and yet for the last\nfifteen days, we have subsisted on what was scarcely sufficient for two people ! These were certainly the darkest days that I ever experienced,\nin this or any other country. \\nTuesday, 19. I have taken a walk, accompanied by Payet, a short distance from the fort,\nwhere we found hazelnuts, still on the bushes,\nin such plenty, that a person may easily gather a\nbushel in the course of a day. I am told, that\nwhen sheltered from the wind, all of them do not\nfall off, until the month of May.\nMonday, February 1. For several days past,\nthe ^weather has been excessively cold ; and this\n$\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2\n 88\nbarmon's journal.\nKF\nhas been, as I think, the coldest day that I ever\nexperienced. In fact, the weather is so severe,\nthat our hunters dare not venture out of their\ntents, although they, as well as ourselves, have little to eat.\nSunday, 7. During the last three days, we\nhave subsisted on tallow and dried cherries. This\nevening, my men returned from Alexandria, with\ntheir sledges loaded with buffalqft meat; and the\nsight of it, was truly reviving./ Had this favour\nbeen withheld from us a few days longer, we must\nhave all miserably perished by famine. |p\nMonday,.8. All the Indians of this place, excepting my hunters, have gone to pass about a\ncouple of months, as they are accustomed to do,\nat this season, on their beloa^d food, the buffaloe.\nFriday, 19. At present, thanks to the Giver\nof all good, we have a pretty good stock of provisions in store, and therefore expect not again to\nwant, this season.\nSaturday, March 6. I have just returned from\na visit to my friends at Alexandria, where I passed four days very pleasantly, in conversing in my\nmother tongue^l This is a satisfaction that no one\nknows, excepting those, who have been situated\nas I am, with a people with whom I cannot speak\nfluently. And if I could, it would afford me little\nsatisfaction to converse with the ignorant Canadfe-\n HARMON'S JOURNAL.\n89\nans around me. All their chat is about horses,\ndogs, canoes, women and strong men, who can\nfight a good battle. I have, therefore, only one\nway left to pair my time rationally, and that is\nreading. Happily for me I have a collection of\ngood books ; and mine will be the fault ifr 1 do\nnot derive profit from them. I, also, begin to find\npleasure in the study of Frenc^\nSaturday, 20. The greater number of our\nIndians have returned #om the prairjps ; and\nas they have brought little with them to traded\nof course, give themf as little ; for we are at too\ngreat a distance from the civjjufed world, to make\nmany gratuities. Yefl the Indians were of a different opinion; and at first made use M some unpleasant language. But we did noieome to blows,%nd\nare now preparing to retire t#rest, nearly as good\nfriends as the Indfans and traders generally are.\nWith a few exceptions, that friendship is little\nmore, than their fondness for our property, and\nour eagerness to obtain their furs.\nWednesday, April 21. The most of the snow\nis now dissolved ; and this afternoon the ice in the\nriver broke up.\u00E2\u0080\u0094All our Indians, who for several\ndays past encamped near the foff| have now departed, to hunt the leaver. While they were\nhere, they made & feast, at which they danced,\ncried, sung and howled, and in a word, made a ter-\n12\n HARMON S JOURNAL;\nrible, savage noise. Such feasts, the Crees are\naccustomed to make, at the retunr#f every spring ;\nand sometimes la|so at other seasons of the year.\nBy so doing, they say they appease the anger\nof the Evil Spirit or devil, and thus prevent\nhim from doing them harm, to which they consid-\n8i#him as ever inclined. They have, also, certain\nplaces., where they deposit a part of their property, such#as guns, kettles, bows, arrows, &c. as a\nsacrifice to the same Spirit. To the Supreme\nBeing, howevei^ the creator and governor of the\nuniverse, whom they call Kiteh-e-mon-e-too, $ha\u00C2\u00A3\nis, Great Spirit, they address their prayers ; yet\nthey say there is no necessity of paying him any\nsacrifice, since he is a good Spirit, and is not disposed to do them injury ; whereas the Evil Spirit\nis malicious, and therefore, it is proper that they\nshould strive to appease his a\"bger.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The above\nmentioned feast was made by the Chief of the\nband, whose name is Ka-she-we-ske-wate, who for\nthe long space of forty eight hours previous to\nthe entertainment, neither ate nor drank any thing.\nAt the commencement of the feast, every person\nput on a grave countenance ; and the Chief went\nthrough a number of ceremonies* with the utmost solemnity. After the entertainment was\nover, every Indian made a voluntary sacrifice of a\n HARMON'S JOURNAL.\n91\npart of his property to the devil, or as they call\n|him, Much-e-mon-e-too.\nSunday, May 2. Accompanied by one of my\ninterpreters, I have taken a ride to a place where\nI intend building a fort,\"-Hie ensuing summer. The\nanimals in this vicinity are moose, red deer, a spe-\ncieslbf the antelope, grey, black, brown, chocolate coloured and yellowish bears, two species of\nwolves, wolverines, polecats or skunks, lynxes,\nkitts, beavers, otters, fishers,ilaartins, minks, badgers, muskratsf! and black, silver, cross and red foxes. Of fowls, we have swans, geese, bustards,\ncranes, cormorants, loons, snipes, several species\nof ducks, water-hens, pigeons, partridges, pheasants,\n&c. &c. Most of the above named fowls, are numerous in spring and autumn ; but, excepting a few,\nthey retire to the north in the summer, to brood.\nToward the fall, they return again; and before\nwinter sets in, they go to the southward, where\nthey remain, during a few of the coldest months\nof the year.\nThursday, 6. This morning, I received a letter from Mr. McLeod, who is at Alexandria, informing me, that a few nights since, the Assiniboins, who are noted thieves, ran away with twenty\ntwo of his horses. Many of this tribe, who reside\nin the large prairies, are constantly going about\nto steal horses. Those which they find at one\n n\nHARMON'S JOURNAL*\nfort, they will take and sell to the people of another fort. Indeed, they stejj' horses, not unfre-\nquently, from their own relations.\nWednesday, 12. It has snowed and rained, during the day.\u00E2\u0080\u0094On the 7th inst. I went to Alexandria, to transact business with Mr. McLeod. During this jaunt, it rained almost constantly; and on\nmy return, in crossing this river, I drowned my\nhorse, which cost last fall, one hundred dollars in\ngoods, as we value them here.\nMonday, 17. This afternoon, Mr. McLeod\nand company passed this place, and are on their\nway to the Grand Portage. But I am to pass, if\nProvidence permit, another summer in the interiour, and to have the superintendence of the\nlower fort, this place and Alexandria, residing\nchiefly at the latter^place.\nTuesday, 18. All 4te* Indians belonging to\nthis place, have now come in with the produce of\ntheir hunts, which is abundant; and to reward\nthem for their industry, I clothed two of their\nChiefs, and gave a certain quantity of spirits to\nthem, and to the others. With this they became\nintoxicated, and continued so during the last night,\nwhich prevented our closing our eyes in sleep;\nfor it is at all times necessary to watch the motions of the Indians, and especially is this the case,\n HARMON'S JOURNAL.\n93\nwhen reason has been dethroned, and passion has\nassumed the sole dominion overliem, through the\ninfluence of ardent spirits. While in that condi-\nWon, they, like other people, often do things which\nthey will regret in their sober moments.\nSunday, 23. It has snowed all day ; and about\nsix inches have fallen. I am waiting the arrival\nof Mr. Henry t# take charge of this post, when\nI shall J^oceed to Alexandria. Two women\nbrought me a few hazelnutsjlwhich they this day\ngathered from the bushes.\nMonday, 31. Alexandria. Here, accompanied by two of my people, I arrived this afternoon.\nI ncrossing Swan River, I was so unfortunate as to\ndrown another horse ; and I was therefore obliged\nto perform the remainder of the journey on foot,\nwith nothing to eat. Here, thanks to the Besto^\ner of all good, I find a tolerable stock of provisions. Mr. Goedike is to pass the summer with\nme, also two interpreters, and three labouring\nmen, besides several Women and children, who\ntogether, form a snug family.\nWednesday, June 23. On the 16th inst. accompanied by two of my people, I set off for Swan\nRiver fort, on horseback. The first night, vm\nslept at Bir$ Mountain; and the day followiftg,\nwe arrived lat^he lower fort. From that place, 1\nreturned in one day, which is a distance of ninety\n,\n*\n 94\nHARMON'S JOURNAL.\nti m\nmilegps^ I, however, took a fresh horse at the Bird\nMountain. One of my people, whojlravelled less\nrapidly||has arrived this evening, and informed me,\nthat he drowned his horse, at the sam*^)lace\nwhere I had before drowned two.\nOn my return here, those in whose charge I\nhad left the place, had nothing to offer me to eat,\nexcepting boiled parchment skins, which are kittle\nbetter than nothing, and scarcely deserve the\nname of food. I have therefore sent a part of my\npeople, to endeavour to take some fish out of a\nsmall lake, called by the Natives Devil's Lake,\nwhich lies about ten miles north from this. If\nthey should not succeed, and our hunters should not\nbe more fortunate than they have been for some\ntime past, I know not what will become of us.\nAll our dependance is on a kind Providence ; and\nwe cannot but hope for a speedy relief, from our\ntruly sad condition.\nFriday, July 2. For six days, after I sent the\npeople to fish in the above mentioned lake, we\nsubsisted, at the fort on parchment skins, dogs,\nherbs and a few small fish, that we took out of the\n*\nriver opposite to the fort. But now, we obtain\nfish in greater plenty,\n*One of our hunters has been in, and told me\nwhat he thought to be the cause why he could\nnot kijfc i He said that when he went to hunt, he\n HARMON'S JOURNAL*\n95\ngenerally soon fell upon the track of some animal,\nwhich he followed; bui that, as soon as he came\nnigh to him, he heard the terrible v^ce of an\nEvil Spirit, that frightened both himself jand the\nanimal. The animal would of course run offhand\nthe pursuit would end.\u00E2\u0080\u0094I told the hunte^that I\nhad a certain powerful medicine ; and provided\nhe would do with it as I would direct him, it\nwould not only frighten the Evil Spirit in his\nturn, but 3$|p&ld alai render him at first speephless^\nand that shortly after it would cause him to die.\nI then took several dings and mixed them together, that he might not know what they were,\nwhich I wrapped in a piece of white paper, and\ntied to the but-end of his gun, and thus armed him i& encounter gieat or little devils; for\nthey believe in the existence of different orders.\nI told him to go in search of a moose or deer;\nand as soon as he should hear the 'voice of the\nEvil Spirit, to throw the paper tied to his gun\nbehind him into the air, and thatrit would.fall into the mouth of the Evil Spirit pursuing faian, and\nsilence and destroy him. I warned ^im not fjt^\nlook behind him, lest he should be too much\nfrightened at the sight of so monstrous a creature,\nbut to pursue the animal, which he would undoubtedly kill.\nalllhe same day, the Indian went to hunting,\n?.\n I\n96\nHARMON'S JOURNAL.\nw\nKits\nand fell upon the track of an animal, which he\nfollowed, as he has since told me, but a short\ndistance, before the Evil Spirit, as his custom was,\nbegan to make his horrid cries. The Indian,\nhowever, did with the medicine as I had directed\nhim, and heard no more of the frightful voice,\nbut continued following the animal until, approaching him, he fired, and killed a fine fat red\ndeer; and he has sincekkilled several others.\nNot only he, but the other Indians place, from\nthis circumstance, perfect confidence in my medi-\ncines. What will not imagination, aided by great\nsuperstition, make a person believe ! It may be\ncaused, however, at times, to remove the evils of\nits own creation.\nSunday, 4. Mr. William Henry and company\narrived from the Bird Mountain, and inform us,\nthat they are destitute of provision there.\nThey wt|l, therefore, come and pass the remainder of the summer with us; for we now\nhaveilprovisions in plenty.\nMonday, 17. In consequence of the great\n#crease of our family of late, we are again poorly\nsupplied with provisions. In order, if possible, to\nobtain a supply, I have sent seven of my people\nseveral different ways, in search of the Natives,\nwho will be able to relieve our wants, should our\nmen chance to find them. For this is the season\n Harmon's journal.\nm\nof the year^when almost all wild animals are\nthe fattest* and therefore, it is .the best time to\nkijjithem, and make them into dry provisions.\nI Friday, 23. There are at^present, in this vicinity, grass-hoppers, in such prodigious numbers,\nas I^never before saw in ampl place. In fair\nweather, between eight and ten o'clock, A. M.\nwhich is the only part of the day when many of\nthem leave the ground, they are flying in such\nnumbers, that they obscure the sun, like a light\ncloud passing over it. They also devour every\nthing before them, leaving scarcely a leaf on the\ntrees, or a^jblade of grass on the prairies ; and our\npotatoe tops escape not their ravages.\nTuesday, JLugust 3. The most of the mosque-\ntoes and horse flies, which are so troublesome to\nman and beast, have left us, as the nights now begin to be cool.\nYesterday, six famifces of Crees came to the fort;\nand they have been drinking, ever since. An Indian had a few wrangling words with a squaw, belonging |o another band, to whom he gave a slight\nbeatipg. At that time, the chief, who was the\nfriend of the Indian, was passing by; and he was\nso enraged at the abusive language given by\nthe woman tfa his friend, that he coibmenced\nbeating her on the head with a club, and soon\nterminated her life. This morning, the Indian\n13\n*m-\n harmon's journal.\ni\nwomen buried her corpse ; and no more notice\nis taken of her death, than if a dog had been\nkilled; for her religions*are at a^considerable\njfetance, in another part oft the county.\u00E2\u0080\u0094An Indian is not muchs* regarded or feared by his\nfellows, unless he has a number of relations to\ntake padt.with him#n hisSggontests while in life,\nor to avenge his death, in easel? he should be\nmurdered. This is true among all the Indian\ntribes, with which I have been acquainted.\nWednesday, 11. On the ninth instant, a Chief\namong the Crees, came to the fort, accompanied\nby a number of his relations, who appeared very\niesirous that I should take oneftef his daughters,\nto remain with me. I put him off by telling\nhim, that I could not then accept of a woma%\nbut probably might, in the fall. He pressed me\nhowever, to allow her to remain with me, at\nonce, and added/\"! am fond of you, and my wish\nis to have my daughter with the white people;\nfor she will be treated better by them^than by\nher owij relations.\" In fact, he almost persuaded\nme to keep her ; for I was sure that while I had\nthe daughter, I should not only have the fathers\nfurs, but those of all his band. This would be\nfor the intereit of the Company, and would therefore, turn to my own advantage, in some measure; so that a regard-Id interest, well nigh made\n HARMON'S JOURNAL.\n99\nme consenty&o an act, which would have been unwise and improper. But; happily for me, I es^\ncaped the snare.\nSaturday, 28. I have^ent Primault^one of my\ninterpreters, with a letter, about six days' march\nfrom this, where I expect he will meet Mr.\nMcLeod and company$fa>n their way from the\nGrand Portage. Two of our people, whom H\nsent a few days sinpe into the large prairie, hav^B\njust returned #ith the news, that buffaloes are\nnumeroflB, within two days' marcfa^from this.\nThey say, that the Natives, during Ae two days\nthat they remained with them, killed upwards of\neighty, by driving them into a park, made for that\npurpose. IP\nSunday, Octdfcer 3. Yesterday, a little snow\nfell, which is the first that we have had this season. We now begin ttatfhink some disasteiitji'as\nbefallen our people, on their way iwfe as they do\nnot make their appearance so soon as usual.\nMonday, 4. One of our men has just arrived\nfrom the Grand Portage, and delivered me a letter from Mr. McLeod, infornAag me, that he is\ngoing to* Athabasca, and is to be succeeded here\nby Mr. Hugh McGillies. The canoe in which this\nman came, left head-quarters alone, some time\nffejefore the main brigade was prepared to leave.\nThursday, 21. This afternoon, Mr. Hugh\n 100\nHARMON S JOURNAL.\nMcG$lies, accompanied by one man on horse\nback, arrived, and informs me, that they were\nstopped by the iee, fifteen miles below Swan\nRiver fort, whence they will be obliged to bring\nthe goods, on sledges.\nMonday, 25. A large band of Indians have\nbeen here, who were continually drinking, during\nthe last forty eight hofcrs. ^fhey have now taken their departure; but another band has just\narrived, and, therefore, we must pass another\nnight without sleep; for when the Natives are at\nthe fart, and have the means of purchasing spirits,\nthey expect to drink both night and day.\nSaturday, 30. Several of our people arrived\nfrom Swan River, and delivered me letters from\nmy friends in the United States, the perusal of\nwhich, has afforded me much satisfaction.\nI Samuel Holmes, a clerk and interpreter, and\na countryman of mine, has left us, to go and join\nour 6pponents, the X. Y. people. *[Soon after-\nWards, he left the service of the last mentioned\ncompany, andi^vent to live with the Natives, the\nAssiniboins, by whom, a year or two after, he\nwas killed, while he was on his way from the Red\nRive#to the River Missouri.]\nMonday, November 1. I have taken*; a ride,\n* The remarks included in brackets were abided at a later date.\n Harmon's journal.\n101\nacepmpaniedyby my\u00C2\u00A3\u00C2\u00A7\u00C2\u00A7^rp|e.teB| down to see the\nHudson Bay people. A Mr. Miller has charge\nof the place, and has with him fifteen labouring\nme^i, the greater part of whomifehave just returned from Albany fort, which* stands at the mouth\nof Albany River. $m mtti$M\nTuesday, 9. Bird Mountain. Here I am to\npass another winter; land with me there will be\none interpreter and six labouring men, &c. Thus\nI am continually moving from place to place; and\nwhen my residence will be more stationary, God\nonly knows. I cannot, however, but jfeok forward!\nwith pleasing expectation, to the tij|$$, when I\nhope to be permitted to^ettle down in some part\nof the civilized world. |^|\nFriday, 19. I have just returned frqpi the\nlower fort, where I*t|ave been^pccompaniedj^jji\npart of mp people,t|or goods. I fin^here a band\nof Indians, who have been waiting for my return,\nin order to procurejsuchtfirtides as $faey nee$, to\nenable them to make a fal|*hunt. The Indians in\nthis quarter have been so long accustomed to use\nEuropean goods, that it would bjgifrith difficulty\nthat they could now obtain a livelihood, pj^out\nthem. Especially do they need fire arms, with\nwhich to kilWheir game, and axes, kettles, knives,\n&c. They have almost lost the use of bows and\narrows; and they would find it nearly impossible\n11\n 102\nHarmon's journal.\n1\n$\nto cut their wood with implements, made of stone\nThursday, December 25. Severe cold,.weather. This day being Christmas, our people have\nspent it as usual, in drinking and fighting.\u00E2\u0080\u0094My education has taught MBoe, that the advent of a Saviour, ought to be celebrated in a far different\nmanner.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Of all people in the world, 1 think the\nCanadians, when drunfapare the most disagreeable ; for excessive drinking generally causes them\nto quarrel and fight, amoig themselves. Indeed,\nSphad rather have fifty drunken Indians in the for*,\nthan five drunken Canadians.\nThursday, January 27^803. I have Jltst returned from Alexandria, where I passed six days, much\nib my satisfaction in the company of Messrs. H.\nMcGifhes, W. Henry aritV F. Gfeedike. While\nthere, I wrote to Messrs. Mf&Leod, A. Henry and\nJ. Clarkef*ali of|&.thabasca, which letters will be\ntaken to them, by our winter express.\nSunday, February 20. Yesterday morning,\none of the Indian women came to the fort anijpsaidjj\nher husband had cut off her nose, and was determined to kill her, and that she therefore iMiought\nproper tofleave him, and go to Alexandria, where\nshe would be out of his reach, at least for the\npresent. But, after her arrival here, she altered\nher mind, and desired my interpreter to put an\n HARMON'S JOURNAL.\n103\nend to her life, which he, of course, refused to do.\nThen said she, 'I will do the business myself, for\nI am resolved that I will live with my husband no\nlonger.' We did not believe, however, that she\nwould execute this determination.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Soon after, she\nwent into^he woods, a short distance, and laid\ndown her load of the few things which she had\nupon her back,#tnd struck and kindled up a fire, into which she threw the most of her property.\nWhen it was nearly consumed, she took a little\nbag of powder and put it into her bosom, and then\nset firejfo it. The expl^pon burnj^^^reat^part\nof the hair from her head, injured her face very\nmuch, and rendered her perfectly blini She now\ncommenced running about, in order if possible, to\ncatch her dogs, which she was resolved next to\nburn. When we heard her calling out for them,\nwe went out to see what she was doing; for at\nthis time, we knew notij&ng of what had taken\nplace.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The spectacle was truly shocking! She\nwas so disfigured, as scarcely to appear like a hu-\nmati being. We brought her into the forjji where\nshe remained very quiet, untfl^we were all in bed\nand asleep, when she* got up, and went again into\nthe woods. There she tigsd a cord about her neck,\nand then fastened it to the limb of a tree. But\non throwing herself, off, the branch broke, and she\nfell into the snow, where she remafeed untithtnorn-\nm.'\nif$:i!\n 104\nHarmon's journal.\ning, when we found her nearly lifeless^ On examining, we discovered thm she had run a needle\nits full length, into ber right ear. We brought\nher again to the fort; but her head is very much\nswollen, and her^iace is perfectly black; and\nwhether she will recover, is uncertain. [Several\nyears afterward, I saw her with her old husband?!\nand she appeared to#njoy as good healtW*as formerly.]\nWednesday, May 4. Alexandria. Here, if\nProvidence permit, I shall pass another summer,\nand have with me Mr. F. Goedike, one interpret\nter and several labouring men, besides women and\nchildren. As Mr. Goedike will be absent from\nthe fort, during the greater part of the summer,\nI shall be, in e^reat measure, alone ; for ignorant\nifJanadii&s furnish little society. Happily for me,\nI have lifeless friend^my books, that will never\nabandon me, until I first neglect them.\nThursdays June 2. I have set our people to\nsurround a piece of ground for a garden with palisades, such as encompass our forts. The X&Y.\npeople are building a fort, Ifive miles up this\nriver. (1|\nOne of our men, a Canadian, gave me his son,\na lad of about twelve years of age, whom f*Jagree,\nijft' the name of the North West Company, t#*feed\nand clothe, until he becomes^ able to earn some-\n HARMON'S JOURNAL*\n105\nthing more. Hisfgnother is a Sauteux woman.\nHe is to serve me as cook, &c. ||g\u00C2\u00A7\nTuesday, 21. This afternoon, we had an uncommonly heavy shower of hail and rain.\nYesterday, I sefit Mr. F. Goedike, accompanied by several of our people, with a^small assortment of goods, to reina^ at some distance from\nthis, for several weeks. In the absence of my\n^ftiend, this is to me, a solitary place. At such\ntime||as this, my thoughts visit the land of my nativity ; and I almost regret having left my friends\nand relatives, among whom I might now have been\npleasantly situated, but for a roving disposition.\nBut Providence, which is concerned in all the af-\nfairs#f men, has, though unseen, directed my way\ninto this wilderness; and it becomes me to bear\nup under my circumstances, with resignation, perseverance and fortitude. I am not forbidden to\nhope, that I shall one <|ay enjoy, with increased\nsatisfaction, the society of those friends, from\nwhom I have for a season banished myself.\nSunday, 26. p have just returned from an excursion to the large prairies, in which I was accompanied by two of my people ; and in all our\nramble we did not see a single Indian. The most\nof them, as is their custom every spring, have gone\nto war again. We saw, and rai%pElown and killed,\nbuffafoes, and also, saw red deers and antelopes,\n14\n 106\nHARMON S JOURNAL.\nIM\nbounding across the prairies, as well as bears and\nwolves, roving about in search of prey. In the\nsmall lakes and ponds, which are to be met with\noccasionally, all over the prairies, fowls were in\nconsiderable plenty; and with our^fire^arms, we\ntilled a sufficiency of them, for our daily consumption. Although it rained during the greater part\nof the time that we were absent from the|^fort,\nye^the pleasing variety of the objects which were\npresented to our view, made our ride very agreeable. One night, we slept at the same place\nwhere, a few days before, a party of the Rapid\nIndian warriors had encamped. They were probably in search of their enemies, the Crees and Assiniboins ; and it was happy for us that we did not\nmeet them, %r they would undoubtedly have\nmassacred us, as they consider us as enemies, for\nfurnishing their opponents with fire arms.\nMonday, August 8. We have now thirty people in the fort, and have not a supply of provisions\nfor two days. Our hunters, owing to a bad dream,\nor some other superstitious notion, think that\nthey cannot kill, and therefore make no attempt,\nnotwithstanding animals are numerous. In the\ncivilized parts of the world, when provisions are\nscarce in one #lace, they can generally be obtained from some other place, in the vicinity. But\nthe case is otherwise with us. When destitute,\n [armon's journal*\n107\nwe must wait until Providence sends us a supply;\nand we sometimes think it father tardy in coming.\nThursday, 18. An Indiarffias just arrived, who\nbrings the intelligence, that forty lodges of Crees\nand Assiniboins, who thef^ast spring, in company\nwith forty lodge% of other tribes, sellout on a war\nparty, are returning home. They separated at\nBattle River from their allies, who, the messenger\nsays, crossed that river, to go and make peace\nwith their enemies, th! Rapid and Black-feet Indians. The tribes last mentioned, inhabit the\ncountry lying along the foot of the Rocky Mountain, between the SHiscatchwin and Missouri Rivers. Both parties begin to be weary of such\nbloodyIwars, as have long been carried on between\nthem, and are much disposed to patch up a peace,\non almost any terms. Thus do ruinous wars, waged by restless and ambitious people, in civilized\nand savage countries, lay waste and&destroy the\ncomforts of mankind.\nSunday, October 16. This afteirioon there^fell\ntejittle snow, which is the first we have had, this\nfail, if ;<# >.,: \u00E2\u0080\u00A2# -\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 M #iite:\nIt is now several days since the X. Hv people\narrived from the Grand Portage ; but they give\nus no news of Mr. McGillies aritt his company;\nneither would they, were their condition ever so\n 108\nHARMON S JOURNAL.\nbad. Neither company will convey to the other\nthe least intelligence, that at all concerns their affairs in this country. The North West Company\nlook Spon the X. Y. Company as encroachers upon\ntheir territories ; and, I think, with some reason,\nsince the former company first led the way into\nthiilsavage country ; while tbe latter people think,\nthat the former hare no more rightlto trade in this\npart of the world, than themselves. This jarring\nof interests, keeps up continual misunderstandings^\nand occasions frequent broils between the contending parties ; and to such a height has their enmity\nrisen, that it has, in several instances, occasioned\nblood shed. But here the murderer escapes without punishment ; for the civil law does not extend\nits protection, so far into the wilderness* I undetfe\nstand, however, that measures are in contemplation in England, which wffl remedy this evil. If\nsomething should not be done soon, I fear many of\nus may lose our lives B#>\nWednesday, 19. About six inches of snow have\nfallen. Mr. McGillies and company arrived from\nihe Grand Portage, and delivered me letters from\nmy friends in the United States; and I rejoiced ftj^\nliear that they were in health and prosperity.\nSaturday, 22. This afternoon, one of our men,\nan Iroquois, died ; and it is thought the foundation was laid for his death, by too great an exer-\n Harmon's journal.\n109\ntion of \m strength at the portages, on his way into the' country. The death of our people is\nnot unfrequently occasioned by this circuitance.\nSunday, November 6. Online 28th ult. we sent\neight of our men, on horseback, into the plains,\nto look for buffaloes ; and Aey returned this evening, with their horses loaded with the flesh of\nthose animals. They say that they are still three\ndays' marda from this.\n(Tuesday, December 27. Messrs. Henry and\nGoedike, my companions and frierids, are both absent, on excursions into two different parts of the\ncountry. I sensibly feel the loss of their society,\nand pass, occasionally, a solitary hour, whicli would\nglide away imperceptibly, in their company.\nWhen they are absent, I spend tbe greater part\nof my time in reading and writing. Now and then\nI take a ride*6n horseback, in the neighbourhood\nof the fort, and occasionally I visit our neighbours,\ndrawn in a cariol by horses, if the snow is light,\nor by dogs, if it is deep. This afternoon, I accompanied Mr. McGilfaes, to pay a^ visit to our\nX. Y. neighbours.\nWednesday, February 22, 1804. Lac La Peche,\nor Fishing Lake. This lies about two day's march\ninto the large plains, west from Alexandria, which\nplace I left on the 15th ultimo, accompanied by\ntwelve of our people. I have come here to\n 110\nHarmon's journal.\npass the winter, by the side of the X. Y. people.\nFor some time after our arrival, we subsisted on\nrose buds, a kind of food neither very palatable\nnor nourishing, which we gathered in the fields.\nThey were better than|fcothing^ since they would\njust support life. When we should procure any\nthing better, I knew not, as the buffaloes at that\ntime, inconsequence of the mild weather, were a\ngreat distance, out in the large plainly and my\nhunters could find neitHer moose nor deer. || We\nhoped, however, that a merciful God would not\nsuffer us to starve ; and that hope has not been\ndisappoinfed, for we have now provisions in\nabundance, for which we endeavour to be thankful.\nOn the llth instant, I took one of my interprt\u00C2\u00A3J\nters and ten labouAg men with me, and proceeded several days' march into the wilderness, where\nwe found a camp of upwards of thirty lodges of\nCrees and Assiniboins, of whom we made a good\npurchase of furs and provisions. They were encamped on the summit of a hill, whence we had an\nextensive view of the surrounding country, which\nwas low and level. Not a tree could be seen,las far\nas the eye^ could extend; and thousands of buffaloes were to be seen grazing, in different parts of\nthe plain. In order to kill them, the Natives in\nlarge bands, mount their horses, run them down\n HARMON'S JOURNAL,\n111\nand shoot, with their bows and arrows, what number they please, or drive them into parks and kill\nthem at their leisure. In fact, those Indians,\nwho reside in the large plains or prairies, are the\nmost independent, and appear to be the most contented and happy people upon the |\u00C2\u00A7ce of the\nearth. They subsist upon the flesh of the buffaloe, and of the skins of that animal they make\nthe greatest part iff their clothing, which is both\nwarm and convenient. Their tents and beds are\nalso made of the skins of the same animal.\nThe Crees and Assiniboins procure their\nlivelihood with so much ease, that they have but\nlittle to confine them at home. They therefore\nemploy much of their time, in waging war with\ntheir neighbours.\nThursday, March 1. Es-qui-un-a-wish-a, or\nthe last Mountain, or rather Hill; for there are\nno mountains in this part of the country. Here I\narrived this evening, having left Lac La Peche on\nthe 28th ultimo, in company with my interpreter\nand seven men. The meri^I ordered to encamp\nat a short distance from this, and to join me early\ntomorrow morning; as it is more convenient and\nsafe, especially when we are not in our forts,\nto give the Indians spirits to drink in the day time,\nthan in the night. On our arrival, we were invited to the tents of several of the prinqifbal Indians^\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\n 112\nHarmon's journal.\nto eat and smoke our pipes.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Indians show great\nhospitality to strangers, before they have been\nlong acquainted with civilized peoplepafter which,\nthey adopt'many of their customs ; but they are.\nby no means always gainers, by the exchanged\nMondays 6. On the 2nd, the remainder of\nour people arrived, and soon after, I commenced\ndealing out spirits to the Natives; and^toey continued to drink during all tfeiit day and the following night. We were, therefor*, prevented fr^m\nresigning ourselves to sleep. For though the Indians are naturally well disposed toward the\nwhite people, and seldom begin a quarrel with us,\nand will even receive many insults, before they\nattempt to defend themselves%: yet when drunk,\nthey often behave like mad men or deySs, and\nneed to be narrowly watctech\nThis morning, I sent six of my people to the\nfort with sledges loaded with furs and provisions, in\norder to obtain another supply of goods, to enable us to go and trade with another large band\nof Indians, who are about two days' march from\nthis, into the plains.\nTuesday, 6. North side of the Great IfoviPs Lake,\nor as the Natives call it, Much-e~man-e-to S&ky-eM\ngun. * As I had nothing of importance to attend to,\nwhile our people would be absent fc their trip to\nand fromi&he fort, and was desirous of seeing my\n Harmon's journal.\n113\nfriend Henry, who, I understood, was about half a\ndaytf march from where I was the last night, I\ntherefore, set off this morning, accompanied by an\nIndian lad who serves as a guide, with the intention of visiting this place. After walking all day,\nwithout finding either wood or water, and but a\nfew inches of snow, just as thesun^pvas descending\nbelow the horizon, we thought that we descried\nflis/malF grove, at a considerable distance, directly\nbefore us. So long, therefore, as the light re-\nmjained, we directed our course to that object;\nbut as soon as the day light failed, we had nothing by which to guide ourselves, excepting the\nstars, which, however^ answered ve&y well, until\neven their faintijfwinkfirig was utterly obscured by\nclouds, and we were inveloped in total darkness.\nIn this forlorn condition, we thought it best to\ncontinue our march as well as we could^ fo%we\nwere unwilling to lie down, with little or nothing\nwith which to cover us, and keep ourselves from\nfreezing. These was. no wooo%r with which W6\ncould make a fire, nor\" buffaloe dung, which often\nserves as fuel, when travelling about in those\nplains. Neither could we find water to drink;\nand without fire, we could not melt the snow, for\nthis purpose. We suffered much for want of waiter, as we had nothing to eat but very dry provisions, which greatly excited thirst,\u00E2\u0080\u0094To be depriv-\n15 H\nm\n 114\nHarmon's journal.\nm\ned of drink for one day, is more distressing than to\nbe destitute of food for two.\u00E2\u0080\u0094It would not have\nbeen safe for us to encamp, without a fire ; for\nwe should have been continually exposed to be\ntrodden upon by the large herds of buffaloes, that\nare perpetually roving about in the plains, or to\nbe devoured by the wolves, which ever follow the\nbuffaloe. We therefore continued travelling, un-\ncertain whither we were going, until at length,\nthe dogs that drew my sledge, suddenly passed\nby us, as if they saw some uncommon object, di-*\nrectly before us. We did not attempt to impede\ntheir motion, but followed them as fast as we\ncould, until they brought us to the place where\nwe now are.\u00E2\u0080\u0094It is almost incredible that my dogs\nshould have smelt this camp at such a distance ; for we walked vigorously no less *than\nfour hours after they passed us, before we arrived\nhere.\nWe are happy in finding fifteen tents of Crees\nand Assiniboins, who want for none of the dainties\nof this country $ and I meet, as usual, with a very\nhospitable reception. The mistress of the tent\nwhere I am, unharnessed my dogs, and put my\nsledge, &c, into a safe place. She was then\nproceeding to give food to my dogs, which\nlabour, I offered to do myself; but she told\nme to remain quiet and smoke my pipe, for\n Harmon's journal. S#\u00C2\u00A7| 115\nshe addef^ \" they shall be taken good care of,\nanjwitt be as safe in my hands, as they would be\nwere they in your own.\"\u00E2\u0080\u0094Notwithstanding it was\nnear midnight when I arrived, yet at that late\nhour, the most of the Indians rose, and many of\nthem invited me to their tents, to eat a few\nmouthfuls, and to smoke the sociable pipe.\nBut now, all those necessary ceremonies are\nover; and I am happy in being able to lay myself down on buffaloe robes, by the side of a\nwarm fire, expecting to obtain sweet and refreshing repose, which nature requires, after a day's\nmarch so fatiguing. If I was ever thankful for\nany of God's favours, it is, to find myself here\namong friends, and in comfortable circumstances,\nwhen, a few hours before, I expected to wander\nwith weariness, anxiety and danger, during the\nwhole night, in the open plain.\nWednesday, 7. Canadian's Camp. This\nplace is so called from the- fact, that a number\nof our people have passed the greater part of\nthe winter here. As there is a good foot path\nfrom the place where I slept the last night to\nthis place, I left my young guide, and came here-\nalone. Frequently on the way, I met Indians,\nwho are going to join those at the Devil's Lake.\nI came here in the pleasing expectation of seeing\nmy friend, Henry ; but I am disappointed. 'Yes-\n 116\nHarmon's journal.\nt$rday morning* he set out for Alexandria. I\nhope to have the satisfaction, however, of soon\nmeeting him at the'fort.\u00E2\u0080\u0094I here find six Canadians\nwith their families, who have passed the winter\nip this vicinity, and have subsisted upon the flesh\nof^ the buffaloe, which animals are found in\nplenty. Thejf,people appeafe to Ibe happy in\ntheir situation. Indeed, a Canadian, with his\nbelly full of fat meat, is never otherwise^\nFriday, 9. North side of Dej?iM$ Lake. In\nthe morning, I left the Canad^els Camp, and this\nafternoon reached this places where I found my\nyoung guide, waiting my return. He is the son of\na chief, among the Crees and Assiniboins. His\ngrandfather was Monsieur Florihaeaux, a Frenchman, who passed a number of years in the Indian\ncountry. When he went to Canada, he took his\nson, th e father of my youngguide, along with him,\nas far as Quebec, intending to send him to France.\nBut the lad, who was then twelve or thirteen\nyears old, did not like to leave his native country.\nAfter remaining in Canada for some time, therefore, he deserted and returned to this part of the\nworld, where he, in time, became a famous warrior, and at length, a chief. He is much respect*\ned and beloved by his relatives, and is revered by\nhis own family, ^s a husband he is affectionate,\nand as a father he is kind. It was perhaps fortu-\n Harmon's journal.\n117\nnate for him that he did not go to France ; for, I\nam persuaded he could not have liyed more\n.happily and at ease, in any part of the world, than\nin this independent country, which is abundantly\nsupplied with all of the necessaries, and many of\nthe luxuries of life. jp|\nSaturday, 10. In the middle of an extensive\nplain. Early in the morning* accompanied by my\nyoking guide, I left our last night's lodgings, to go\nto the place where I expect to find my people,\nwhich is about two days' march further into the\ngreat plain, than where I separated from my interpreter, on the 6th inst. After walking all day,\nwithout fipdjng ei#her wood or water, at eigh$\n. o'clock at; night, we have concluded to lay ourselves down, in order if possible, lo get a little resjff\nIn the day time, the snow melted a little ; but in\nthe evening it has frozen hard, |fed our feet and\nour legs, as high as our knees, are so much covered with ice, tliat we cannot take of our shoes ; and\nhaving nothing with which to make a fire, in order\nto thaw them, we must pass the night with>lfiem\non. A more serious evil is, the risk me must run\nof being killed by wild beasts.\nSunday, 11. Ca-ta-buy-se-pu, or the River that\ncalls. ^This stream is so named by the superstitious Natives, who imagine that a spirit is constantly going up or down it; and they say that they\nki'\n 118\nHARMON'S JOURNAL.\noften hear its voice distinctly, which resembleslhe\ncry of a human being. The last night was so unpleasant to me, that I could not sleep, arising in\npart from the constant fear which I was iii bf%e^\ning torn in pieces before the morning, by wild\nbeasts. Despondency to a degree took possession\nof my spirit. But the light of the jnorning dissipated my fears, and restored to my mind, its usu-\naj cheerfulness. As soon as the light of day appeared, we left the place where we had lain, not\na little pleased, that the wild beasts had not fallen upon us. It has snowed and rained all day.\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nhere I find my interpreter, and eighty tents, or\nnearly two hundred men, with their families.\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nAlong the banks of this rivulet, there is a little\ntimber, consisting^priocipaUy of the inferipur species of the ifiaple ; but no where else, is there\neven a shrub to be seen. The surrounding country is a barren plain, where nothing grows excepting grass, which rises from six to eight inches in\nheight,Jpnd furnishes food for the buffaloe.\nHere^again, as usual, I meet with a kind reception. These Indians seldom come thus far\ninto the plains, as the part of the country where\nwe now are, belongs to the Rapid Indians. A\nwhite man was never before known, to penetrate\nso far.\nWednesday, 14. Last evening my pe||po re-\n HARMON'S JOURNAL*\n119\nturned from the fort; and as I now had spirits for the^Satives, they, of course, drank during\nthe whole night. Being so numerous, they made\na terrible noise. They stole a small keg of spirits from*us, and one of them attempted to stab me.\nThe knife went through my clothes, and just grazed the skin of my body. To day 1 spoke to the\nIndian who made this attempt, and he cried like a\nchild, and said, he had nearly killed his father,\nmeaning me, and asked me why I did not tie him*,\nwhen he had lost the use of his reason.\u00E2\u0080\u0094My people inform me that there is little or no snow, for\nthree days' march from thm; but that after that,\nthere is an abundance, all the way to the fort.\nFriday, 16. About twelve o'clock, we left the\nIndians' camp ; but being heavily loaded, considering there is no* snow and our property is drawn by\ndogs on sledges, we made slow progress. After\nwe had encamped, we sent our dogs, which are\ntwenty two in number, after the buffaloe; and\nthey soon stopped one of them, when one of our\nparty went and killed him with an axe, for we\nhave not a gun with us. It is, however, imprudent for us to venture thus far, without fire arms ;\nfor every white man, when in this savage country,\nought at all times to be well armed. Then he\nneed be under little apprehension of an attack;\nfor Indians, when sober, are not inclined to hazard\n 120\nHARMONS JOURNAL*\ntheir lives, and when they apprehend danger from\nquarrelling, will remain quiet and peaceable.\nSaturday, 17. North West end of DeviVs Lake.\nThe weather is extremely mild, for the season.\nThe surrounding country is all on fire; but happily for us, we are encamped in a swampy place.\nWhen the fire passes over the plains, which circumstance happens almost yearly, but generally\nlater than this, great numbers of horses and buffaloes are destroyed; for those animals when Surrounded by fire, will stand perfectly still, until they\nare burned to death.\u00E2\u0080\u0094This evening, we killee. another buffaloe, in the same manner as we killed\none, the last evening.\nSunday, 18. The weather is still mild, and we\nsee many grass-hoppers, which appear unusually\nearly in the season. As I found that we were\ncoming on too slowly with our heavy loads, about\ntwelve o'clock, I left our property in charge of\nthree of my people, and am going to the fort with\nthe others, for horses to come for it.\nThis afternoon we met several of the X. Y.\npeople, who were in search of Indians; but from\ntheifinformation they received from us, they\nthought them at too great a dfctancef? and they\nare, therefore, accompanying us to the fort.\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nthe same success has attended us this; evefflftgv\nwhich we met with the two preceding daysy itf r^\n HARMON'S JOURNAL.\n121\ngard to supplying ourselves with food. Indeed^iri\nthese plains, where buffaloes areScfrumeroiis* it is\nriot customary, nor is it needful for people who are\ntravelling, to burden themselves with provisions;\nfor if they have fire arms, they can always kill a\nsufficiency *Ibr the day. This renders travelling\ncheap and convenient.\nThursday, 22. Lac la Pi che. Here we have\narrived* and I am happy in reWMiig a place, where\nI c#fi take a little repose, after so long and fatiguing a jaunt.' Yet it has been in many respects^\nboth pleasant and profitable. The country which\nI travelled over was beautifully situated, and drer^\nspread with buffaloes, and various othilr kinds of\nanimals, as well as many other delightful objects^\nwhich in succession presented themselves *ib our\nvieWi These ^ings made the Hay glide away almost imperceptibly. But there were times, when\nmy situation was far from being agreeable ; they,\nhowever, soon passed away, and we all have abundant reason to render thanks to'W kind Providence,\nfor his protection, and for our safe return to owr\nhome arid out families.\nAt three different times, while performing the\ntour above de&eribed, I was in great dAi^er of\nlosing my life, by the evil machinations of the Na^\ntpfies. One escape las been already mentioned,\nwhen one of them attempted to stab me. While\nH 16\nm\n 122\nHARMON S JOURNAL.\nb. t;\nII\n'\nI was dealing out spirits to the Savages, at the last\nmountain, on the night of the 5th inst. an Indian,\nwho was much intoxicated, told me, that I should\nnev^r see another sun arise ; and he, unquestionably, intended to kill me. lIBhe night following, after I arrived at the njlrth side of the Devil's Lake,\nI was well received by the greater part of the Natives there ; but as I have since been informed,\none of them had resolved to take my life. And\nyet, this villain invited me to his tent, and I visited\nit, without suspicion. He was prevented from\nexecuting his purpose by my host, who was acquainted with his purpose, and told him that he\nmust first despatch him; for, he added, t Kitch-e-\nmc**cum-mon' (that is Big Kife, which is the name\nthat Ijiey give me,) \ is my brother, and has taken\nup his lodging with me, and it therefore becomes\nme to defend him and his property.' JNo Indian\nwill suffer a stranger, if he be able to defend him,\nto be injured, while in his tent, and under his protection.' Therefore, he who had intended to\nmassacre me, thought it best to remain quiet.\nThis hostile Indian had nothing against me, but that\nI was a friend to a person who he considered had\ninjured him; anj| as this person was at a great distance, and therefore beyond his reach, he was resolved to avenge the affront upon me. It is the\ncustom of all the Savages, notilo be very particu-\n HARMON S JOURNAL.\n123\nlar on whom the punishment of an offence fall's^\nwhether the guifcy person^ or a relation or friend\nof this person. The first of these whom Be happens to meet, becomes the object of his vengeance ; and then Ins wrath ii*appeased, and he will\nnot even lift his hand against the persdri who has\noffended him.\nSaturday, 24. ^Yesterday, Mr. F. Goedike arrived from Alexandria, and delivered me a letter\nfrom Mr. McGillies, requesting me to abandon Lac\nla Peche, and proceed, with all my people, to Alexandria. In the fore part of the day, we all left\nthe former place. There is a woman with us, belonging to one of our men, who has walked the\nwhole day, in the snow and water, and who, this\nevening, gave birth to a son.\nTuesday, 27. Alexandria. Here we arrived\nthis afternoon. The woman who, on the 24th inst.\nwas delivered of a child, took it on her shoulders\nthe day following, and continued her march, as\nthough nothing unusual had occurred! It is a\nvery happy*circumstance, that the women of this\ncountry are blissed with such strong constitutions,\nas they would otherwise be utterly unable to en-\ndure*the hardships to which they are often exposed, and particularly in child-birth.\nMonday, April 9. Yesterday, the ice in this\nriver broke up; and to day, we sent off four men\n111\n 124\nHarmon's journal*\nin a boat, loaded with pimican, to be transported\nas far as the entrance^ of Winipick River.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The\ncountry all around us, is on fire.\nSunday, 20,^ Yesterday, the greater part of\nour people set put for Swan River; and to i&illainous Indians approached me,\nand one of them seized apy horse by the bridle\nand stopped him, saying, tha^ithe beast belonged\nto him, and that he would take him from me.\nI told him that he had disposed of him to Mr.\nChaboillez, who had charge of the post; and that\nofeihis gentleman, I had purchased him, and that I\nhad no concern with the matter, which was whol-\n 136\nHarmon's journal.\n]y between him and Mr. Chaboillez. Jfp^erceMhg,\nhowever, that he was determined not to let go of\nthe bridle, I gave him a smart blow on his hand,\nwith the but end of my whip, whi4h consisted of\na deer's horn, and instantly striking my horse, I\ncaused him to spring forward, and leave the Indian\nbehind. Finding myself thus clear of thisi|iel-\nlow, I continued my rout; but he with one of his\ncompanions, followed us nearly half of the day, if\nnot longer. After this length of time we saw no\nmore of them. Apprehensive, however, that they\nmight fall upon us in our encampment at night,\nand steal our horses, and probably massacre ui,\nafter it became dark, we went a little out of Jibe\npath, and laid ourselves down; but we dared not\nmake a fire, lest the light or the smoke should\ndiscover the place where we were. -\nOn my return, I passed four days agreeably, at\nRiviere qui Apelle, in the company of a number\nof gentlemen, whoniM I found there. On leaving\nthat place, I was obliged to cross the river, and\nat this late season, the iclnwas bad. My horse,\nwhile I was on him, fell through the ice twice, and\nthe last time, I came very near passing under it;\nbut a kind Providence once%iore, granted me deliverance. |i|\nWhile at Montagne a la Basse, Mr. Chaboillez,\ninduced me to consent to undertake a long and\n HARMON S JOURNAL.\n$$t\narduous tour of discovery. I am to leave that\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2place, about the beginning of June, accompanied\nby six or seven Canadians, arid by tw#?or three Indians. The first place, at which we shall stop,\nwill be the Mandan Village, on the Missouri River. Thence, we shall steer our^ourse towards\nthe Rocky Mountain, accompanied by a number\nof the Mandan Indians, who proceed in that direction every spring, to meet and trade with another\ntribe of Indians, who reside on the other side of\nthe Rocky Mountain. It is expected that we\nshall return from our excursion, in the moith of\nNovember next.\n[This journey, rneVUr undertook; for soon^af*\nter the plan of it was settled, my health became^\nso much impaired, tlfttt I was under the necessity\nof proceeding to Head Quarters, to procure medical assistance. A Mr. La Rocque attempted to\nmake this tour; but went no farther than the\nMandan Village.]\nThursday, 18. We' are packing our furs, in\norder to send them to the general rendezvous;\nand # fe#$days hence, I shall abandon thisMfort,\nand the Indians in^his vietfttfty will go either into\nthe region of Riviere qui Apelle, or up\u00C2\u00AB the Sisis-\ncatcbwin River, near Fort des Prairies.\nSunday, May 5. We are nowabolft three\nleagues below Alexandria^ whieh place we aban-\nifii8\nMi\n 138\nHarmon's journal.\ndoned on the 28th ult. All our property is on\nboard of boats; but some of us travel on horseback. As it has not rained since the last Autumn,\nthe water in the river is uncommonly low, on account of which, our boats make Mut poor progress.\nAs we have a pit saw with us, I^have directed\nsome of my people to go mto the woodsfand saw a\nsufficient quantity of boards, to construct another\nboat, by means of which, we may reduce the loading, in those that we now possess..*\nWednesday, 8. Riviere qui Apelle. On the\n6th Mr. Goedike and several other persons with\nmyself, left our boats, and proceeded on horseback. As the fire has passed over the plains,\nthis spring, it was with difficulty that we could\nfind- grass, sufficient for the subsistence of our\nhorses. ^\nMonday, 20. Montagne a la Basse. Here I\nhave been waiting ever since the 15th for the arrival of our boats. They arrived this afternoon.\nMonday, 27. Riviere a la Sourim, o\u00C2\u00A3* Mouse\nRiver. This is about fifty miles from Montagne\na la Baise. Here are three establishments, formed severally by the North Wes^^X. Y. and Hudson Bay companies.\nLast evening, Mr, Chaboillez invitej! the people\nof the other two forts to a dance ; Jfend we had a\nreal North West country ball. Whj^Nlhree fourths\n HARMON'S JOURNAL*.\n139\nof the people had drunk so much, as to be incapa-\nMe of walking straightly, the other fourth thought\nit time to put an end to the ball, or rather bawl.\nThis morning, we were invited to breakfast at the\nJBudson Bay House, with a Mr. McKay, and in the\nevening to a dance. This, however, ended more\ndecently, than the one of the preceding evening!\nIt is now more than fifty years, since a French\nmissionary left this place. He*ihad, as I am informed, resided here, durwg a number of years, for the\npurpose of instructing the Natives in the Christian\nreligion. He taught them some short prayers, in\nthe French language, the whole of which some of\nthem have not yet forgotten.\nThe surrounding country consists chiefly of\nplains ; and the soil appears to be richer, than\nthat which is farther up the river.\nTuesday, 30. In the morning, I left Mouse\nRiver; and I have with me upwards of forty men,\nin five boats and seven canoes. jgrl\nSaturday, June 1. $pTe are now a liMle below\nwhat was called the Pine Fort. It is twenty\nyears since this fort was built, and eleven since it\nwas abandoned. This River is now so low, arising from the fact that we have had no rain this\nspring, and we have such a number of boats and\ncanoes, that we drive the sturgeon upon the sand\nbanks, where there is but little water; and we\n 140\nharmon's journal.\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 '\nhave no difficulty infilling any number of them,\nthat we please. We now subsist ent|jely on these\nfish ; and they a|je excellent food.\nThursday, 13. Portage la Prairie, or Plain\nPortage. Here the North West company have a\nmiserable fort, the local situation of which, is beautiful, beyond any thing that I have seen in this\npart of the world. Opposite the fort, there Is a\nplain, which is aboet sixty miles long, and from one\nto ten broad, in the whole extent of which, not the\nleast rise of ground is visible.\u00E2\u0080\u0094To this place,rthe\nNatives resort every spring, to take and dry sturgeon.\nSaturday, 15. We are now encamped under\na beautiful rlmge of oaks, which separate the river from a pretty extensive plain. Ever since we\nleft Mouse River, the soil on each side of the Upper Red River, down which we are passing, appears to be excellent, and the timber is very different from what it is near its source. We here\nfind oak, elm, walnut, bass wood, &c. and I am informed that there are grapes and plums in this\nvicinity.\nTuesday, 18. Not far from the place where\nwe are now encamped, there is a considerably\nlarge camp of Sauteux. Among them I saw another of my unfortunate countrymen, who, like\none of whom I have already spoken, was taken\n Harmon's journal.\n141\nfrom his parents, when a child. Thus, has many\na fond mother, in the frontier settle merits, been\ndeprived of her beloved and tender offspring.\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nbut this fellow is lost, beyond recovery, for he now\nspeaks no other language, but thai! of the Indians,\namong whom'he resides, and he has adopted all\ntheir manners a&d customs ; and it would now be\nas difficult to reconcile him to the habits of civilized life, as it would be, were he a real Indian.\nWednesday, 19. The Forffilf Arf/this place\nthe Upper and LoWer Retf Rivers, form a junction. The country around is pleasant, the soil appears to be excellent, and it is tolerably well timbered with oak, basswood, walnut, elm, poplar, as-\npin, birch, &c. NSrape vines and plum trees are\nalso seen.\nFriday, 21. We are now encamped at the\nplace, where the Red River enters the Great Winipick Lake. It is now nearly five yearsfSnce*! passed this place, which, at first thought, seems but a\nmoment. But when I deliberately recollect the\nscenes through which I have passed, during that\nspace of time, it seems as if I had passed the\ngreater part of mjrdays in this country.\nMonday, 24. We are now at the entrance of\nWinipick River, into the Lake of the same name*\nWe, here, find a number of people, who are llbrB\n 142\nHARMON'S JOURNAL.\nII\ntheir respective winter quarters, and who, like ourselves, are onf$heir way to the New Fort.\nFriday, July 5. Rainy Lake. On the margin\nof the waters, which connect this lake witM the\nGreat Winipick Lake, the wild rice is found, of\nwhich I have spoken on a former occasion. This\nuseful gratis produced in no other part of the\nNorth West Country ; though Carver erroneously states, that it is found every where. It grows\nin water, about two feet deep, where there is a\nrich muddy bottom. It rises more than eight feet\nabove the water ; and, in appearance bears a considerable resemblance to oats. It is gathered\nabout the latter end of September, in the following manner. The Natives pass in among it in canoes. Each canoe has in it two persons, one of\nwhom is in each end, with a long hooked stick, in\none hand, and a straight one in the other. With\nthe hooked stick, he brings the heads of the grain\nover the canoe, and holds it there ; while, with\nthe other, he beats it out. When the canoe is\nthus sufficiently loaded, it is taken to the shore and\nemptied. This mode of gathering the wild rice,\nis evidently more simple and convenient, than that\nwhich was practised in Carver's day. This grain\nis gathered in such quantities, in this region, that,\ninordinary seasons, the North West Company\npuffchase, annually, from twelve to fifteen hundred\n Harmon's journal.\n143\nbushels q|L it, from the Natives; #nd it constitutes\na principal article of food, at the postsijn this vi-\nf^inity.\nI have here received letters from my friends\nin Vermont, which left them in April last; and\nwhich have, as usual, afforded me muoji satisfaction^,:\nSaturday, 6. Rainy Lake. Wre are about ten\nmiles from the fort, on this lake ^ and ijbave been\nencamped, during thfegreater part of the day, in\norder that our people may repair their canoes;\nfor they will soon be obliged to transport them\noyer a number of long portages.\nMonday 8. Cross Lake. Here wo meet\nseveral canoes which, about the beginning of May\nlast, left Montreal^ that have goods on board,\nwhich will be carried in them to the R#iny Lake\nfort, and will thence be>|transported to Athabasca.\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094At this lake, we leave the route which leads to\nthe old Grand Portage.\nTuesday, 9. During the whole of $his day,\nwe have been crossing small lakes, a$d coming\ndown what deserve the name of hrooks, rather\nthan rivers.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We have met eight canoes, on their\nway to the Rainy Lake.\nFriday, 12. The Plain Portage. Jfi the former part of the day, we met, A. N. McLeod, Esq.\nwho is now from the New Fort, on his way back\n m !\n144\nHarmon's journal.\ni#\nto Athabasca. We went on shore, and took breakfast with him. tile has taken with him my friend\nMr. F. Goedike, a young man possessed of a good\nunderstanding, and a humane and generous heart,\nwho has been with me for four years past, and\nfrom whom I could not separate, without regret.\nSaturday, July 13. Overtook the Swan River\npeople, and entered Nipignon River,*fwhieh is\nnearly ten rods broad. This and Dog's river,\nexcepting a few carrying places, on account of\nrapids and falls, will carry us to the New Fort.\nTheland in this vicinity is low, and in many places, it is swampy. There are few animals in this\nregion, excepting moose, bears, and a few beavers\nand martins. This is the rout, by which the\nFrench, in former times, passed into the interiour.\nThe Indians in this quarter, are a few Sauteux\nand Mwseagoes. The latter, come from towards\nHudson's Bay.\nSunday 14. Dog's Portage, which is about\nthree miles over. After coming down Nipignon\nRiver, which is nearly fifty miles long, we entered the Dog's Lake, which may be about forty\nmiles in circumference, and by crossing which, we\narrived at this place. jg\nMonday 15. The Mountain Portage, jfifere the\nwater falls perpendicularly, about seventy feet.\nThe North West company have here a store\n Harmon's journal.\n145\nhouse, to which they send provisioas, &c, from\nthe New Fort, as the rjver from this to that\nplace is generally shallow, and is full of rapids.\nThose, therefi^Fe, who are going into the interiour, cannot take a full load, until the'y arrive at\nthis place ; and here they usually take^ their supply of provisions. 04\nTuesday, 16. New Fort, or, as it is called by\nth#Natives, Ka-mp-ni-ti-qui-a, is built on the bank\nof Dog River, whicbf is a considerable stream,\nthat empties into Lake Superiour, about four or.\nfive hundreds rods below the fort. The vessel\nthat runs on that lake, can come, with a part of\nher lading, quite up to tne quay, before the^forjp\nHere the French, before the English conquered\nCariiada, had an? establishment.\nWe here meet a number of gentlemen, some\nof whom came this summer from Montreal, and\nothers from different parts of the Interiour.\nThere are also here, one thousand labouring men,\nthe greater part of whom, are Canadians, who\nanswer better in this country, for the service required by the Company, than any other people\nwould probably do.\nThe country, for some considerable distance\nround, is covered with heavy timber, consisting of\na kind of red pine, poplar, aspin, birch, cedar, &c,\nbigt the soil does not appear to be of the first\n19\n 146\nHARMON'S JOURNAL*\nIt!\nqud^ty. Potatoes, pease, oats, &c., however,\ngrow tolerably well here.\nMonday, 22. I have passed several days, not\nunpleasantly, in thegcompany of a number of young\ngentlemen. They now begin, however, to^eave\nthis, to return to thejir winter quarters; and tomorrow, I expect to depart, and to proceed for\nFort des Prairies. As there will be two other\nyoung gentlemen in the same brigade, whon$. I\nknow to be sociable and pleasant companions, I\nexpect to have a pieasan% passage to my winter\nquarters.\nWednesday, August 28. During nearly a\n^paonth past we have been>spread nets, which is the manner in\nwhich we generally take -l^iinds of fish, in this\n* country. Some kinds, however, such as trout, cat\nfish and pike, we at times take, by setting hooks\nand lines.\nFriday, January 30, 1807. Mmo of the Hudson Bay people arrived from Fort des Prairies,\nwho were so obligfeg as to bring me letters from\nseveral gentlemen in that quarter. The greater\npart ^of the North West and Hudson Bay people,\nlive on amicable terms; and when one can with\npropriety render a service to the other, it is done\nwith cheerfulness. WM\nSunday^Mprit 5. The ice in the Sisiscatchwin\nriver, is broken up; and the great quantity of\nsnow which has recently been dissolved, has caused that river to rise so high, as to give another\ncourse to a smalt river j which generally takes its\nwater but of this lake, but which now runs into if.\nSaturday, May 23. This lake is free from\nice; and we have planted potatoes, and sowed our\ngarden seeds.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Geese have returned from the\nsouth, and we now have them in plenty.\nSaturday, 30. Mr. John McDonald and others,\n 156\nHARMON S JOURNAL.\nin seven canoes, have just arrived from Fort de.**\nPrairies, and are on their Way to/$he New Fort.\nSunday, June 7. Grand Rapid. On the 1st\npst. Mr. John McDonald, myself and otheifpeople, in seven canoes and one boat, left Cumberland\nHouse and arrived here, on the 15th, where we\nhave ever since been, stopped by the ice ki Lake\nWinrfipick^ which is not yet broken up.\u00E2\u0080\u0094WerJiere\nspear as many sturgeon as we please, as they are\ngoing up or down the rapid, which is about six\nmiles in length.\nMonday, 8. Lake Winnipick. The last night\nthere arose a strong north west wind, which broke\nup the ice, and drove it to the north east part of\n(the lake. We, therefore, embarked this morning,\nand have sailed all day.\nTuesday, 16.* White River. Mln the morning\nwe left the fort, at the^entrance of Lake Winnipick\nRiver, and this afternoon, Mr. A. N. McLfcod and\ncompany^from Athabasca, overtook us. With\nthis gentleman, to whom I am under many obligations, I am happy to spend an evening, after so\nlong a separation. \u00C2\u00A3t|\nSaturday, July 4. New Fort. Once more, I\nhave arrived at the general rendezvous, and find\nmyself among my friends and acquaintances, from\ndifferent parts of the*#\u00E2\u0082\u00ACriuntry.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Here I have received'letters from my friends below, which in-\n HARMON'S JOURNAL.\n157\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0form me of their health and rBasonableNprosperity. It is a great satisfaction thus to hear from\nthem; but this satisfaction would be greatly iriV\ncreased, could I be permitted to see and converse\nwith them. Althefigh the seven years, for which\nI was under an engagement to the North West\nCompany, have, now expired, I cannot withfhe\nleast degree of propriety, as I think, gratify the\nardent dedjre which I have of seeing my friends,\nby going down this year. And when the happy\ntime will come, that I shall visit them, God oply\nknows. It is trying to a person who has the least\naffection for his friends, to be separated from\nthem, for such a sejries of years, in such a savage\ncountry. My duty and happiness, however, require^ hat I endeavour \"to make the blest of my\nsituation. Notwithstanding the bad examples\nwhich we daily witness, a person can be as virtuous in this, as in any other'part of the world.\nTrue it is, if a person were here to lead a really religious lif\u00C2\u00A9$ he would find but few associates, who\nwould directly encourage him in his course. But\nthis is in a great measure true i^ every part of\nthe world.\nSunday, July 19. This, which was formerly\ncalled the New Fo\u00C2\u00A7t, is now named Fort William,\nin honour of William McGilvray, Esq. the head\nagent of the NortJ| Wes^pompany. At/the time\n ^HARMON'S JOURNAL.\nof giving this name, the Company made a present\nto their Voyagers, of a considerable quantity of\nspirits, shrub, &c. and also a similar present to the\nIndians, encamped about the fort.\nAs I am still in ill health, I shall pass the winter with Doctor \"MeLaughlin, at Sturgeon Lake,\nin the department of Nipigon, which lies to the\nnorth west from this.\nSaturday, 25. This afternoon, in company\nwith three iSanoes^l left Fort William; and we\nare now encamped on an island, in Lake Supe-\nriour.\nMonday, August 3.** First long Portage in\nthe Nipigon Road. We yesterday, separated\nfrom Messrs. Chaboillez and Leith, who have gone\nto winter at the Pic and MicMpcotton ; and to day,\nwe left Lake Superiour, and have come up a small\nTuesday, 4. South west end of Lake Nipigon.\nThisMake is slid to be one hundred and fifty miles\nin length, and from one^ffo twenty, broad. Trout\nare here taken, superiour to those that are found\ntri the North West country, which will weigh upwards of seventy pounds, and are of an excellent\nquality.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The country through which we have\npassed in coming to this place from Lake Superiour, is rocky and contains but little wood, of any\nkind. Whortleberries are found in plerfty.\n Harmon's journal.\n159\nFriday, 7. Fort Duncan, at the north end of\nLake Nipigon. The surrounding country is^very\nrough; bu^.where the ground is arable, the\nsoil appears to be good.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Moose and cariboo\nare found in tips vicinity; and there are, also, a\nfew black bears, beavers, otters, muskrats, mar-\ni\ntins, &e. Great numbers of white fish are taken\n\u00C2\u00A9jilt of the lake, particularly in the faljjof the year^i\nThese are hung up by th$jr tails, in th% open air,\nand are preserved good, in a frozen state, during\nthe winter. Most people prefe^those that have\nbeen thus kept, to fish that are taken immediately\nout of the wafer. ^\nSunday, 9. In the morning, we sent off three\ncanoes, and in the after part of the day,4ome of\nthe people returned, with the melancholy intelligence, that one of thejr companions was drowned,\nin going up a small rapid. The canoe overset,\nand most of the property on board, was lost The\nother persons, who were in it, saved, themselves\nby swimming to the shore. # $$%$&\nThursday, 13. In the morning, Mr. Holdane,\nthe Doctor and myself, with our conjpany, left fort\nDuncan, where Mr. R. McKenzie will pass the\nensuing winter. There, also, we separated from\ntwo Messrs. Camerons, whose route is northward,\ntowards Hudson's Bay. Our course is nearly\nsouth west.\n!i;\nX\n HARMON S JOURNAL.\nMonday, 24. Portage du Fort, or Sturgeon\nLake. * IJere, we #rived, yesterday; and this\nmorning, Mr. Holdane and his company left us,##\ncontinueiitheir route to Red Lake. The Doctor\nand I, with our company, shall leave this tomorrow, to go and build at the other end of this lake,\nwhich may be about forty miles long, and from\none totifive broad.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The country through which\nwe have passed, since we left Fort Duncan, is low\nand level ; no mountains, or even hills, are to be\nseen ; in many places it is swampy, and small lakes\nand pondsfmnd rivers and brooks are numerous.\nWhere the land is dry, the soil appears to be principally a black loam.\u00E2\u0080\u0094This tract of country was\nformerly well stocked with beavers and otters;\nbut they have now become ^scarce, as they have\nbeen hunted by the Natives, *\u00C2\u00A7u ring more than the\nlast hundred years. Moose and carriboo are still\nconsiderably numerous, in this region.\nTuesday, September, 1. Our people are erecting houses for our winter habitations. We now\ntake white fish in cqpsiderable numbers.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Indians, who frequent this post, are^Sauteux and*\nMuscagoes;^\nSaturday, October 3. We sent people to the'\nother end of this lake, to make a fall fishery.\nThey will take white fish, trout, pike, carp, &c,\nwhich constitutes the principal food for those\n Harmon's journal.\n161\nwho are in the Nipigon country. In this country,\nwhich is at least seven hundred miles long and\nfive or six hundred broad, more people have starved to death, than in all the rest of the Indian country. At this lake, several years since, eleven\nCanadians lost their lives for want of food. We\nexperience at present, no difficulty in this respect;\nand I am of opinion that the distresses of our\npredecessors were, in a considerable measure,\nowing to the want of good management.\nMonday, November 9. Our people have returned, and inform us, that they have caught only\nfourteen hundred fish of all descriptions. These,\nhowever, with what corn,tflour, wild rice and meat\nwe have, together with the trout which we hope\nto take with set hooks and lines, as soon as the\nlake is frozen over, will, we expect, furnish us\nwith a comfortable subsistence, during the winter.\nWe are in a solitary place, where we see no one,\nexcepting the Natives; and they are few in number, compared with those, among whom I have\nformerly been. Happily for us, we have a\nfew good books; and in perusing them, we\nshall pass the greater part of the time. The\nDoctor, who is of about the same age with\nmyself, is an excellent companion, and fond\nof conversation ; and I trust, that a friendly intercourse will mutually cheer our spirits, and that we\n21\n Bill\n162\nHarmon's journal.\nshall spend the winter in a manner, that will be\nboth pleasant and profitable.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We have $ now\nabout four inches of snoggr, which will probably remain with us through the winter.\nSunday, 15. The last night, this lake froze\nover.\nFriday, Deceniber 4. We now take great\nnumbers of excellent trout from under the ice,\nwith hooks and lines.\nEarly this morning, the woman whom I have\ntaken to reside with^ie, became the mother of a\nboy, whom 1 name George Harmon.\nMonday, December 28. Doctor McLaughlin,\naccompanied by two Canadians and one of the\nNatives, has gone to visit Mr. Holdane, at Red\nLake. g||\nJ^Friday, February 19, 1808. The Doctor\nand company have returned, from their long\njuant; and I am happy in again.enjoying his society, after a season of comparative loneliness.\nAnother year of amy life is gone, which makes\nme thirty years of age. This anniversary leads\nme to reflect on the rapid flight of time, and the\nbrevity of human life. When I attentively consider these things, it seems surprising that we\nshould encounter so much difficulty and labour in\nthe acquisition of property, which, if it could min-\n Harmon's journal.\n163\njster more effectually to our enjoyment than it\ndoes, we must very soon relinquish forever.\nFriday, May 13^ The Doctor, with one man\nft a small canoe, has set off for Fort William,\nwhere he will be wanted as soon as he can arrive,\nto attend on the sick. Among the great number\nwho visit that rendezvous every summer, there\nare always some, who need medical aid; though\nI firmly believe, that no part of the world is more\nhealthly than this.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Doctor has not been\nable to learn, to his satisfaction, what my complaint is. I think that the medicines, which I have\ntaken, in the course of the winter, have been of\nessential service to me ; and I hope, before long\nto regain my former state of good health.\nThe Indians of this place have subsisted, during the greater part of the past winter, upon\nhares.\u00E2\u0080\u0094There is an old Sauteux woman here,\nwho compels her own son to have criminal intercourse with her!\nThursday, June 9. Portage du Fort. Here,\nwe shall wait the arrival of the people of tfis department ; and we shall then con^nue our route,\nwith them to Fort William. It is nine months\nand fifteen days since I passed this place, the last\nautumn, in going into the couiitry, which evinces\nthat our winter has been long; and I may add\ntoo, that it has been dreary. But we have reason\n BOB\n164\nHarmon's journal.\nff-\nto be thankful to God, that we have not suffered\nat all, for the want of the means of subsistence.\nWednesday, 22. Fort Duncan. The people\n|br whom we were waiting at Portage du Fort,\narrived on the 12th, and the day following, we\nset out for this place, which we reached this afternoon.\nSaturday, 25. Yesterday, we left fort Duncan, and came to an island in Lake Nipigon, on\nwhich we are now encamped, and where we intend to pass a few days, in fishing for trout,\nwhich are here in plenty, and are of an excellent\nquality.\nThursday, July 7. Yesterday morning, I arrived at Fort William, where I had only time to\nread my letters from my friends below, and answer them, and prepare myself for a long journey.\nThis afternoon I eoibarked for Athabasca, in\ncompany with Mr. J. G. McTavish ; and both of\nus are to remain at the place of our destination,\nfor three years, at least.\nWednesday, 20. Rainy Lake. We herj find\nall the Athabasca people, excepting one brigade,\nwhich is expected daily.\nm Saturday, 22. Ever since my arrival here,\nwe have been busily employed in preparing to\nleave this place, for our winter quarters.\n0uesday9 26. Rainy Lake River. In the\n HARMON S JOURNAL.\n165\nmorning, I left the fort in company with Mr.\nArchibald McGillivray. Our brigade consists of\nten canoes.\nFriday, 29. Portage de Lflsle, in Winnipick\nRiver. In the morning, we met Mr. David\nThomson and company from the Columbia River.\nMonday, August 1. Lake Winnipick. This\nmorning, we arrived at the fort on this lake,\nwhere we remained until noon. While there, I\nwrote to my old friend Mr. William Henry, who\nis at the Lower Red River. I also received a\nletter from him, in which he informs me, that his\nfort was attacked this summer, by a considerable\nparty of Sieux. Two shots, from cannon in the\nblock houses, however, caused them to retire, in\ndoing which, they threatened that they would before long, return and make another attempt to\ntake the fort.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Sieux are a numerous tribe\nof Indians, who are scattered over a large tract of\nland, that lies between the Mississippi and Missouri rivers; and they are said to be the greatest\nvillains, in this part of the world. They are the\nsame tribe that Carver distinguishes, by the name\nof Nandswesseis.\nSaturday, 6MGrand Rapid, at the north west\nend of Lake Winnipick. The wind has been high,\nduring the day; and in the latter part of it, one\nof our canoes filled with water. Happily, it was\nJ*\n Harmon's journal.\nnear an island, when this disaster happened. The\npeople were, however, under the necessity of\nthrowing a part of their property overboard.\nWe find here Mons. Perigne, who was formerly a clerkno the North West Company,*but who,\nas he informs me, has lately been to Canada, and\nhas come up on his own account. He has\nbrought up a few goods, to enable him to carry oft\na small traffick with the Natives. He, also, intends, occasionally to hunt the beaver, &c, himself.\nBut I am convinced, that, at this great distance\nfrom the place of market for furs, the trade cannot\nbe profitably carried on, unless it be done on a\nlarge scale, which requires a greater capital than\nan individual can embark in this undertaking.\nThe experiment has been made, in a number of\ninstances ; and it has uniformly failed.\nFriday, 12. Cumberland House. From this\nplace, I shall take a route, which S*have never\nbefore travelled.\nSaturday, 13. Entrance of River Maligne, or\nBad River. This is a considerable river, which\nruns into Sturgeon Lake.\nSunday, 14. Beaver Lake. The greater\npart of the day, we have employed in coming up\nthe river last mentioned, which, through its\nwhole course, has a continual succession of rapids.\n Harmon's jouRNii,\n167\nThe country around is low, and the timber, like\nthat of the North West country generally, is small.\nTuesday, 16. Pelican Lake. Most of the\nday has been passed in crossing Lac Martin.\nWednesday, 111-1 Portage du Forte de Traite,\nor Trading Fort Portage. This was so named,\nfrom a circumstance which occurred here, thirty\nfour years since. Mr. Joseph Frobisher and company, who were the first traders who ever came\ninto this quarter, here met a large band of Natives, whose canoes were loaded with furs, which\nthey were taking to York* Factory, at Hudson's\nBay. He succeeded in bartering his goods for\ntheir furs? which amounted to more tharrfne couM\"\ntake to head quarters, the next season. He\ntherefore built a fort, and, with his people passed\nseveral winters here ; and at tfagtt time, it was the\nmost northen post, belonging either to the North\nWest, or the Hudson Bay Company.\nAll the waters from this side of the portage, pass\nthrough Lake Winnipick, and finally fall into Hudson's Bay, at York Factory. But, on the other\nside of the portage, which is about half a mile\nover, the stream, which is called Mis-sin-ni-pi or\nGreat River, runs in a different direction, and enters Hudson's Bay, at Churchill Factory, which is\nthe most northern post belonging to the Hudson\nBay Company. The river last mentioned, is call-\n 168\nharmon's journal.\ned, by the Hudson Bay people, Churehiil River,\nand by the people from Canada, English River.\nThursday\u00E2\u0096\u00A0, August 18. This afternoon, we obtained some dried meat from the Natives, which\nwe find much more palatable than the salted provisions, on which we have subsisted, ever since\nwe left Fort William. In the Interiour we never\nmake use of salted provisions ; not, however, for\nwant of salt, which is found in most parts of the\ncountry, and which can be obtained in plenty, at\nall our establishments.\nTuesday, 23. Isle a la Cross Lake. Ever\nsince we left Poriage du Forte de Traite, we have\nbeen in what may with propriety, be called the\nEnglish River, though it passes through several small lakes; and in this river, our way has\nbeen obstructed by thirty six portages.\ng* Thursday, 25. Isle la Cross fort. This fort\nstands on the north side of the lake of the same\nname, is well built and has attached to it an excellent kitchen garden. Out of the lake, the best\nof white fish are taken, during the whole year; and\nit is the ojily place in this country, in which these\nfish can be taken, at all seasons.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Indians\nwho come to this establishment, are Chippewyans*,\nin considerable numbers, and a few Crees. I am\ninformed that there are, in this vicinity, many\nmoose and cariboo, and a few black bears, bea-\n Harmon's journal.\n169\nvers,' otters, cats, &c. The country is low ; and\nscarcely any mountains are to be seen.\nTuesday, 30. East end of Portage la Loche, or\nLoach Portage. This is so named, from a neighbouring lake, where these fish are takeri, in abundance. This portage is twelve miles over; and\nacross it, the people are obliged to transport\nboth canoes and lading. The road, however,\nis excellent, through a level country, thinly wooded with cypress. In coming here from Isle la\nCross, we have passed two considerable lakes,\nand come up a small river, which is between\nthose lakes. The country through which we\nhave passed, is generally level, and the soil\nis tolerably good. The streams, before wo\ncross this portage, discharge themselves into\nHudson's Bay at Churchill Factory; but afterward, the water, after passing through Athabasca,\nGreat Slave, and other lakes, enters the North\nSea. H\nSaturday, September 3. North west end of\nPortage la Loche. We here find a small band of\nChipewyans, who assist our people in transporting our property across the portage, and\nwho supply us with provisions, which we very\nmuch need, since our former stock is nearly exhausted.\nAbout a mile from this end of the portage is\n22\n tm\nHARMON'S JOURNAL.\n\u00C2\u00A3L\na h$ll, which towels majestically, to the height of\na thousand feet, above the plain below ; and which!,\ncommands a* most extensive and delight&il prospect. Two lofty and? extensive ridges, enclose a\nvalley, about three miles in width* which stretches,\nfhr as the eye caci' reach. The,Little Rpger,\nwhich is, also, by different persons, denominated\nSwan, Clear water, or Pelican River, winds, in a\nmosi delightful mariner, along this charming valley. The majestick forests, which wave upon\nthese, ridges, the delightful verdure of the intervening lawn, andf the beautiful stream, which wanders along through it, giving a pleasing variety to\ntJke^ scene, until these objects become blended\nwith the horizon, form, on the whole, the most delightful,, natural scenery, that I ever beheld.\nSunday, 4. In the morning, we left the Porjfc?\nage^ and are now in Little Athabasca River;.\nwhich is> about twenty rods wide.\nTuesday, 6. We are now in the Great Athabasca Rivej?, which is about three quarters of a\nmile in breadth. In the early part of the day,\nweimassed the Fork, where Little Athabasca riv-\near and Red deer, or as some call it,. Elk river,\nform a junction*?\u00E2\u0080\u0094At & small distance from Portage la Loche, the navigation of the riyeiyis interrupted by severalf carrying places, in about the\nmiddle of which, are some mineral springs, that\n Harmon's journal.\n171\nare evidently impregnated with sulphur, as appears by the incrustations om?Hh\u00C2\u00ABir ibaargms. At\nabout twenty miles from the Fork, siveral bituminous fountains are found, into which a pote of\ntwenty feet in length, may be plunged, without\nthe least resistance. The bitumen, which is in a\nfluid state, is mixed with gum, or the resinous substance collected from the spruce fir, and is used for\ngumming canoes. When heated, it emits a smell,\nlike that of sea coal.\u00E2\u0080\u0094There are some places,\nalong this river, which are of many miles i&Jextent,\nwhere there is scarcely a tree standing. f^They\nwere killed by the fire, and were then thrown\ndown by theft winds* At these places, a fewM)uffa-\nloes, moose and cariboo, are found.\nWednesday, 7. Fort Chipewyan. This fofe\nstands on a rocky point, at the south western errti\nof Athabasca Lake, or, as some call it, the Lake\nof the Hills.\u00E2\u0080\u0094This is the general rendezv\u00C2\u00AB\u00C2\u00ABs for\nall Athabasca. Here the goods are set apart for\nall the different posts, in this extensive\" d^parfc-\nment; and to this place, the greater number of\npersons who have the charge of these posts,^&ne\nevery fall, to receive their merchandise from\nthose, who have brought it from the Rainy Lake.\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094This place is in N. Lat. 58\u00C2\u00B0 f 0' and W. Long.\nni\u00C2\u00B0. '\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0080\u00A2-.\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 '\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 -r ij&p^pt:, \u00E2\u0096\u00A0!\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 r'.\"^^^^ii\nA few Crees, and a greater number of Chipe*\n 172\nHARMON'S JOURNALS\n\tw\nwyans, resort to this establishment. The latter\ntribe were accustomed, formerly, to take their\nfurs to Churchill Factory, at Hudson's Bay.\npThey were, generally, six months in performing\nthe journey; and many of them have actually\nstarved to death, on their return home, as the\ncountry through which they passed, is almost destitute of game.\u00E2\u0080\u0094This lake is, in no part of it, more\nthan fifteen miles wide ; but it is, at least, two\nhundred miles long, and extends eastwardly, toward Churchill Factory. \u00C2\u00AB\nAbout sixty miles from this, down Slave River,\nthere are several places, where almost any quantity of excellent, clean, white salt may be taken,\nwith as much ease, as sand/>along the sea shore.\nFrom these places, the greater part of the North\nWest is supplied with this valuable article.\nThe country around this place, is low and lev-\n1*1$ and, in the spring of the year, much of it is covered with water. A few moose are found, in this\nvicinity; but, the fish of the lake form the principal dependence for food, and they are abundant,\nand of an excellent quality.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Every fall and spring,\nbustards and geese are found in greater numbers,\nthan in any other part of the North West.\nWednesday, 21. Ever since my arrival in this\nplace, people, from almost every corner of this\nextensive department, have been flocking in, some\n HARMON'S JOURNAL.\n173\nof whom are from more than a thousand miles\ndown McKenzie's River, which is nearly north\nWest from this. Others are from Great Slave\nLake and Peace River. Mr. Simon Frazer has\njust returned from the Pacific Ocean. The last\nspring, accompanied by two otherfrgentlemen,\ntwelve Canadians, and two of the Natives, he set\nout from New Caledonia, on the west side of the\nRocky Mountain, on this tour. Mr. Frazer states,\nthat his party met with some ill treatment from\ntheSlndians who live along the sea coast, but that\nthey were hospitably received by those wljo\nreside farther up the country. The Indians in\nthat quarter, he says, are less scattered than those\nwho live on this side of the Rocky Mountain,\nand reside, not in tents, but in houses or huts,\nconstructed of wood. He also reports, that\nthe country through which they passed, is\nfar from being well stocked with beavers, or\nany other kind of animals; and that the Natives subsist principally upon fish.\nThursday, 22. This afternoon, in company\nwith a number of persons, in several canoes, I left\nFort Chipewyan; and, after coming two miles in\nAthabasca Lake, we entered a small river, whicn\nis about thirty six miles long, and which now runs\nout of that lake into Peace river; but, when\nthis river is high, it discharges itself into the Lake.\n1\n 174\nHarmon's journal.\niii*\nFriday, 23. Peace River. This river is about\nseventy rods in breackh, and has a gentle current.\nIt rises on the west side of the Rocky Mountain,\nat the distance of nearly a thousand miles from\nthis. Below this, it assumes the name of Slave\nRiver ; and, after a course of one hundred and\nforty or fifty miles, it discharges itself into Great\nSlave Lake.\nSunday, October 2. Fort Vermillion. To this\npost, great numbers of Beaver Indians bring their\nfurs ; and there are a few Iroquois, also, from Canada, who hunt in this vicinity.\u00E2\u0080\u0094About sixty miles\nbelow this, where the river is about thirty rods\nwide, there is a||fall, of about twenty feet.\nThrough the whole course, from this fall nearly\nto the Rocky Mountain, at a little distance from\nthe river, on each side, there are plains of considerable extent, which afford pasture for numerous herds of the buffaloe, the red deer or elk,\nand a few moose* Great numbers of black bears\nare found, that feed on the berries, which are\nabundant on the hills, on both sides of the river.\nFriday, 7. Encampment island Fort. This place\nis, also established, for the purpose of trading with\nthe Beaver Indians. They are the only Indians\nwho live along this noble river, excepting a few\nCrees, who occasionally come to this quarter,\nfrom the Lesser Slave Lake.\n HARMON'S JOURNAL.\n175\nMonday, 10. Dunvegan. This is,a well built\nfort, pleasantly situated, with plains on each side\nof the river, in N. Lat. 56\u00C2\u00B0 and W. Lon. 119\u00C2\u00B0.\nAbout the Fort a number of Iroquois hunters,\nand a band of Beaver Indians, have encamped,\nwho have been waiting our arrival, in order to\nobtain the articles which they need. At this\nplace I expect to pass the enduing winter. There\nwill, also, be here, Messrs. D. McTavish, J. G.\nMcTavisfc, J. McGillivray, thirty two labouring*\nmen, nine women and several children, which,\nrenders this place very different from my solitary\nabode the last winter.\nOur principal food will be the flesh of the buffaloe, moose, red deer and bear. We have a tolerably good kitchen garden; and we are in no\nfear that we shall want.the means of a comfortable subsistence. We have, also, a provision for the\nentertainment and improvement of our minds, in\na good collection of books. The. gentle men who\nare to remain with me, are enlightened, sociable\nand pleasant companions ; and* I hopey therefore,\nto spend a pleasant and a profitable winter.\nFriday, 14. This morning, my oM friend Mr.\nF. Goedifee, whom I have been happy to meet at\nthis place, left us, with his company, for St. Johnsy\nwhich is. about one hundred and twenty? miles up\nthis river* where he is to pass the ensuing winter..\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2.\u00C2\u00A3\u00C2\u00A7',\n PK\n176\nHarmon's journal.\nSaturday, November 12. About a foot of snow\nhas fallen.\nTuesday, December 20. During the last rfght,\nthis river froze ovef; and, at nine o'clock this\nmorning, the thermometer was at 40 degrees below 0.\nWednesday, January 4, 1809. Sent the express to the Lesser Slave Lake, which lies about\ntwo hundred and fifty miles to the south east\nfrom this, whence it will be forwarded to Fort\ndes Prairies.\nWednesday, March 1. A band of our Indians\nhave come in, who went a considerable distance\nto the northward, the last autumn, in search of\nbeavers. They state, that where they were, the\nsnow fell to an extraordinary depth, in consequence of which, they suffered greatly for want\nof provisions. In this vicinity, the snow was, at no\ntime, more than two feet and an half deep.\nMonday, 20. The snow is fast dissolving.\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nMr. A. R. McLeod and company, have just arrived from the Encampment Island ; and they bring\nthe melancholy intelligence of the death of Mr.\nAndrew McKenzie, natural son of Sir Alexander\nMcRenzie. He expired at Fort Vermillion, on\nthe 1st inst.. The death of this amiable young\nman, is regretted by all who knew him.\u00E2\u0080\u0094They,\nalso, inform us, that several Canadians have lost\n HARMON'S JOURNAL.\n177\ntheir lives by famine, in the vicinity of Great\nSlave Lake. Those who survived, were under\nthe necessity of subsisting, several days, upon the\nflesh of their dead companions. It is reported,\nthat one man killed his wife and child, in order to\nsupply himself with food, who, afterwards, himself\nstarved to death. These Canadians came up into\nthis part of the world, free, to hunt the beaver,\n&c. and they were at too great a distance from\nour establishments, to receive any aid from us,\nuntil it was too late, for the greater part of\nthem.\nIt is not unfrequently the case, that, the surviving part of a band of the Natives, subsist upon\nthe flesh of their dead companions, when compelled to do it for want of other food, sufficient to\nsustain life. I know a woman who, it is said ate\nof no less than fourteen of her friends and relations, during one winter. \ In the summer season,\nthe Indians can find food, almost any where; but\nthe case is far otherwise, when the ground is covered with snow, to the depth of several feet.\nWednesday, 22. Sent people to look for birch\nbark, to make canoes, to take out our returns\nto the Rainy Lake. The greater part of the canoes, in which we bring our merchandise into the\ncountry, will not answer to transport our furs below. y|j\n23'^#\n HARMON S JOURNAL.\n$m- Thursday, AprUg6. The weather is mild.\nThe people, whom we sent for bark^-Jiave re-\n|gpned, with$k>ne hundred and eighty fathoms,\nwhich will make nine canoes, that wiU carry about\ntwo tons burthen, each. Two men will easily\ntransport one of them on their shoulders, across\nthe portages. #\nTuesday, 11. Geese and bustards begin to\ncome from the south. .\nTuesday, 18. This morning, the ice in this\nriver broke up. p4\nSaturday, May 6. The surrounding plains are\nall on fire.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We have planted our potatoes, and\nsowed most of our garden seeds.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Our people\nare preparing to set out for the Rainy Lake.\nThursday, 11. We, yesterday, sent off eleven\ncanoes, loaded with the returns of this place and\nof St John's ; and, early this morning, Messrs. D.\nMcTavish, h G. j McTavish, F. Goedike and J.\nMcGillivray, embarked on'board of two light canoes, bound for the Rainy Lake and Fort William. But I am to pass the ensuing summer, at\nthis place.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The last winter was, to me, the most\nagreeable one that I have yet spent in this country.\nThe greatest harmony prevailed among us, the\ndays glided on smoothly, and the winter passed,\nalmost imperceptibly, away.\nTuesday, 16. In the morning, Messrs. Simon\n HARMON'S JOURNAL.\n179\nFrazer and James McDougall and company, arrived,! in four canoes. The former gentleman came\nfrom the Rocky Mountain Portage, which is about\none hundred and eighty miles, up this River. The\nlater is from New Caledonia, on * the west side of\nthe Rocky Mountain, which is distant^from this,\nabout four hundred and fifty miles. After passing\nthe most of the day with me, they continued their\nroute toward the Rainy Lake.\nFriday, June \"2.1 The seeds which we sowed\nin the garden, have sprung up, and grow remarkably well. The present prospect is, that strait*\nberries, red raspberries, shad berries, cherries, &d,\nwill be abundant, this season.\nThis*\u00C2\u00A7iver since the beginning of May, has rkr\nen twelve feet perpendicularly ; and it still continues to rise. This circuinsti|oce arises, in part,\nfrom the large quantity of rain, which has lately\nfallen, but more, I presume, from the dissolving of\nthe snow, on and near the Rocky Mountain.\nTuesday, 13. An Indian has come here, who\nsays, that one of their chiefs has lately died; and\nhe requests that we furnish a chief's cloAhing to\nbe put on him, that he may be decently interred ;\nand, also, that we would supply a small quantity\nof splits, foj| his*relations and friends to drink, at\nhis interment; a!B of which I have sent,; jor] the\ndeceased was a friendly. Indian. Nothing pleases\n m\nikJP'\n180\nHARMON'S JOURNAL.\nan Indian better, than to see his deceased relatives, handsomely attired; for he believes that\nthey will arrive in the other world, in the same\ndress, with which they are clad, when they are\nconsigned to the grave.\nWednesday!, July 19.j A few days since, Mr.\nJohn Stuart and company, came here, I from New\nCaledonia, for goods ; and to day, they set out on\ntheir return home. During the few days which\nthat gentleman passed here, I derived much satisfaction from his society. We rambled about\nthe plains, conversing as we went, and now and\nthen stopping, to eat a few berries, which are\nevery whereto be found*] He has evidently read\nand reflected much. How happy should I be to\nhave such a companion, during the whole summer*\nBut such is our mode of life in this country, that\nwe meet but seldom; arid the time that we remain\ntogether, is short. We only begin to find the ties\nof friendship, binding us closely together, when\nwe are compelled to separate, not to meet again\nperhaps for years to come.\nBaptiste La Fleur, my interpreter, wM accompany Mr. Stuart and his men, as far as St. John's,\nin hopes'of obtaining some information respecting\nhis brother, who, it is supposed, was Milled by\nan Indian, the last spring, while on his way\nfrom the Rocky Mountain Portage to St. John's.\n HARMON S JOURNAL.\n181\nWednesday, July 19. Baptiste La Fleur has\nreturned from St. Johns, without having been able\nto obtain the least intelligence, respecting his\npoor brother, and the two Indians, who were coming down the river, in the same canoe with him.\nWe are, therefore, apprehensive that all three of\nthem have been drowned, in coming down the\nrapids, as their canoe was made of the bark\nof the spruce fir tree, and was, therefore, very\nweak,\nFriday, 21. We have cut down our barleys\nand I think it is the finest that I ever saw in any\ncountry. The soil on the points of land, along\nthis river is excellent.\nThe mother of the chief, who died this summer, and who is far advanced in years, now remains in a tent, at the distance of a few rods from\nthe fort. Many of the Natives, of both sexes,\nwhen they become old and infirm, and unable to\ntravel with their relations, who depend upon the\nchase for subsistence, and are frequently moving\nfrom place to place, settle down near our forts \\nand it is easy for us to render them more effectual\naid, than their friends could possibly afford them.\nAlmost everyday, just as the sun is sinking\nbelow the horizon, the old lady, above mentioned,\ngoes to the place where her deceased son, when\nalive, was accustomed to encamp, when he came\nf\n;\n HARMON'S JOURNAL.\nto the fort, and there weeps, and sings a mournful\nkind of song, of which the following, is a translation. \" My dear son, come tome! why do you\nleave-me, my son?\" This she repeats for two\nhours together, in the most plaintive and melancholy tone imaginable.\nIt is customary for the women, among the\nBeaver Indians, when they lose a near relation, to\ncut off a joint of one of their fingers ; and, in consequence of so barbarous a custom, we frequently\nsee some of their aged women, who want the first\ntwo joints of every finger, on both hand^f The\nmen content themselves, on such occasions, by cutting off their hair, close to their heads, and by\nscratching or cutting their faces and arms, frequently in a most barbarous and shocking manner.\nThe Beaver Indians are a peaceable and quiet\npeople, and, perhaps, the most honest of any, on\nthe face of the earth. Theft is rarely committed\namong them; and when one of their tribe is\n'known to have stolen, he is regarded with a de-\ntesjation, like that which follows a highwayman\nin civilized countries. f|| |pj\nFormerly, their clothing was made of the\nskins of the buffaloe, moose, and red deer, and\ntheir arms were bows and arrows; but the greater part of them, are now clothed with European\ngoods, and are supplied with fire arms. They\n HARMON'S JOURNAL.\n183\nhave, also, iron axes and knives, in. the place of\nthose which were made of stone and of bone.\nFriday, September 1. Fowls begin to leave\nthe north, to go-to the southward.\n| Friday, October 6. As the weather begins to\nbe cold, we have taken our vegetables out of the\nground, which we find to have been very productive.\nSaturday, 7. Mr. A. R. McLeod and company,\npassed this place, to-day, in three canoes, which\nare on their way to the Rocky Mountain Portage,\nand thence to New Caledonia. This gentleman\ndelivered me letters, not only from different ,persons in this country, but also from my relatives below. To-be informed, in this way, of the health\nand prosperity of*the latter, to attend to the effusions of their hearts, and a detail of many of the\ncircumstances of their lives, transports me in imagination, for a short season, into the midst of\ntheir, society, and communicates a pleasure resembling that of personal intercourse. Excellent invention of letters ! thus to enable us to keep up\na kind of conversation with beloved friends, while\nseparated from them by*thousands of miles.\nSunday, February 25, 1810. feOn the evening\nof the 15th inst. my woman was delivered &f two\nliving boys. They appear, however, jj^&bave\nbeen prematurely born ; and, from the ^||p, little\n(Ml\n Harmon's journal.\nhope was entertained that they would long sui**\nvive. One ofthem died on the morning of the\n22d, and the other the last night; and to day,\nthey were both buried in the same coffin. He\nwho gave them life, has taken it away* He had\nan undoubted right so to do ; and though his ways\nare to us, inscrutable, he has the best reasons for\nwhatever he does. It becomes us, therefore^\nhumbly to acquiesce in this afflictive dispensation.\nThursday, May 3. This day, the ice in the\nriver broke up.\nTuesday, 15. Early this morning, Mr. D. Mc\nTavish and company, set out for Fort William \u00E2\u0096\u00A0$\nand this afternoon, Mr. J. Clarke and company,\nfrom St. John's, passed this, on* their way to the\nRainy Lake. But I shall remain, if providence\npermit, at this place, during another summer.\nThe local situation is pleasant; and we have good\nhorses, by means of which, I can, at pleasure make\nexcursions into the surrounding plains, over which\nare scattered buffaloes, moose, red deers, antelopes, black and grey bears, &c I shall have no\nintelligent companion, with whom to converse.\nBut this deficiency will be in a measure supplied,\nby a good collection of books, with which I am\nfurnished. Were it not for this resource, many a\ndreary day would pass over me.\n w\nHARMON'S JOURNAL.\n185\nTuesday, 22. Messrs. J. Stuart, and H. Faries\nand company, passed this place in four canoes,\nwith the%-eturns of New Caledonia and Rocky\nMountain Portage; and, like many others, tl$ey\nare on their way to the Rainy Lake.\nSaturday, June 23. The last night was so coldj\nthat the tops of our potatoes were frozen.\nThis morning, as several red deer were crossing\nfrom the opposite side of the river, one of our\npeople leaped into a canoe, and pursued them,\nand succeeded in killing one ofrlhem.\nThursday, September 13. Two men havei$|fc*\nrived from New Caledonia, who bring the disagreeable intelligence, that salmon^ this season, do\nnot come up the rivers of that region, as usual.\nAs this kind of fish forms the principal article of\nfood, both for the Natives and white people, it is\napprehended that they will all be under the necessity of proceeding towards the Pacific Ocean,\nuntil they find a people who have been more favoured by Providence. gpf\nWednesday, October 3. We have taken our\npotatoes out of the ground, and find, that nine\nbushels, which we planted the 10th of may last,\nhave produced a little more than one hundred and\nfifty bushels. The other vegetables in our garden\nhave yielded an increase, touch in the sam#pro-\nportion, which is sufficient proof, that the soil of\n24\n#1\n\u00C2\u00BBF.i\n 186\nHARMON'S JOURNAL.\nlife\nM,'\ntheipoints of land, along this river, is good. Indeed, I am of opinion, that.wheat, rye, barley,\n$ats, pease, &c. would grow well in the plains\naround us.\nSaturday, Oifober 6. Mr. John Stuart and company, in four canoes, have arrived from Fort\nChSpiwyan, having on board, goods for the estab-\nishmetit at the* Rocfcy Mountain, Portage and\nNew Caledonia. This gentleman delivered me\na packet of letters from home, and also a number\nof others from gentlemen in this country, one of\nwhich is a joint letter, signed by three of the partners, requesting m#to gomrid superintend the affairs of New Caledonia; or, if I prefer it, to accompany Mr. Stuart, as second in command to him,\nuntil the next spring, at which time it is presumed,\nthat I shall have learned sufficient of the state of\nthings in that country, to assume the whole manage mirit myself, ^s Mr. Stuart has passed several years in that parf of the country, the information which his experience will enable-liiim to\nafford me, will bcWof great service. I prefer,\ntherefore, accompanying him, tangoing alone, especially in view of .'the late unfavourable reports\nfrom that country, in regard to the means of sub-\nsistencef$*p S tip\nWednesday, October 10. St. John's. On the\n7th Mr. Stuart and* myself, with our company,\nm\n Harmon's journal.\n187\nleft Dunvegan; and this evening, we arrived here.\nThe current in the river begins to be much stronger than we found it below Dunvegan. On both\nsides of the river, are hills of a considerable\nheight, which are almost destitute of timber of\nany kind. At different places, we saw buffaloes,\nred deer, and bears. During our passage to this\nplace, t&e weather has been bad. The snow and\nrain Have been very unpleasant, unprotected\nagainst them, as we are, in our open canoes.\nThursday, 11. In-the early part of the day,\nour people were busily employed in preparing\nprovisions to take with us to New Caledonia.\nThis afternoon, Mr. Stuart and company embarked in three canoes, for the Rocky Mountain Portage. Havilg a little business stiBf'to\ntransact, I shall pass the night here.\nMonday, 15. Rocky Mountain Portage Fort.\nWe here find nearly eight inches of snow.\nMr. Stuart and company reached here yesterday ; and I arrived this morning. Between this\nplace and St. John's, .the river is very rapid,\nits banks are high, and the country, on both\nsides of it, is generally clotSyed with small timber. Ever since our arrival, we have been employed in delivering goods for this place, tod dividing the remainder among our people, to be\ntaken on their backs, to the other end of the\n>\n 188\nHARMON S JOURNAL*\nin\nportage, which is twelve miles over, through a\nrough and hilly country. We Jjpave our canoes\nand take others, at the other end of the carrying place.\nFrom the great Slave Lake to this place,\nthere are few rapids, and only one fall jar but at\nseveral places, the current is very strong. Yesterday, we came up one of these places; and\nan$\u00C2\u00A3 as our progress was very slow, I went; on\nshore alone, to walk along the beach. Having\nproceeded \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 some distance, I arrived at a place\nwhicfcl could not pass, without making a con-\nsic|\u00C2\u00A7rable turn into the woods. I, therefore, left\nthe side of the river, and, after baring walked\na mile or two, I fell upon a well beaten footpath, which I supposed would -lake me directly\nto the fort. After I had followed ii for several\nmiles, I perceived that it had been trodden by\nwild animals, and was as I thought, leading me\nin a different direction from that which I ought\nto have taken. I was unwilling to retrace my\nsteps ; and I, therefore,, proceeded in a different\ndirection,, hoping soon to come to the rhmr, farther up than the place where I left it. I marched a good pace^for a considerable time, through\nthe snow, eight inches in depth, until I found\nmyself in a swampycountry, thickly wooded,\nwhen the sun was iust sinking below the\u00C2\u00AB hori-\n HARMON'S JOURNAL.\n189\nzon. Even while the light lasted, I knew not\nwhich way to steer; but it soon became so dark,\nthat I could not distinguish any object, at the\ndistance of more than ten yards from me. I had\nno means of striking fire ; and without this cheering element, it would have been uncomfortable\nand unsafe encamping. I must have suffered severely with the cold; and might have been torn\nin pieces by wild beasts, which are numerous in\nthis region. I concluded it best, therefore, to\ncontinue walking,?%ntil the light of the morning\nshould enable me to find the bank of the river.\nContrary to myafexpeetation, however, a kind\nProvidence directed my way, out of that dreary\nswamp, where at every step, I sunk up to my\nknees^wsnow, mud and water.\nWith great joy, about ten o'clock, I reached\nthe river side, which I followed down, some distance, where I found our people, encamped\naround a large and cheering firete During the\ngreater part of this excursion, the^aift poured\ndown in torrents. |f|\nWednesday, 17. North West end of the Rocky\nMountain Portage. In the morning, J^Ir. S. myself and our company, left the fort ; and, this\nevening, we reached this place, where we find\nsome of otir people, repairing four, erazy, old canoes, in which, I should Suppose mat no one\n 190\nHARMON'S JOURNAL.\nHM\nwould be willing to embark, who attaches much\nvalue to life. The remainder of our hands are\nemployed in transporting our baggage, which is\nstill behind, to this place. They are assftited in\ndoing this, by some of the NativesSpHrbo are Sieau-\nnies. They have just retuiteed from the other\nside of the Rocky Mountain, where they go to\npass the summer months. During the winter\nseason, they remain on this side of the Mountain,\nwhere they-^find buffaloes, moosefmnd deer. On\nthe other side, nonjgtof these aiSmals,^xcepti\u00C2\u00BBg a\nfew straggling ones,\" are to be found.\nThe Sicaunies are a quielj^inoffensive people,\nwhose situation exposes them to peculiar difficulties\nand distftssses. When they proceed to the west\nside of the mountain, the Natives of that region,\nwho are Tacullies and Atenas, attack and kill\nmany of them ; and when they are on this side,\nthe Beaver Indians and Crees, are continually\nmaking war upon them. Being thus surrounded\nby enemies, against whom they are too feeble\nsuccessfully to contend, they frequently suffer\nmuch for want of food; for \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 when on the west\nside, they dare not, at all tjlaes, visit those places,\nwhere fish are in plen%y, and when on the east\nside, they are frequently afraid to visit those parts,\nwhere animals abound. They are compelled,\ntherefore, oftentimes to sdblfpt upon the roots,\n Harmon's journal.\n191\nwhich they find in^ie mountains, and which barege\niy enable them to sustain life; and their emaciated bodies frequently bear witness, to the scan?\ntiness of tfi^r fare.\nWe here begin&to see lofty mountains at a dij|^\ntance. This place is in the 56\u00C2\u00B0of North Latitude,\nand K21\u00C2\u00B0 of We^j Longitude.\nMonday\u00C2\u00B1M2. It has snowed and rained, during the whole of this day.\u00E2\u0080\u0094We are now in the\nhelot of the Rocky Mountain, the lofty summits of\nwhich, on each s^e of the rijfer, tower, majestically *#\u00C2\u00A3>ward the\u00C2\u00BBijieavens, and are perpetipally whitened by snows, that are never dissolved, by\nsolar heat. They are by far the highest mountains that I have ever seen. The tjpaber, which\ngrows upon them, is chiefly spruce fir, bircj| and\npoplar. It is a curious fact, in the geography of\nNorth America, that so many of the lakes\u00C2\u00A7nd hirers, on the west side of this loftj|range of mountains, discharge their waters through one narrow\npassage, in this great barrier, and eventually enter\nthe North Sea.\nWednesday, 2%? Although we have found\nthe current in this river very strong*j|ever\nsince we left the Rocky Mountain Portage, yet,\nuntil this day, we ^ave found no place|jwhere we\nwere under the necessity of unloading our canoes,\nin order to stem the current, Thfe afternoon,\n 192\nharmon's journal.\nan\njust as we got through the ijjpuntain, we passed\nFinlay's or the North Branch, whfeh appears to\nbe of about the same magnitude as the South\nBranch, which we are following. These two\nbranches tafce their rise in very* different directions* The source of the South Branch, is in the\nRocky Mountain, at the distance of nearly two\nhundred miles^from the plaefe where we now are..\nThe North Branch runs out of a very large lake,\ncalled by the Natives Musk-qua Sa-ky-e-gun, or\nBears Lake. This lake, which is so large that the\nIndiaos^Jever attempt to cross it in their canoes,\nand which, those who reside at the east end of it*\naffirm, extends to the Western Ocean, is situated\nnearly west from the place where the two branches form a junction, at the distance, as is thought\nof about one hundred and fifty miles. Both bran-\neheSyv&efore their junction, run along th&tfoot of\nthe mountain, as if in search of a passage \u00C2\u00A7ferough.\nThursday, November 1. McLeod's Lake Fort.\nThis place is situated in 55\u00C2\u00B0 North Latitude, and\n124 West Longitude. The country lying between this place and Finlay's Branch, is thickly\ncovered with timber, on both sides of the river ; and, on the right, in coming up, the*land is\nlow and leve|jj Mountains, it is true, are to be*\nseen H*but they appear at a considerable distance.\nWe have not seen a large $tnimal, nor even the\n Harmon's journal.\n193\ntrack of one, since we left the Rocky Mountain Portage. About twenty miles from this\nplace, we left Peace River, and have come up a\nsmall river, of five or six rods in breadth, which,\na little belowithis, passes through a small lake.\nHere, we leave our canoes, and take our goods\nby land, to the establishment at Stuart's Lake,\nwhich place is situated nearly one hundred miles\nto the west from this. There is a passage by\nwater to that lake; but it is so circuitous, that\nwe could not make it in lessjthan twelve or fifteen\ndays.\nMcLeod's Lake may be sixty or severity miles\nin circumference. Small white fish and trout are\nhere taken; but those who reside here subsist,\nduring the greater part of the year, on dried\nsalmon, which are brought in the winter, on\nsledges, drawn by dogs, from Stuart's Lake.\nThe Indians who frequent this establishment,\nare Sicaunies, and belong to the same tribe with\nthfcse, who take their furs to the Rocky Mountain\nPortage. Their dialect differs but little from that\nof the Beaver Indians. They appear to be in\nwretched circumstances, frequently suffering\nmuch for want of food; and they are often\ndriven to the necessity of subsisting on roots.\nThere are but few large animals, in this part of\nthe country; and when the snow is fiveior six feet\n25\n'is\n!\u00C2\u00BB-=-\n 194\n\u00C2\u00ABs\nHARMON S JOURNAL.\ndeep, as is frequently the case in the winter, few\nbeavers can be taken, nor can many fish be caught,\nin this cold season of the ycaiN\u00C2\u00A7Yet after all the\ndifficulties which these people encounter, in procuring a subsistence, such is their attachment to\nthe countryiihat gave them birth, that they\nwould not wittingly exchange it, for any other part\nof the world.\nWednesday, I7$?j Stuarfs Lake. This lake is\ncalled by the Natives Nuck-awsJay, and the^es-\ntablishment on it, where we now are, is,situated\nin 54\u00C2\u00B0 30' North Latitude, and in 125\u00C2\u00B0 West Longi-\ntude. On the third* instant, I left Mr. Stuart at\nMQLeod's Lake, where he designs to pass the\nwinter; and, accompanied by thirteen labouring\nmen, I arrived at this place, this afternoon. In\ncoming here, I passed over an uneven country*\nwhich is in general thickly covered with timber.\nWe saw, on our way, several lakes or ponds, one\nof which was about six miles long.\nThis fort staiids in a very pleasant place, on> a\nrise of ground, at the east end of Stuart's Lake,\nwhich I am-informed, is at least three hundred\nmiles in circumference. At the distance of about\ntwo hundred rods from the fort, a considerable river\nruns out of the lake, where the Natives, who call\nthemselves Tacullies, have a village or rather a\nfew small huts, built of wood* At these they re-\n Harmon's journal.\nIBS\nmain during the season for taking and drying salmon, on which they subsist, during* the greater\npart of the year.\nMonday, 12. I have sent J. M. Quesnel, accompanied by ten labouring men, with a small assortment of goods, to Frazer's Lake, to reestelH-\nhsh the post there. That lake lies nearly fifty\nmiles due west from this. We understand that\nthe Indians, this fall, have taken and dried a coifr\nsiderable quantity of salmon^ljn that vicinity. I\nhave also sent people to the other side of this\nlake, hoping they will take a few white fish, although the season, in which we usually take them,\nis nearly past\nWednesday, 14. The lake, opposite to\nthe fort, froze over the last night. To day\nMr. Stuart and company, arrived from McLeod's\nLake.\nSaturday, 17. We have now about eight inches of snow on the ground.\nSunday, 18. Mr. Stuart and company, have\ngone to Frazer's Lake. I accompanied them to\nthe other side of this lake, where I saw -gtl the\nIndians belonging to the village in this ticfeity.\nThey amount to about oneifundred soulsf&re Very\npoorly clothed, and, to us, appear to be in wretched\ncircumstances ; but they are, notwithstanding, contented and chderful. My interpreter informs rile.\nm';: !\n 196\nHARMON'S JOURNAL.\nthat their language strongly resembles that spoken by the Sicaunies ; and no dofibt they formerly constituted a part of the same tribe, though\nthey now differ from them* initheir manners and\ncustoms, j The Sicaunies bury, while the Tacul-\nlies, burn their dead.\nMonday, 26. The corpse of a woman of this\nplace, who died on the 20th instant, was burned this\nafternoon. While the ceremony was performing,\nthe Natives made a terrible savage noise, by howling, crying, and a kind of singing.\nSaturday, December 29. Frazer's Lake. In\ncoming to this place, I passed through a country,\nwhich is very rough, and thickly covered with timber, consisting of spruce, fir, poplar, aspin, birch, cypress, &c. We crossed one considerable mountain, and several small lakes.\nThis establishment is at the east end of Frazer's Lake, which received its name from that of\nthe gentleman, who first built here, in 1806. At\nthe distance of about a mile from this, there runs\nout of this lake, a considerable river, where the\nNatives have a large village, and where they\ntake and dry salmon. This lake may be eighty\nor ninety miles in circumference, and is well\nsupplied with white fish, trout, &c.\nTuesday, January 1, 1811. This being the\nfirst day of another year, our people have passed\n Harmon's journal.\n197\nit, according to the custom of the Canadians, in\ndrinking and fighting. Some of the principal Indians of this place, desired us to allow them to remain at the fort, that they might see our people\ndrink. As soon as they began to be a little intoxicated, and to quarrel among themselves, the Natives began to be apprehensive, that something\nunpleasant might befal them, also. They, therefore hid themselves under beds, and elsewhere,\nsaying, that they thought the white people had\nrun mad, for they appeared not to know what\nthey were about. They perceived that those\nwho were the most beastly in the early part of\nthe day, became the most quiet in the latter part,\nin view of which, they exclaimed, | the senses of\nthe white people have returned to them again,\"\nand they appeared not a little surprised at the\nchange ; for, it was the first time, that they had\never seen a person intoxicated.\nSunday, 27. This day the Natives have burned the corpse of one of their chiefs, who died in\nthe early part of this month. Shortly after his\ndeath, one of his nieces painted her face with Vermillion; and, in other respects arrayed herself in\nthe gayest manner possible. Her mother, observing this unbecoming conduct, reproved her in the\nfollowing manner. \" Are you not ashamed, my\ndaughter,\" said she, \" to appear so gaily clad, so\n- I\nP.\nI .\nm\n4\nWf\n m\nHARMON'S JOURNAL,\nsoon after the decease of your uncle ? You ought\nralner to daub your face with black, and to cut\nyour hair short to your head.*' This reproach for\nthe apparent destitution of natural affection, so afflicted the girl, that, soon after, she went ftto a\nneighbouring wood, and hung herseifpfrom the\nlimb of a tree. Happily for her, ho were r, some\npeople passed that way, before she had long been\nin this situation, and took her down. She was, at\n.first, senseless ; but soon after recovered.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Instances of suicide, by hanging, frequently occur, among\nthe women of all the tribes, with whom I have\nbeen acquaStted ; but the men are seldom known\nto take away their own lives.\nWednesday, 30. Two nights since, an Indian\ncut a tiole in a window in my room, which is made\nof parcnment, at the distance of not more than\ntwo feet from the foot of my bed, where I lay\nasleep, and took from a table, near it, several articles of clothing*. The next morning, two other\nIndians brought back to me a part of the stolen\nproperty, and informed me who the thief Was, and\nwhere he could be found. Soon after, accompanied by my interpreter, I went, and found the\nyoung villain, in a hut under ground, along with\nabout twelve others, who are as great thieves as\nhimself. I told him, that, as he was young, I hop-\nel! this was the first time he had ever been\n Harmon's journal.\n198\nguil|fff\u00C2\u00A9f theft; and, provided he would return 4jl the property wbic|j he had taken away, I\nwould forgive this offence ; but if he should ever\nin future be guilty of any misconduct toward us, he\nmight depend on being severely punished. I then\nreturned to our house; and* shortly after, two Indians brought me the remainder of the prgperte\nw|nch had been sj^en, and I gave them a little\nammunition, for havo\u00C2\u00BBg made known %e thief.\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nNearly all the Tacullies, or Carriers as we call\nthem, are mjj^h addicted to pilfering; but there\nare few among them who dare steal from us.\nFriday, February^!5. Yesterday and to-day,\nwe found the cold to be more intense, than at\nany other time this season.\nJ^Ionday, 18. Baptiste Bouche, my interpreter, has taken the daughter of one of the Carrier\nchiefs, as a wife. She is the first woman of that\ntribe, ever kept by any of the white people.\nFriday, April 5. Stuart's Lake. In the morning, I left^and abandoned the post at Frazer's\nLake, and arrived here this evening.\nMonday, 15. The weather is pleasant, and\nseems to presage an early spring.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Swans and\nducks of several kinds, have passed ^^e winter\nwith us; but bustards and geese, now^first begin\nto make their appearance. *\ntthfa\n 200\nHarmon's journal.\ntui\nSunday, 21, A few days since, I sent the\ngreater part of my peopfe to McLeod's Lake, to\nprepare for the voyage from that place to the\nRainy Lake. Tomorrow, I shall leave this place\nmyself, in company with Mr. Quesnel and others,\nfor McLeod's Lake. I shall take with me my little son George, who was three years old last December, for the purpose of sending him to my\nfriends in the Oriited States, in order that he may\nreceive an English education. Mr. J. M. Quesnel\nwill have the care of him, until he shall arrive at\nMontreal. \\nWednesday, 24 McLeod's Lake. I find Mr.\nStuart and the men very busy, in preparing for\nthe voyage to the Rainy Lake.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The spring\nhere is less advanced, by fifteen days, than it\nwas at Stuart's Lake. This great difference of\nclimate, I conclude, is owing to the fact, that\nthis place lies nearer the mountains.\nWednesday, May 8. People have just ar*\nrived from Stuart's Lake, who inform me that\nthe mother of my son was delivered on the\n25th ultimo, of a daughter, whom I name Polly\nHarmon.\nAs the ice in Peace River begins to be bad,\nit is expected that a few days hence the navigation will be opened, when Messrs. Stuart^\nQuesnel, and their company, will embark, with\n Harmon's journal.\n201\nthe returns of this place,*lfor the Rainy Lake.\nTomorrow, I design to return to Stuart's Lake,\nwhere I expect to pass the ensuing jammer, ^lut\nmy attention is chiefly taken up with the separation, which is soon*^> take place hetween me and my\nbeloved sot& A few months hence, he will be at\nr^Jgreat distance from his affectionate father ; and,\nit may be, I shall never more see him, in this\nWorld. No consideration could induce me to send\nhim down, especially while heg&lso young, except\ningthe th^tjjght, that he w#l soo^: be undertfthe\nfostering care of my kind relatives, who will be\nable to educate him much better than it would be\npossible for me to do, in this savage country. As\nI do that which I|appreheBfd will be for the benefit of my little son, so I earnestly pray, that God\nwould graciousjjjl protect him, in his absence from\nme.*\nSunday, 12. Stuart's Lake. dBere, I arrived\nftus afternoon, after paving passed four of the\nmost disagreeable days that I ever experienced.\nMy|spirits were dejected, in view of the departure of my child; the snow, which was three feet\nin depth, had become softened by the late warm\nweather, so that walking was attended w^Jfgreat\nfatigue; I broke my snow shoes, orijthe way,\nwhich the*fjjp|iaiMlad with me mended as well as\nour circumstances would permit, though but poor-\n26\n 202\nHARMON'S JOURKiO^\n#\nt\nly ; and finally we had scarcelyljlny thing to^at.\nI am. happy, therefore, to find myself atw placJN\nwhere I can enjoy a little repose^ after such an\nunpleasant jaunt.\nTuesday, 21. This aftetmooifislhe ice in th0\nlake broke up. Musquetoes begin to comejabout;\nand^troublesome companions they are in the wil-\nderness. c&fl*?\nWednesday, 22. As the frost is now outjiof\nthe ground, we have planted our potatoes, and\nsowed barley, turnips. &c. whjfch are the first that\nwe ever sowed, on this west aide of the mountain.\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094-We now tak&trejut in this lakef^with ^\u00C2\u00A7yhooks\nand lines, in considerable numbers ; but they are\nnot of a good kind.\u00E2\u0080\u0094It is, perhaps, a little remark*\nable, that pike or pickerel have never been found\nin any of the lakes and rivers^n the west side of\nthe Rocky Mountain.\nTuesday, June 11. Three Indians have arrived from Sjicus, a village, lying about one hundred\nand thirty miles down this river, who say, that it\nis reported by others, from farther down, that\nthe^e is a very extraordinary and powerful being\non his way here, froha the sea, who, when he arrives, will transform me into a stone, as well as\nperform many other miraculous deeds y and the\nsimple and credulous Natives fu% believe this report\n Harmon's journal.\n203\nSunday, 16. A number of Indians have arriv-\nedffin six large wooden canoes, from the o&er end\nof|SBl lake ; and among them are tw|\u00C2\u00A3 a father\nand his son, who say, thatfcthey belong to a tribe,\nwho call themselves Nate-ele-tains. These are\nthe first of that nation, whom we have ever see\u00C2\u00BB\nhere. They state, thg$ their tribe is numerous,\nand scattered, in villages, over a large extent^of\ncountry, lying directly west from this ; and that it\nm not more than^five#r six days' march, to their\nnearest iwillage. They, also, inform us, that a\nlarge river passes through their country, and at\nno considerable distance from it, enters the Pacific\nOcean. They, likewise, say, that a number of\nwBite people come up thatrpyer, m barges, every\nautumn, in order to trade wlith the Indians, who\nreside aleng its shores. But Icould no^learn\nifirom them, to what nation those white people belong. I imagine, however, that Jbey, are Americans, who come round Cape Horny $|o carry on,\nwhat is called a coasting trade ; fotfl cannotjearn\nthat they et&r attempted to make establishments,\nalong the sea coast.\nTuesday, July 2. Yesterday, five Sicaunies\ncame here, from McLiiod's Lake, who form a\nsmall war partp Their leader, or war mief de-\nsired me to allow them to go where they might\nthink proper; upon which, I inquired 1>f them,\n 204\nHARMON'S JOURNAL.\na-k*\nwhither they wished to direcdMheir course* and\nwhatifcheir business was. The speaker replied,\nthftf, when they left their lands, their intention\nwas to go and try to take a scalp or two from the\nIndians of Frazeils Lake, \" who,\" he added,\" have\ndone us no injury. But we have lost a relation ;\nand we must try to revenge his death, on some\none.\"\u00E2\u0080\u0094This is a custom common to a greater or\nless extent to all the tribes.\nI asked him whether he supposed that^i^,\nsupplied them with guns and ammunition, to enable them^ko destroy their fellow creatures, or to\nkill the beaver, &c. I added, that should they,\nin the fell, bring in an hundred scalps, they could\nnot, with them all, procure a pint of rum, or a\njfdpe full of tobacbo ; but, if they would bring leaver skiifls, they would be able to purefcase the articles which they would need. After reflecting\nfor some time on what I had said, th\u00C2\u00AB&speaker informed me, that they would, in compliance^with\nmy advice, relirn and hunt the beaver ; and they\nperformed their promise, by proceeding immediately to their own lands.\nMonday, 29. Several days since, one of our\nmen, who remains at McLeod's Lake, came here\nwith the information, that there were Indians\nlurking at^hntfethat foist, waiting, as was supposed, for? a ^favourable opportunity to attack\n \u00E2\u0096\u00A0\nHARMON S JOURNAL.\n205\nit. ^^accordingly, went over,^oping that I should\nbe able to ascertain who they were ; but 1 have\nnot been able to obtain the least information re-\nspecting\u00C2\u00A3them. Probably, tftey had not courage\nto Hiake the attack, and have retuined to their\nown lands.*-\nShad berries begin to ripen, which is about\ntwenty days later than they ripen, in the same\nLatitude, on the east side of the Rocky Mountain, (p\nwFriday, August 2b Our whole stock of provisions in the fort, for ten persons, consists of five salmon, only. It is impossible, at thigfeseason, to take\nfish out of this lake or Iriver. Unless the salmon\nfrom the sea, soon make their appearance, our\ncondition will be deplorable.\nSaturday, 10. Sent all our people, consisting\nof men, womeny and children, to gather berries at\nPinchy, a village about twelve miles distant from\nthis, toward the other end of this lake. At? no\ngreat distance from that village, as liam informed,\nthere is a small lake, out of wWifh the Natives\ntake small fish, whi^h very much resemble a salmon in shape and in flavour, which are\u00C2\u00A7 no&more\nthan six inches long. They are said to be veiy\npalatable; but, if they were not so, they Would\nbe very acceptable toi^Us, m our present circumstances. Mm*\n 206\nharmon's journal*\nThursday, 22. One of the Natives has caught\na salmon, which is joyful intelligence to us all; for\nwe hope and expert, that, in #*few days, we shall\nhave them in abundance. These fish visits to a\ngreater or less extent, all the rivers ia#his region,\nand form the principal dependence of the inhabitants, as the means of subsistence.\nMonday, Septembe$d2. We now^rfiave the\ncommon salmon in abundance^&They weigh from\nfive to seven pounds. There are, also, a few of a\nlarger kind^iwbieh witt&weigh sixty or seventy!\npounds. Both of them are verylgood, when just\ntaken out of the water. B\u00C2\u00BBt* when driedjtes they\nare by the Indians here, by the heat of the sun, or\nm the smoke of a fire, theljpare not very palatable.\nWhen salted, they are excellent4\nAs soon as the salmon come into this lake,\nthey go in search of the rivers and brooks, that\nfall Hjfco it; and these streams they aljeend so far\nas there is water to enable them to swim ; and\nwhen they can proceed no farther up, they remain therefand die. None were ever seen to descend these streams. They aife found dead in such\nnumbers, in some places, as to infect ihe atmosphere, with a terribl#estench, for a considerable\ndistanc#^round. But, even when they are in a\nputrified statejjlthe Natives frequen|ly gather\nfl\n harmon's journal.\n207\nthem up and eat them* apparently, with as gtfBat\na relish, as if they were fresh.\nTuesday, 17. Between nine and ten o'clock,\nthis forenoon, the sun was eclipsed, for nearly\nhalf an hour, which event alarmed the Natives\ngreatly; for they considered it as foreboding some\ngreat^Kalamity, about to fall upon them. They\ntherefore cried and hfjwled, making a savage noise.\nThei?* priests or magicians took their hands full of\nswan% down, and blew it through their hands to-\nward the sun, imploring that great luminary to accept of the offering, thus made to hirif| to be put\nori#he head of hisksons, when Engaged in dancing*\nand to spare the Indian^ They suppose that the\nsun has children, whqj^ike those of the Carriers,\nare fibd of putting swan's down on their heads,\nwhen they dance.\u00E2\u0080\u0094I explained to them the cause\nof the darkness ; at which they appeared both\npleased and astonished, and acknowledged^jthat\nmyjiaccount of the subject was rational, but wonder^ how I could obtain a knowledge^ of suclp\nhidden and mysterious things.\nMonday, 23. Bustards and geesejpigirilplo\ncome from the north. |||\nIn the early part of the day, I found it necessary to chastise the chief of this village, with considerable severity. He is the first Indian th^JI\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\n I\n208\nHarmon's journal.\nhave ever struck during a residence of eleven\nyears, in this savage country.^\nThe following circumstances attended this\ntransaction. The name of the Indian, whft. was\nchastised, was Quas. He had a friend, who was\na worthless fjdiow, to whom he wished me to ad-\nvance goods on^jredit, which I declined doing for\ntwo reasons. The first was, that I did not believe that the IndiaiMjLwould ever pay ;\ntion. In this lonely part of the world, we enjoy\nthe pleasures of social intercourse, when we are\npermitted to spend a little time with a frienjj|\ni,with the highest relish.\nSunday, October 25. Early thfc morning, my\npeople returned from the Rainy Lakg^i By them\nI have received letters from home, which have\ngiven me more satisfaction than I can express.\nMy friends are in good health, and my beloved\nsonn their way to\nthe Columbia River,, do#n which thegr wUljpro-\n^eeed under MEi*. J. \u00C2\u00A9. McTavish. The coming\nwinter, they WftipassYsear the source of that river. Atithe Pacific Ocean, ilps.expected that they\nwill meet Donald Mc3Pavish,eEsq. and company,\nwho were to sail from England, last October, and\nproceed round.Cape Horn to the mouth of Columbia River. This afternoon Mr. Stuart and myself, with our company, arrived at this place,\n HARMON S JOURNAL.\n225\n(Stuart's Lake) where both of us, God willing,\nshall pass the ensuing winter. With us, are twenty one labouring men, one interpreter, and five wo-\nmcn,ibeside^children.\nSaturday, January 23, 1813. On the 29th ult.\nM^ Stuart and myself, with the most of our people, went to purchase furs and salmon, at Frazer's\nLake and Stillas. The last fall, bufcffew salmon\ncame up this river. At the two places, above\nmentioned, we were so successful as to be able to\nprocure a sufficient quantity. While at Frazer's\njfeake, Mr. Stuart, our interpreter and myself,\ncame near being massacreed by the Indians of\nthat place, on account of the interpreter's wife,\nwho is a native of that village. Eighty or ninety\nof the Indians armed'themselves, some with guns,\nsome with bows and arrows, and others with axes\nand clubs, for the purpose of attacking us. JBy\nmild measures, however, which I have generally\nfound to be the best, in the fluanagement of the Indians, we succeeded in appeasing their anger, so\nthat we suffered no ifigury ; and we finally separated, to appearance, as good friends, as if nothing\nunpleasant had occurred. Those who are acquainted with the disposition of the Indians, and\nwho are a little respected by them, may, by humouring their feelings, generally, controul them,\nalmost as they please.\n29\n 226\nHarmon's journal.\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\nSunday, February 21. Rocky Mountain Portage Fort. Hdre I arrived this afte^aoon, accompanied by five Canadians and **ne Carrier. We\nleft Stuart's Lake on the 6th inst. and are on^wr\nway to Dunvegan, where I am going to transact\nsome business with Mr. John McGillivray, who ip\nthere. As the mountains, on both sides of the\nriver, for the distance of seventy o\u00C2\u00A3 eighty miles,\nare very lofty, there is generally a strong wind\npassing, either up or d^vn the stream, which, at\nthis season, renders it extremely cold and disagreeable travelling. On the 18th, we were in the\nheart of those mountains; arid we had to encounter such a strong head wind, that my upper lip\nbecame very much frozen, without my having\nperceived it at the time. It is now much swolen,\nand very painful. We all caught severe colds, in\nconsequence of a fall of snow upon us, to the depth\nof eight inches, after we had encamped and resigned ourselves to sleep, the seconcj^night after\nleaving Stuart's Lake ; and I have become unable\nto speak^sxcepting in a whisper. It requires indeed, a strong constitution, to conflict with the\nhardships, incident to our mode of life.\nWe here find no person, excepting two Canadians. Mr. A. R. McLeod, who has charge of\nthis place, is now absent on a visit to his hunter's\ntent, which is five days' march from this. From\n m\nHARMON'S JOURNAL.\n227\nsuch a distance, provisions are obtained for th&\npost, as there are very few large animals at this\nseason, in this vicinity, in consequence, I presume,\nof the great depth of snow, which always falls in\nplaces, so near the mountain, as this. The people who are here say, that the hunters had such\ndifficulty in finding animals of any kind, the last\nfall, that they all passed *live days, without any\nkind of food.\nMonday, March 1. Dunvegan. I have, at\nlength, reached this place, where I passed the\nyears 1809 and 1810, and revisiting it, many a\npleasingscene is recalled by memory, and many\nhours of agieeable conversation, whichfM passed,\nwith the gentlemen who were then here, rise\nfresh to my recollection.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Mr. McGillivray is now\nabsent, on a visit to the Lesser Slave Lake ; and\nMr. Collin Campbell has charge of the fort.\nSunday, 14. Mr. McGillivray#eturned, on the\n10th inst. He is an amiable and excellent man ;\nand I hatH enjoyed his society, during my short\nstay here, very highly. Having completed my\nbusiness here, I shalftset Out tomorrow, on my return to Stuart% Lake. I here received the intelligence, that Niagara and Makana had surrender!\"\ned to the Britferh forces; but not before many valuable lives were lost, on both sides.\nSanday, Apnl 4. Stuart's Lake, We left\n JiJiO\nHARMON'S JOURNAL.\nDunvegan on the 16th ult. and arrived here this\nevening, without having experienced any disaster\nby the way.\nSaturday, May 1. Present appearances justify the expectation, that the ice in the river will\nsoon break up, so that our people will-be able to\ncommence their journey to the Rainy Lake witH\nour returns, all of which we have sent to McLeod's\nLake, together with letters to people in this couid\ntry, and to our friends in the civilized part of the\nworld.\nThursday, 13. The weather is fine. In the\nearly part of the day, Mr. J. Stuart, accompanied\nby six Canadians and two of the Natives, embark-\ned on board of two canoes, taking with him a\nsmall assortment of goods, as a kind of pocket\nmoney, and provisions-sufficient for a month and\nan half. They are going to join Mr. J. G. McTavish and his company, at some place on the Columbia River ; and to proceed with them to the\nocean. Should Mr. Stuart be so successful as to\ndiscover a water communication, between this and\nthe Columbia, we shall, for the future, obtain our\nyearly supply of goods by that route, and send our\nreturns out that way, to be shipped directly for\nChina, in vessels which the company, in that case,\ndesign to build on the North West coast. While\nthe execution of this comprehensive plan is com-\n Harmon s journal.\n9$Q\nmitted to others, my more humble employment,\nin which, however, I am quite as sure of being\nsuccessful, is to be, the superintendence of the affairs of New Caledonia.\nNo other people, perhaps, who pursue business to obtain a livelihood, have so much leisure, as\nwe do. Few of us are employed more, and many\nof us much less, than one fifth of our time, in transacting the business of the Company. The remaining four fifths are at our own disposal. If we\ndo not, with such an opportunity, improve our understandings, the fault must be our own ; for there\nare few pests, which are not tolerably well supplied with books. These books are not, indeed, all\nof the best kind; but among them are many which\nare valuable. If I were deprived of these silent\ncompanions, many a gloomy hour would pass over\nme. Even with them, my spirit at times sinks,\nwhen I reflect on the great length of time which\nhas elapsed, since I left the land of my nativity,\nand my relatives and friends, to dwell in this savage country. These gloomy moments, thank God,\noccur but seldom, and soon glide aw7ay. A Ik tie\nreflection reconciles me to the lot, which Providence has assigned me, in the world.\nSaturday, June 12. A Sicaunv has just arrived,\nwho states, that a little this side of McLeod's\nLake, where he was encamped with his family, an\nif\ni\nj\nIII\n 230\nHARMON S JOURNAL.\nmi\nIndian of the same tribe, rushed out of the wood,\nand fired upon them, and killed his wife. Her\ncorpse he immediately burned upon the spot; and\nthen, with his son and two daughters, he proceeded directly to this place.rf^All the savages, who\nhave had a near relation killed, are never quiet\nuntil they have revenged the death, either by killing the murderer, or some person nearly related\nto him. This spirit of revenge has occasioned the\ndeath of the old woman, above mentioned, and she\nundoubtedly, deserved to die ;#fefor, the last summer, she persuaded her husband to go and kill\nthe cousin of her murderer, and that, merely because her own son had been drowned.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The custom, which extensively prevails among the Indians,\nof revenging the natural death of a relative^by\nthe commission of murder, seems to arise from a\nsuperstitious notion entertained by them, that\ndeath, even when it takes place in this manner,\nhas, in some mysterious way, been occasioned by\na fellow creature.\nSunday, 20. Yesterday, an Indian of this village killed another, who was on a visit from the\nother end of this lake, just as he was entering his\ncanoe to return. The former approached the\nlatter, and gave him five stabs with a lance, and\nripped open his bowels, in such a shocking manner, that his entrails immediately fell upon\n HARMOnV JOURNAL.\nthe ground; and he, of course, instantly ex*\npired. The murderer made his escape ; and the\nchief of the village, wrapped the corpse in a\nmoose skin, anf| sent it to his relations. Not wit h-\nstanding||his conciliatory act, the people of this\nplace are apprehensive, that the relations of the\nperson murdered, will make war upon them; and\nthey will, therefore, set out tomorrow, to go a\nconsiderable distance down this river, where they\nwill pass a greater part of the summer, until harmony is restored between the two villages.\u00E2\u0080\u0094This\nmurderer has a wife, who is known to be a worthless woman, with whom he supposed that the person murdered had had improper intercourse ; and\nit was to revenge this^hat the act was committed.\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094All the Carriers are extremely jealous of their\nwives ; whii% to their unmarried daughters, they\ncheerfully allow every liberty!\nThursday, August 12. Salmon begin to make\ntheir appearance in this river, which is a joyful\nevent to us ; for the stock of provisions w7hicl| we\nhave in the fort, is sufficient, but for a few days,\nand the Natives, for some time past^have suffered\ngreatly for the want of food. We ought to be\nthankful to our merciful Preserver andjJ3enefac-\ntor, who continually watches over us, and supplies\nour^ wants. Often has he appeared for our relief,\n HARMON^S JOURNAL.\nwhen we were in urgent need, and taught/lfes, that\nhe is the proper object of our confidence.\nWednesday, September 1. A few days since,\nMr. McDougall arrived here from McSeod's Lake,\nand took all he people, belonging to this fort,\nwith him to Pinchy, to gather berries. Having\nbeen left entirely alone, I have had a fevoura-\nble opportunity for serious reflection, and for\nself examination; and I have been disposed to employ it for this purpose. On reviewing the exercises\nof my heart, and the course of my conduct, during\nmy past life, I havetbeen filJfed with astonishment\nand with grief, in view of my wide departures\nfrom the path of duty. My sins have risen in\ngloomy array before me, and I have been led\nto feel, that I am, indeed, the chief of lfeners;x\nand that, on account of my transgressions, I deserve to be banished forever from the gracious\npresence of God, and to be consigned to the\nworld of future misery. This view of my guilt\nwould have been overwhelmi%, had not God\nbeen graciously pleased, as I trust, to reveal\nthe Saviour to me, in his glorious fullness, as\nan all sufficient and an accepted Mediator between sinftuVmen and the offeiided majesty jrf\nheaven. He has* appeared to me amiable in\nhimself, and entirely suited to my necessities;\ni i -\u00E2\u0096\u00A0-\"*\n HARMON'S JOURNAL.\n233\nand I humbly hope that I have committed my\nsoul to him, to be washed from the defilement of\nsin in his blood, to be accepted of God through his\nintercession, and to be sanctified by his Spirit.\nThe change in my views^aud feelings, is certainly\ngreat; and it is surprising to myself. What I\nonce considered as the foibles and follies of my\nyouth, now appear to be .grievous sins, against a\nrighteous and a long suffering God ; and a religious\ncourse of^jfe, I regard as the path, not only of\nwisdom, but of happiness; and by the aid of j Divine grace, it is my resolution, for the time to\nepme, to labour after a compliance wi^teevery Divine requirement.\nUntil this day, I have always doubted whether\nsuch a Saviour as the scriptures describe, ever really existed, and appeared on earth! So blind was\nI, that I could see no necessity for an atoning Mediator between God and men. Before I left the\ncivilized part of the world, I had frequently heard\nthe cavils of infidelity urged; and these cavils followed me into th& wilderness, frequently came\nfresh to my recollection, and contributed to overshadow my mind with the gloomy ifjoubts of infidelity, My intention, however, was, hj| no meajp\nto cast off all religion; but, I attempted to frame\nto myself a religion, which would comport with\nmy feelings, and with my manner of life.\u00E2\u0080\u0094JTor\n30\n HARMON S JOURNAL.\nseveral years past, however, my mind has not been\nat rest. I was taught in early life, by parents\nwhom I respected and loved, the truths and duties of Christianity ; and I had a wish to believe\nin the same religion which they possessed, and\nfrom which, I have frequently heard them say,\nthey derived the most substantial consolation. I,\ntherefore, some time since, commenced reading the\nBible, with more attention than 1 had before done ;\nfor, from my youth up, I had been accustomed to\nread it. I also read all other books that I could\nfind, which treated of the christian religion. Some\nexcellent notes, respecting the Savour, in the Universal History, affected j my mind much ; as did,\nalso, the serious letters which I received, every\nyear, from my brother Stephen. I also prayed a\ngracious God to enable me to believe on his Son,\nthe Lord Jesus Christ. As I was praying to-day,\non a sudden, the faith, respecting which I was so\nsolicitous, was, I trust, graciously granted to me.\nMy views of the Saviour, underwent j a total\nchange. I was enabled, not only to believe in his\nexistence, but to apprehend his superlative excellency ; and now he appears to be, in truth, what\nthe scriptures describe him to be, the chiefest\namong ten thousand, and one altogether lovely.\nMay the grace of God enable me to follow his\nj- -^\"^i:., ~SI\n Harmon's journal.\n235\nheavenly example through life, that I may dwell\nwith him in glory, forever !\nAs I seem to myself to have hitherto led a\nmore wicked life than #he rest of my fellow creatures, I deem it proper, for the time to come, to\ndevote the first day of every month to religious\nfasting, employing it in reading the scriptures, in\ndevout meditation, and in prayer, that I may keep\nin mind the great business of life, which I now\nconsider to be, a preparation for eternity. My\nprayer^shall ever be, that a gracious God would\nbe pleased to blot out my numberless and aggravated transgressions, for the sake of the atonement which Jesus has made ; and that he would\nkeep me, by his grace, without which, I am' convinced I can do nothing acceptable to him, in the\npath of holiness, until it shall terminate in heavenly glory, jfc :\u00E2\u0080\u00A2' pjh ;. v \"' I f^;\nTuesday, 7. I have this day composed two\nprayers, which I design to use regularly and devoutly, morning and evef&ng. It is not only a duty, but a privilege, thus to approach the3 mercy\nseat of the great Sovereign of the Universe, in\nthe name oft a prevalent Intercessor, and to supplicate the numerous blessingsrisvhich we need^f as\nwejl as to give thanks for those which we lire\ncontinuallyrareceiving.\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00C2\u00BB\u00E2\u0080\u00A2\n 236\nHARMON'S JOURNAL.\nSaturday, 25. An Indian has arrived, from a\nconsiderable distance down this riverf who has delivered to me three letters from Mr* J. Stuart,\nThe last of them is dated at O-ke-na-gun Lake,\nwhich is staiated at a short distance from the Columbia River. Mr. Stuart writes, that he met\nwith every kindness and assistance from the Natives, on his way to that place ; that, after descending this river, during eight days, he was un*-\nfUer the necessity of leaving his canoes, and of taking his property on horses, more than one hun4-\ndred and fifty miles, to the above mentioned\nLake. From tMat place, he states, that*? they\ncan go all the way by water, to the Ocean, by\nmaking a few portages ; and he hopes to reach\nthe Pacific Oeeai| in twelve or fifteen days, at\nfarthest. They will be delayed, for a time,\nwhere they are, by the necessary construction\nof canoes.\nFriday, October 1. The first of nfy appointed days of religious fasting, has arrived; and I\nhave endeavoured to observe it, agreeably to\nmy resolution. M\nSunday, November 7. This afternoon, Mr. Joseph La Roque and company arrived from the\nColumbia River. This gentleman went, the last\nsummer, with Mr. J. G. McTavish and his par-*\nty,.tb t{ie Pacific Ocean. On their return, they\nmm\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2^gsr^wTis:\n HARMON'S JOURNAL*\n237\nmet Mr. Stuart and his company. Mr. La\nRoque, accompanied by two of Mr. Stuart's\nmen, set off thence, to come to this place, by\nthe circuitous way of Red Deer River, Lesser\nSlave Lake, and Dunvegan, from which last\nplace, they were accompanied by my people,\nwho have been, this summer, to the Rainy\nLake. By them I have received a number of\nletters from people in this country, and from my\nfriends in the United States.\nTuesday, December 14. On the 1st inst. I set\nout for McLeod's Lake ; and I there received\nseveral letters from my brothers below, which\nannounce||the truly afflicting intelligence, that\nmy beloved son George is no longer to be numbered among the living! He was in good health\non the second of March last, and a corpse on\nthe eighteenth of the same month.\u00E2\u0080\u0094For some\ntime, I could scarcely credit this Intelligence;\nthough I had no reason' to doubt its truth.\nThis dispensation of divine providence is so unexpected, and so afflictive, that at first, I could\nscarcely bear up under it, with a becoming christian resignation. My tenderest affection was\nplaced upon this darling boy ; and I fondly hoped, that he would be the solace of my declining\nyears. But how delusive was this expectation!\nHow frail and perishing are all earthly objects\n\t\n 338\nHARMON'S JOURNAL.\nand enjoyments. A few days since, * in my imagination, I was often wandering witfaidelight, to the\nremote landfof my kindred, and parental love centered in this promising son, for whom, principally,\nI wished to live, and for whom I would have been\nwilling to die. Perhaps this child occupied a\nplace in my heart, which my God and Saviour only may of right occupy. I hope that this affliction may be the means of disengaging my affections from an inordinate attachment to earthly objects ; and that it may induce me to fix my confidence and hope on things, which will never disappoint my expectation. The >#udge of all the\nearth has done right; and it becomes me to be\nstill and know, that he is God. I, too,- must soon\ndie ; and this dispensation is, perhaps, a seasonable warning to me, to be prepared to meet my\nown dissolution. I desire that the Holy Spirit\nmay sanctify this affliction to me, and make it subservient to this important enft\nOn my return from McLeod's Lafei| I was accompanied by Mr. McDougall and family, who\ncame to mourn with me, and the mother of my\ndeparted son, the loss of this dear object of our\nmutual affection.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Her distress, on receiving this\nintelligence, was greater, if possible, than my own.\nI endeavoured, by some introductory remarks, on\nthe uncertainty of earthly things, to prepare her\n Harmon's journal.\n239\nmind for the disclosure, which I was about to\nmake. Her fears were alarmed, by these remarks ; and, probably, she discovered in my countenance, something to confirm them. When I informed her that our beloved son George was\ndead, she looked at me, with a wild stare of agony, and immediately threw herself upotiy. the bed,\nwhere she continued, in a state of delirium, during\nthe succeeding night.\nSaturday, January 22, 1814. On the 4th inst.\nMr. McDougall and family, left this place, to return home. They were accompanied by two\nmen, who have gone to P^ace River, with letters.\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094The same day, Mr. La Roque and myself, accompanied by fourteen of my people, went to\nFrazer's Lake. On the 9th I sent him, accompanied with two Canadians and two Indians, with\nletters to the people, who are on the Columbia,\nRiver. After having purchased what fdrs I could,\nand a sufficient quantity of salmon, I set out on my\nreturn home, where I arrived this evening.\nFriday, February 4. This evening, Mr. Donald McLeunen and company, arrived here from\nthe Columbia Department, with a packet of letters. One of these is from Mr. John Stuart, informing me that the last autumn, the North West\nCompany purchased of the Pacific Fur Company,\nall the furs which they had bought of the Natives,\n Harmon's journal\nand all the goods which they had on hand. The\npeople who were engaged in the service of that\ncompany, are to have a passage, the next summer,\nto Montreal, in the canoes of the North West\nCompany, unless they choose to enter into our\nservice.\nSunday, April 17. As the ice appears to be\nout of this river, I have sent Mr. Leunen, accompanied by two Canadians, in a small canoe, with\nletters to the gentlemen on Columbia River. I\nam, therefore, depriigd of an agreeable companion, who, I expected until lately, would pass the\nsummer with me.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Happy are those, who h&ve\nan amiable and intelligent friendj^with whom they\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 can, at pleasure, converse.\nFriday, 22. Sent off my people to McLeod,s\nLake, in order that they may be in readine\u00C2\u00A7\u00C2\u00A7\nto embark for the Rainy Lake, as soon as the\nnavigation opens. By them I have, as usual, forwarded my letters, and accounts of the place. If\nGod permit, I shall pass another summer at thk\nplace, having with me ten persons.\nAs this is the only season of the year when\nwe can leave this country, now it is* that we have\nthe most ardent desire of visiting the land of our\nnaiivity. At other seasons, the impossibility of a\ndeparture, suppresses the rising wish to go, stern\nnecessity binds us to our situation, and we rest in\n Harmon's journal.\n241\nquietude until the return of another spring. Then\nall the finer feelings of affection take possession of\nour souls; and their strength seems to be increased, by the previous restraint, which had been laid\nupon them.\nSaturday, May 7. The weather is fine, and\nvegetation is far advanced, for the season. This\nlake is clear of ice; and the frost is chiefly out of\nthe ground. Swans, bustards, and ducks, are numerous in the rivers and lakes; and, during the\nlast ten days, an incredible number of cranes have\npassed this, on their way to the north; but none\nof them stopped here.\nThree Indians have come to this place from\nFrazer's Lake, to obtain the piece of a garment,\nbelonging to an Indian of that place, which they\nsay, was cut off by an Indian of this village. They\nare so superstitious as firmly to believe, that, by\nvirtue of this piece of garment, the Indian, who\nhas it in his possession, is able to destroy the life\nof its owner, at pleasure.\nFriday, August 5. Salmon begin to come up\nthis river. They are generally to be taken, in\nconsiderable numbers, until the latter part of September. During about a month, they come up in\nmultitudes ; and we can take any number of them\nthat we please.\n31\n 242\nHARMON'S JOURNAL.\nTuesday, September 20. We have had but few\nsalmon here, this yestrf^ It is only in every second\nseason, that they are very numerous; the reason\nof which, I am unable to assign.\nI have sent an Indian, with letters, to Dunvegan, on Peace \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 River, which is distanffifrom this\nplace, at least, five hundred miles.\nFriday, 30. We have had but a few salmon\nin thiirriver, during the past season. We hope,\nhowever, that a kind Providence has sent them to\nsome of our neighbouring villages, where we shall\nbe able to purchase what will be necessary, in addition to the white fish, which we expect to take,\nfor our consumption, during the ensuing winter.\nBufiet my condition be ever so deplorable, I am\nresolved to place all my dependence on that Be- .\ning, who depends on no one.\nTuesday, October 18. This afternoon, I was\nagreeably surprised by the arrival of Mr. J. La\nRoque and company, in two canoes, laden with\ngoods, from Fort George, at the mouth of the Columbia River^ which place they left, Hhe latter\npart of last August. Our vessels arrived there, in\nthe months of March and April; and, soon after,\none of them set sail again, loaded with furs, for\nCanton in China.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Mr. La Roque brings the melancholy intelligence, that Messrs. D. McTavish,\nAlexander Henry, and five sailors were drowned,\n HARMON'S JOURNAL.\n243\non the 22d of May last, in going out in a boat,\nfrom fort George, to* the vessel called the Isaafc\nTod, which lay at anchor without the bar, in going over which, this disaster befel them. With\nthe former gentleman, I paused two winters at\nDunvegaa&on Peace River. He stood high in my\nesteem, and I considered him as one of my best\nfriends; and I shall ever lament the sad catastrophe, which has thus suddenly removed him from\nmy society, and from all earthly scenes. I hope\nthat I may not be regardless of the admonition,\naddressecbto me by this providence, to be also\nready for my departure, to the world of spirits^*.\nMonday, 24w$ Sent Mr. La Roque, and the\npeople who came up with him, to reestablish the\npost at Frazer's Lake.\nSaturday, 29. My people have returned from\nthe Rainy Lake, and delivered me letters from\nrlhy relatives below. They afford me renewed\nproofcof the uncertainty of earthly objectsjand enjoyments, in the intelligence, that a brother's wife\nhas been cut down by deat%in the midst of her\ndays, leaving a disconsolate husband, and two\nyoung children, to mourn over her early departure. I ought, however, to be thankful, that the\nrest of my numerous relatives, are blessed with\nhealth, and a reasonable portion of earthly comforts. I have also received a letter from Mr.\n '(\u00C2\u00A7 n\\\n244\nHarmon's journal.\nJohn Stuart, who has arrived at McLeod's Lake,\ndesiring me to go and superintend the affairs at\nFrazer's Lake, and to send Mr. La Roque, with\nseveral of the people who are there, to this place,\nthat they may return *lo the Columbia department,\nwhere it is presumed they will be more wanted,\nthan in this quarter. Tomorrow, therefore, I\nshall depart for Frazer's Lake.\nThursday, November 3. Frazer's Lake.m$lere\nwe arrived this afternoon, and found Mr. La\nRoque and his people, busily employed, in bartering with the Natives, for furs and salmon, and in\nconstructing houses. 4j^ith this gentleman, I have\nspent a pleasant evening; and I am happy to find\nthat, from having been thoughtless and dissolute,\nhe now appears to be the reverse of this. It is\nmanifest, that he has recently reflected much, on\n|he vanity of this world, and on the importance of\nthe concerns of eternity; and he now appears detef-\nmined, by the aids of God's Holy Spi^t, on a thorough reformation. May he be enabled to persevere in this important undertaking.\nTuesday, December 20. Messrs. Stuart and\nMcDougall, with a number of men, have arrived\nfrom Stuart's Lake, for the purpose of proceeding\nwith me to Stilla, in order to purchase salmon.\nThe Indians of this village have not a sufficiency\nfor themselves and for us, owing to the scarcity of\n HARMON'S JOURNAL.\n245\nsalmon at several neighbouring villages, whose ii\u00C2\u00A3\nHabitants flock to this place, in hopes of obtaining\na subsistence, during the winter.\nSaturday, January 7, 1815. On the 29th ult.\nI accompanied my two friends to Stuart's Lake,\nwhere we passed the holidays together, in the intercourse of an intimate and endearing friendship.\nEach related how he had passed his youthful days,\nand even in what manner he had lived to the present hour; and we all readily acknowledged, that\nour lives had been very different from what we\nthen wished they had been, lit hope and believe,\nthat we all parted, fully determined on a thorough\nreformation of conduct. May none of us fail to\ncarry this resolution into effect.\nFriday, February 3. During the whole of the\nlast month, it has been the coldest weather, by\nfar, that I have ever experienced, in New Caledonia.\nOn the 11th ult. accompanied by%ix of my\npeople and two of the Natives, I set out to visit\nthe lands of the Nas-koo-tains, which lie along\nFrazer's River. This river Mr. Stuart followed\nsome distance, when he left this place to proceed to the Columbia River. The above mentioned Indians never had any intercourse with the\nwhite people, until I went among them. We\nreached their first village, on the 19th ; but as\n HARMON S JOURNAL.\nthey were nearly destitute of provisions, and we\nhad expended^hose which we took with us from\nthis place, we passed only one night with them.\nThe next morning, we continued our route down\nthe river, every day passing one or two small Villages, until the 22d, when we met people from the\nColumbia River, with letters, &c.\nFrazer's River is about fifty rods wide, and\nhas a pretty strong current. On the north side,\nthe bank is generally high ; but, on the other, it\nis low, and the country is level. In going from\nihis, to the place where we fell upon the river,\nwe occupied nine days ^and the country which\nwe passed over, is very uneven. We, however,\ncrossed several ponds and small lakes, which were\nfrom one to fifteen miles in length. At these waters, the Natives pass the greater part of the\nsummer, and subsist on excellent white fish, trout\nand carp ; but, towards the latter part of August,\nthey return to the banks of the riverain order to\ntake and dry salmon, for their subsistence during\nthe succeedingfcwinter.\nSunday, 12. As salmon are becoming rather\nscarce among the Indians of this village, they are\npreparing to visit the neighbouring lakes, in order\nto obtain a subsistence, from the fish that they\nhope to be able to take out of them.\n harmon's journal.\n247\nMonday, 27. The weather is serene and cold;\nand thus far, this has been much the coldest winter that I have experienced in this part of the\ncountry.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The winters are, generally milder here,\nthan in most parts of the North West. Mr. Stuart has just left me, on his return hornet The\nfew days which he has spefit here, were passed\nmuch to our mutual satisfaction; and I hope that\nwe shall reap some benefit from this visit. Religion was the principal topic, on which we conversed, because, to both of us, it was more interesting than any other. Indeed, what ought to interest us so much, as that which concerns bur\neternal welfare ? I, at times, almost ipvy the satisfaction of those, who live among christian people, with whom they can converse, at pleasure,\non the great things of religion, as it must be a\nsource of much satisfaction, and of great advantage, to a pious mind.\nThursday, April 6. About ten days since, an\nIndian of this place lost his wife, after a lingering\nillness of several months ; and, shortly after, the\ndisconsolate husband hung himself from the limb\nof a tree. For several days previous to|fhe fatal\nact, he appeared to be much cast down, which\nbeing observe^ by^Jiis companions, they endeavoured to cheer his spirit, by the consideration,\nthat what had befallen him, had been suffered by\n 248\nHARMON S JOURNAL.\nmultitudes of others, andgwas the common lot.\nHe replied that he should conduct as his own\nfeelings dictated ; and that he had not forgotten\nthe request of his dying companion, which was*\nthat he would accompany her. Not long after,\nhe was missing; and, search being made for him,\nhe was found in the situation above mentioned?\nThe strength of conjugal attachment is not an un-\nfrequent cause of guicide, in every part of the Indian country.\nMonday, 24. The snow is fast leaving us, and\nfowls begin to come from the south.\nWednesday, 26. I have^sent letters to my\nfriends below, to Stuart's Lake, which place they\nwill leave, on their way, the first of next month.\nI expect to pass the ensuing summer here, having\nbut a few people with me. But, by dividing my\ntime between reading, meditation and exercise, I\nhope that it will pass not unpleasantly away.\nWednesday, May 10. We have surrounded a\npiece of ground with palisades, for a garden, in\nwhich we have planted a few potatoes, and sowed onion, carrot, beet and parsnip seeds, and a\nlittle barley. I have, also, planted a very little\nIndian corn, without the expectation that it will\ncome to maturity. The nights m this region\nare too cool, and the summers are too short, to\nadmit of its ripening. There is not a month in\n HARMON'S JOURNAL.\n249\nthe whole year, in which water d#s not congeal ; though the air in the day time, in the\nsummer, is warm, and we even have a few days\nof sultry weather.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The soil, in many places in\nNew Caledonia, is tolerably good. |i\nTuesday, May 30. I have just returned from\na visit to Mr. Stuart, who passes the summer\nat Stuart's Lake. On the mountain, which i\ncrossed in going there, I found snow, two feet,\nat least, in depth.\nFriday, June 16. Soon after the Natives left\ntheir village, last February, fi go to the small\nlakes, for the purpose of taking fish, four of\ntheip number deceased. Their corpses were\nkept, by their relations, to the present time,\nwhen they are bringing them to the village in\norder to burn them. Little else but the skele--\ntons, now remain.\u00E2\u0080\u0094In the winter season, the Carriers often keep their dead in their huts during\nfive or six months, before they will allow them\nto be burned. At this season, the coldness of\nthe weather enables them to keep the bodies,\nwithout their becoming offensive; and they are\nunwilling that the lifeless remains of the objects\nof their affection, should be removed forever\nfrom their sight, until it becomes a matter of\nnecessity.\nSunday, 18. This afternoon eight of the Nate-\n32\n 250\nHarmon's journal.\note-tains came to pay a visits to the Indians of\nthis village, by whom they were, at first, treated\nin a friendly manner. Soon after their arrival,\nthey began to play, as is the custom of the Indians,\nwhenever the people of different villages meet.\nThings proceeded smoothly, untiWie strangers began to be winners, when disputes arose. An\nopen contest was prevented, by the restoration of\nthe property won; but a coolness between the\nparties, was visible. The strangers soon set out,\nto return home ; but as they were embarking in\ntheir canoes, a worthless fellow fired upon them,\nand killed one of them. This duster caused them\nto hasten their departure, uttering at the same\ntime the threat, that they would soon return, with\na large band of their relations, to revenge the\ndeath of their companion.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Human life is often\nsacrificed for a trifle, among the savages; and he\nonly may feel secure, who is prepared to oppose\nstrength to aggression.\n- Monday, July 24. Fruits, of various kinds,\nnow begin to ripen. Of this delicious food, the\npresent prospect is, that we shall soon have an\nabundance ; and for this favour, it becomes us %\nbe graffeful to the Bestower. The person who is\nsurrounded with the com%rts of civilized life,\nknows not how we prize these delicacies of the\nwilderness. Qur circumstances, also, teach us to\n HARMON'S JOURNAL.\n251\nenjoy and to value the intercourse of friendship.\nTo be connected, and to have intercourse, with a\nwarm and disinterested friend, who is able, and\nwill be faithful, to point out our faults, and to direct us by his good counsel, is surely a great blessing. Such a friend, I have, in my nearest neighbour, Mr. Stuart. For some time past, he has\nfrequently written to me long, entertaining and instructive letters, which are a cordial^to my spirits, top often dejected, by the loneliness of my\nsituation, and more frequently, by reflections on\nmy past life of folly and of sin. Mr. James Mc\nDougall, also, another gentleman in this department, is equally dear to me. His distance from\nme, renders intercourse less practicable; but\nwhen we meet, we endeavour to make up in\ncon versa ti$n, for our long separation.\nFriday, August 4. The holy scriptures contain the most abundant instruction, in regard to\nthe duties which we owe to God, and to our\nfellow creatures. To aid me in keeping these\ninstructions, habitually and distinctly in view, that\nmy life may thereby be more exemplary, I think\nproper to ferm the following^ resolutions, which\nI hope, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to be\nenabled to observe, during my^life.\nResolved, that- the scoffs of the, wicked, directed against serious religion, shall never have\n/?\u00E2\u0080\u00A2\ni\n 252\nHARMON S JOURNAL.\nany other effect upon me, than to make me\nstrive, the inore earnestly, to lead the life of a\nsincere christian.\nResolved* to be in the company of the wicked, as little as possible ; and when among such\npeoplepto endeavour to persuade them in slftch\na way as may be consistent with propriety^to\nforsake their evil courses.\nReSolved, to assist the poor and needj| so\nfar as may be consfetent with my means ; hoping that avarice may never present meAfrom\njudging correctly^n regaf^l to this subject.\nResolved, never to let a day pass, when at\nhome, or when convenient, abroad, without reading a portion of the holy scriptures, an# spending\nhalf an hour or more, in meditating on what I\nhave read; and that the whole of the sabbath,\nwhen MMs not in my power to attend publick\nworship, shall be spent in prayer, reading the bible, or sermons, or some other religious book, in\nself examination, and in meditating on #e eternal\nworld. WP\nResolvedfpto offer up daily prayers to the\nthrone of grace, for a rf|ht temper of mind, that\nI may be constant ^md diligent, in strictly observing the above resolutions. And I pray that my\nhumble endeavours may, by the blessing ofPGod,\nkeep me in the path of holiness,*%o ^Hiat I may,\n HARMON'S JOURNAL.\n253\nfrom day to day, become better prepared to etfjp*\nter the world of bliss, whenever my Maker and\nRedeemer shall see fit to terminate my mortal\ncourse. Amen.\nMonday, 7. At half past seven, A.' M. we\nhad an earthquake, which lasted about twenty\nseconds. At that time I was silting in a chair, in\nthe house; and the agitation put Ae, and the\nwhole house, in a motion like that of a canoe when\nrolled about by considerable swells. The Natives\nsay, that a similar shaking of th#earth occurs, almost yearly, at th^^ace. ^pt\nWmSunday, 13. Salmon begin to come up this\nriver, which lights up joy in the countenances,\nboth of ourselves and of the Natives ; Jjbr we had\nall become nearly destitute of provision^ of any\nkind. A kind Providence will not allow us to suffer want, though we so little deserve favours.\nMonday, October ZL WithkiSla few days past,\nwe have caught, in nets made for ^jhe purpose, of\nstrong twine, three sturgeon, one of which measured ten tket and three inches in length, and four\nfeet and one inch round his middle, which might\nweigh about four hundred pounds. All that we\nhave taken, were uncommonly fat, and of the best\nflavouHbf any that 1 have ever eaten.\n^Friday, *13. This afternoon, the Natives sent\nfor me to come and see one of their young wo*\n 254\nHARMON'S JOURNAL.\n.$\nmen, who lay at the point of death, at their village ; and, merely to please#hem, I went, without\nexpecting to render her any service, especially\nwith the medicines which we have here. I found\nher so far gone that I thought it wouhfknot be\nproper to give her any thing. I told the Indiius,\nmoreover, that if she should die, sHortly after\ntaking our medicines, they would say, as they ever\ndo in such cases, that I was the cause of her death.\nThey assured me however, to the contrary; and\nI gave her a simple medicine, which I supposed\ncould do her neither good nJir harm, with which\nthey were satisfied,\nI understoodythat her relations had said, that\na certain Indian, by his magic, had caused her illness, and that he would finally take her life# I,\ntherefore, took this opportunity of repeating again,\nwhat I had often told them before, that God, the\ninfinitely powerful being, who made every thing,\nhad alone the power of causing their dissolution,\nwhenever he thought proper. Upon this, one of\nthe chiefs, who thought himself more knowing\nthan the others, observed, that it was the God of\nthe salmon, who remained at the sea, who was\ntaking the girl's life. I replied, that God is in\nheaven above ; but that, so searching are his eyes,\nhe can easily slie what takes place on the face of\nthe whole earth. They said, it might be so; but\n Harmon's journal.\n255\nthey could not conceive, by what means I came\nto have a knowledge of these things.$t Tbjfe, I endeavoured to explain to them.\nWednesday, November 1. This ^afternoon,\nthree of ofar men arrived from the Rainy Lake,\nwho say that they left the remainder of their company at McLeod's and Stuart's Lakes. They delivered me letters from people in this country^\nbut none from homelr By the men in the other\ncanoes, I hope to receive letters from my friends\nbelow. We are happy to be informed, that peace\nhas taken place between Great' Britain and the\nUnited States. My earnest desire is, that they\nmay long continue to enjoy this blessing.\nThursday, 16. We have now about three\nioches of snow on the ground.\nSunday, March 17, 1816. In consequence of\nRelate arrival, at fort Chippewyan, of the men\nwho went to the Rainy Lake, two canoes, which\nwere expected last fall, could not then proceed here,\nwhich is the reason why I have but just received\nthe letters that I then expected, from my friends\nbelow. They bring me the distressing intelligence, that two of my brothers are brought, by a\nconsumption, to the borders of the graved Happy\nshould I consider myself, could I once more see\nthem in this world. But, if this may not be, the\nwill of the Lord be done. By this affliction I\n HARMON S JOURNAL.\nhave renewed proof, that this world cannot be my\nrest; and I pray God to prepare me^and my dying brothers, for that happy abode*jwhere a separation of friends never causes the heart to bleed.\nMonday, April 15. My desire f|to return\nto my native country has never been so intense,\nsince I took up my abode in the wilderness, as it\nis now, in consequence of the peculiar situation of\nmy,friends; yet, I cannot think of doing it this\nseason, as^t is absolutely necessary that I should\npass th^ensuing summer at this place.\nI shall wrke to my friends below, a few days\nhence ; and as we live in a world of disappointment and death, I am resolved to forward to them\nby Mr. John Stuart, a copy of my Journal, in order that they may know sonjething of the manner\nin which I have been employed, both as it respects my temporal and spiritual concerns, while in\nthe wilderness, if I should never enjoy the inexpressible pleasure of a personal intercourse with\nthem.\nWednesday, 24. I have just returned from\nStuart's Lake. While there, I agreed with Mr.\nGeorgef|McDougall to Epmain in^ this country two\nyears or more, as clerk to the North West company. He came out the last summer from Canada, with Lord Selkirk's party, without having obligated himself to continue with them, for any\n HARMON'S JOURNAL.\n257\ndefinite time. After they arrived at Fort Vermilion on Peace River, he was treated by his superiour, Mr. John Clarke, in so unbecoming a\nmanner, that he left them, and had come into this\nquarter to visit his brother, Mr. James McDougall,\nbefore he should return to Canada, which he designed to do the ensuing summer.\nSaturday, July 20. Strawberries begin to ripen, and we have the prospect of an abundance of\nthem, as well as of other kinds of fruit.\nI now pass a short time every day, very pleasantly, in teaching my little daughter Polly to read\nand spell words in the English language, in which\nshe makes good progress, though she knows not\nthe meaning of one of them. - In conversing with\naflly. children, I use entirely the Cree, Indian language ; with their mother t more frequently employ the French. Her native tongue, however, is\nmore familiar to her, which is the reason why our\nchildren have been taught to speak that, in preference to the French language.\nTuesday, September 9. Salmon begin to come\nup this river.\nThursday, October 3. We have taken our\nVegetables out of the ground. We have forty-\none bushels of potatoes, the produce of one bushel\nplanted the last spring. Our turnips, barleys &c.\nhave produced wellw\n33\n 258\nHARMON S JOURNAL.\nf!\nSaturday, November 23. By our people who\nreturned this afternoon from the Rainy Lake, I\nhave received letters, which announce the afflictive intelligence, that two of my brothers, of\nwhose decline I had before been informed, are\ni gone into eternity. The happy days that I had\nfondly hoped that I should pass in their society on\nearth, I shall never enjoy. Such is the uncertainty of all earthly expectations. But. the Judge of\nall the earth has done right.\u00E2\u0080\u0094My departed brothers gave evidence, to those around them, that\nthey died in the faith and hope and peace of the\ngospel. They are gone, I trust, to a world where\nsin and suffering cannot follow them.\nWhen the cold hand of death shall have been\nlaid upon a few more of my relatives, there will be\nnothing remaining on the earth to console me for\ntheir loss. Nothing revives my drooping spirits in\nview of the departure of my friends, one after anothr\ner, from year to year, into eternity, like the hope\nthat, through rich grace, I may be at length permitted to join their society, in a world of perfect\npurity and of uninterrupted and everlasting joy#i\nWe rarely prize our blessings in a suitable\nmanner, untiMNve learn their value by being deprived of them. I feel the force of this truth, in\nregard to my deceased brothers. To one of them\nin a particular manner, I am deeply indebted; and\n HARMON'S JOURNAL.\n259\nI have never beentfully sensible of his worth, until now. Duringfjfehe whole period of my resi-\ndence in- this country, he has written to me annually, long, affectionate, and instructive letters.\nFor a*number of years past, religion was the great\nsubject of them. He was tenderly concerned .for\nmy spiritual welfare ; and doubtless learned from\nmy letters, that I was lingering on the gloomy\nconfines of infidelity, and little disposed to heed,\nas I ought to have done, his friendly admonition.\nSo far from being discouraged by this circumstance, it only rendered him more vigorous and\npersevering in his efforts; and his letters stand\nchief among the means, which have been blessed,\nas I would hope, to mySsonversion from the Ibve'\nand practieeiof sin, to the fear and service of God.\nThese letters have also been of use to the few\nfriend%ito whom Ixhave shown them. It would\nhave given me great pleasure to have acknowledged, ifepferson, the obligation which I am under to\nhim ; but it becomes not me to dictate to infinite\nwisdom. J\nI h&ve, also, received letters from gentlemen\nin different parts of this country, which inform me\nof the many disasters that befel the people whom\nLord Selkirk sent the year before, from Scotland,\nthe Orkney Islands, and Canada, some of whom\nwere destined to form a colony on the Red Riv-\n*1\n 260\nHARMON S JOURNAL.\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2\u00C2\u00BB\n\\ner, and others to traffic with the Natives, in different parts of the Indian country. They consisted at first, as I am informed, of two or three hundred men, together with a few women and children. Those, who went to establish themselves on\nthe Red River, at a short distance from its entrance into the great Winnipick Lake, began, soon\nafter their arrival, to behave in a hostile manner\ntoward the people of the North West Company,\nwho have establishments in that quarter. iOf\nsome of our forts, they actually took possession,\nand carried away the property which they found\nin them; and, in some instances, they set fire to\nthe forts, and redueejfehem to ashes. They also\ntook Duncan Cameron Esq. a partner of the\nNorth West Company, and another gentleman,\nwho is a clerk, whom they carried, in the spring,\nto Hudson's Bay, with the intention, as they stated, of taking them to England.\u00E2\u0080\u0094In the course of\nthe winter, as the Express of the North West\nCompany was passing that way, destined to the\nSoult St. Maries, they took possession of that also,\nperused the letters and other papers which had\nbeen sealed up, and finally carried them to York\nFactory, at Hudson's Bay.\nAll this unmerited treatment, at length so\nprovoked the people of the North West Company, that they proceeded to retake their own forts,\n HARMON'S JOURNAL.\nwhich had not been burned, as well as some property belonging to those disturbers of the peace.\nIn June, a number of the Brules, that is, people whose fathers were white men, and whose\nmothers were Indian women, proceeded from the\nupper part ofrRed River, toward the place of\nits entrance into the Lake, in order to guard some\nproperty there belonging to the N. W. Company. On their way, they were obliged to pass,\nfor aboutitwo miles, over an open plain, directly\nbehind Lord Selkirk's establishment. As soon as\nthey were observed, his people came out in a\nbody, and fired upon them, twice. This was unexpected by the Brules ; neither were they prepared for such an encounter, as many of them\nhad neither gun nor ammunition. Perceiving however, that >they must defend themselves or be\ncut off, those who had arms returned the fire ;\nand the contest continued, until twenty two of\nthe noble Earl's people fell, and some others\nwere wounded. The Brules had only one man\nkilled, and one wounded.\u00E2\u0080\u0094This unhappy affair\nbroke up the colony, Some of the people went\nto Hudson's Bay ; but the greater number returned to Canada.\nThose qjpLord Selkirk's people who came to\nthe English River and Athabasca, suffered greatly for the want of provisions. Out of nearly one\nI\n 262\nHarmon's journal.\nhundred who came to Athabasca, twelve actually lost their lives\"by starvation; and all the\nothers must have shared the same unhappy fate,\nhad not tfce people of the North West Company supplied!^therii with provisions. In short,\nLord Selkirk lost the'&ast year^in fight and by\nstarvation, sixty eight of hiJImen \M. and still, with\nthe phrenzy of a madman, he is resolve^on\npursuing his wild projects.\nWednesday, December 4. There is now about\na foot and an half of snow on the ground.\nI have sent fifteen men, with each a sledge\ndrawn by two dogs and^lbaded with salmon, to\nMcLeod's Lake, for the subsistence of the people who are to^ass the winter there, and for\nthe additional number who will be there in the\nspring, to make lip the furs into packs. Salmon are our chief subsistence here ; and they are\ntaken only in the waters which are discharged\ninto the Pacific Ocean. The outlet of McLeod's\nLake enifers Peace River, whose waters,' are\nfinally discharged into the North Sea.\nThursday, January 2, 1817. I have just returned from a neighbouring village, where my\ninterpreter gave one of the natives a decent\ndrubbing, for having stolen from us.%Soon after,\nthe Indian who had been beaten, with a number\nof his relations, flew to arms, and surrounded bur\n Harmon's journal\n263\nI'll j\ncamp; bu& they proceeded at first no farther than\nto gesticulate in a threatening fanner. This I\npermitted them, for a short time, to do, when I\nordered my men^to load their guns; though I was\ndetermined that they should not fire, unless it became a matter of necessity. I then told the Natives that we w7ere prepared to defend ourselves,\nand, if they intended to fire upon us, to begin; or\notherwise, to walk off, and lay aside their arms,\nwhich if they would not do, we should fire upon\nthem, v They concluded to retire, and shortly after, came back without their arms, and began to\ntrade, as if nothing had happened.\nMonday, February 10. This evening the mother of my children, was delivered of a daughter,\nwhom I name Sally Harmon.\nWednesday, 19. I am this day thirty nine\nyears of age. When I reflect on the events of\nmy past life, and recollect, especially, in how\nmany instances a merciful God has snatched me\nfrom the very jaws of death* when jt. would undoubtedly have delivered me over to everlasting\ndestruction, I am grieved and ashamed, in view\nof the ingratitude with which I have requited\nsuch infinite kindness. My past life now appears\nto me to have been a continual course of sins,\ncommitted against a merciful Creator, Benefactor and Redeemer. I have even denied the Lord\n 264\nHARMON S JOURNAL.\nthat bought me, and that because I could see nri\nneed of that atonement for sin, which is the only\nthing that has stood between me and hopeless\nperdition! If I have indeed been rescued from\nsuch a wretched condition, if I have been effectually convinced of my sinfulness, and have been\nled, in the exercise of faith, to apply unto the\nLord Jesus Christ for pardon and for sanctifica-\ntion, surely, it can be attributed to nothing but the\ngrace of God. Much of my life has been spent\nin the service of sin ; the little that remains, ought\nto be sacredly devoted to God and the Redeemer.\nMay the Holy Spirit enable me to live in the\ntime to come, as a disciple of the blessed Saviour.\nMonday, September 1. Stuart's, Lak& On the\n8th of May last, I left New Caledonia, and went\nas far as Fort Chipewyan, on the Athabasca Dake.\nThis afternoon, I returned to this place. While\nF was at that lake, the Indians Iwho were encamped about the fort, to the number of about\none hundred, rose up in arms against us, on account\nof a quarrel between one of their people and one\nof our men. We did not, however, come to blows;\nand, after a parley, the Indians were persuaded to\nlay down their arms.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Those Chi|>eways are a\nsavage people ; and they have as 1 believe^ killed\nmore white men, than any other tribe in the North\n Harmon's journal*\n265\nWest country. A few years since, thejjJburned\none of our forts, and killed every person belonging\nto it.jgi\n||(3n the 21st of June, I left Athabasca Lake,\nat which period, there was still ice floating aboiii\nin it. In coming up Peace River, we *saw many\nof the buffaloe and red deer, and killed as many\nof them as we wanted for our own consumption.\nSlack bears, also, were in plenty; and of them,\nwjykilled eleven. One day as I was walking along\n^e beach alone without mjygun, a black bear,\nthat had cubs, pursued me for nearly a mile/.\nHappily for me, I could outrun her; and I jJhere-\nyibre escaped^rom her terrible paws.\nA little below the Rocky Mountain Portage,\nalong the s^de of the river, there is a kind of\nmarsh where eartji, of a beautiful, yellow colour\nis found, which when burned, becomes a pretty\nifeSty re^# ^ne natrves use }i as Pamt> f\u00C2\u00B0r which\nit answers tolerably well. We, also, use it to\npainjyDur fortsiand houses.\nSaturday, October 4. fgThis^iyening, an Indian\narrived from ErazerfsLake, bringing the disagreeable intelligence, tfjat yesterday in theydMrnoon,\nour fort there was consumed by fire. We have\nreasonjo ^thankful, however, that most of the\nproper\u00C2\u00A3gjwhich was in it, wa& saved,kj.\n^Thursday, 16. We have t^|h^our vegeta-\n HARMON^H&JURNAL.\nW:\nrae^But of tl#^|un%* ^^llBsequencii of the\nWk-y Ury summerJjJSky yielded but poorly. Theife\nwere months, duri^^i^h not a drop of rain\nfelfc^Fruit of III kinds has beetf^ncommonly\nabundant this season.\nWednesday, We%r%ary 1&,JSfSM. 1 have just\nreturned from a^\u00C2\u00ABi^l|^|^e|i^|fethr,4fe days, to a\njpMlce down Frazer's River. While there, the\nNatives had concerted a plan to massacre us al^\nbut ^discovered it, and kept toy people j#h theft*\nIfuard. The Indians, perceiving %nis, dared riot\nattemptto execute their -Moody and unprovoked\npurpose. .- f ^fp#' i^PI'?'^\nSaturday, May 2. Expecting that tlS^fce in\nPeace River will soon break upp^I have sent off\nthe last of our people who are going to the Rainy\nlike ; and by them I have forwarded, sfe usual,\ntoy accounts of the place, and letters^ my friends\nbelow. I look forward, with pleasing anticipation,\nto the return of another spring, when I hope,\nif my life is spared, I shall myself'leave this country on a visit ro tTO1 civilqffl, world.\nThursday^SeptembeW3. Last nij^ht, there fell\nabout four inches of snow, which is earlier thantf\nhave ever before seen it fall, in this part of the\ngauntry. On the'6th dji. salmdn began to come\nup this river; bift they are notlJliry numerous.\nIn the month of June, we toojl out of this\n Harmon's journal.\nt\u00C2\u00BB\nlake twenty one sturgeon, tha^were from e^ght to\ntwelve feet in length. One of thegnt measured\ntwelve feet two inches, from/ i^g^treme points,\nfour feet eleven inches round the middle^ anj\nwo#ld weigtffrom five hundred and fifty, fq sit\nhundred pounds. All the sturgeon f|iat%we hayg\ncaught, on this side of the mountain, are far su*\nperior in flavour, to any I eyev saw in any other part o\u00C2\u00A3the wo$|d.\nA few days^ since, we cut down and threshed\nour barley. The five quarts, which I so^d o$\nthe first of May, have yielded as many bushels.\nOne acre of ground, producing in the same prog\nportion that this H^as done, would yield eighty\nfour bushels. This is sufficient proof that the\nsoil, in many places in this quarter, is favourable\nto agriculture. It will probably be long, however, before it will exhibit the fruits of cultivation.\nThe Indians, though 4fjey often suffer for the\nwant of food, are too lazy to cultivate the ground.\nI have frequently tp|ed to prevail oij some of\nthem tQ hoe aid prepare a pjece of grounc}, prom-\nising them that I would give them potatoes and\nturnips, with which to plant it; but I have not\nsucceeded. Having been from their infaney trained up to privation, the fear of want is a much\nless powerful stimulus to excite the in to industry.\n ^^^^^^^[^^^^\n1 Alii 1\n\( 1\nif f\n268\nharmon's journal.\nthan it is to those who have always been acSfeS|\ntomed to the comforts of civilized life.\nTuesday, October 13. We h#ve several inches\nof snow on the'^ground.\nFor several years past, Iroquois from Canada,\nhave been in the habit of coming into different\nparts of the North West country, to hunt tlrifc\nbeaver, &c. #lThe Natives of the country, considfHt\nthem as intruders. As they are mere rovers, they\ndo not feel the same interest, as those wwo permanently reside here, in keeping the stock of animals good, and therefore they make great havock\namong the^ame, destroying alife the animals\nwhich are young and old. A number of Iroquois\nhave passed several sufKmers on this side of the\nmountain, whiSi circumstance they knew to be\ndispleasing to the Indians^ here,^who have often\nthreatened to kill them, if they persisted in destroying the animals on their lands. These menaces were disregarded. A month sincejt an Iroquois, wifti his wife and two children, were all\nkilled, while asleep, by\u00C2\u00BBtwo Carriers -of this vil-\nlage,^which melancholy event, I hope, will prevent any of the Iroquois from comiftg hMo this region again, w\u00C2\u00A7,\nSaturday, November 7. We have^now about\n# foot of snow on the ground.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Hi-day our people returned from the Rainy Lake, and say that,\n'P\n HARMON'S JOURNAL.\non account of the large quantities of ice that was\ndrifting in Peace River, they were obliged to\nleave the greater part o$Pthe goods, which they\nhad on board of the caiiBes, but a short wstmce\nthis side of the Rocky Mountain Portage. We\nshall be obliged, therefore, to bring these goods\non sledges, drawn by dogs from that place, which\nis distant from this, about two hundred and eighty\nmiles.\nS&nday, Februar^8, 1819. iMr. George Mc\nD$Qgaff*since.4i?^terflay, fehe\nM\n 272\nld:f\nHARMON'S JOURNAL.\nmost of ourlpeople embarked with the returns of\nlias place, in three canoes ; and a few hours\nhence, I shall, with my family, proceed in another,\nwhich will be pushed on by six Canadians.\nIt is now eightryears and an half, since I came\nto the west side of the Rocky Mountain. My life,\nwhich has often been in jeopardy^s still preserved ; my familyAave generally enjoyed, in a high\ndegree, the comforts, whjch this part of the world\naffords ;. and, especially, they have been extensively blessed with health of body, and contentment of mind. Our worldly affairs have prospered, to as great an extent as weaeould reasonably\nexpect. For all these blessings, it .becomes us to\nreturn unfeigned thanks, to the great Qiver of ev^\nery good gift.\nFriday, 14. Rocky Mountain Portage. All\nthe way to this place, we have drifted down,\namidst great quantities of ice, by which, at five\ndifferentJplaces, the river^was completely blocked\nup, so that woe were obliged to tarry, until the\nwater rose so high, as to remove these barriers.\nThis is the reason why we have been so long in\ncoming to this place. Had the river been high,\nand yet clear from ice, the current is so strong,\nthat we might have reached here in two days.-\nWednesday, August 18ly Fort William. I have\nat length arrived at head quarters^ In coming\n_._\n from New Caledonia to this place, which is a distance of at least three thousand miles, nothing uncommon has occurred, A few dajs hence, I shall\nleave this place, to proceed to Canada. As I\nhave already described the country between\nthis, and Montreal, I shall here conclude my\nJournal.\n35\n;\n CHARACTER\nOF THE CANADIAN VOYAGERS.\nLike their ancestors the French, the Canadian Voyagers possess lively and' fickle dispositions ; and they are rarely subject to depression of Spirits, of long continuance, even when\nin circumstances the most adverse. Although\nwhat they consider good eating and drinking\nconstitutes their chief good, yet, ^when necessity compels them to it, they submit to great\nprivation and hardship, not only without complaining, but even with cheerfulness and gaiety. They are very talkative,* and extremely thoughtless, and make many j resolutions,\nwhich arts almost as soon broken as formed.\nThey never think of providing for future wants;\nand seldom lay up any part of their earnings,\nto serve them in a day of sickness, or in the\na\n 276\nCHARACTER OF THE\ndecline of life. Trifling provocations will|often\nthrow them into a rage; but they are easily\nappeased when in anger, and they never harbour a revengeful purpose against those, by\nwhom they conceive that they bave been injured. They are not brave ; but when they apprehend little danger, they will often, as they\nsay, play the man. They are very deceitful,\nare exceedingly smooth and polite, and are even\ngross flatterers to the face of a person, whom\nthey will basely slander, behind his back. They\npay little regard to veracity or to honesty.\nTheir word is not to be trusted; and they\nare much addicted to pilfering, and will even\nsteal articles of considerable value, when a favourable opportunity offers. A secret they cannot keep. They rarely feel gratitude, though\nthey are often generous. They are obedient,\nbut not faithful servants. By flattering their\nvanity, of which they have n ot a little, they\nmay be persuaded to undertake the most difficult enterprises, provided their lives are not\nendangered. Although they are generally unable to read, yet they acquire considerable knowledge of human nature, and some general information, in regard to the state of this country.\nAs they leave Canada while they are young,\nfhey have but little knowledge of the principles\n BS\n2\" f\u00E2\u0080\u0094\":\u00E2\u0080\u0094'\n\ n ' - . T ill nil\n AN\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS\nLIVING WEST O^ THE\nROCKY MOUNTAIN.\n ACCOUNT, &c.\nAs the Indians living on the west side of the\nRocky Mountain, differ greatly in their language,\nmanners, customs, religion, &c. from those0 on the\neast side, it may be proper to give concisely a\nseparate account of them, and of the country\nwhich they inhabit. In doing this, I 'Shall dwell\nmore particularly on those things which are peculiar to these people, as I design, in another place,\nto give a general description of the Indians, which\nshall have a principal reference, however, to the\nmore numerous tribes on the east side of the\nMountain. I shall, I hope, b# pardoned, if some\nrepetition shall be found, of things contained in my\njournal, as it cannot easily be avoided.\nThat part of the country, west of the Ro%ky\nMountain, with which I am acquainted, has, ever\nsmce the Northwest Company first made an esfc\n36\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\ntablishment there, which was in 1806, gone by\nthe name of New Caledonia; and may extend\nfrom north to south, about five hundred miles, and\nfrom east to west, three hundred and fifty or four\nhundred. The post at Stuart's Lake, is nearly in\nthe centre of it, and lies, as already mentioned in\nmy Journal, in 54\u00C2\u00B0 30' North Latitude, and in 125\u00C2\u00B0\nWest Longitude from Greenwich. In this large\nextent of country, there are not more than five\nthousand Indians, including men, women and children.\nNew Caledonia is considerably mountainous.\nBetween its elevated parts, however, there are\npretty extensive valleys, along which pass innumerable small rivers and brooks. It contains a great\nnumber of. small lakes, two of which are considerably large. These are Stuart's Lake, which is\nv about four hundred miles in circumference, and\nNate-ote-tain Lake, whichjis nearly twice as large.\n1 am of the|ppinion that about one sixth part of\nNew Caledonia, is covered with water. There\nare but two large pver^- One of these I denominate Fraser's River, which may be Mxty or\nseventy rods wide. It rises^in the Rocky Mountain, within a short distance ojf the source of\nPeace River: and is the river whkh Sir Alex-1\nander McKengie followed a considerable distance,\nwhen he wenjLto the^Pacific Ocean, in 1793, and\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\n283\nW-\nwhich he took t%be the Columbia Rfeer ; bufcihi\nis now known to be several miles north offthat noble stream. ThejJ^ifer large river of New Caledonia, rises near Great Bear's Lake ; and after\npassin$\nfew days in the winter, when the mercury is Sometimes as low as 32\u00C2\u00B0 below zero, in Farilriheit's ttjfelP-\nmometer. The remainder of the season, is mudf\nmilder than it is 4lri the other side of the mountain,\nin the same Latitude. The summer is never very\nwarm, in the day time ; and the nights are generally\"\ncool. In every monthin the year, there are frosts!\nSnow generally falls about the fifteenth of^Rovem-\nber, and is all dissolved by about the fifteenth ofi\nMay. About McLeod's Lake4j|e^snow sometimes,\nfalls to the deptHof Ave feet; and I imagine that\n1\n 284\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\nit is to be attJibuted to the great depth $f the\nsnow, tha)tino#arge animals of any kind, excepting a few solitary ones, are to be met with.\nThere are a few Moose ; and the Natives occasionally, kill a black bear. Cariboo are also\nfound, at some seasons. Some smaller animals\nare found, though they are not nun#\u00C2\u00A3rous. They\nconsist of beavers, otters, lynxes or cats, fishers,\nmartins, minks, wolverines, foxes of different kinds,\nbadgers, polecats, hares and a few wolves.^iT^he\nfowrls are swans, bustards, geese^ cranes, ducks of\nseveral kinds, partridges, &c. All the lakes and\nrivers #re well furnished /with excellent fish.\nThey are the sturgeon, whii^fish, trout, sucker\nand many of a sfnaller kind. Salmon, also, visit\nthe streams, in very considerable numbers, in Autumn. A small share ofjindustry, therefore, would\nenable the Natives, at all times, to provide for\nthemselves a sufficient supply of agreeable, wholesome and nutritious food.\nThe Naifepes of New Caledonia, we denominate Carriers; but they call themselves TehsuI-\nlies, which signifies people who go upon water.\nThis name originated from the fact that they\ngenerally go from one village to another, in canoe^* They are of the middle stature, and the\nmen are well proportioned; but the women are\ngenerally short and thick, and their lower limbs\nm\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0-\n:\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\n285\nare disproportionately llfge. Both sexes are remarkably negligent fcrid slovenly* -in regard to\ntheir persons; and they are filthy iri their cookery. Their dispositions are lively and quiet; and\nthey appear to be happy, or at least contented, in\ntheir wretched situation. They are indolent; but\napparently more from habit than by natuH; and\nprobably this trait in their character, originates\nfrom^he Circumstance, that they procure a wveli-\nhood, with but little labour. Whenever we employ any of them, either to work about the fow\nor?fa voyaging, they are sufficiently laborious arid\nactive; andHhey appear to be pleased, when we\nthus furnish them with employment. They ar#\nnot in the habit of stealing articles of great value ; but they are the sliest pilferers, perhaps,\nupon the face of the earth. They will not only\npilfer from us, but, when favourable opportunities\noffer, they are guilty of thefSame low vidfeamong\ntheir friends and relations. They are remarkably ftWfeof the white people. They seldom begin a quarrel with any of us, though they are naturally brave. When any of \u00C2\u00A9unpeople, however,\ntreat them ill, they defend themselves with courage, and with considerable dexterity; and some of\nUiem will fight a toleSable Canadian battle.\nTheir language is very similar to that of the\nChipewyans, and has a great affinity to the tongues.\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\n 1\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 $-\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 '\nHi\n286\nACCOUNT OF THE 'INDIANS.\nspoken by the Beaver Indians and the Sicaunies;,\nBetween all the different villages of the Carriers,\nthere prevails a difference%)f dialectic such an\nextent, that theyflllfen* give different names to the\nmost common utenuis. Every village has its par-\nticulaftname, and its inhabitants are called after\nthe name of the village, in the sarile manner as\npeople in the civilized world receive a name, from\nthe cffy or country which they inhabit.\nThllir clothing consists of a covering made of\nthe skins of the be aver, badger, muskrat, cat or\nhare. The last they cut into strips, about one\ninch broad, and then weave or lace them together, until they become of a sufficient size to cover\ntheir bodies, and to reach to their kneeiP This\ngarment they put#over itheir shbulders, and\ntie about their waists. Instead of the above\nnamed skins, when they can obtain them from\nus,^fcey greatl^ prefer, and make use of blankets, caputs, or Canadian coats, cloth or moose\nand red deer skSSi They seldom use eith\u00E2\u0084\u00A2\nleggins or shoes, in the summer. At this season the men often go naked, without ipp' thing\nto cover even that part of the body wKch\ncivilized, and the most, even of savagHpeople> think\nit necessary to conceal. Indeed they manifest m\nlittle sense of#hame#ri regard to this subject, as\nthe very^Nfoite creation. The#vomen, however,\n**\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0I\n- -1\" \"' \"- \u00E2\u0080\u0094 \u00E2\u0080\u0094~h\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\n287\nm^tddition to the robe of beaver or dressed moose\nskins, wear an aproriftfwelve or eighteen^gnches\nbroad, which reaches nearly down to their knees.\nThese aprons are made of a piece of deer skin, or\nof salmon skins, sewed together. Of the skin of\nthis fish, they sometimes make leggins, shoes,\nbags, &c. but they are not durable ; and therefore\nthey pefer deer sk^s and cloth, which are more\npliabfeand soft. The roughness of salmon skins,\nrenders them particularly unpleasant for aprons.\nA few of the male Carriers recently make use\nof the breech-cloth, made of cloth which they procure from us ; but as evidence that no great sense\nof delicacy has induced them to wear it, you will\nsee it one day at its proper place, the next, probably, abou^heir heads, and the third around their\nnecks; and so on, repeatedly shifted i|om one\nplace to another.\nBoth sexes perforate their noses; and from\nthem, the men often suspend an ornament, consisting of a piece of an oyster shell, off a small piece\nof brass or copper. The women, particularly\nifjose who are young, run a wooden pin through\ntfieir Saoses, ppon each end of which they fix a\nkind of shell bead, which is about an inclg< and an\ntlf long, and nearly the size of the stem of a\nPfcommon clay pipe. These beads^ they obtain\nfrom their neighbours, the At-e-nas, who purchase\nml\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\nthem from another tribe, that is said to take them\non the sea shore, where they are reported to be\nfound in plenty.\nAll the Indians in this part of the country, are\nremarkably fond of these beads; and in their\ndealings with each other, they constitute a kind of\ncirculating medium, like the money of civilized\ncountries.^ Twenty of these beads, they consider\nas equal in value to a beaver's skin. The elderly\npeople neglect to ornament their heads, in the\nsame manner as theygfio the rest of their persons,\nand generally wear theuj|Jhair short. But the\nyounger people of both sexes, who feel more solicitous to make themselves agreeable to each other, wash and paint their faces, and let their hair\ngrow long. The paint which they make use of,\nconsists of vermilion, which they occasionally obtain from us ; or more commonly, of a red stone,\npounded fine, of which there are two kinds. The\npowdef,i^one kind of these stones, mixed with\ngrease, and rubbed upon their faces, gives them\na glittering appearance.\nThe young women and girls wear a parcel of\nEuropean beads, strung together, and tied to a\nlock of hjjr, directly behind each ear. The men\nhave ag^ort o|j|fi|lar of the shell beads alreadjl #j\nmentioned, whichyjlhey wind about their heads, or\nthrow*around their necjss. In the summer season>\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\n289\nboth sexes bathe often; and this is the only time,\nwhen the married people wash themselves. One\nof their customs is sufficient to evince their extreme filthiness, and that is, whenever they blow\ntheir noses, they rub the mucus between both\nhands, until they become dry.\nAmong the Carriers, it is customary for the\ngirls, from the age of eight to eleven years, to\nwear a kind of veil or fringe over their eyes, made\neither of strung beads, or of narrow strips of deer\nskin, garnished with porcupine quills. While of\nthis age, they are not allowed to eat any thing,\nexcepting the driest food; and especially they\nmay not eat the head of any animal. If they\nshould, their relations, as they imagine, would\nsoon languish and die. The women, also, during\ntheir pregnancy, and for some time after they are\ndelivered, are restricted*to the same kind of food.\nThe lads, as soon as they cornel to the age of\npuberty, tie cords, wound with swan's down,\naround each leg, a little below tl)e knee, which\nthey wear during one year, and then, they are\nconsidered as men.\nThe Carriers are unusually talkative ; and\nwhen fifteen or twenty of them get into a house,\nfethey make an intolerable noise. Men, women and\nchildren, keep their tongues constantly in motion;\nand in controversy, he who has the strongest and\n37\n 290\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\n;\n^clearest voice, is of course heard the most easily,\nand, consequently, gbcGeedf best in his argument.\nThey take great delight, also, in singing, or humming, or whistling a dull air. In shorty whether\nat homier abroad, they can hardly be contented\nwith their mouths shut. It^was a long time before we could keep them still, when they came t\u00C2\u00AB|\nour forts. And even yet, when they visit us,\nwhich is almost every day, during the whole year,\nthey will often, inadvertently, break out into a\nsong. But as soon as we check them, or they recollect of themselves what they are about, they\nstop short; for they are desirous of pleasing.\nThe above trait in their character, certainly evinces much contentment with their condition, and\ncheerfulness of spirit. J\nBoth sexes, of almost every age, are much addicted to play, or rather gambling. They pass\nthe greater par||pf their 4||ime, especially in the\nwinter season, arid both days and nighty in some\nkind of gamfe^and the men will often loose the\nlast rag of clothes, which they have about them.\nBut so far from being dejected by such ill fortune,\nthey often appear to be proud of having lost their\nall; and will even boastingly say, that they are as\nbaked as a dog, having not a rag with which to'\ncover themselves. Should they, in such \"circumstances, meet with a friend, who should lend them\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\n291\nsomething to wrap around thei# bodies,?it is highly\nprobable, that they woqld immediately! ^go and\nplay away the borrowed ^rmeiflu Or, if the borrower belonged to another village, he would be\nlikely to run off with it, and the owner would ner\nver hear of him afterward; for I%iever knew a\nPirrier to be grateful for a favour bestowjed upon\nhim. At play, they often loose a part of a garment, as the sleeves of a coat, wWclfe some oiv\nthem now^purAiase iom us, a whole, or the half\nof a leggin, which they will tear off, and deliver\nto the winner. They have been known to cut off\na foot or more of their guns, when lost at play;\nfor, like more gentlemanlyfgamblers, they consoler\nsuch debts, as debts of honour.\nThe Carriers aife not so ingenious as their\nneighbours, the Nate-ote-tains and At-e<-nas. The\nmen, however, make canoes^f which are clumsily\nwrought, of the aspin tree, as well as of the fcark\nof the spruce fir. The former, will earfy from\nhalf a ton to a ton and an half burthen, while the\nlatter, wM carry from one to four grown persons.\nThe women make excellent ne\u00C2\u00A3$, of^lhe inner\nbark of the willow tree, and of nettles, which answer better for taking small fish, than any wfiietf\nwe obtain from Canada, made of twine or%hrea<8?\nThe Carriers, in ebmmon with the other Indian tribes, before their country was visited by\nra;i.'\nI\nIii\nml\n \u00E2\u0080\u0094\u00E2\u0080\u009E\u00E2\u0080\u0094\n/\n292\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\nwhite people, made use of stoneff instead of axes,\nand of bones, for knives ; and with these, they\nconstructed wooden dishes, and other vessels of\nthe Aid of ^the birch and pine trees, &c. Some\nof these vessels were used to cook their victuals\nin,?faid many of these people still make use of them;\nfor they are too poor to purchase brass or copper\nke|#es from us. flphey have, also||other#vessels,\n.which ar^ manufactured of the small roots or\nfibers of the cedar or pine tree, closely laced together, which serve them as bucke'ts to p0 water\nin. I have seen one at Fraser's Lake, made of\nthe same materials, that wouMthold sixty or seventy gallons, which they make use of when a feast is\ngiven to all the people of the village. All the\nvessels fabricatedjof roots, as wellias the most of\ntheir bows and arrows, thuy obtain from their\nneighbours, above mentioned.\nThie Carriers are remarkably fond o% their\nwives, an&a few of them have three or four; but\npolygamy is not general among them. The men\ndo the most of the drudgery about the house,\nsuch as cuttingipmd drawing fire wood, and\nbringing water. In the winter months, they drink\nbut little water; but to quench their thirst, they\neat half melted snow, which they generally keep\non the top of a stick, stuck into the ground, before\nthe fire.\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\nAs the 'Carriers are fond of their wives, they\nare, as naturally might be supposed, very jealous of\nthem ; * but to their daughters^ they allow every\nliberty^ for the purpose, as 4hey say, of keeping\nthe young men from intercourse with the married\nwomen. As the-young women may thus bestow\ntheir favours on whom, and as often as they\nplease, without the least censure from their parents, or reproach to their character, it might\nnaturally be expected that they would be, as\nI am informed they actually are, very free with\ntheir persons.\u00E2\u0080\u0094In the following particular, the\nCarriers differ from all the otheifillhdian tribes,\nwith whom I have been acquainted. Among other tribes, {he father or mother in law, #ill never,\nexcepting when drunk, speak to a son or daughter\nin law; but the Carriers make no distinction, in\nthis respect. $j|ft\nThe Carriers reside a part of the year in villages, built at convenient places for taking and\ndrying salmon, as they come up the rivers. These\nfish they take in abundance, with little labour;\nand they constitute their principal food, during\nthe whole year. They are not very unpalatable\nwhen eaten alone ; but with vegetables, they are\npleasant food. The Natives, however, are too\nslothful to raise vegetables, and use none, excepting a few which they obtain from us.\n 294\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\nToward the middle of April, and* sometimes\nsooner, they leave their villages, to go and pass\nabout two months at the small lakes, from which,\nat that season, they take white fish, trout, carp,\n&c. in considerable numbers. But when these be-*\ngin to fail, they return to tbtir villages, and subsist on the small fish, which they dried when at\nthe lakes, or on salmon, should they have been so\nprovident as to have kept any until that late season ; or they eat herbs, the inner bark or sap of\nthe cypress tree, berries; &c. At this season, few\nfish of any kind, are to be taken out of the lakes\nor rivers of New Caledonia. In this manner the\nNatives barely subsist, until about the middle\nof August, when salmon again begin to make\ntheir appearance, in all the rivers of any considerable magnitude ; and they have them at niost\nof their villages in plenty, until the latter end\nof September, or the beginning of OetoSer. For\nabout a month, they come up in crowds; and\nthe noses of some of them are either wornlfbr\n^rotten off, and the eyes of others have perished\nin their heads ; an#yet, in this maimed condition,\nthey are surprisingly alert, in coming ujf Ihe rap\nids. These maimed fishes are gener&fly at the\nhead of large bands, on account of which, the\nNatives call them Mi-u-ties, or Chiefs. The Indians say that they have suffered these disas-\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\n295\nters, by falling back among the^ stones, when\ncoming up difficult places in the rapids which\nthey pass.\nlike Carriers take salmon in the following\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2manner. All the Indians of the village -assist in\nmaking a dam across^the river, in which they occasionally leave places, to insert their baskets or\nnets of wicker work. These baskets areifgpene-\nrally from fifteen to eighteen feet in length, and\nfrom twelve to fifteen feet in circumference. The\nend at which the salmon enteyp, is made with\ntwigs, in the form of the entrance of a wire mouse\ntrap. When four or five hundred salmon have\nentered this basket, they either take it to the\nshore to empty out the fish; or they take them\nout at a door in the top, and transport them to\nthe shore in their large wooden canoes, which are\nconvenient for this purpose. When the salmon\nare thrown upon the beach, the women take out\ntheir entrails, and hang them by their tails on\npoles, in the open air. After remaining in this\nsituation for a day or two, they take them down\nand cut them thinner, and then leave them to\nhang for about a month in the open air, when\nthey will have become entirely dry. They are\nthen put into their store houses, which are built\non four posts, about ten feet from the ground,\nto prevent animals from destroying them 5 and\n#\n 296\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\nprovided they are preserved dry, they will remain good for several years.\nThe Carriers take beavers in nets, made of\nthongs of cariboo skins* or in baskets made of\nyoung cypress stadles ; and sometimes they shoot\nthem with \u00C2\u00ABbows and arrows, or guns, or take\nthem in steel traps, which we sell to them, and\nof which they begin to understand the value.\nCats, martins, fishers, foxes, minks, &c. they take\nin a kind of spring trap, which consists of a large\npiece oR wood, which these animals, by nibbling\nat the bait, cause to fall upon and crush them.\nBears, swans and hares they generally take in\nsnares ; and the cat, also, they sometimes take\nin this manner. They hunt the beaver and bear,\nmore for the sake of their flesh, than to obtain the\nskins; for it is with the meat of these animals\nthat they make their feasts, in remembrance of\ntheir deceased relatives.\nAt such festivals, they cut up as many dressed\nmoose and red deer skins as they can well procure,\ninto slips, about eighteen inches long, and twelve\ninches broad, and distribute% ihem among their\nfriends and relatives. And they firmly believe,^\nthat these ceremonies must be performed, before\ntheir departed relative can he at rest, in the\nplace whither he has gone, which they think to\n<^if'\n !\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\nbC the jntelfour of the earth, where they expect\nthat they shall all at length bf| happy.\nThe Carriers have little that can be denominated ci^t government, in the regulation of their\nconcerns. There are some persons among them,\nwho are called Mi-u-ties or Chiefs, and for whom\nthfcy appear to have^a little more respect than\nfor the others ; but these chiefs have n^t much\nauthority or influence over the rest of the com-\nmuisity. Any one is^%dubbed a Mi-u-ty, who is\nable and willing, occasionally, to provide a feast,\nfor the people of his village.* An Indian, however, whofjfcas killed another, or feeen guilty of\nsome other bad action, findjfthe house o^ tent of\nthe chief # safe retreatf*so liaag as he is allowed\nto remain fctere. But as soo% as he leases it,\nthe Chief can affeilgl the* criminal no more protection, than any other (person of the village can, un-\nless he lets him haven&ne of his garments. This\ngarment of the Chief, witt p#tect a malefactor\nfrom harm, while he wears it; fer no person\nwould attack him, while clothed with ^hkisafe.\nguard, sooner than he would attack the chief\nhimself; and if he should, the chief would revenge the insalt, in thli& same manner as*$iftii\u00C2\u00A3\nwere offered directly to himself. Theijrevenge\nwhich the Chief, in this case, would take, would\nbe to destroy the life of the offending person, or\nBr. I39 SIT \u00C2\u00A5 i' \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 t-\n \u00E2\u0080\u0094 mr\n298\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\nvV,\nthat of some of his near relations, or the life ;of\none of the same tribe, if he should happen to\nbe a stranger.\nWhen two or more persons disagree atfplay,\nas is frequently the case, or contend on any\nother account, the chief, or some respectable\nand elderly man, will step in between the two\nwranglers, and settle the dispute, generally without their coming to blows.\nThe people of every village have a certain\nextent of country, which they consider their own,\nand in whi^ they may hunt and fish ; but they\nmay not transcend these* bounds, without purchasing the privilege* of those who claim the\nland. Mountains and rivers serve them as boundaries, and they are not often broken over.\nThe people of one village do not often visit\nthose of another, as there are generally misunderstandings existing betweeni thern^- which are\noccasioned by murders, and at timesjby the hunting of the people of one village, in a clandestine\nmanner, on the territories of their neighbours.\nBy one cause or another, they are kept in a perpetual broil. They say however, that murders\ndo not occur so frequently among them as they\ndid before they were visited by the white people.\nThe Carriers are the most ignorant people\namong whom Ipjiave ei^r been. They appear to\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\n299\nhave only a very confused and limited idea of the\nexistence of a Supreme Being, the maker an*t\ngovernour of the world, or of the devil or any\nevil spirit; and they, therefore, neither worship\nthe former nor fear tkPlatter. But they believe,\nas it has been already observed, in the immortality of the soul, Und think when it leaves its present bodyl^ft goes into the bowels of the eartftf\nwhere, they suppose it will be more happy\nthan when an inhabitant of its Surface. But\nthey seem to have no idea ^f future reward#or\npunishments^in consequence of any thing which\nthey ma|* have done, while resident on earth.\nAnd whether the soul will be furnished with\nanother body, when it leaves thsP which it animated on earth, they say they cannot tell, it being,\nas they add, beyond their comprehension. They\nfirmly believe, however, that #departed sotfPcan,\nif it pleases, come back to the earth, in a human shape or body, in order to see Ms friends,\nwho are still alive. Therefore, as^hey areiabout\nfb set fire to the pile of wood, on which a corpse\nis laid, a relation of the deceased person stands\nat his feet, and asks him if he will ever come\nback among them. Then the priest or magicia%\nwith a grave countenance, stands at the head of\nthe corpse, and looks through both his hands on\nits naked breast, and tbentraises them toward\n 30D\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\nheavtln, and blows^through them, as they say, the\nsoul of the deceased, that it mify go alid find, and\nenter into a relate. Or, if any relative is present, the priest will hold his hands on the head\nof thjb per#n, and blow through them, that the\nfSJMrit of the deceased may enter Jpto him^pr\nher ;*frand then, as they affirm, tile first child\nwhich this person has, will possess the soul o$\nthe deceased person.\nWhen the Carriers are severely sick, they\noften think that they shall not recover, ipnle$$\nthey divulge to a priest or magician, e#lary crime\nwhich they may have committed, which has\nhitherto been kept secret. In such a case, they\nwill make a full confession, and then they expect that their lives will be spared, for a time\nlonger. But should they keep back a single\ncrime, they as fully believe that they shall suffer almost instant death. The crimes which\ntbey most frequently confess, discover something\nof their moral \"character, and therefore deserve\nto be mentioned. A man will often acknowledge that he has had a criminal and incestuous\nconnexion with bis own daughter or sfster, or a\ncriminal intercourse with a bitch! and a woman\nwill confess, that she has had the same ipfamous\nconnexion with her own relations, or with a dog!\nMarder is not considered by the Carriers as a\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIAN^ 301\ncrime of great magnitude; and, therefore, it\nmakes no part of their dlfetowledgments, in\ntheir confessions to the priests or magicians. If\na murder be committed on #person belonging to\na trjibe with whom theyftttfbat enmity, they regard it as a brave and noble actitm. Should one\nIndi#& kill another, belonging to the same village\nwith himself, the murderer is considered as a pei^\nson void of sense ; ' and he must quit his ^|lag%\nand remakr away, until he can pay the relations\nof the deceased for the murde^ and even after\nthis has been done^&t often occasions quarrels, between the parties.\nThe Carriers are silvery credulous, and have\nso exalted an ofrfriion of us, that they firmly believe,\nthough I have often assured them of theHsontra-\nry, thaliany of the Tradefe or Chiefs, as they call\nus, can, at pleasure, makelit fair or foul weather.\nAnd even yet when they ar4 preparing to set out\non an excursion, they wilU|fcome and offeifcto pay\nus, provided we will make or alltfw it to be fair\nweather, during their absence froaii their#homes.\nThey**eften inquire of u# whether salmonffethat\nyear, will be in plenty in their rivers. They also\nthink, that by merely looking into our books, we\ntityui cause a sicklerson tefreeover, let the distance\nwhich he may be from us belever so great. r?H*\nshort, they look ftpon those who ca&mad and write,\n 302\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\nas a kind of supernatural beings, who know all that\n^ past, and who can see into futurity.\nFor a considerable time after we had been\namong them, they were fliily of the opktion, that\nthe white people had neither fathers nor mothr\ners; but came into the world in a supernatural\nway, or were placed on the#arth by the sun or\nmoon*\nAs a furtiier specimen of their limited conce|M*4\ntions, they nthv firmly beMeve that a watch is the\nheart of the sun, because*!! is ever in motion, as\nthey say, like that great body of light. They add\nfurther, that unless a watch and the sun were\nnearly related, it*would be impossible for the\nwatch, considering the distance which there is between them, to point out so precisely tse minute\nwhen the sun is to make its appearance and to\nleavegjus. In short, Wiey say that the one must\nknow perfectly well what tte%ther is about, and\nthat there must be some connexion between them,\nas between the members of the human body.\nThe Carriers give thSffollowingr account of the\ntradition, which they believe, respecting the formation of the earth, and the general destruction of\nmankind, in an early period of the world. Water\nat first overspread the face of$he w#ld, which is\na plain surface. At the top of the water, a'musk-\nrat was swimming about>frin different directions.\n ACCOUNT OF^TBE INDIANS,\nAt length he concluded to dive to the? bottom|Ho\nsee what he could find, on which*to subsist; but\nhe found nothing but mud, a^little of which he\nbrought in,his m$uth, and placed it on tfee^surface\nof the water, where hWremained. He then went\nfor more mud, and placed it^fwitte that already\n^brought up ; and thufche continued his operations,\nuntil he had formed a considerable hillock, silhis\nland increasediby degrees, until it overspread a\nlarge part of the world, which assumed aMlength\nits present form. The earth, in process of time,\nbecame peopled in every part, and remained in\nthis condition for many years. Afterwards a fire\nrun over it all, and destroyed every human being,\nexcepting one man and#tee womanish They saved\nthemselves by going into a deep cave, in a large\nmountain, where they remained for several days,\nuntil the fire was extinguished. They then came\nforth from their hiding placed; and from these\ntwo persons, the whole earth has been peopled.\nBesides the feasts, made for their dead, wWch\nhave been described u| nay Journal, the Carriers\ngive .others, merely to entertain their guests, who\n#are frequently all the people of a village, as well as\na few who belong to a neighbouring village. The\nfollowing ceremonies attend such festivals. Thejj\nperson who makes the entertainment, who is am\nwaj^a Chief, boils or roasts several whole beav-\nli\nII\ni\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0.\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\n 304\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS*.\ners; and as soon as his guests are seated around\na fire, which is in the centre of his house, he takes\nup a whole beaver, and with a raised voice, relates how and where he killed it, that all present\nmay kn(Hr that it came from his own land. | After thajg necessary explanation is over, he steps\nforward, and presents the tail end to the most respectable person of the house, and stands holding\nthe animal with botb hands until this person has\neaten what he chooses. The chief then passes\non with his beaver to the second person, who eats\nas the first had done ; and then to a third; and\nso on, until he has presenteAit to the whole 'tarde\nshould any part now remain, it is laid down near\nthe centre of the^ house ; and another whole bea-\nve^fcis taken up, which is s^lwed round in the\nsame manner as the first. And thus the chief\ncontinues to do, until his guests have tasted of\nevery beavet, which he had prepared f<0*the feast.\nl^Phe remaining fragments of the beavers, are now\ntmt up into smaller pieces, and distributed among\nthe women and children, or put into dishes, which\nthe men have before them, and which *$faey always bring with them, when they attend upofc a\ni&afck Theiwoflten then come in with large dish-\nes full of berries, and each, puts a^iladle folk into\nevery dish of the men. Wflen they have eaten\nwhat they choose of the berries, (for the Indians\n .\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS*\n305\n.never urge their guests to eat more than they\nplease) both men and women join, in singing sevef\neral songs. The ahis of many of these songs,\nwhich have been composed and set to musickflby\ntheir poets, expressly for the ife^asion, greatly\nresemble those which#have#ieard sung, in R#\nman Catholic churches. g After singing is concluded, each guest rises, with^his' dish and whatever\nit contains, and returns to^Ks own dwelling, and\nthus the festival ends. At these feasts, there are\nfrequently Indians, who will drinfc at least a\nquart of melted bear's oil}* merely to show how\nmuch they can drink.\nAt some of their festivals, the men and women\njoin in a dance. Their musick on thesi occasions,\nconsists of the v singing of one person or more, accompanied by the shaking of the she-she-qu%\nwhich is, ordinarily, a covered dish, with ^handle ; but sometimes it is curiously made in the\nform of a bird, and within it, are either gravel\nstones or shot. Others beat on a drum, with but\none head; and these are all the musical instruments, if they can with propriety be so denominated, which I have ever seeri among them. When\nthey dance, they paint their faces, and put swan's\ndown on their heads, and while they are discing,\nothers are almost continually blowing more through\nbotl| their hands, on the dancers. They have not\n39' H\n m \u00E2\u0080\u00A2\n306\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\nmany^iifferent kinds of danchag; but they have |\na great variety of songs, the au*s of which are\npleasant to the ear whe& heard atftom^R distance\nfrom the singers, who generally have strong voic-\ne&fi All Indians have accurate* ears; and, therefore, they keep exact time when they dance or\nThe Carriers are almost entirely ignorant of\nmedicine, not baiting any knowledge of theslwrtue\nwhich* is found in roots and herbs^when administered to the sick. Whea>one of them is sick, tjhey\ncall in the priest or doctor, for the sameirperson\ndischarges the functions of both ? and he is joined\nby several other persons in singing a drerjlimel-\nancholy air^over the sick person, whicbsthej|\nthink serves* greatly to mitigate Bis pain, and often\nrestores him to perfect health. Before the do\u00C2\u00A9*\ntor will afford his assistance, hkr doing which he\nmakes many jestures$t&nd goes through much ceremony, he must receive a present. But should\nhis patient die under his care, he must restore to\nthe* relations of the deceased, the present wnfeh\nhe had received. The Carriers are the only Ind&\nans with whom I have&been acquainted^ who\nmak^gno use of roots and herbs, and the bark of\ncertain trees, with the sick. IFhey^ however,\nplace great confidence in our medicines.\nDuring the winter months many of the Car-\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS,\n307\nriers make their dwellings in the earth, in the\nfollowing manner. They dig a hole in the ground\nto the depth of about two feet, from the opposite sides of which, they erect two considerable sticks, to sritrport a ridge-pole^ Theathen\nlay poles from the margin of the hole to the\nridge-pole, until they have completely enclosed\nthe dwelling, excepting a hole which is left near\nthe top, which serves the double purpose of a\ndoor by which they enter, and leave the hut,\nupon*an upright post, in which, notches are cut;\nand an opening for the smoke to pass off. The\npoles are^made tight, by stopping the interstices with hay, or by covering them with bark;\nand dirt is then thrown over them, to a considerable thickness. These huts are far from being healthy; but they are commodious for people who are clad as poorly, as are most of the\nCarriers?-\n^The Indians^on the west side of the Rolky\nMountain, erect buildings, in which they deposit\nthe ashes and bones of their Head. The side\nposts of these structures, are about six feet high,\na roof, covered with bark, is erected upon these\nposts, in the form of the roofs of houses in the civilized part of the world ; and around theirsides, are\nbroad boards, made by splitting trees, which they\nhew, and then smooth over with a cropked^lSSfe.\n 308\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\nOn these boards^ which are about an inch thick,\nthey paint images to represent the s^un, moon,\n^ars and different kinds of animals. WitJ^n these\nbuildings, the remains of the dead are contained\nin boxes, of different dimensjpns, which in some instances, stand on the top of^ne upright post, and,\nin other-ca|es, are supported by four. The paints\nwhich they use, in describing the figures on these\nbuildings, consist of black and red stones, which\nthey g\u00C2\u00A7|nd fine, and of a yellow,#nd a red earth.\nThese substences, they mix with glue, which they\nobtain hy boiling the feet of the buffaloe, or from\nthe inside of stttrgeon, where these fish are&in\nplenty. They put on fjieir paints with a rfarush,\nmade of the hair which thfgr take from the,leg\nof the moose.\nAmong the Carriers, there are some conjurors*\nwho whenever they please, will vomit blood, or\nswallow a small toad, alive. By doing the latter,\nhowever, they are made sick, for three or four\ndays; and yet they are ever readj.to ite^t, for a\nmere trifling recompense.\nAa|)ng the Indians who inhabit New Caledonia, the Sicaunies deserve to be meniionedA They\nare a small part of ajyribe who, but a few years\nsince, came from the east side of the Rocky Mountain. They now bring the produce of their hunts\nto McLeod's Lake. The winter months, however,\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\na greater part of them pass among their relations,\non the east side of the Mountain, where thejtpub-\nsist on buffaloe, moose and red deer. Notwithstanding they are tolerable hunters, they would\nnot be able to kill a sufficiency of beavers to serve\nthemselves and families* during the winter, where\nthe snow is so deep, as it generally is in New Caledonia.\nThe people who areifiow called Sfccau^iies, I\nsuspect, at no distant period, belonged to the tribe,\ncalled Beaver Indians, wh&aahabit the lower part\nof Peace River; for they differ but little from\nthem in dialect, manners, customs, &c. Some\nmisunderstanding between the Sicaunies and the\nresttof the tribe to which they formerly belonged, probably drove them from place to place, up\nPeace River, until they were, at length, obliged\nto cross the Rocky Mountain. The Sicaunies, are\nmore brave, and better armed than the Carriers,\nwho have, as yet, but few fire arms; and it is\nprobable that the former will^ make encrbach-\nments upon the latter. The Sicaunies, however,\nare a wretched people ; for they suffer greatly\nfor the want of food, during nearly one fourth\npart of the year, when they barely support life,\nby means of a few unpalatable roots. Yet they\nare remarkably fond of the country, where they\nnow'are; and frequently intermarry with the Car-\n,\n1\n 310\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\nI;\nfriers, and pass a part of themctime with them, at\ntheir villages. Thej\u00C2\u00A3have, also, adopted many of\n-the customs of thfe^Carriers, one of which is, to\nburn their dead; whereas, while they resided\ni$n the other side of the Mountain, they were accustomed to bury thenisin the earth. The\nSicaunies are not an ingenious people; and I\nknow of nothing which they manufacture, excepting a few 511 wrought bows antfarrows, wooden dishes, &c.\nThere is^a tribe of Indians not far from the\nColumbia River, who are called Flat-Heads. By\nfixing boards upon the heads of their children, they\ncompress them in such a manner as to cause them\ntojsassume the form of a wedge. Another tribe\nin New Caledonia, denominated Nate-ote-taibs,\npierce a hole through the under lips of their\ndaughters, into 'Whichiibey insert a piece of wood,\nin the shape of the wheel of a pulleys and as the\ngirls grow up, this wheel is enlarged, so that a\nwoman of thirty years of age, will have one nearly as large as a dollar. This they consider, adds\nmuch to their beauty; bu$ these wheels are certainly very inconvenient, and to us, they appear\nyery uncouth and disagreeable, g|!\n I have been acquainted with fifteen different\ntribes of Indians, which are the Sauteux, Crees,\nAssiniboins, Rapid Indians, Black feet Indians,\nBlood Indians, Sursees, Cautonies, Muskagoes, Chip-\neways, Beaver Indians, Sicaunies, Ta-cullies,, Atenas and Nate-ote-tains. The^farts of the country,\nwhich they severally inhabit, have already been noticed, in my Journal? jj&:\nThe tribes that are the most enlightened, aria\nthat have advanced the farthest toward a state\nof civilization, are the Sauteux or Chipeways, the\nMuskagoes and the Crees, or Knisteneux, as they\nhave been sometimes denominated. These tribes\nhave a greater knowledge than the other Indians,\nof the medicinal qualities of the bark offlreesi and\n40\n 314\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\nof herbs, roots, &c. and their medical skill, enables\nthem heavily to tax the other tribes. Indeed,\ntheir medicines, with their skill in regard to their\napplication,' form considerable articles of commerce with their neighbours. Sometimes, for a\nhandsome compensation, they will instruct a person where to procure ingredients, and how to prepare them as medicines, to be used in particular\ncases. It is very probable, however, that the Indian doctors, like some apothecaries in the civilized world, sell some medicines, of little or no value.\nIt is also well known to those acquainted with\nthe Indians, that their physicians frequently effect\neure$uwith their roots, herbs, &c. in cases, which\nwould baffle the skill and the drugs, of a scientifick\nphysician.\nThe white people have been amongithetaibove\nmentioned tribesj^for about one hundred and fifty\nyears. To this circumstance it is probably to be\nattributed, that the knowledge of these Indians is\nmore extensive, than that oPthe other tribes.\nBui I very much question whether theyliave improved in their character or condition, by their\nacquaintance with civilizedpeople. In their savage state, they were contented with the mere\nnecessaries of life, which they^could procure, with\nconsiderable ease; but now they have many\nartificial wants, created by the luxuries which we.\n ACCOUNT &F? THE INDIANS.\nhave introduced among th&m; and as they find l\u00C2\u00A3\ndifficult to obtain \"'these luxuries, they have become, to a degree, discontented with their condition, and practise fraud in their dealings. A half\ncivilized Indian is more savage^fchan one in his original state. The latter has some sense of honour,\nwhHe the former has none. I have always expe-\nriencedtflthe greatest kospitalit^ and kindness\namong those Indians, who have had the least intercourse with white people^ They readily dm\neoversand adopt our evil practices; but they are\nnot as quick to siiseern, and as ready to follow\nthm fewiigood examples, which we set before\nthem. N||\nThe Indians in general, tire subject to few dis-\neaseslif The veneieal eomplainkos common to all\nthe tiribesiof the north ; many persons$rinong them,\nihe of a^'consumption ; fevers, also, frequently attack them; and they are likewise troubled^with\npains in their heads, breasts and joints. Marty-of\nthem, and especially the women, are subject to\nfits. For a relief, in nearly all of their diseased,\nthey resort to their grand remedy, sweating.\nThere is no matelrial difference in the size,\nfeatures and complexion of the different tribes,\nwith whom I have been acquainted. The Sau-\nteux, Crees aroii Assiniboins, together with the\nother Indians who inhabit the prairies, are, how-\n 316\nACCOUNT *>F THE INDIANS.\never, jthe fairest and^most cleanly. The Sau-\nteux women differ from all otfiers, by turning\ntheir toes very much inwards, in walking. The\nAssiniboins, of both sexes, are the best made, and\nwalk the most erect, of any tribe that I have\nevers$een. Foofeand disfigurext^ersons, are seldom to be met with amongri&e Indians; the $Sa-\nson of which, I believe to be, that their mothers\nput them to death as soon as they discover their\nunhappy condition.\nAll Indian children, when young, are laced in\na tabd of bag. This bag is made of a piece of\nleather, about two feet square,by drawing a string,\ninserted in the lower end, and lacing the two\nsides together. Some moss is placed in the bottom of this bag; the child is then laid into it, and moss\nis inserted between its legs. The bag is then laced\nthe fore sideiof the child as high as its neck. This\nbag is laid upon aboard, to which it is fastened by\nmeans of a strip of leather, passing siveral times\nround both the board and the bag^&At the top of\nthis board, a bow passes round from one side to the\nother, perpendicular to its surface, on which thpin-\ndians fasten small bells, which they*\u00C2\u00A9btain from us,\nor the claws of animals, by way of ornament, and\nwhich rattle, when the child is carried by its\nmother, suspended nfi*>m her shoulders, by\nmeans ofva cord or belt fastened to the board.\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\n$\u00C2\u00A57\nFrom two points in ^4$& bow, equally distant\nfrom the betierd, two strips of leather, worked\nwith porcupine quills, are suspended, at the ends\nof which, tassels, composed of moose hair^are fixed. This bag is^ommonly ornamented, in different? parti, with porcupine quMls. The women who\nare particular in keeping their^ehildren Slean,\nshift the'mossiliJfcichis puHSnto these bags, several\ntimes ima day ; but others cfcWfJ^ not more#than\ntwice. They often fix conductors so that their\nmale children never wet tfie moss.k The ^Carrier\nwomen will nurse their children, wheia thus suspended atathe^ backs, either by throwinglitheir\nbreasts o^Br their\"shoulders, or under their arms.\nTheir breasts are larger rand longer than \"rfhose of\nthe other tribes \ but IfemSfunable to assign any\ncauseMbr this peculiarity.\nThe dress of the Indians is simple Wftd convenient. They wear tight leggins, each of which\nis eomposeere# with a\n 318\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\nshirt, reaching dowj# to the thighs,\w,hich is belted\nwith a broad piece of parchment, fastened together behind. They wear a cap upon the head, composed of a single piece oftfur sewed up, or of the\nskin of a small animal of a suitable size, wliich is\ncu& off at both ends, and sewed up at the .top$r and\nat some times^it is only cut of at the end towards\niAe head, while the tail is left at tb&d&p, to hang\ndownebehind, byiiway of ornament. daThey (|tfeer\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\n319\nbirds ; and they occasionally wind a string of the\nteeth, horns and claws of different animals, around\ntheir head or neclj&a They all rub greese upon\ntheir hai^pphich give^nit a smooth and glossy\nappearance.\nIt belongs tithe women life make up th|j articles of cl#hing. Ins^ew&ig leather, instead$|0$\nthread, theyiimake use of^fche sinews of anlpaalsb\nWhen this substance isisome moistened, they sep\narate a fibre, and by running, their finger along\nbetween it and the maistsinewiaithey part it to a\nsufficient length. The sinews ofgthe cariboo njay\nbe made as fine and even, as fine thread. ||Thesej|\nfibres, when thus separated, they twist at one\nend between their fingers, which gives the#oa\nsharp stiff point, when i$hey are dry. They\nuse awls, which they obtain from us, or an instrument of bone which they construciapthemselves,\nin sewing. Tjbe men paint their faces and ornament their persons, with no less care than the women; and the married women, whileilhey neglect\nnot their own persons, are stilb more attentive to\nthe appearance of their husbands. The young\nwomen often make some ornamental article^\nparticularly garters, neatly worked with porcupine quills and present them to their favourites;\nan4 the standing of a young male Carrier! among\n 320\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS,\nthe y&ung females' may often he determined by\nthe number of garters which he wears.\nThe female dress is made of the same materials as that of the men, butfiKffercntly constructed\nand arranged. Their shoes are withoufcjppnament;\ntheir leggins are gartered beneath the knee ; ithe\nshirt or coat, which is so long as to reach the middle of the leg, is tm& at the neck, is fringed around\nthe bottom, and fancifully pginted, as high as the\nknee. Being ve$y loose, it is gilded arouuad the\nwaist with a stiff belt, ornamented with tasstels,\nand fastened behind. The arms are covered as\nlow as the wrists with sleeves, which are not connected with the body garment. ^These sleeves\narj|^ewed up, as far as the bend of the arm, having the seam the under side ; and extend to the\nshoulders, becoiaiigbroader towardVthe upper end,\nso that the corners hang down as low as the waist.\nThey are connected together, and kept on, by a\ncord, extending from one to the other, across the\nshoulders^* The cap, when they have one, consists of a piece of cfeh, about two feet square,\ndoubled, and sewed up at one end, which forms an\nenclosure for &e head ; and it Ai tied under the\nchin. The bottom? of it falls dowi&the back, like\na cape, and in the centre^ is tied to the belti VThis,\ncap is fancifully garnished with* ribbon, beads or\nporcupine quills. The upper garment, is a robe\nxasaiiH\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\n321\nor garment, similar to that worn byjthe men.\nTheir hair is parted on t|ie top of the head, and\ntied behind ; or, at sometimes, it is| fastened in\nlarge knots over the ears, and covered with beads\nof various colours. -They prefer European\nclothes, when they can obtain them,*Jp the skins,\nfurnished by their own count rjgil^For ornaments\nthey use bracelets, composed of brass, bone or\nhorn ; and rings, and similar trinkets. Some of\nthe women tattoo a line, which is sometimes double, from the middle of the under lip, to the center of the chin; and two other lines, extending\nfrom the corners of the mouth, somewhat diverging from the other line, down the sides of the\nchin.\nThe greater part of the Indians, who make\nuse of European cloths for their dress, ^frequently\ncleanse them, by washing them in cold water,\nwithout soap. They do not understand the art\nof making soap ; and if they did, the process is so\nlaborious, that they would readily forego the use\nof this article, which they consider of very little\nvalue. When their clothing consists of leather,\nthey occasionally cleanse it, by rubbing it over\nwith a ball of white earth. This earth, which is\nthe same which we use for white washing, they\nmoisten, and mould into balls, and thus preserve it\nfor use.\n41\n 33H\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\nThe Indians who subset principally on fish,\na?nd who kill but few large animals, cover their\nhabitations with some kind of bark, or wMi mats\nmade of riishes. But those who subsist on the\nbuffaloe, moose and red dee redress their likins,\naM confer their tents ^utth them, as* described in\nmy Journal* When they are in their tefots they\nsit or lie down on buffaloe or bear skins, which\nconstitute, a4so, their beds ; arid when in bed,\nthey cove^ihemselves wMi a buffaloe skin, dressed wfth the hair on* or%w^th a blanket. But\nmanyof the Carriers, have nothing to lie on, ex-\nce^flfeg the branches of the spruce fir tree, with\nlittle or nothing with whieh to cover themselves ;\nand their huts constitute but a poor shelter. To\nkeep tfeemselves from freezing, in cold winter\nnights, Ihe re fore, they are under the necessity of\nkeepiftg up aiebns%nt fire, to which tfcey are compelled to turn their sides, alternately; and they\nare, at suchftimes, able to procure but little sleep.\nIndeed, almost any$fther people, in the same condition, w#5na\u00C2\u00AB'freeze to death. But as they have\nalways been accustomed to such a mode of\nliving, they se$m not at all aware of the^misery\nof their condition.\n\"The Sauteux, Muscagoes, many of the ^Ghipe-\nIfyans and some of the Crees, iiWsfeort all the Indians who live about large lakes, subsist principal-\n ACCOUNT OF THEh INDIANS,\n343\nly on fish, which they take with hoc^s and lines,\nor in nets. Their hooks they frequently obtain\nfrom us ; and when this is impracticable, they make\nthem, by inserting a pi&ce of bone obliquely into\na piece of wood, and reducing the upper\nend of the bone to a point. Their lines\nare either single thongs of leather, tied together, or they are braided of the bark of the\nwBfow. The Assiniboins, Rapid Indians, Black\nfeet Indians and those Crees who remain in the.\nstrong tfiick woods, or on the' large plains, live\nupon the flesh of 4jhe buffalo'e, moose, red deer,\nantelope,^febear, &&. which they either boil or\nroast. Those of them who can obtain brass or\ncopper or tin kettles from us, use them for boiling theirlifood; and hang them over the fire.\nThose who cannot obtain such kettles, use those\nwhich are made of bark. Although water might\nbe made to boil in these bark kettles over the\nfire, yet they would not be durable ; and there/-\nfore, this operation is inore commonly performed,\nby throwing into them, heated stones. Those\nIndians, however, who have only bark kettles,\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2generally roast their meat. This they do, by\nfixing one end of a stick, that is sharpened at both\nends, into the ground, at a little distance from the\nfire, with its top, on which the meat is fixed* inclining towards the fire. On this stick, the meat\n 324\nACCOUNT OF THE? INDIANS.\nis occasionally turned, when one part becomes\nsufficiently roasted. f(|\nThe Indians, in general, like to have their food,,\nwhether boiled or roasted, thoroughly done; but\nthpse who inhabit the plainsy frequently make\ntheir meals without the aid of fire, of particular\nparts of the entrails of the buffaloe, which I have,\nalso, eaten raw, and have found to be very palatable. When there is no water to be found, they\nat times kiH a buffaloe, and drink his blood, or\nthe water which they find in his paunch. # The\npaunch of a male buffaloe, when well cooked, is\nvery delicious food. The Natives scarcely ever\nwash it; but boil it with much of its dung, adhering to it; and even then, the broth has an\nexcellent taste, to those who can forget, or from\nhabit pay no regard to the filth, which settles, to\nthe thickness of two fingers, at the bottom of the\nkettle. Many consider a broth, made by means\nof the dung of the cariboo and the hare to be a\ndainty dish.\nThe Chipewyans can never patiently see a\nfish without gouging 4\u00C2\u00A9ut its eyes, and eating\nthem in a raw state; and they say, that they\nare delicious. They, also, often make their meals\nupon raw fish or meat, that is frozen; and appear to relish it fully as well, as when cooked.\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nThe Carriers, when they takelffish that have\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\n325\nroes in them, squeeze them, with their thumb\nand finger, through their natural outlet, into\ninto their mouths, and swallow them down, with\navidity. They also bury in the earth large\nboxes, filled with the roes of salmon, where\nthey are suffered to remain, until they are a little putrified, when they take them out, and eat\nthem, either cooked or raw; and they appear\nto relish them well, though they fill the air with\na terrible stench, for a considerable distance\nround. A person who eats this food, and rubs\nsalmon oil on his hands, can be smelt in warm\nweather, to the distance of nearly a quarter of a\nmile.\nThe natives in a part of the country called\nNipigon, as well as in some other parts of the\ncountry, are frequently obliged, by necessity, to\nsubsist on a kind of moss, which they find adhering to the rocks, and which they denominate As-\nse-ne Wa-quon-uck, that is, eggs of the rock.\nThis moss when boiled with pimican, &c. dissolves\ninto a glutinous substance, and is very palatable ;\nbut when cooked in water only, it is far otherwise, as it then has an unpleasant, bitter taste.\nThere is some nourishment in it; and it has saved the life of many of the Indians, as well as of\nsome of our voyagers.\nOn the Columbia River, there is a people\n<\n 326\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS. *\nwho subsist, during the greater part of the summer, on nothijBg but roots, and a kind of bread,\nif it may be so called, made of the mossy stuff,\nwhich grows on the spruce fir tree5 and which\nresembles the cobwebs, spun by spiders. This\nsubstance contains a little nourishment. They\ngather it from the trees, and lay it in a heap, on\nwhich they sprinkle a little water, and then leave\nit, for some time, to ferment. After that, they\nroll it up into balls, as large as a man's head, and\nbake them in ovens, well heated, which are constructed in the earth. After having been baked\nabout an hour, they are taken out for use. This\nsubstance is riot very palatable; and it contains\nbat little nourishment. It will, however, barely\nsupport life, for a considerable time.\nThe Indians frequently eat the flesh of the\nyed*#i carrying burdens ; while others, which\nare small, assist their masters in the chace.\u00E2\u0080\u0094All\nIndians are very fond of their hunting dogs. The\njte^ple on the west side of the Rocky f^Jfeuntain,\nappear to have the same affection for them, that\nthey have for thefe children ; and, they will discourse with them, as if they were rational beings.\nThey frequently call them their sons or daughters ;\nand when describing an Indian, they^'will speak of\nhim as father of a particular dog which belongs\nto him. When these dogs die, it is not unusual\nto see their masters or mistresses place them on\na pile of wood, and burn them in the same manner as they do the dead bodies of their relations^\n 336\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\nand they appear to lament their deaths, by crying\nand howlingf fully as much as if they were their\nkindred. Notwithstanding this affeeiion, how-\never, when they have nothing else with which to\npurchase articles which they want, the|p will sell\ntheir dogs.\nThose Indians, who live in a woody country,\nmake no use o{$iorses, but employ their large dogs,\nto assist in carrying their baggage from |?lace to\nplace. The load is placed near their^gghoulders,\nand some of these dogs^ which are accustomed\nto it, will carry sixty or seventy pounds weight,\nthe distance of twenty five* or thirty miles in a\nThe Assiniboins, Rapid Indians,- Black feet\nand Mandans, together with all the other Indian*\nwho inhabit a plain country, always perform\ntheir journies on horse back. IndeecJ^hey seldom\ngo*evea^a short distance from their tents, in any\nother manner. They have some ej|eellent horses,\nwhich will carrj^thejp aggreat distance in a day.\nThey som|$|imes go seventy miles, in twelve\nhours; butj|forty or forty five miles is a common\nday's ride. They do not often use bridles, but\nguide their horses with halters, made of ropes,\nwhich are manufactured from the hair of the buffaloe, which are very strong and durable. On\ntrie back of tj^ horse, th\u00C2\u00A7y put a dressed buffaloe\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\n337\nskin, on the top of which, they place a pad^from\nwhich are suspended stirrups,|$nade of wood, and\ncovered with the skin of the testicles of the buffaloe.\nSome of these Indians have forty or fifty\nhorses ; and they attach a great value to thos\u00C2\u00A9|\nthat are distinguished for their speed. Whenever an Assiniboin sells a racer, he separates from\nhim, in a most affectionate manner. Immediately\nbefore delivering him to the purchaser, he steps\nup to the favourite animal, and whispers in his\near, telling him not to be cast down or angry\nwith his master for disposing of him to another,\nfor, he adds, \" you shall not remain long where\nyou are. I sold you to obtain certain aj&icles,\nthat I stood in great need of; but before many\nnights have passed, I will come and steal you\naway.\" And, unless great vigilance oi*$he part\nof the purchaser prevent, he generally fulfils his\npromise ; for they are the greatest horse thieves,\nperhaps upon the face of the earth. As there\nnever falls much snow on the large plains,\nthe horses have not much difficulty in finding a sufficiency of grass* on which to subsist,\nduring the whole year; and they are generally in\ngood order.\nThe Indians who reside about large lakes and\nrivers, voyage about in the summer season, in ca-\n43\n 338\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\nnoes, made of the bark of the birch or spruce fir\ntree; and two persons in one of them, will easily\ngo Mty miles in a day. The paddles, with which\nthe canoe is moved, are about five feet long,\nhalf of wrhidfc length, is a blade, four inches wide.\nThe Indians are good walkers ; and will <\u00C2\u00A3&\nsometimes, travel forty miles In a day, with a pretty heavy load upon their backs.\nIn the winter season, the Indians use snow\nshoes ; and it would be impossible to travel without them. They are constructedhin several differ-\nent shapes ; but the following is the most common\nform. They take a piece ojjjpwood, and with a\ncrooked knife, work it down, until it is about two\nj@|ches wide, and an inch thick. These sticks are\nfastened together at one end, which constitutes\nthe hind part; they are then bent so as to be\nabout a foot asunder in the middle, and to come\nnearly together forward. The space between\nthese sticks, they fill up with a lace work of thongs\nof deer skin. - Othe&jsnow. shoes come quite to a\npoint before, where they are turned up ; the side\npieces are from eighteen to twenty four inches\napart, and, in the fall of the year, when the snow\nis light, they are seven feet in lengthen The inner\nside piece is nearly straight, and the outside i%\narching, and the extremities behind, come together in a point. The space between them, is work-\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\n339\ned as above mentioned. It is a little surprising\nthat the Indians, who are accustome#to them,\nwill walk farther in a day on good snow shoes,\nthan they could do on bare ground. But it is\nvery fatiguing for those to walk on them, who are\nnot accustomed to do it. The Indians are trained to this exercise iirom the^age of four years.\nEven at that early age, they will go five or six\nmiles in a day upon them, through$im whole winter, as often as thefcdians decamp, which, at sometimes, is everyday, andb at other times, once in\neight or ten days. Indians, who live upon the\nchace, in a country where animals are scarce,\ncannot remain long in a place ; and those who\nhunt the beaver and some other animals, must\ncontinually shift their residence.\nFew o0the Indians live in a state of celibacy.\nThey generally marry when they are between\neighteen and twenty five years of age. Polygamy\nis allowed among all the tribes; but only a few\npersons among them, have more than one wife,\neach. I knew, however, a chief, among the\nBeaver Indians, who had eleven wives, and more\nthan forty children.\nTheir courtship and marriage are conducted\nin the following manner. A young man who is\ndesirous of taking a wife, looks around among the\nyoung Women of his acquaintance, to find one that\n xa*\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\npleases his fancy. Having thes smgled out one,\nto her he makes known his intentions ; anA* if his\naddresses are favourably received, he visits hernia*\nthe night season, by crawling softly into the tent\nwhere she lodges, and where she is expecting him,\nafter the otheW inhabitants of the lodge are asleep.\nHerii they pass the night, by conversing in a\nwhisper, lest#hey should be heard by the rest of\nthe family, who all occupy the same apartment.\nAs the morning li^ht approaches, he withdraws\nin the same silent manner, in which he came.\nThese noctural visits are kept up for several\nmonths ; or, until the young couple think that they\nshould be happy, in passing their days together.\nThe girl then proposes the subject to her mother, and she converses with the father in regard\nto the intended match. If he give his consentj\nand the mother agree with him in opinion, she\nwill direct her daughter to invite her suitor to\ncome and remain with them. It is now only,\nthat they cohabit; and whatever the youngpman\nkills, he brings home and presents it to the father\nof his wife. In this way he lives, during a year\nor more, without having any property that he\ncan call his own. After his wife has a child, she\ncalls her husband by no other name but the father\nof her son or daughter. And now he is at liberty to leave the tent of his wife's father, if he\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\n341\npleases. All the Indians on the east side of the\nrocky mountain, think it very indecent g\u00C2\u00A3br a\nfather or mother in law, to speak to, or look in\nthe face of a son or daughter in law ; and they\nnever do either unless they are very much intoxicated. The reason which they give for this\ncustom, when questioned on the subject is, the\npeculiar intercourse which% this person has had\nwith their child.\nWhen two young persons of different sexes,\nhave an affection for each other, and wish to be\nconnected in marriage, to which th%*^|farents of\nthe girl will not consent, they frequently leave\nthe tents of then* parents, and go and join some\ndistant band of ^Indians. They apre, however, often pursued, by the parents of the young woman;\nand should he overtake them, he will bring his\ndaughter back, and keep a strict watch over her\nconduct, to prevent all intercourse befween her\nand her suitor. All neighbouring tribes frequently\nintermarrv.\nChastity in young women, is considered as a\nvirtue, by the Indiiris, generally, on the east side\nof the Rocky Mountain; and many mothers,\namong some tribes are so particular, that they\nnever allow their daughters, who have arrived at\na certain age^feto g#^from home alone^but always\nsend some person with them, as a ^protector.\n 342\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\n!fi\n*Ei\nChastity in married persons is universally regarded as a virtue ; and the want of it in a woman, is\nfrequently the cause of her being rejected by her\nhusband. A separation, also, at some times, takes\nplace, on account of the slothfulness of the woman. When such an event does occur, all the\nchildren, if small, remain with their mother, but\nshould they have sons, advance^ beyond the period of childhood, they remain with their father.\nTheir separations, however, are seldom lasting;\nand after a few days absence, the parties generally have an inclination to return to each other.\nThese separations commonly take plaeetin obedience to the will of the husband, only because, possessing greater physical strength, he has more\npower to drive his wife from him, or to retain her\nwith him, against her choice, than shethas to treat\nhim in a similar manner.\nThe Indian women sit down in a decent attitude, placing their knees close to each other.\nThey are very particular, also,, in regard to their\nbehaviour^feduring their periodical illness. They\nthen leave the tents where their families reside,\narid go and put up temporary ones, at a little\ndistance from them, where they remain during\nthe continuance of their illness. While they are\nthere, the ^en will not deign to hold any conversation with them; nor will thev suffer them\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\n343\nto make use of any article, which I they expect\n0>- want #he use of afterwards. This ebstom\nprevails among all the tribes, with whom I have\nbeen acquainted. The 'first time that thelyoung\nwomen, an%i^ mhe Sauteux, Crees and %)me\nother tribes,, experieilce this illness, they run into the woods, and remaiiiithere for several days.\nThey then return to theifc tents, and immediately\nproceed to cut and pite up a cord ofhwood, as\n*fiigh as their heads ; aft&r which all the women\nof the camp come and scramble for it, and carry\nit away, saying, that the person who cut the\nwood, is now a woman like themselves, and that\nthey hope she will prove to be industrious.\nThe men amiftig the Indians, are very subject to be-ijeal&us of their wives. In theft fits of\njealousy, they often cut off all the hair from^he\nheads of their wives, and, not unfrequently, cut off\ntheir noses, also; and should they not in the moment of passion have a knife at hand, they will snap\nit off aBone bite, with>ftheir teeth. But such a\ncircumstance^ does notfferdinarily produce a separation between them. The man is satisfied in thus revenging a supposed injury; and\nhaving destroyed the beauty of his wife, he\nconcludes that he has secured her against all future solicitations to offend.\niii\n 344\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\nHi\nAll the Indians consider women as far inferi-\nour in every respect, to men; and, among\nmany tribes, they treat their wives much as they\ndo their dogs. Theiinen chastise their wives,\nfrequently, with an axe, or with a large club; and\nio the presence of their husbands, the women\ndare not look a person in the faee. When they\ndecamp, the women transport the baggage ; and\nwhen they stop, while the men are quietly smoking their pipes, the women are required to pitch\nthe tents, and to set the encampment in order.\nAmong the Sau&ux, Crees, Muscagoes and As-\nsiniboins, however, the women are treated with\nmore gentleness and respect. The husband shares\nthe labour with his wife ; and the women govern\nevery thing in their tents, so that the husband presumes not to dispose of the most trifling art-itfo\nwithout the consent of his wife. Among them\nthe husband kills animals and generally brings\nthe meat to his tent, where his wife pie pares ifb\nfor drying, and melts down the fat She, also\ngenerally does the cooking; not, however, without the occasional Assistance of her husband.\nHe assists her, likewise, in taking care of the\nchildren; and, if his wife is too much loaded,\nin marching from one place of encampment to\nanother, he will take one of the small children\nin addition to the load already on his own back.\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\n345\nBut the Indians, who inhab^slthe plains, never carry any thing on thfir backs$as thej are Wetfosup-\nphed with horses.\nThe following ceremonies attend the birth of\nchildren. When the time of a woman approaches, she erects a small hut, at a little distance from\nthe tent in which she usually lives; and at the\ntime of labour, she sends an invitation to several\nneighbfjaring women, to come to her assistance.\nAs soon as the child is born, it is washed in water, tfc^t had been previously prepared, by boiling\nin if&a sweet scented root. The mother then orders a feast to be prepared. As soon as it is\nready, the most aged woman of the company,\ntakes a little out of the dish, and throws it into the\nfire, and then helps the whole company; not passing by the mother of the child, who is generally\nable to join them in the repast. The old lady of\nceremonies, now offers up a short prayer to the\nCreator, or the Master of life, as they denominate\nhim, in behalf of the new born babe, the substance\nof which is, that its life may be spared, and that\nit may grow; and if a son, become a handsome\nyoung lad.\nA womaapfter child birth, remains in the separate dwelbjig which she had erected, for the\nspacj|cf about thirty days, during which time, no\nman would, on any account, enter the place of\n44\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS;\nhe^esidence. At the close o%this period, she\nreturns to her tent, and^the father of the child\nprepares a feast to which all their neighbours are\ninvited, the object of which as^hey say, jf^- to\nwelcome^ne arrival of the little stranger, from a\nfar country.\nShould a male child live, the parents dry the\nmeat of the first animal that he kills, and carefully keep it, until they gn collect a sufficiency of\nsomething t\u00C2\u00A3make m feast. They then invite\ntheir friends, of both sexes, to come and partake\nof the fruits of the hunt of their son; for, they so\ncall it, because the animal which Jie killed, they\nmix with what his parents have procured. Before any taste of the feast, one of the most respectable men present, takes a little out of the\ndish, and throws it into the fire ; and then beseeches the Great Spirit, to be kind to the lad,\nand to allow him to grow up, and to become a\nskilful hunter; and to cause that when he goes to\nwar, he may not behave like an old woman, but\nmay return with the scalps of his enemies.\nIndian women appear to suffer less pain in\nchild birth, than women in civilized countries.\nThey rarely ever take any medicine, at the^ime\nof delivery, though they do, at times, drink watei^\nin which the rattle of a rattle-snake has been\nboiled. In the season of labour, they place their\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2 i \u00E2\u0096\u00A0-\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0096\u00A0-*\n-*\u00E2\u0096\u00A0-\u00E2\u0096\u00A0<\u00C2\u00BB*\"-\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\n347\nknees upon the floor or ground, and lean forward\nover something, raised about two feet high. r^fc is\nseldom more than a quarter or a half an hour,\nbefore the child isiborn; and, in a few days thm\nmother is as active and vigorous as ever. The\nIndian women rarely ever die, at^this critical ye\"\nribyti\nAmong the natives, those persons who are in\nany way deformed, or have any blemish about\nthem, receive their name from this ciieumstarice ;\nwhile the others are named, after some beast or\nbird. No Indiarip will inform another, even if\nrequested, what his own name is; though he\nwill, -M asked, give the name o\u00C2\u00A7 other Indians.\nOf the reason of this reserve I am ignorant.\nIt is not often that an Indian chastises his\nchildren ; and, indeed, it is not%iecessary, for they\nappear, in general, to h&ve much affection and\nrespect for their parents, andare therefore ready\nto obeyvthem. A father never interfered in the\nbringing up of his daughter; ifbut^leaves her\nwholly to the care of her mother. When a\nson becomes of a suitable age, his father takes\nhim with him in hunting, and learns him tie different modes of taking animals. A son until he\nis married, considers himself as under his father's\ncontroul ; and even after that, he will generally\nlisten to any adviceylwhich his tfether may&'give\n 348\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS*-\nto him. The aged are commonly treated with\nmuch respectfiwbieh they consider themselves\nas entitled to claim. - Should a young man behave\ndisrespectfully toward an old#nan, the aged wiU\nrffef him to his fcoary head, and demand of him,\nif he be not ashamed to insult his gtey hairs.\nIn short, the aged of both sexes are generally\ntreated with kindness ; and are not suffered to\nwant any thing wbgjh they need, and which hVis\nin the power of their relations to procure for\nthem.\nThe superior influence of the white people,\nwher^ they have, for a considerable time, resided\namong the Indians, has very much diminished\ntheir respect for^tbfir own chiefs; though there\nare some among them, who bear this title. The\nfeasts are commonly made by the chiefs ; and they,\nalso, generally make the harangues, in behalf of\nt^eir bands, when they vidkai*\u00C2\u00ABrfort&j Their war\nchiefs have considef^blj^influencjk over#he young\nmen, who accompany them, in their war parties.\nMurder and theft ar% considered as crimes j\nand the former is always punished with death, unless the murderer makes his escape, which is genu\nerally the case. Theft, also, m frequently punished in a similar manner. Sometimes, the party\noffended wait be appeased, by the restoration q&\nthe stolen property, or of an equivalent\n ACCOUNT Or THE INDIANS.\n349\n\\nI\nGenerosity Ht among the Indian virtues. They\nare moreflready, in proportioiito their me^ls, to\nassist a neighbour who may be in want, than Ae\ninhabitants, generally, of civilized countries. An\nIndian rarely kills%n anima^ without sending a\npartlifef it to a neighbour^if he has one flpar\nhim.\nThe privatefjproperty of Ike Indians, con-\n&st& of horses, dogs|ft\u00C2\u00A3ents, guns arid the uten-\nsfts^Uifct belong Mo their tents. Some of these\nthings, a HttlelfefiEbre theirs death, they bequeaffht\nto somsiftof their friends; but all of their Mothing,\nguns, powder horns, &c. are buried with them.\nIndeed|fcthe Indians suffei*iftothing to remain in or\nabout the tent of a person who hap dfed, wMch\nhe was accustomed to make use of while he was*,\nalive. They consider it a kin& of sacrileger\u00E2\u0082\u00ACe|\nmentio#the name of a person aftelr he ft^fiead;\nand they never speak of him as dead, but as mis-\nerable^^feecause, they say, he has taken a long\ni@urney alone, to the country, to which his deceas^\ned relations had gone before him.\nWhenever any one is very sick, the whole of\nhis family, and frequently altfeof his relations, will\ngive some and most respectable men $ the\ntribe, who remained at home. The young^pen,\nwho deserte/J tfee party, are treated witlj contempt ; arid the young womenfswhose charn0ma.y\n!>.!\n 356\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\nEt.\nhave attracted them back, frequently compose\nsongs of derision, in regard to their behaviour. |r*\nThe occasions of war among the Indians are\nvarious. Sometimes a person in one tribe has\nbeen murdered by a person belonging to another\ntribe; sometimes the members of Une tribe have\nhunted on the lands of another; and sometimes\nhorses have been stolen. The Indians, wlo inhabit the large plains, who always go to war on\nhorseback, frequently attack their neighbours,\nmerely to obtain, by this means, horses and slaves.\nIt is not uncommon, also, for the Natives, when\nthey lose a respected chief, or any other person\ngenerally beloved, either by an ordinary or a violent death, to form a war party, for the purpose\nof killing one person or more, of a neighbouring\ntribe; and the case is the same, whether this\ntribe be at peace with them, or not. This slaughter, they say, enables them to calm their grief,\nand sets their hearts at rest, as blood has thus\nbeen offered to the manes of theii# departed\nfriend.\nA person appointed to head a war party, is\ncalled a chief, or O-ke-maw. He must have given\ndistinguished proof of his bravery, prudence and\ncunning, in former war expeditions, in order that\nhe should be considered as qualified to fill ihis\npost. Great skill, in coming upon an enemy by\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\n357\nsurprise, as on this circumstance the success of an\nattack depends, is considered as the first requisite\nin a military leader. It is considered necessary,\nalso, that he should be well acquainted with the\nsituation of the territories of the enemy, and with\nthe course leading to them, in which provisions\ncan most easily be obtained. A war party sometimes consists of several hundreds ; but frequently\nit does not amount to more than twenty. The\nwar chief has no authority over his followers,\nbut his advice is generally respected and followed.\nIt is not often that two tribes, which have been\nin the habit of carrying on war against each other, formally enter into terms of peace. When\nsuch an event does take place, the following circumstances attend it. One chief or more, and\nseveral young men of his tribe, go with their pipe\nof peace, to find their enemies ; and on their arrival among thenvthey express a desire to hold a\ncouncil with them. Upon this, all the elders of\nthe tribe visited, are called together; and the\nchief, who is an ambassadour for^ peace, makes\nknown hiftbusiness, and strives to convince his enemies, that it will be for their advantage to live\non amicable terms with his tribe.\nShould the terms of peace be agreed on, the\nparties smoke in each other's pipes, after which a\n 358\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS,\nU\nfeast is prepared ; and when that is concluded,\nthe remainder of the night is spent in singing and\ndancing.\u00E2\u0080\u0094But?should the embassy be unsuccessful,\nthe chief, with his attendants, will return, and\nmake report of his proceedings to his own tribe;\nand those of them who are able and wljling to\nbear arms, will immediately, though as secretly as\npossible, commence making preparations for a\ncampaign, the ensuing spring. The points of the\narrows, which the Indians use in attacking their\nenemies, are sometimes dipped in a poisonous liquid\nwhich they extract from certain roots. f||\nAll the Indians spend much of their time in\nsome kind of amusement. The inhabitants of the\nplains, generally, and of New Caledonia, live in\nlarge bands ; and are much more addicted to\namusements, than the inhabitants of woody countries who are more scattered. Every tribe has\namusements peculiar to itself; but some plays are\ncommon to all, who reside on the jejast sjde of the\nRocky Mountain. The Assiniboins, as well as all\nthe other Indians inf the plains, spend much of\ntheir t||ae about their horses, and are fond of\ntrying their speed. Theif youth, from the age\nof four or five to tha|eof eighteen or twenty years,\npass nearly half of their time in shoojtj$g arrows\nat a mark; and to render this employment more\ninteresting, itjuey always^ave something at stafce.\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\n359\nwhich is generally nothing more than an arrow,\nor something of small value. From so early and\nconstant a practice, they become, at length, the\nbest marksmen, perhaps, in the world. Many of\nthem, at the distance of eight or ten rods, will\nthrow all1 arrow with such precision, as Swice out\nof three|jtimes, to hit a mark of the size of a dol-t\nlar. The young men often amuse themselves, in\nthe suoamer season, by a game of ball.\nWhat is denominated by the Indians, the dish\ngame, is played with peculiar interest, by all\nthe tribes with which I have been acquainted.\nEight or ten little pieces of bones, or so many buttons, or some similar things, have a certain number of marks upon their different sides, so that\nthey bear some resemblance to dice. Thesd^are\nput into a dish, which two persons shake alternately, and turn its contents on the ground. The\nmarks on the sides of the bones, &c. which are\nuppermost, are then counted; and, in a given\nnumbej* of throwsylAe who can count the greatest\nnumber of marks, wins whatever is at stake ; for\nt|iey never play, without something.\nThe Sauteux and Creesjare very fond of playing at draughts; and they are considerably skilful, at this game. They have, also, matfy other\nplays and diversions, which enable them to pass\naway the greater part of their leisure tirne,gaily.\n 360\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\nII\nThe Indians, generallv. appear ^cheerful and contented, when oppressed by no present difficult or\ndanger ; for they take little thought for the things\nof the morrow.\nThe Indians do not often dance, in the day\ntime; but they frequently spend their long winter evenings, in this amusement, accompanied by\nsinging; and they appear to enjoy themselves\nfully as well, on such occasions, as civilized people do, at their more refined assemblies.\nAll the Natives are accustomed to make\nfeasts, on various occasions, and particularly when\nany uncommon or important business is to be\ntransacted. When a band of from thirty to fifty tents is collected, scarcely a day passes without an entertainment, made by some one of the\nnumber. j^\nWhen a chief proposes to make a feast, he\ninvites such guests as he pleasesafjby sending to\nthem quills, or small pieces of wood. Every\nperson, who attends, brings with him a dish and a\nknife. The chief generally receives his guests,\nstanding, but oftentimes, sitting; and a person\nwho assists him, seats themj according to their\nages or respectability, the most honourable place\nbeing next to the chief. After having made a division of what had been provided, into a number^ of parts, equal to the number of persons\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\n361\npresent, the chief lights his pipe, and smokes\na few whiffs himself; and he then presents the\nstem toward the sun, as if offering it to that luminary, and to the earthy and then to his deceased\nrelations, pointing it toward the fire. These ceremonies being over, he presents it successively to\neach person present, who smokes a few whiffs in\nhis turn. A small quantity of meat or drink is\nthen sacrificed, by throwing it into the fire, or on\nthe earth, and the provisions are served round.\nWhile the company are partaking of them, the\nchief sings, and accompanies his song, by the che-\nche-quy or tambourin. The person who devours\nhis portion the soonest, is considered as deserving\napplause. If any cannot eat all that is set before\nhim, as custom does not allow him to leave any\nthing, he endeavours, by the promise of a reward\nof tobacco or ammunition, to prevail upon his\nfriends to assist him. These substitutes, it is frequently difficult to procure, as the food provided\non these occasions, is generally much more than\nis necessary to satisfy the calls of nature. At\nsome of their feasts, a more rational custom pre*\nvails, of permitting the guests to carry away what\nthey do not wish to eat, of their portions. The\nmeat which is generally eaten on these occasions,\nis that of the beaver; and the bones of this ani-\nmal,a/which are extremely hard, that remain\n46\n 362\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.,\nafter the feast, are burned, lest the dogs, by attempting to break them, should injure their teeth.\nThe public feasts are conducted in the same\nmanner, but with additional ceremony. Several\nchiefs unite in preparing a suitable place, and in\ncollecting sufficient provisions, for the accommodation of a numerous assemblage. To provide a place, poles are fixed obliquely into the\nground, enclosing a sufficient space to hold several\nhundred, and at times, nearly a thousand peopled\nOn these poles, skins are laid, at the height of\ntwelve or fifteen feet, thus forming a spacious\ncourt, or tent. The provisions consist both of\ndried and of fresh meat, as it would not be practicable to prepare a sufficient quantity of fresh\nmeat for such a multitude, which, however, consists only of men. At these feasts, the guests converse only on elevated topics, such as the public\ninterests of the tribe, and the noble exploits of\ntheir progenitors, that they may infuse a publick\nand an heroic spirit, into their young men. Dancing always forms the concluding ceremony, at\nthese festivals ; and the women, who are not permitted to enter the place where they are celebrated, dance and sing around them, often keeping time with the music within.\nAll the different tribes of Indians, on the east\nside of the Rocky Mountain, believe in the ex-\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\n363\nistence of one Supreme Being, the creator and\ngovernour of the1%orld, whom they call Kitch-e,-\nmon-e-too, or the Great Spirit; and to him they\nascribe every perfection. They consider him as\nthei authour of all good, and as too benevolent fe>\ninflict any evil upon his creatures. Theyv render\nhim little worship; but occasionally supplicate of him success in their important undertakings, and very rarely, Render him some sacr^ic-\nes, consisting of some part of their property.\nThey, also, believe in the existence of a bajjl\nspirit, whom they call Much-e-mon-e-too, to whom\nthey ascribe great power, and who, they believe,\nis the authour of all the evils, by which mankind\nare afflicted. To him, therefor/e, if^ |prder to obtain deliverance from evils fwhich ;|hey either experience or fear, they offer many, and sometimes\nexpensive, sacrifices. They consider him as ever\nemployed, in plotting against their peace arid safety ; and they hope, by such means, to appeas\u00C2\u00A3\nhis anger. l||\nThey, also, believe that there are good and\nbad spirits, of an inferiour order, who are superiour to men in the scale of existence, and who\nhave allotted spheres of action, in which/Cthey\nare contributing to the happiness or ' misery of\nmankind. These beings they suppose preside\nover all the extraordinary productions of ria-\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0M\n 364\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\nture, such as large lakes, rivers and mountains,\nand spacious caverns, &c. and likewise over the\nbeasts, birds, fishes, vegetables, and stones, that\nexceed the rest of their species in size, or in\nany other remarkable quality. On this account,\nthey pay to all these objects, some kiM of\nadoration.\nThey, also, believe in a future state of existence. Those who, while in the present world,\nhave, according to their ideas of right and wrong,\nled a good life, will, at death, immediately enter\non another and a better state of existence, where\nthey will meet their departed relatives and friends,\nwho will welcome them in the most affectionate manner, to their happy abode. In the future world, they believe that they shall possess bodies more beautiful and healthy and vig-\nourous, than those which they animated on earth ;\nand that they shall be much more happy, than\n^hey were in the present life, since the country\nin which they will reside, abounds with all kinds\nof game, which they will be able to take, with\nlittle or no trouble, and supplies every gratification, in which they now delight, in perfection\nand without end.\nBut those who lead wicked lives on earth,\nthey suppose will, at death, be conveyed into\nthe middle of an extensive swamp or marsh.\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\n365\nwhere they will, for a considerable' length of\ntime, be doomed to wander about alone, in\nsearch of their deceased friends. After having\nsuffered greatly, from hunger and cold, they\nsuppose that they will, at length, arrive at the\npleasant habitation of their departed relatives,\nand participate with them, in all its delights\nforever.\nThe religious observances of the Indians, con-\nsisllbf prayers, of feasts, and of a sacrifice of some\npart of their property.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Their prayers, which\nare offered only on special occasions, are always\naddressed to the Supreme Being, or Master of\nLife. Their religious festivals are attended with\nmuch serious ceremony. They commence with\nopening the medicine bag, and displaying its contents, and with smoking out of the sacred stem.\nAlmost every male Indian has a medicine bag,\nwhich is commonly made of leather, and is about\ntwo feet long, and a foot broad. The following\narticles are generally contained in this bag. The\nprincipal in importance is a small image, carved\nto resemble a bird, beast or human being, which\nthey seem to consider as the peculiar residence\nof their tutelary spirit. This image, they carefully wrap in down, around which a piece of birch\nbark is tied, and the whole is enclosed in several\nfolds of red and blue cloth. Every Indian ap\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0m\n 366\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\npears to have a reverence for the Image, in his\nown medicine bag; but will often speak disrespectfully of one, belonging to another person.\nThe next article in the bag:, is the war can of its\nowner, which is decorated with the plumes of\nscarce birds, and with the claws ofSthe beaver,\neagle, &c It has also a quiH or feather, suspended from it, for every enemy, whom*its owner has\nslain in battle. The other contents of the bag\nare a piece of tobacco, and some roots and other\nsubstances, which are supposed to possess valuable medicinal qualities. To the outside of the\nbag, the sacred stem is tied, which is generally\nabout six feet long. This stem is used only for\nsmoking on sacred occasions. This medicine bag\nis generally hung, in fair weather, on a limb oi a\ntree, or on a stake, at' a little distance fromfthe\ntent; and an Indian would severely beat his wife,\nif she should presume8? to touch it. This is the\nonly article which the men invariably carry themselves, when they areif decamping. Many of\nthem pretend, that by examining it, they can\nforetel future events.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The women, also, have\ntheir own medicine bags | but they are not considered as of a sacred character, and merely contain their own articles of medicine.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Smoking out\nof the sacred stem, is performed with numerous\n__^____\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS. {gf\nceremonies, many of which are probably unmeaning. \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 fy - \u00E2\u0096\u00A0.-\u00E2\u0096\u00A0. - j|\u00C2\u00A7 . j|:..-\nSome Indians make a promise to the Master\nof Life, that they? will make a feast every spring\nduring a certain number of successive years,\nif their lives are spared ; and they religiously\nfulfil such vows. ?|p\nSome of their feasts are designed to propitiate\nthe evil spirit, as are nearly all the sacrifices\nwhich they make of their property. Sometimes\nin an open enclosure, on the bank of a river or\nlake, they make large sacrifices of their property.\nThey choose a conspicuous situation, that those\nwho pass by, may be induced to make their offerings. If any of the tribe that makes these offerings, or even a stranger who is passing these places, should be in urgent want of any thing which\nhas been deposited as an offering, he is allowed to\ntake it, by replacing it with another article which\nhe can spare, though of inferiour value ; but to\ntake wantonly any of those devoted articles, is\nconsidered as sacrilege.\nThere are also certain large rocks and caves,\nwhich they never pass wjthout leaving at them\nsome trifling articles; for they suppose that they\nare the habitations of some good or evil spirits.\nIndeed they think that almost every lake, river\n ww\u00C2\u00BB. \u00E2\u0080\u0094r- ,->\u00E2\u0080\u0094\n368\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\nand mountain hag|p its tutelary spirit, whom\nthey attempt to propitiate, by some offering.\nAll the Natives suppose the earth to be an\nextensive plain, and that it is always at rest; and\nthat the sun and moon and many of the stars continually revolve around it. The sun, they believe\nto be a large body of fire. To many of the stars\nthey have given names, such as the morning star,\nthe evening star, and the seven stars; anjd by\ntheir position in the heavens, they are able to determine the time of night. They, also, direct\ntheir course by them in travelling, iojthe night season/ The stars which they have named, they\nperceive change their position continually in the\nheavens; and they believe that, like the sun and\nthe moon, they revolve around the earth. Of\nthe motion of the other stars, they take no notice\nand consider them as stationary. The following\nis the manner in which they divide a day and\nnight, or twenty four hours : from the first appearance of day light to sunrise, from this time till\nnoon, from noon to sunset, from this to midnight,\nand from midnight to day break. They are ignorant of the number of days, which there are in\na year; but reckon thirteen moons, to complete\nthe four seasons.\nThe following are the names of the four\nseasons, in the Cree tongue. Winter, A-pe-pook\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\n369\nor Pepoon^ Spring, Me-is-ka-mick or Se-gum-\nuck; Summer, Nic-pin; Autumn, Tuck-wa-gin.\nTh|jinames, which they give^p the moons that\ncompose the yean, are descriptive of the several\nseasons, and in Cree, are the following:\nMay, I-ich e Pes-im, Frog Moon.\nJune, O-pin-a-wa we Pes-im, fthe Moon in\nwhich birds begin to lay their eggs.\nJuly, O-pus-ko we Pes-im, The Moon when\nbirds cast thei||feathers.\nAugust, O-pa-ko we Pes-im, The Moon when\nthe young birdsjbegin to fly.\nSeptember, Wa-was-kis o Pes-im, The moon\nwhen the moose cast their^horns; or A-pin-nas-ko o\nPes-im, ThejJMoon when thj\u00C2\u00A9 leaves fall off from\nthe trees.\nOctober, O-no-chi-hit-to-wa o Pes-im, The\nrutting Moon; or O-ke-wa-ow o Pes-im, The Moon\nwhen the fowls go to *$*\u00C2\u00A3 south. |pj\nNovember, Ay-e-coopay o Pes-im, Hoar frost\nMoon. Kus-ku%te-no o Pes-im, Ice Moon.\nDecember, Pa-watch-e-can-a-nas o Pes-im,\nWhirlwind Moo%\nHi January, Kush-a-pa-was-ti-ca-num o Pes-im^x-\ntreme cold Moon. :*m\nFebruary, Kee-chay o Pes-im, The Moon when\nsmall birds begin to chirp or sing; or Kich-ee o\nPes-im, Big, o^pld Moon.\n47\ni...*'\u00C2\u00AB\n 370\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\n1\nMarch, Me-ko-su o Pes-im, Eagle Moon.\nApril, Nis-ka o Pes-im, Goose Moon, as at this\nseason, these animals return from^rfie south.\nThe Indians compute the distance from one\nplace to another, by the number of nights which\nthey have passed, in performing a journey from\none to the other.\nAll the Natives employ hieroglyphicks, for\nthe^purpose of conveying information to those\nwho are distant from them; and this mode of communication, is often of great service to them, as\nthe following circumstances will evince. Portions\nof each tribe, generally assemble at certain places, every year. Wheri^tfaey separate, they proceed in different directions; and at every place\nwhere they severally encamp, they fix a number\nof sticks in the ground, leaning towards the\nplace where they next intend t^pitch their tents.\nIf they have|^)een successfu^te the chace, they\npaint or draw on a piece of bark, the number\nand kinds of animals which they may have killed,\nand hang the bark upon a stake. When Indians\nwho have been unsuccessful in regard to kping\nanimals,gfall upon these notices, they derive important advantages from themes they are thus\nguide^to the place, where they may probably\nobtain a supply of food. Indeed, without some\nsuch regulation, the Natives would often be in\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\n371\ngreatManger of perishing with hunger. On the\nJliece of bark, containing information respecting\ntheir past success, and their future course, they\nleave, also, the date oftitheir encampment, by\npainfjhg the animal, or whatever else it is that\ngives name to the th%n present Moon, or month,\nand by describing thiPfigure of the Moori at that\nparticular time. And so correct is this mode of\nconveying intelligence, that a person accustomeA\nto it, will generally ascertain, within from twelve\nto twenty four hours, the time designed to be\nspecified.\nThe Ifodians possess a quick perception, and\nstrong curiosity, and a very retentive memory;\nand every circumstance whicfofeoccurs, and the various objects which present themselves to their\nview, are rteticed and recollected. And, therefore, at the expiration of tw7enty years after they\nhave passed only once through a \u00C2\u00A9jmntry, to the\ndistance^ of several hundred miles, they will return by the same way in which they came.\nMountains, hills, prairies, lakes, valleys, remarkable rocks, &c. are the objects which they especially notice, and the situation of which, they treasure up in their memories ; and by these they are\nenabled to follow a formed track. Almost any\nIndian, who has passed once through a country, is\nable to draw so correct a chart of it, with a piece\n Kh\n372\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\nof charcoal, on bark, that an ^entire stranger, by\nits assistance would be able to direct his course\nto a particular place, several hundred miles distant, without varying a league from his object.\u00E2\u0080\u0094I\nThe Natives are never at a loss in regard to the different points of the compass, particularly in a woody\ncountry, as they well know, that on the north sjde\nof tbit trees, more moss is found, than on the other sides.\nThe priest among the Indians, is also a physician and a conjurer or magiaian.\u00E2\u0080\u0094When he acts\nas priest, he presides at feasts and funerals.\u00E2\u0080\u0094In\nthe capacity of physician, when sent for, he visits\nthe si&k and wounded, and prescribes medicines\nfor their healing, and directs in their application,\nin doing which he goes through with many ceremonies, with great gravity. If the patient is very\nill, he attends him at least every morning, and\nsings and shakes his che-che-quy, for an hour or\ntwo, over his head, making an unpleasant noise,\nwhich, it would seem, must do injury$o the sick\nperson. These Indian physicians do at times,\nhowever, perform distinguished cures. Their\nmedicines consist of the bark of particular trees,\nof roots and of herbs, used at some times in their\nsimple state, and at others in a compounded form.\nFor wounds and sores, they use, chiefly, decoctions\nof roots. The doctor is always well paid for hj$\n_.,---\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\nservices, and his profession is^lhe most lucrative\nof any among thtdftdians.\u00E2\u0080\u0094When he acts a# conjurer, he shuts himself up in a small cabin, where\nhe is completely concealed from the view, and\nwhere he remains siMWl|during ten or fifteen minutes. He then begins to sing, and to beat his\ndrum, and continued to do so, for^about half an\nhour. And then, if any one has a question to propose respecting futurity, he is ready to answer it,\nwhich, however, he will not do, without a trifling\nrecompense. It is not uncommon for events to\ntake place, much as these conjurers predict; but\nwhether this is to be attributed to their natural\nsagacity, or to accident, or to other circumstances,\nI pretend not to determine.\nA person who is desirous of becoming a physician or conjurer, i# publiekly initiated, with mucl?\nmysterious ceremony. Among these cerem%nies\nare the following. The old physicians prepare\nan entertainment for a certain number of people;\nand for the young carididate, they have a peculiar\nmess, which consists of a bitch, boiled with her\nyoung in her. A part of fhis animal, hermust eat;\nand they suppose that it possesses the magical\npower, of inspiring^bim wiih a knowledge of the\nmedicinal qualities of all kinds of barks, herbs,\nroots, &&#-A woman, ^rho wishes to become a\nmidwife, must not only eat a part of the bitcfl|\nv\n 374\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\nbut must, alsoj^partake ofSlher puppies, and drink\nof the broth in which they were boiled ; and by\nthis means, she gains, as is supposed, all the knowledge requisite to the p^lctice of this difficult art.\nThe Indian physicians never fail of leaving in\nthe place where they collect the roots, herbs, &c.\nwhich they use as medicines, some triflingfferticle,\nas a recompense to the guardian spirits, that preside over these substances, fir what they have\ntaken. An omission of this would, in their apprehension, destroy most, if not all the efficacy of\ntheir medicines. ipf\nThe Natives, in general, are very credulous\nand superstitious. They believe that many of\ntheir own medicines, when properly applied, will\neffect almost any thing. They think, however,\nthat we possess some, which, for certlan purposes,\nare much more efficacious 'than their own. All\nIndians are very desirous of having a numerous\noffspring; and, therefore, those, whose wives are\nbarren, will frequently apply to us for such a medicine as will cause thenRto become the mothers of\nchildren.\u00E2\u0080\u0094The young women, also, make use of a\ncertain powder, of their own composition,, for the\npurpose of engaging or increasing the affei^ions of\ntheir favourites, for them. By throwing this even\nupon a stranger, who is passing, they believe, it\nwill cause him to be in love with them. In a\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\n375\nword, they ascribe a power to ikk medicine, like\nthat, which more refined imaginations have attributed to the arrows of Cupid. The young women,\nalso, employ many other magical arts, to ac<|pm-\nplish the same object.\u00E2\u0080\u0094A woman who is fond of\nher husband, and who supposes that he has little\naffection for her, will rub a certain medicine in the\npalm of her hand, as she is going to bed; and after he falls asleep, she will lay her hand on his\nheart; and the medicine, she thinks$|possesses the\npower of uniting their hearts together, and of\ncausing their affection, ever afterward, to be reciprocal.\nThe Indians have no professional mechanicks\namong them. Every man is his own artificer,\nand is able to construct the few domestick manufactured articles, which he uses. Some persons\namong them, more ingenious than the rest, are\nfrequently applied to, to&execute some things\nwhich require considerable skill, such as putting\na stock to a gun; but they take mo compensation, for such a service. Their bows and arrows\nare neatlyj|constructed. In order to make their\narrows round and straight and smooth, after they\nhave been reduced nearly to their proper siise\nwith a knife, they use the following metho^\nThey take two pieces of wood, of suitable thickness, which are several inches long, and cut in\nj*\nm\n 376\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\nH us\neach of them a straight channel, of the same\nsize, and of such a shape, that, when both are\nplaced together, they form a circular hole; Over\nthis channel, they spread glue, and upon that\nthey sprinkle sand ; and they repeat, the operation, until a complete file is formed. The arrow\nis then placed in the channel, between the two\npieces of wood, and is briskly passed backward\nand forward, until it is reduced to its proper\nsize. Their pipes are made of a soft stone*\nThe bowl, into which the tobacco is put, is circular, and at the bottom it is flat, and much broader. These pipes are frequently carjed, in a curious manner. The pipe is connected with its\nstem by a chain, generally made of brass wire,\nwhich the Indians obtain from us, and which\nhangs loosely from one to, thei&ther. The stem\nis of wood, such as has a small pith; and as their\nsacred stems are about six feet in length, the\nmanner in which they extract this pith, deserves\nto be mentioned. They use, for this purpose, a\npiece of seasoned hard wood. It is sharpened to\na point, at one end; and at a little distance from\nthis, it is reduced to a smaller size,J|y a perpendicular cut around it, by which a kind of head or\nbarb is formed. By pushing this in and drawing\nit out, the pith is g^idually extracted. The wood\n/ which forms the handle to this barb, is reduced to\n ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\n377\na very small size, as fast only as is required by\nthe length of the hole. Wooden dishes, they construct, wiih crookedknives. The wom$n manifest\nmuch ingenuity and taste, in the work which they\nexecute, with porJipine quills. Tie colour of\nthese quills is TariouSf beautifutand durable ; and\nthe art of dying them, is practised only by feaiales.\nTo colour black, they make use of4a chocolate\ncoloured stone, which they burn, and pound fine,\nand put into a vessel, with the^bark of the hazelnut tree. The vessel is then filled with water,\nand into it the quills are put, and the vessel is\nplaced over a small fire, where the liquor in it is\npermitted to simmer, for two or three hours.\n:Rie quills are then taken ou% and put on a board,\nto dry, before a gentle fire. After they have\nbeen dried and rubbed over with bear's oil, they\nbecome of a beautiful shining black, and are fit\nfor use. To dye red or yellow, they make use of\ncertain roots, and the n&ss which they find, on a\nspecies#f4he fir-tree. These are put, together\nwith the quills, into a vessel, filled with water,\nmade acid, by boiling currants or gooseberries,\n&c. in it ^\u00C2\u00A7he vessel is then covered tight, and\nthe liquid is made to simmer over the fire, for\nthree or four hours, after which the quills are\ntaken out and dried, and are fitlfor use. Feath-\n48 mm\n 378\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\ners, they also dye in a similar manner, and these\ncolours never fade.\nMany of the Indians, particularly those on the\nwest sj$e of the Rocky Mountain who have not\nprocured steels from us, for the purpose of striking fire, pifeduce it, by placing one end of a\nsmall dry stick agaMfe another piece of dry\nwood; and by rolling it brisklyljbetween their\ntwo hands, the frictioi^ in a short time commu-\nnicatesj^re to dry hay or touchwood, j placed\naround it. (\u00C2\u00A7jl p|\nAmong the Indians, there are poets, who\nare also musicals. The person wjio composes\na song, does it by singing it over alone, in the\nair which he Resigns shall accompany it; and\nhe repeats this exercise, until he has committed\nboth sufficiently to Memory. After that, he frequently \u00C2\u00A7teaches it tojtothers. Songs are frequently com posed ifor particular occasions, such\nas feasts, &c. Among the Carriers, there are\noften several competitors for this honour; and\nhe who composes tfje best song, is rewarded,\nwhile the unsuccessful poets are treated with\nderision. The subjects of their songs are gene-\nrally^love and?^var, though 4&ey have^some which\nare lifclicrous and obscene. They have a great\nVariety ofesongs sfliiad I have known an Indian\n'\u00E2\u0096\u00A0*\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0096\u00A0'\n ACCOUNT OF THE'INDIANS.\n379\nwho could sing at least two hundred and each\nsong had its peculiar air. Female poets are not\ncommon among them. Some of&he women, however, are exeellenfessingers.\nNo two, of the fifteen tribes of Indians, with\nwhom I have been acquainted, speak precisely\nthe same language ; but the languages of nine of\nthem%nly, seem*$o be radically different There\nis^only a variation of dialect among the Crees,\nSauteux and Muscagoes. The same is true of\nthe Chipewyans, Beaver Indians, Sicaunies, Ta-\ncutties and Sateotetains. The language spoken\nbyjtahe Sauteux, Crees and Muscagoes is by far\nthe most copious and manlji; but that used by\nthe Assiniboins, is the most harmonious and elegant.\nEvery tribe has its particular tract of country ; and this is divided again, among the several\nfamilfes/wWfch compose the tribe.lfc Risers, lakes\namd mountains, serve them as boundaries; and\nthe limits of the territory which belongs to each\nfamil^are as well known by the tribe, as the\nlines which separate farms are, by the farmers, in\nthe civilized worldF The Indians wTho reside in\nthe large plains, make no subdivisions of their territory; for the wel^th of theirl^country consols of\nbuffaloes and wolves, whichjpiexist in plenty, every\n$\n 380\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\n\\nIP\nwhere among them. But the case^is otherwise,\nwith the inhabitants of the woody countries*\nThese people have nothing with which to pur*\nchase their necessariesvexcepting the skins of animals, which are valuable for their fur ; and should\nthey destroy all these animals in one season^they\nwould cut off their means of subsistence. A prudent Indian, whose lands are not well stocked with\nanimals, kills only what are absolutely necessary\nto procure sucil articles as he cannot well dispense\nwith. gfijtgii\nThe foregoing account of the Natives, having\na principal reference to the tribes on the east side\nof the Rocky Mountain, it may be proper, in concluding it, to make a few general*wremarks on\nthe country which they inhabit.\nThat part of it which lies between the 44th\nand the 52fl degrees of north latitude, is a plain\nor prairie country, almost wholly destitute of timber, of any kind. It is, in general, sufficiently dry\nfor any kind of cultivation ; and is covered with\ngrass, which commonly grows to the height of\nfrom six inches to a foot, though in some marshy\nplaces it is much higher. This grass furnishes\nfood for innumerable herds of buffaloes, which are\nconstantly roving about, from place to place, followed by thousands of wolves, and many grey and\n #\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\n381\nblack bears, that are always on the watch, for favourable opportunities to fall upon and devour\nthem. The grey bear, on account of his strength\nand ferocity, may well be denominated the monarch of the forest; and should he at any time find\nan hundred wolves or more, feeding on the carcase of the buffaloe, the sight of him would cause\nthem all to retire, with all the humility and submission of conscious weakness, and he would be\npermitted to make his meal, at his leisure and in,\nquietness.\nThe country lying between the 52d and the\n70th degree of north latitude, may be denominated mountainous. Between-its elevated parts, however, there are valleys and plains, of considerable\nextent, and which are covered with timber, of a\nsmall growth, more than one fourth part of which\nis the spruce fir. The other kinds of timber are\naspin, poplar, birch, hemlock, spruce, cedar, willow,\nand a little pine. Much of this country, in its less\nelevated parts, is covered with large rocks and\nStones, with so thin a coat of earth upon them,\nthat it could not be cultivated. I am of opinion,\nhowever, that .one fourth, if not one third part, of\nthe whole of this great extent of country, might\nbe cultivated to advantage. The soil, in general,\nis tolerably good; and, in many places, is^ot ex-\n 382\nACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS.\nceeded in richness, by any parJrof North America.\nI think it probable, that as much?as one sixth part\nof the whole of this eountry$gis covered with water. The great number of large lakes,\u00C2\u00ABfwhiph are\nscattered over it, and of noble streams, which pass\nthrough it afford a water communication, in almost every direction.\nAs this country id so extensive, it is natural to\nsuppose, that the climate is various. In allf parts\nit is considerably cold. In latitude 54\u00C2\u00B0 or 55\u00C2\u00B0 the\nmercury, for several successive days, in the month\nof January, is as low as 30|pr 32 degrees below\nzero. There are not, however, more than len or\ntwelve days, during a winter, that are so severely\ncold. The summers are /sufficiently warm and\nlong, to bring most kinds of grain and vegetables\nto perfection. Indian corn will never ripen ffarr\nther north, than about latitude 53\u00C2\u00B0.\nThe following fact triay b^interesting to>some\npersons, as perhaps no similar discoveryyidP been\nmade, equally\u00C2\u00AB$ar north. In the summer Jof 1816\nthere was found, on the margin of a small stream\nthat falls into Peace River, in about tbj@&56th t$e-\n\u00C2\u00A3ree of north latitude, and the 118th of west Ion-\ngitude, a part of the thigh bone of a Mammoth,\nwjbseh was about eighteen inches in length, and*\nwhich weighed twenty eight pounds. During that\n FI\n 386\nSPECIMEN OF THE CREE\nNostrllf\nO-tay-e-cum\nMouth\nMee-toon\nTooth\nMee-pit\nTongue\nOtay-e-nee\nBeard\nMay-ist-won\nBrains\nWe-it-tip\nEar W\n|L Me-ta-wa-ki\nNeck\nMe-qui-yow\nThroat\nJHe koo-ta-gun\nArms\nMis-pe-toon\nHands or fingers\nMe-chee-chee\nThumb\nMe-se-chee*chon\nNail '' \"> : c||g\nMis-cus-see\nSide\nOse-pe-ki\nBack\nMis-pis-quon\nBelly\nMot-ti\nThigh\nMe-pwam\nBody\nMe-yow\nKnee\nMitch-e-quon\nLeg\nMis-kate\nFoot\nMe sit .\nHeart\nMe-tay\nSpirit or soul\nMfe-cha-chake\nFather\nO-ta-we\nMother\nE-ka-we\nSon\nE-qus-sis\nDaughter\nE-ta-nis\nBrother (elder)\nE-stays\nSister (elder)\nE-miss\nBrother (younger) )\nSister (younger) $\nE-shim\n OR KNISTENEUX TONGUE.\nGrand Father\nGrand Mother\nUncle\nAunt\nNephew\nNiece\nFather in law\nMother in law\nBrother in law\nSister in law\nFriend\nHusband\nWife\nOld man\nOld woman\nChief It -.\nThief\nCoat\nShirt\nBreech cloth\nLeggin\nGarter\nShoe\nHat or cap\nHandkerchief\nMittens (a pair)\nPetticoat\nBracelet\nRing\nEar knobs\nComb\nE-mo-shome\nO-kome\nO-ko-mis\nE-to-sis\nE-to-sim\nE-to-sim-es-qui\nE-sis\nE-se-goose\nIsh-taw\nE-tim\nE-wich-i-wa-gun\nNe-na-bem\nE-che-ma*gun\nKis-aye-hew\nNo-to-ca-ow\nO-ke-mow\nKe-mo-tisk\nPis-is-cow-e-gun\nPe-puck-e-wy-un\nAs-si-an\nMe-tass\nSis-ca-pis-soon\nMos-ca-sin\nAs-to-tin\nTa-bis-ka-gun\nUs-tis-uck\nKis-ke-sa-ki\nUs-ton\nUs-ton-is\nTa-beta-soon\nSe-ca-hoon\n 388\nSPECIMEN OF THE CREE\nNeedle\nBa. bo-ne-gun\nPin (headed needle)\nIs-te-goine Sa*bo-ne-gun\nScissors\nPusco-ma-to-in\nBlanket\nWa-bo e-un\nGown\nPa-to-nis\nHorse\nMish-ta-tim\nBuffaloe\nMoos-toosh\nFerret\nSe-goose\nSkunk\nSe-hawk\nElk\nA-was-kis\nMoose\nMoose-wa\nCarriboo\nAt-tick\nBeaver 1\nB A-misk\nWolverine\nKe-qua*a-kisk\nSquirrel\nAn-nick-o-chass\nMink | ,\nAt-cha-kass\nOtter\nNe-kick\nWolf\nMy-e-gun\nHare\nWa-poos\nMartin\nWa-pis-ton\nBear\nMusk-quaw\nFisher\nO-chake\nLynx\nPe-su\nHog ,\nKo-koosb\nPorcupine\nKa-quaw\nFox m\nMuck-ca-sis\nMusk rat\nWa-chesk\nCat \u00C2\u00A7 '\nKa-sha-kess\nMouse\n|j A-pe co-sis\nMeat\nWee-as\nDog\nAt-tim\n OR KNISTENEUX TONGUE.\nBitch\nKis ke-sis\nEagle\nMe-ke-su\nDuck\nSee-sip\nCrow\nKa-ka-ku\nSwan\nWa-pis-see\nPheasant 1ft\nO-kis-kew\nBird\nPe-a-sis\nOutard\nNis-ka.\nWhite goose\nWhy-why\nGrey goose\nKitch-a-ca-pi-sis\nPartridge\nPe-yew\nWafer hen\nSekip\nPigeon\nO-ma-mee\nEg\u00C2\u00A7\nWa-wa f \u00E2\u0080\u00A2\nPike ' Wm\nI-e-ne ke-no-see\nCarp\nNa-ma-be\nWhite fish ; ; ' ':fj\nAt-tick cum-mick\nPickerel\nO-cow WP;\nFish (in general)\nKe-no-see\nFish roes\nWa-quock\nFish scales\nWa-wa-ki\nTrout H\nNa-ma-goose\nFrog\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2' 1-ick #\"\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\nWasp\nA-mo\nTurtle\nMis-ca-nack IjP'\nSnake\nKe-na-bick\nRattle snake\nSi-si-qua ke-na-bick\nToad\nPe-pe-quot-ta-tu\nLizzard\nO-sick-ke-ask\nOwl\nOh-ho\nFire steel\nPe-wa-bisk Ap-pit\n 390\nSPECIMEN OF THE CREE\n1\nFire wood\nCradle i:\nDagger\nLance\nBow |||\nArrow\nFish hook\nAxe\nHoe\nNet \u00E2\u0080\u0094. -\nTree (wood standing\nupright). |\nPaddle\nCanoe ^\nBirch bark\nBark\nTouch wood\nGun flint\nGrass\nLeaf (of a tree)\nRaspberries\nStrawberries\nWhortleberries\nChoke berries\nGooseberries\nGrapes\nAshes\nFire\nCurrent*\nRapid\nWinter\nMis-tick\nWa-wa-bis-soon\nTa-cuch-e-gun\nSe-ma-gun\nA-cha-pee\nAt-toos\nQuas-qui-pitch-e-gun\nChee-ki-e-gtin\nPe-mich-e chee-ki-e-gun\nI-ap-pee\nMis-tick A-che-mus-so\nA-buy\nO-see\nWas-qui\nWy-a-kisk |\u00C2\u00A7J\nPoos-sa-gun\nChak-is-say-e-gun\nMps-ko-se-ah\nNe-pee-ah\nI-os-cun-nuck\nO-ta-me-nah\nI-e-ne-me-nah\nTuckrquy-me-ne-*na-nah\nSa-sa-bo-min-uck\nSho-min-is-uck\nPe-co\nEs-quit-tu\nKis-se-che-win\nPow-is-tick\nPe-poon\n OR KNISTENEUX TONGUE.\n391\nSpring\nMe-os-kuB\u00C2\u00BB4ck\nSummer\nNe-pin\nAutumn\nTuck-wa-gtja\nIsland\nMe-nis-tick\nLake\nSa-ki-e-gun\nRiver\nSe-pee [\u00C2\u00A3|\nSun\nPe-sim, |B\u00C2\u00A7\nMoon (night sun)\nTip-is-co pe-sim\nStars\nAt-tack\nSky >'4|MS.-'\nKee-sick\nClouds\nMa-raa-musk-wow\nThifhder . -\nPe-is-su\nLightning\nWa-was-sis-quit-a-pi-u\nRain\nKe-me-won\nSnow\nMis-poon\nHail\nSa-sa-gun\nCalm\nI-was-Xin\nDay light\n\u00C2\u00A7f|Wa-biin ' <0 \u00E2\u0096\u00A0\nMorning\nKe-ke-jape\nDay\nKe-se-cow\nNight pll*, \u00C2\u00A7\u00C2\u00A3\nTip-is-cow\nNoon (half the day)\nA-be-tow Ke-se-cow\nSun setting\nPung-kis-se-mo\nMidnight ,. ,-.\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0096\u00A0,'\nA-be-tow Tip-is-cow\nSnow\nKo-nah ^\nDrift\nPe-won\nIce\nMis-co-mi s\nFrost\nYa-ya-co-tin\nDew\nA-co-sa-pa-ow\nWater\nNe-pee\nWorld,-\nMis-si-wa-as-kee\n SPECIMEN OF THE CREE\nMountain\nWa-chee\nSea\nKitch-e-ga-ming\nPortage\nO-ne-gape\nRivulet\nSe-pe-sfs^\nSand\nYa-cow\nEarth\nAs-kee\nHeat\nKe-se-ta-ow, or\nKe-jas-ta-ow\nTomorrow\nWa-bunk\nYesterday\nO-ta-ca-sin\nTo day ^\nA-nouch ke-se-cow\nBone\nOse-kun\nBroth\nMich-e-ma-boi\nProvision\nMe-chim fH\nFeast\nWe-ko-ka-ow \u00C2\u00A7fl\nGrease or oil\nPe-me\nMarrow fat\nOse-kun-e-pe-me\nMarrow\nWe-ne\nSinew\nAs-tis\nLodge or tent\nMe-ke-wape\nBed\nNe-pa-win\nDoor\nEs-qua-tem\nDish\nWe-a-gun\nSpoon or ladle\nA-me quen\nPlate\u00C2\u00A7 ' ..-.. . \"- \u00E2\u0096\u00A0\nNa-puck-e-a-gun\nKnife v i'\nMo-c'um-mon\nFork % .-\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\nChis-ti-e-gun\nKettle <\nAs-kick\nTea kettle\n- Se-sip as-kick\nSack or bag\nMus-ca-moote\nTrunk\nMis-tick-o-wis\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094\u00E2\u0080\u0094\n OR KNISTENEUX TONGUE.\n393\nTable\nChair\nFort or house\nFloor\nWindow\nChimney\nCupboard\nKeg J|: ..\u00E2\u0080\u00A2 ::\nSledge\nCincture or belt\nSocks\nCloth\nThread . -,;.\nSmoking bag\nPortage sling\nPowder\nBalls\nShot\nPowder hora\nShot bag\nGun\nRamrod\nGun case\nPistol\nSteel trap\nGrave\nGrave yard\nSpirits\nWine\nMilk\nMft-te-sou-win-a-tic\nTa-e-tup-pe-win\nWas-ky-e-gun\nA-nas-cun\nWas-sa-ne-mon\nCou-ta-na-bisk\nA-cou-cha-gun\nMuck-kuck jUj\nTa-bin-ask\n. Pa-qua-ta-hoon\nAs-se-gun\nMon-ne-too-wa-gen\nAs-se-bape\nAp-pit\nAp-pe-can\nKus-ke-ta\nMo-sus-se-nu\nNis-cus-se-ne-uck\nPa-che-pa-quon\nPa-tus-se-non\n, Paw-skis-se-gun\nSe-se-quit-is-ca-we-a-gun-\na-tick\nAs-pick-e-na-guiK\nPaw-skis-se-gun-is\nPe-wa-bisk-won-a-e-gun\nNi-e-now\nA-qua-os-cun\nSquit-te-wa-bo\nSho-min-a-bo\nTo-toos-a-bo\n50\n 394\nSPECIMEN OF THE CREE\n!r\nIf\nBreasts\nButter,\nFlour or bread\nIndian corn\nPotatoe\nTurnip \u00C2\u00A7J|\nOnion\nCarrot\nTea or medicine water\nSugar\nWild rice\nGlass or mirror\nGeneral or great chief\nSoldier\nHome\nIron\nMoney\nBook or letter\nMedicine\nLover\nPipe i\nTobacco\nWeed for smoking\nPart (of a thing)\nSlave\nOrphan\nPeninsula\nRelationship\nSword\nStone\nTo-toos\ni\nTo-toos-a-bo pe-me\nI Pa-qui-se-gun\nMun-da-nin-uck\nAske-pwow-wa\nO-te-se-kan\nWe-cha-kus-ka-se\nOs-kate-ask\nMus-ca-kee-wa-bo\nSe-se-bas-quit\nMus-co*se-me-nah\nWa-bim-oon\nKitch-e-o-ki-mow.\nSe-ma-gun-is\n\u00C2\u00A7IE-ke-nake\nPe-wa-bisk\nSo-ne-ah m\nMish-e-my-e-gun\nMus-ca-kee\nJim-is-sim\nOs-poa-gun\nChis-ta-mow\nA-cha-ca-che-puck-wow\nPuck-ee p|*\nA-wa-kun\nKe-watch-e-wa-sis\nK is-is-tig-guy-ow\nE-to-tame\nNa-pe-quon\nShe-maw-gua\nAs-se-ne\n a.\nOR KNISTENEUX TONGUE. 395\n&\nStore\nTut-tow-o-way-gum-mick\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2^\nWhite earth\n. Wa-but-toon-isk\n\u00C2\u00A7p: ^ ; Tatler -j|||>-- ,\n|6 O-zom-e-toon-ew\nLiar\nKa-ke-as-ku\nBad man.\nMuch-e-pe-ma-tis-su\nGood man\nMe-u-pe-ma-tis-su\nEarthquake\nAn-ne-mus-kum-ke-py-you\nTrack (of the feet)\nI-a-sa-se-ta-you\nRoad or path\nMays-ke:now\nWhirlwind\nCus-tin\nGood weather\nMe-u-ke-sj-cow\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2 M\nBad wreather\nMut-cha-ke-si-cow\nMaleJ\u00C2\u00A7- \u00E2\u0080\u00A2\nNa-bew Qjj)$\nFemale\nO-ne-cha-nee\nCloudy\nA-quos-quon\nWindy\nE-o-tin\nj . -|r]$orth :-.>.-\nKe-wa-tin\nSouth\nSa-win-oke\nEast\nCos-kow-kos-take\n%\nK ' . West /||1||;\nKe-wa-noke\nStraight\nQui-esk\nCrooked i&'\nWa-kow\n-\u00E2\u0080\u00A2\"-'-Si\n\ . | Red ... -i#h\nMe-quow\n- Blue\nChe-ba-tock-wow\nYellow\nO-saw-wow\nGreen\nAs-ke-tuck-wow\nj /#\"''Black \u00E2\u0080\u00A2\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 '; ? . ...\n1\nKus-ke-ta-wow\n!\u00E2\u0080\u00A2 u^ IP\",--\nMy-a-te-su\nHandsome\nCut-e-wa-se-su\nBeautiful\nMe-u-nog-won\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0096\u00A0'\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\nDeaffr \u00E2\u0096\u00A0 . / \\nNa-rao-ta-wa-cow\nfep\n*\nv li\n 396\nSPECIMEN OF THE CREE\nGood natured\nPregnant\nFat or fleshy\nLarge\nSmall\nShort\nTall ,\nMerry\nMelancholy\nLong\nStrong\nWeak\nCowardly\nBrave\nLean\nFoolish\nSensible\nStiff |p\nSick\nDead\nAlive\nMiserable\nUpper\nLower\nAlll, \"-\nHalf\nDrunken\nEnglish\nFrench\nEqual or alike\nFar off\nMe-wa-tick-e-su\nPwow-wew\nWe-in-no\nMe-chus-ca-wa-ke-su\nUp-pe-se-se-su\nChe-mis-se-su\nMe-sick-e-tu\nMe-wa-tick-won\nPe-kis-ca-tum\nKeen-wow\nMus-ca-wow\nNa-ma. mus-ca-wow\nSa-koo-ta-ow\nSo-ca-te-ow\nSe-kut-chu |fl\nKe-squiow\nI-e-ne-su\nSe-ta-wow\nA-quis-su\nNe-poo\nPe-ma-tis-su\nKit-te-ma-ga-su\nIs-pe-mink\nTup-pa-sis\nKuck-e-ow\nA-be-tow\nKe-squi-ba-ow\nA-qui-as-se-wock\nWa-mis-to-go-she-wock\nTa-bis-kootch\nWy-yow\n OR KNISTENEUX TONGUE.\n397\nNigh\nKis-se-wake\nFew or little\nUp-pa-sis\nFatigued\nTy-is-co-sin\nGood\nMe-wa-shin\nBad\nMy-a-ton\nAvaricious\nSa-sa-kis-su\nGenerous\nMay-ye-kis-ku\nGreedy\nKa-shock-ca-ow\nHidden\nKas-so\nLazy\nKit-te-mew\nLame\nMus-kip-pi-you\nMuch \u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0096\u00A0..\u00E2\u0096\u00A0! ,\nMe-chet\nFlat\nNah-puck-ow\nRound\nWa-way-ye-you\nQuick\nKa-ke-e-pe\nThat\nA-o-co\nThis\nMuck-o-mao\nToo little\nO-som-up-pe-sis\nToo much\nO-som-me-chet\nDeep\nTee-mew\nShallow\nPake-wow\nFrightful :j|/\nSa-sis-ke-na-guon\nWicked\nMy-a-che-ta-ow\nDifficult\nI-ye\u00C2\u00ABmon\nFirst !\u00C2\u00A7\u00E2\u0096\u00A0; .-\nNe-kan\nBehind\n^ 0-ta.ke\nLast\nSqui-atch\nMore\nMe-nah\nBetter\nKa-me-wa-shin\nGood scented\nWe-cum-a-gun\nEach\nPa-pa-uck\n 1\nII\n398\nSPECIMEN OF THE CREE\nOther\nMy own\nYour own\nHis or her own\nTheir own\nOur own\nWe? \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 .'J ,~\nWho? Jfe\nWhat? -M\nI am angry\nI fear\nTo rejoice\nTo hear\nTo See\n,To smell\nTo taste\nTo feel\nTo come in |\nTo sing\nTo halloo\nTo whistleip\nTo weep\nTo laugh\nTo sigh\nTo arrive\nTo depart\nAssist me\nTo beat\nTo believe\nTo rattle\nTo suck\nPa-toosh I\nNene-ty-un\nKene4y-un\nWe-ah-one-ty-un\nWe-ah-wow-one-ty-un\nNene-ty-un-e-non\nNe-on\nA-way-nah\nKa-qui ; *\nNe-kis-se-wa-sia\nNe-koos ta-chin\nMe-wa-tum\nPa-tum\nWa-ba-tum\nMe-a-tum\nGoo-chis-tum\nGoo-te-num ^\u00C2\u00BB\nPe-to-ca\nNe-cum-moon\nTa-boi\nQues-qui-su\nMa-too r^;\nPa-pee\nMa-ca-ta-tum ^\nTuck-a-shin\nChe-boi-ta-ow\nNe-sho-cum-a-win\nO-tom-me-wow\nTa-boi-tum\nSe-se-quin\nNo-nu\n OR KNISTENEUX TONGUE.\nTo puke\nPa-cummoon\nTo carry\nNi-och-e-ga-ow 5\ni\nI am cold\nNe-cow-a-ohin\nTo take courage\nYe-ag-wa-me-se\nTo dance\nNe-me-too\nTo jump\nTo slide\nQuas-quit-ta\nSo-squotch-e-wew\nTo run\nPe-me-pa-tow\nj- .'; *\nTo walk\nPe-mo-ta-ow\nTo ride (on horse back)\nTo finish\nTay-tup-pew\nPo-ne-ton\nTo starve\n. Ka-wa-cut-tis-so-wock\nTo fell \".\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\"\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\nPunk-a-sin\nTo strike fire\nSe-ka-ta-ow\nTo find It-\nMis-cum\nTo loose\nWon-e-ton\nrTo paddle\nPim-is-cow\nlf\u00C2\u00A7|\nTo give\nTo take\nMe-yow\nO-fe-nah\nTo hate\n( Much-a-ye-mow\nTo keep\nKun-ne-wa-e-ten\nTo know\nKis-ka-e-ta-gwun\nTo leave\nNuck-a-tum\nTo love. j|f.. '\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 '\nSa-ke-how\nTo go to bed\nKa-wish-e-mo\nTo arise from bed\nO-nis-caw\nTo sit down Spf\nAp-pee\nTo get up~\nPus-se-co\nTo marry\nTo play \u00C2\u00A7|f\nTo make peace\nWee-ke-mow\nMa-te-way\n'We-tus-ke-to-wuck |j|\n0s\n w /\ny\n400\nSPECIMEN OF THE CREE\nTo make war\nTo pray\nTo take notice\nTo respect\n\"I To sail # -:\n:% To steal\nTo sleep\nTo talk\nTo lie \u00E2\u0080\u00A2\nTo go\nTo lend M\nTo groan\nTo beat\nTo cut\nTo cover\nTo dispute\nTo give\nTo-do\nTo tie /\nTo unite\nTo sew\nTo sit down\nTo fell\nTo work\n. . ; Tokill:f.'\u00C2\u00AB\nTo sell\nTo come\nAlways\nBecause\nBy and bye\nDoubtless\nNa-to-py-e-wuck\nI-ye-me-how\nCun-ne-wa-bum\nKe-tay-e-mow\nA-cus-tim-moon\nKe-mo-tu\nNe-pow\nA-che-mooa\nKe-as-ku\nKe-to-tain\nOw-we-hin\nMa-ma-pin-ow\nO-tom-me-wew\nKis-ke-sah\nA-quoon e-hah\nKe-ka-to-wuck\nMay-gu\nOo-she-hah\nTuck-oop-eMah\nAp-pu-co-nah\nKus-ke-qua-so\nUp-pu\nPun-ga-sin\n0-se-che-ga*ow\nNe-pa-how\nUt-ta*wa-ow\nUs-tom-e-tay\nKa-ke-ca\nA-o-co-chee\nPitch-is-qua\nMos-kootch\n OR KNISTENEUX TONGUE\nFormerly\nHere\nHow\nHow many\nImmediately\nLately\nNever\nNo1\".''\"'. !\nYes p;-': ..\nNot yet\nNot at all\nGood for nothini\nThere\nTruly!\nTogether\nWhere\nYet\nohi; r \u00E2\u0080\u00A2'\nNow and then\nSometimes\nSeldom\nThank you\nWhat is that ?\nWrhatnow?\n\"Who is there ?\nGet out of the way\nWhat is your name ?\nWhere are you going ?\nI wish to depart\nWhat do I hear f\nWill you trade ?\n51\nGy-ass\nO-taw \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 -. \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 ^jp\nTa-ne-say\nTa-ne~tut-to :-J|\nKa~qui-ah-ho\nGy-ass- an-e- watch\nNa-mow-we-katch\nNa-maw\nAh-hah \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 \u00E2\u0080\u00A2\nNa-mas-qua\nNa-maw-waw-w&tch\nNa-maw-ca-qui-me-w\u00C2\u00BB-sin\nA-quo-tah\nTa-boi . ' .\nTa-bis-cootch\nTa-ne-tay ^|||\u00C2\u00A7.. .\u00E2\u0096\u00A0'.\nKa-a-bitch\nAh!\nI-os-cow\nWe-na-cum-ma\nKa-qui-o-ko\nTa-ne-me-ne-kick\nA-way-na-nah\nA-wis-se-tay\nTa-ne-tick-o-way-oa\nTa-ne-ta ke-we-to-tain\nNe-we-ke-won\nKa-qui-ka-pa-tum-moa\nJfe-we-ut-ta-won-chee\n NUMERICAL TERMS\nOF THE CREES OR KNISTENEUX.\nOne\nPa-uck\nTwo\nNe-sho\nThree /||\nNish-to\nFour\nNay-o $p\nFive\nNay-ah-nun\nSix\nNi-co-twa-sick\nSeven\nTa-boo-coop fHf\nEight\nI-a-na-na-on\nNine\nKa-gate me-ta-tut\nTen\nMe-ta-tut ;\nEleven (and one\nmore) Me-ta-tut pa-uck o sawp\nTwelve\nMe-ta-tut ne-sho sawp\nThirteen\nMe-ti-tut nish-to-sawp\nFourteen\nMe-ta-tut nay-o sawp\nFifteen\nMe-ta-tut nay-ah-nun o sawp\nSixteen\nMe-ta-tut ne-co-twa-sick o sawp\nSeventeen\nMe-ta-tut ta-boo-coop tah-to sawp\nEighteen\nMe-ta-tut i-a-na aa-ow tah-to sawp\nNineteen\nKa-gate me-ta-tut tah-to sawp\nTwenty\nNe-sit-te-no\nTwenty one\nNe-sit-te-no pu-uck o sawp\n NUMERICAL TERMS*\n403\nTwenty two &c.\nNe-sit-te-no ne-sho sawp\nThirty\nPi Nish-to mit-te-no\nForty\nNay*o mit-te-no\nFifty\nNay-ah-nun o mit-te-no\nSixty\nNe-co-twa-sick o tut-to mit-te-no\nSeventy\nTa-boo-coop o tut-to mit-te-no\nEighty\n'I-a-na-na-ow o tut-to mit-te-no\nNinety\nKa-gate me*ta-tut o mit-te-no\nHundred\nMe-ta-tut-to mit-te-no\nOne thousand\n\ Me-ta-tut o tut-to mit-te-no\nA SPECIMEN OF\nTHE TACULLY OR CARRIER TONGUE.\nMan\nTen-nee\nWoman\nCha-ca\nYoung man\nChilk\nInfant\nChu-tun\nHead\nPit-sa\nEyes\nO-now\nHair\nOte-zega\nNose\nPa-nin-chis\nTeeth\nOh-goo\nTongue\n. fi Tsoo-ia\n 404\nspEcaswEiff &m the tacuixy\nEars\nHands\nBelly ; v\nLegs\nKnees\nFeet\nHalls\nGrand father\nGrand mother\nFather\nMother\nSon\nJ)aughter\nBrother\nSister\nNephew\nGrand child\nHusband\nAunt\nOld man\nBlood\nPath or road\nChief\nEftcrement\nUrine\nCoat\nBreech cloth\nLeggins\nShoes\nHat or cap\nO-cho .|||\nO-la\nO-put\nO-ca-ehin\nOkate\nO-ca\nE-la-ki\nEFt-che-yan\nBFt-soo\nAp-pa\nUn-nung-cool\nE-yaze\nE-a-cha\nE chill\nE-taze\nQuaze\nE-chi\nE-ki\nAy-eye\nA-ki ^g-\ ' \u00E2\u0096\u00A0'\nO-yun\nSko\nTee\nMe-u-tee\nChou \u00C2\u00BB\nAl-luze\nChute\nChon\nCa-chy\nKis-coot\nTcha\n OR CARRIER TONGUE.\n405\nHandkerchief\nZa-zo\nMittens\nPat\nPetticoat\nCha-ca-chute\nBracelet\nNal-ton\nComb\nChil-cho\nRing\nNe4a-ta-ah\nNeedle\nA-a-bate-so\nScissors\nClay-yee\nBlanket\nA-a-pi\nFrock or robe\nNal-tay\nGoat or sheep\nSpye\nFerret\nNah-pye\nMoose\nTen-nee\nCariboo\nO-chee\nBeaver\nCha\nOtter\nA-bay\nHare\nKah\nMartin\nChm-nee\nBear\nSuss\nLynx\nWas-say\nPorcupine\nCho\nMusk rat\nCha-kate\nFisher\nChin-ue-cfao\nMouse\nTen-ne-tay\nMeat or flesh\nUt-son\nDog\nCling\nBitch\nClee-chay\nCrow\nTate-sun\nSwan\nChin-cho\nOutard\nHoki|;' -\nPartridge\n, Teel\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0080\u00A2\u00E2\u0096\u00A01\n8\n 406\nSPECIMEN OF THE TACUIXY\nWater hen\nChel\nEggs r\nO-gaze\nLoon\nTad-joy\nSturgeon\nClay-cho\nWhite fish\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2: Clo 4|||\nFish (in general)\nCloo-lay\nFish roes\nO-koon\nTrout - \" v\n; Pilt -'.\nSalmon\nv Tal-Ioo\nFire steel\nKone\nWood or tree\nTuch-in\nDagger\nPa-she-al |S|\nBow\nAl-tung\nArrow\nKa\nAxe\nCha-chill\nNet\nClim-pelt\nPaddle\nChell if\nCanoe (bark)\nAl-la-chee\nCanoe (wooden)\nTuch-in-chee\nTouch wood\nKel-cha\nGun flint\nSa-zo-en\nGrass or hay\nClo\nWhortleberries\n-. Chil-cho\nAshes Mk\nClees\nFire\nKone\nWinter\nYas-ca\nAutumn\nTa-ca-ta\nSummer\nOle-ol-ta\nSun\ns&\nMoon (night sun)\nCha-bl-cus sa\nStars\nClum\n Thunder\nDate-nee\nDay |;'\nJa-ness\nRain fi\n\u00C2\u00A7| Na-ol-ton\nSnow\nNa-chaze\nNight ,\nAl-cheese\nMorning\nPun-e-ta\nSun setting\nNa-ah . ,|||I\nIce\nV\nClum or Ton\nWater\nToo * -\nWorld\nTon-ate-suck\nMountajn\ng||\u00C2\u00A7 Chell g\u00C2\u00A7f:.\nSea\nE-a-pack\nEarth | .\nOte-luss\nHeat\nO-zell\nTomorrow\nPun-tay\nYesterday\nHul-ta\nToday\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0'\u00E2\u0096\u00A0' Un-tit^:. --\nBroth\nTa-zell \u00C2\u00A7i, ,.\nGrease\nKane-loo*.\nSinews\nTsay :\nTent or lodge\nYah\nBed\nKus-tee\nDoor\nTa-tee -jg\nDish\n'.'\u00E2\u0080\u00A2. Tsi,' -\:-j|\.\nKettle\no-sa\nSpoon or ladle\nChin-ne-sko\nKnife |f<:\nCles-tay\nSack or bag\nAze-ia\nTrunk or box\nChin-kale\nChimney\nPa-kone-tas-kone\nFort or house\nYock\n m sIN^\n408\nSPECIMEN OF TH\u00C2\u00A9 TACULLY\nSledge\nSclu-sa\nCincture or belt\nSay\nSocks\nCa-tell\nCloth\nTell-kuz-za\nThread\nA-a-bate-say\nGarters\nChal-chase\nMedicine\nYou\nPortage sling\nKa-nal-ta\nPowder\nAl-la-cha\nBalls||,\nCa-tee\nShot \\nNo-do-tone\nPowder horn\nm ' Da-ka ,-.\l V\nShot bag '\nNo-do-to-bost-J&\nGun\nAl-tee\nGun case\nAl-tee-zus\nSteel trap\nCha-co\nStench\nIll-chun\nSkin\nO-zuss\nMelancholy\nCho-Iet-nee\nSpirits\nKone-too\nBreasts\nTsoo ~& . \u00E2\u0080\u00A2\nFlour or bread\nClays\nVegetables\nHon-elt-ya\nHeart\nO-gee\nEntrails\nAt-zee\nHome\nE-yok\nIron\nCles-tay\nLetter or book\nDush-hisk\nLover\nNa-ho4ul-ya <\nPipe\nDa-kate-say\nTobacco\nDa-k\u00C2\u00A3\n OR CARRIER TONGUE. 400\nOrphan\nTill-iji-yaze\nShip\nChee-cho\nStone\nTsay .\u00E2\u0096\u00A0:\u00C2\u00A7 ' - Jr\nGooseberries\nTon-gueese\nStrawberries\nIn-gee w&\npi; White earth\nClis-paw\n\ '%:.' Windy: '\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 .... .'\u00E2\u0080\u00A2\"..\nDays-chee\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2 \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 \- White \u00E2\u0096\u00A0 \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 , \"^p\nYell jjfcy, \u00E2\u0080\u00A2;;\u00E2\u0080\u00A2' ' , -,\nRed _#.\u00E2\u0080\u00A2\u00E2\u0080\u00A2 ' <\nTen-il-cun\nBlack\nTel-kuz-zay\nYellow : #\nDat-leese\n> \u00E2\u0080\u00A2' , K- '\nNe-chay\nHandsome\nNe-zo 1\nDeaf 'f s\nOt-so-hoo-lah\nPregnant\nEl-chon\nShort\nEn-took\nLong\nEn-yeaze\nStrong\n\ 3Na-chet ' /.-, . ' -...pi\nWeak\nAt-too-nl-chet \u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0080\u00A2*\nHeavy\n* Na-kull \u00C2\u00A7\u00C2\u00A7> \" -\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 \u00E2\u0096\u00A0 ' :' .\nFoolish\n; Wos-se-nay |H\n;\u00C2\u00A9\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 Sensible\nHo-na\nSick f|p\ns Tut-tay\nj ; Dead - <||: ,'\nTas-si , |jp- < .\nAlive\nAn-na\nMiserable\n*.\" Til-len . '' >|\u00C2\u00A3 '. ,:\nAll -^^ ... '\nTche-ow\n|p Drunken\nToo-nis-t\u00C2\u00A9\nFrench\nNed-do\nDistant\nNee-zolt\nNigh\nNill-took\nj 52\ni\n?\n 410\nSPECIMEN OF THE TACULLY\nI\nFew or little\nShameful |\nFull |P||j\nGood\nBad z.^ \"\nAvaricious\nMuch\nQuick\nDeep\nShallow\nI am angry\nTo hear\nTo see\nTo smell\nTo feel A\nTo eat\nTo drink\nTo sing\nTo halloo\nTo whistle\nTo weep\nTo laugh\nTo arrive\nT# depart\nAssist me\nTo beat\nTo suck\nTo be cold\nTo dance\nTo walk\nIt is done\nEn-soole\nClou-cha\nDees-pun\nOo-choh\nNi-ka-tel\nKane-chee\nClyne\nUt-v:ho-in-tin\nT&-kull|^|\nToo hoos-ka\nSon-e-chee\nAt-tade-zuck\nNee-tlen\nIn-chis\nOan-ton\nA-al\nAte-ni\nUt-chin\nCA \u00C2\u00BB\na-an-ni\nYool \u00C2\u00A7\nA-chuck\nAt-lo||\nN^teir;^S\nNi-ne-tell \"\nSly-en-elay\nChil-tul-ta\nEl-took\nNa-zes-Iay\nNate-tah\nNi-yah\nA-chel-ist-la\n OR CARRIER TONGUE*\n411\nTo starve\nNe-cho-al-hoo-lah\nTo fall\nNal-chet\nI will go\nO-che-to-se ah\nCome with me\nAn-nee\nTo give\nWon-nel-lay\nTo take\nIll-shute\nTo hate\nO-cha-dus-se-ne\n1 do not know\nTuch-a-hoo-ny\nTo keep\nHone-lay ;j|jjj f|!\nTo know\nAt-dy e-tay\nTo love\nQui-see or Kane-chee\nTo lie down\nSin-tee\nTo arise from bed\nTa\u00C2\u00ABdeen-yai\nTo sit down\nSin-taw\nTo be merry\nOus-ta\nTo paddle\nAt-to\nTo steal\nWay-to\nTo sleep\nNa-cnis-tee\nGo away\nUs se\nTo talk .Jj|;-\nYal-tuck\nTo lie \ \lr |\u00C2\u00A71\nOn-chit\nThat' : ' \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 jf^\nIn tee\nMy own\nSe-ilt-sun m\nYour own\nNe-ne-ilt sun\nOur own\nWa-ne-ilt-sun\nI or me |||\u00C2\u00A7\n;\":|se.| l $;,:'\u00E2\u0096\u00A0' \": \u00E2\u0080\u00A2;\u00E2\u0080\u00A2 M\nThou or thee\nNe or Ye\nWe |; ' . > .\nWa-ne\nAbove\nYa-took\nBecause\nA-doo-aw Hi\nKud-dah\nBye and bye\n 412\nSPECIMEN OF THE CARRIER TONGUE.\nEnough\nFormerly\nHere\nHow\nHow many\nImmediately\nNo -4 H -\nYes - \u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0080\u00A2 -fi'-. \"'\nNot yet\nThere \u00E2\u0080\u00A2\nTruly\nToo little\nToo much\nWhere\nYet g;\nI thank you\nWhat is that ?\nWhat is the matter ?\nWho is there ?\nWhat is your name ?\nWhere are you going ?\nLet us depart\nWill you trade ?\nWhence are you\nCoo-ia or Ate-sel\nUl-ta .pi '\nNe-chan\nTuch-ah\nTa-nil-suck\nAn-tit '\nOwn-too\nAh-ah or A-ma\nKatch\u00C2\u00ABah-own-too\nEn-chan\nAl-iate-ne\nStan-sool\nStan-rclyne\nEn-chay\nKa-cha\nSe-na-chai-le\u00C2\u00BBah\nTee '.:|| j||p\nTa-how-cha\nTe-ween-ta!\nBa-zee\nNe-cha-en-e-gal\nNa-zo-tell\nBa-che-o-kate\nNe-cha-stil-tal\n THE\nNUMERICAL TERMS\nOP THE TACULLIES.\nOne\nClot-tay\nTwo\nNong-ki\nThree\nToy\nFour\nTing-kay\nFive\nSkoon-e-ly\nSix\nAl-ke-tate\nSeven\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0096\u00A0;' Te-kal-ti ' \u00E2\u0096\u00A0%\nEight*\nAl-ke-tin-ga\nNine\nClo-hoo-ly\nTen\nLan-ne-zy\nEleven\nO-un-na Clot-tay\nTwelve\nO-un-na Nong-ki\n&c. to\nTwenty\nNot-won-ne-zy\nTwenty one\nNot-won-ne-zy O-at Clo\nTwenty two\nNot-won-ne-zy O-at Nong-ki\n&c. to\nThirty\nTat-won-ne-zy-ah\nForty\nTit-won-ne-zy-ah.\nFifty \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 '\nSkoo-nee-lot-won-ne-zv\nSixty\nAl-ke-tate-won-ne-zy\nSeventy\n*Tee-kaI-ty-o-tate-won-ne-zy\nEighty\nAl-ke-ting-o-tate-won-ne-zy\nNinety\nClo-hoo-ly-o- tate- won-ne-zy\nHundred\nNa-ne-zy-o-ne-ze-ah\nThousand\nLan-ne-zy-o-Ian-ne-zy-oian-e-zy\n if\nit?\n A CONCISE ACCOUNT OF\nTHE PRINCIPAL ANIMALS\nWHICH ARE FOUND IN THE NORTH WESTERN PART OF\nNORTH AMERICA.\nBuffaloes are found in great numbers, in all\nthe plain or prairie countries, on both sides of\nthe Rocky Mountain, as far north as about latitude fifty six or seven. The bull is larger ihan\nan ox, has short black horns, and a beard under\nhis chin ; > and^his head is filled with a long, fine\nhair, which falls over his eyes, and gives him a\nfrightful aspect. On his back is a bunch or excrescence, commencing a \"little forward of his haunches, the highest part of which, is over his shoulders, and which terminates at the neck. His\nwhole body is covered with a long hair or wool,\nof a dark brown colour, the whole of which,\nand particularly that which is on* the fore\npart of the body, would answer well for manufacturing coarse cloths and blankets. The\nhead of the buffaloe is larger than that of a\nbull, his neck is short, his breast is broad ; and\nhis body decreases, towards the buttocks. He\nwill generally flee, at the approach of a man, ex-\n 416\nACCOUNT OF ANIMALS.\ncepting the male, at the rutting season, when he\nbecomes ferocious.\nThe flesh of the buffaloe is excellent food;\nthe hide is applied to many important uses; and\nthe long soft hair, the natives put into their shoes,\nabout their feet, which supplies the place of\nsocks ; and it is fully as warm. The speed of the\nbuffaloe, is much the same as that of an ox ; and\nwhen he runs he inclines his fore feet considerably on one side of his body, for a short distance,\nand then shifts them upon the other, and continues thus, alternately to change them.\nThose that remain in the country between\nthe Sisiscatchwin and Peace rivers, are called the\nwood buffaloes, because they inhabit a woody\ncountry ; and they are considerably smaller than\nthose, which inhabit the plains. They are, also,\nmore wild and difficult to approach.\nThe horses, which the Indians possess^ came\noriginally from Mexico, and are of the Spanish\nbreed. They are in general stout, and well built;\nand many of them are of great speed. They are,\nvery serviceable to the Natives in the plain coiu>\ntries, are used to transport their property from\nplace to place ; and on them they run down and\nkill their game. These animals will subsist, during the winter months, on the grass which they\nfind under the snow, which is seldom more than\nsix inches deep, on the plains. \"There are but\n ACCOUNT OF ANLMALS.\n417\nfew horses to be found, farther north than latitude\nfifty four or five.\nThere are three kinds of bears, the grey, the\nbrown or chocolate coloured, and those which\nare perfectly black. The grey bears, which are\nby far th%largest, are about the size of a common\ncow; and are remarkably strong /built, and very\nferocious. They attack human beings, as well\nas all kinds of beasts, that fall in their way; and\nin their terrible paws, the resistance, even of the\nmale buffaloe, weighing fourteen or fifteen hundred pounds, is utterly vain. Three or four of\nthe Natives join together whenever they attempt\nto hunt them, and each man is well armed, with\na musket and a long spear.\nThe grey bears differ but little in shape, from\nthose of a smaller kind and of a different colour.\nTheir heads are rather sorter, in proportion to\nthe% bodies, their noses are less pointed; and\nthey are more stoutly built. Their colour is a\nbeautiful lively silver grey. Their flesh has not\nso good a flavour as that of the black bear, it\nbeing more rank. The natives, formerly, made\nuse of their skins for beds ;*fout now, they always\nexchange Item witW-us, forblankets, &c.\nThe grey, in common with the other kinds of\nbears, pass the winter months, without taking any\nkind of nourishment. Their retreats are by the\nsides of the rootsW large trees, that have fallen\n53 M\nI\n 418\nACCOUNT OF ANIMALS.\n(fi\ndown, or in the caverns of rocks ; and in some instances they dig holes, in the sides of hills. These\nhabitations are enclosed on every side, with the\nbranches of trees, filled in with moss, &c. so as\ncompletely to surround the animal, excepting his\nnose, where a small hole is left, to enable him to\nbreathe fresh air. They leave these retreats, as\nsoon as the warm weather comes on in the spring,\nwhen they are apparently as fat, as they were\nwhen they entered them, in the preceding autumn.\nThis flesh has less substance, probably, as\nthey ^oose most of it, soon after their egress;\nthough they then devour, with an appetite rendered strong by a winter's abstinence, whatever\ncomes in their way. Their food, however, at this\nseason, is>dot so abundant as it is afterwards, as\nthey generally live upon roots, and the different\nkinds of fruit. They eat, likewise, ants and honey,\nwhenever they meet with that which is made by\nbees and wasps. They rarely eat animal food.\nThe brown and black bear differ little, excepting in their colour. The hair of the formeiM js\nmuch finer than that of the latter. They usually\nflee from a human being. One, howevejA that\nhas been wounded, or a female that has cubs, will\nattack a pursuer. The brown and the black bear,\nclimb trees, which the grey, never does. Thei||\nflesh is not considered so pleasant food as that of\nthe moose, baffaloe or deer; but their oil is high-\n ACCOUNT OF ANIMALS.\n419\nly valued by the Natives, as it constitutes an article at their feasts, and serves, also, to oil their\nbodies, and other tlings. Occasionally, a bear is\nfound, the colour of which is like that of a white\nsheep, and the haifHs much longer than that of\nthe other kinds which have been mentioned;\nthough, in other respects, it differs not at all from\nthe black bears.\nThere are two kinds of wolves, one of which\nis rather larger than a stout dog, and the other is\n.pit more than half as large. Their legs are long,\nin proportion to their slenderwbodies. Their\nheads, also, are long ; and their noses are sharply\npointed. Their tails are long and bushy. The\ncolour of the larger kind, is generally a light grey ;\nbut some of them, are nearly white. The smaller kind are commonly a silver grey ; but some1 of\nthem are nearly black. They are all very voracious; but they never attack a human being, unless when suffering greatly from hunger. They\ndisplay great ingenuity and cunning; generally,\nherd together, especially in the winter season;\nand make a hideous noise, particularly when thirty or forty of them are employed in surrounding a\nherd of the buffaloe or deer, in order to drive\nthem down a precipice. They frequently take\nthis method to make these animals their prey;\nand, in order to carry a project of this kind into\nexecution, they form lines, by separating to a cer-\n 420\nACCOUNT OF ANIMALS.\ntain distance from each other, and frequently\nmake noises, resembling the human voice ; and\nthey appear to act in concert, as%egularly as the\nIndians themselves do, when they drive the buffaloes into their yards.\nThe wolves know the effects of a discharge\nof a musket; and when a hunger fires his gun, at\na buffaloe or deer, in a few minutes, from ten to\ntwenty of them will rush to the spot whence the\nreport proceeded; and, at some times, they are\nso pinched with hunger, that while standing beside his game, it is with difficulty that the hunter\npreserves it from being devouredfby them.\nThere are three.sorts of foxes, which, however, differ only in their colour. The most common\nare of a yellowish red, some are of a beautiful silver grey, and some in the more northern latitudes,\nare almost black. The last, are by far the most\nvaluable.\nThe Indians have several kinds of dogs. Those\nwhich they make use of in hunting, are small, their\nears stand erect; and thev are remarkable for\ntheir fidelity to their masters.\u00E2\u0080\u0094They now have a\nlarge breed among them, which were brought in*\nto their country from Newfoundland, by the English, when they first established themselves on\nHudson's Bay; and from that place they have beeB\nspread into every part of the country, east of the\nRocky Mountain. They are used only as beasts\n ACCOUNT OF ANIMALS.\n421\nof burthen. In the summer season, they carry\nloads upon their backs; and in the winter when\nthere is snow, they draw|lthem upon sledges.\nThese sledges are made of tw& thin boards, turned up at the fore end, and joined closely together,\nso that this vehicle is twelve or fourteen inches\nbroad, and seven or eight feet in length. The\ncollar, by which the dogs draw7, is much like that\n^lith which a ho#se is usually harnessed, in the\ncivilized parts of the country. Their weight is,\ngenerally, from sixty, to one hundred pounds.\nThe cat or lynx,^in its shape and nature r@%\nsembles the domestic cat; but it is much larger,\nit has long legs, and a long body; but a very\nshtplt tail. Its^hair is exceedingly fine, considerably long, and of a lively and beautiful, silver grey\ncolour. When full giown, the cat will weigh thir- *\nty five or forty pounds; and when fat they are\nexcellent food. They generally live on mice, the\ndead fish which they find along the rivers and\nlakes, and partridges and hares. In taking their\npr$y, they manifest all the adroitness and activity\nof the domestic cat. In some years, these animals are very numerous; and^requently, the following year, very few can be found.\nThere are two species of the deer. One of\nthese, denominated theljumpingdeer, is like those\nwhich are found in the northern parts of the United States; and none of them are found farther\n \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 : m\n422\nACCOUNT OF ANIMALS.\nnorth than about latitude 48\u00C2\u00B0 or 50\u00C2\u00B0. The other\nkind is sometimes called the red deer or the elk.\nThey are about$the size of a horse; and their\nbodies, are shaped like those of the jumping deer.\nTheir tails are remarkably short, being not more\nthan three inches long. Their hair, which is\nthree inches in letigth, is of a light grey colour,\nand is as coarse as that of the horse. The^horns\nof these animals grow to a prodigious size, their\nextreme points are about six feet asunder; and\nthey branch out before and behind, like those of\nthe common deer. Their bodies are well proportioned, their air is*noble ; and, on the' whole,\nthey are the most majestlfek animal, that I have\never seen, ilphey shed their horns, in*the month\nof February or March ; and by August, the new\nones are nearly at their full growth. Notwithstanding the size and strength of thes% animals,\nand the means of defence with which thev are\nfurnished, they are as timorous as a hare. The#\nskins are very useful, and will dress as well as\nthat of a buck. They feed on grass and buds,\nand theMwigs of trees.. Their flesh is tender, and\nof a fine flavour.\nThe moose is, in size, next to the buffaloe,\namong the animals of the North West. The\nbody is in shape, somewhat like that of an ox,\nraw boned, with high haunches ; butlits neck and\nhead resemble those of a horse. The ears are\n ACCOUNT OF ANIMALS.\nlarge, like those of an ass.- The horns are flat,\nand branch out only behind; and are shed every\nyear. The feet resemble those of the deer, excepting as they are much longer and broader;\nand when it puts them on the ground, the hoofs\nseparate, two or three inches. The head is about\ntwo feet long. The upper is much longer than\nthe under lip of this animal ; and the nostrils are\nso wide, that a man might thrust his hand into\nthem, to a considerable distance. The colour of\nthe^moose is a light grey, mixed with a deep red,\nand the hair is so elastic, that its shape cannot be\naltered by beating. The flesh of this animal is\nexceediagly good food, it being easy of digestion,\nand very nourishing, as well as very palatable.\nThe nose and the upper lip, which is large, and\nloose from the gums, are esteemed a great delicacy ; it is of a consistence between marrow and\ngristle, and when properly dressed, it is a rich and\nluxurious dish. The hide of this animal makes\nexcellent leather, as it is thick and strong $ and\nwhen dressed it is soft and pliable. The pace of\nof the moose, is a walk or trot; and it is exceeded in swiftness, by few of its fellow tenants of the\nforest. It will, with ease, trot over a fallen tree,\nof five feet in diameter. This animal is commonly found in low grounds, where it feeds on moss,\nand the buds of|rees. The moose, generally, remains ajone; though at sometimes five or six of\n 424\nACCOUNT OF ANIMALS.\n\u00C2\u00AB\nthem are found together. Their senses of hearing\nand smelling are uncommonly acute ; and, therefore the least noise made by a hunter, such as the\nrustling of dry leaves, or the breaking of a small\nbranch, will be heard by this animal, at a great\ndistance, and will alarm its fears. When put to\nflight, the moose does not like the deer and most\nother animalsjjjrun a liuje distance, and then step,\nJlntil a new appearance of danger; ^>ut, oftentimes,\nhe will not make the least halt, until he has run\nten or lateen miles. No other animal that runs\nin the woods,^ so difficult of approach*^\nThere are two kinds of the cariboo. The only\ndifference between them is, that the^pne is about\ntwice as large asjjihe other, and the hair of the\nsmaller, is of a much lighter colour. The larger,\nwill weigh nearly as much as the elk; but, in\nshape and the colour of the hair, it more nearly\nresembles the moose; and like this animal it feeds\nonly on moss, and the buds of trees. The horns\nare round, like those of the elk ; but they approach\nnearer to each other, at the extremities, and bend\nmore over the face, than those of either the\nmoose or the elk. The gait oILthis animal is\nmuch the same as that of the moose, and it is\nalmost as difficult of approach.\nThe flesh is equally good for food ; and the\ntongue, particularly, the Natives consider as one\nof the greatest dainties, which their country af-\n ACCOUNT OF ANIMALS.\n425\nfords. The skin, being smooth and free from\nveins, makes the finest of leather; and of it, excellent leggins and shirts are made. The Indians\nattach great value also to the dung of the cariboo, of which they make, what they consider, a delicious broth. They make use of the lower bone\nof the leg of this animal, in the place of a tanner's\nscraping knife, to separate the hair from skins.\nThere are two kinds of the antelope, which differ only in size, and in the colour of their tails, which\nare .about two inches long, j|Thei colour of these animals is a light grey or mouse colour*'.with here and\nthere a spot of white. The tail of the larger, is of\nthe same colour as the body, while that of the small*\ner, is white. The larger, is about the size of the\njumping deer, which animal it, also, very much resembles, in shape. The smaller, will weigh about as\nmuch as a sheep ; and the flesh resembles mutton,\nin its taste. These animals herd together, like the\ndeer, and always remain in an open country; and\ntheir speed is little inferiour to that of the horse.\nThey are very timorous, and as soon as they perceive\na human being, they run off to a considerable distance, but soon make a halt; and, if tfie person\nhides himself, they will soon return, near to the\nspot where they had seen the object which alarmed them. It is thus that the Natives manage, in\nhunting them. Their skin is thin, and will dress\nequally well with that of the chamois 5 ..;Jk&ji the\n54\n 426\nACCOUNT OF ANIMALS.\nleather is very suitable for leggins and shirts for\nthe Natives, during the summer months. The\nmales have horns, resembling those of the deer,\nexcepting that they are smaller.\nThe carcajou or wolverine, in shape and the\ncolour of the hair, greatly resembles the skunk :\nbut it is nearly twice as large. The hair of the\ncarcajou is about the same length as that of a\nbear : and its colour is black, excepting a narrow strip of white, on the rump. The tail is\nabout six inches long, %nd is very bushy. This\nanimal is remarkably strong built, fory its size :\nand is extremely voracious* He feeds on dead\nfish, which he finds along the shores of the rivers and Hakes : and on mice, hares, &c. He is\noften found about the* places where human beings have been interred ; and, if they have not\nbeen buried deep in the earth, he will take them\nup, and feed on their carcases. On this account,\nthe Natives never feed on the flesh of this ani-\ntnal, though it has an excellent flavour. When\nhe falls upon a large animal, that has been killed and cut up and left by a hunter, he will,\nwithin a very short time, remove the whole of\nit to a considerable distance, and strive to hide\nit under grass, or the branches of trees.\nThe skunk differs not at all from the same animal, as it is found in most parts of the United States:\nand it is too well known to need a description.\n ACCOUNT OF ANIMALS.\n427\nThe porcupine, in shape, and size, differs\nut little from the skunk. Its tail is much shorter, and has little hair on it. The body is covered with hair of a dark brown colour, about four\ninches in length* This hair is interspersed with\nquills, about the size of a straw, that are white,\nwith black ends, sharply pointed: and for about\nhalf an inch from the end, they are covered with\na kind of beard, which renders it very difficult\nto extract them from any soft substance which\nthey have entered; These quills are merely defensive weapons : for it is not true, though it has\nby some been asserted, that they can, at pleasure, eject them from their bodies. They are a$f\ninoffensive animal, move but slowly; and when\novertaken by man or beast, they place their\nhead and their legs under their bodies, and place\nall their reliance on their quills, for protection.\nThe Indian women highly value these quills,\nwhich they die of different colours, and use for\ngarnishing their shoes., leggins, &c. They also\nhold their flesh in high estimation, as an . article of food. pp\nThere is a small animal, found only on the\nRocky Mountain, denominated, by the Natives,\nQuis-qui-su, or whistlers, from the noise which\nthey frequently make, an!d always when surprised, strongly resembling the noise made by a per-\n/ *\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0BBBB\n Ill\n428\nACCOUNT OF ANIMALS.\nson in whistling* They are about the size or a\nbadger, are covered with a beautiful long silver\ngrey hair, and have long busby tails. They burrow in the sides of the mountain, and feed on\nroots and herbs. Their flesh is very delicious\nfood. They generally produce two young at a\ntime ; and sit upon their hind feet when they\ngive them suck. The skins olf these animals are\nvery useful to the Natives, for clotting. They\ndress them, with the hair on; and sew a sufficient number of them together, to make a garment, as large as a blanket, which they wrap\naround their bodies.\nThe racoon is an animal never foundi farther\nnorth, than about latitude forty eight. It is considerably smaller than a beaver, with legs and\nfeet resembling this animal. The legs are short\nin proportion to the body, which is like that of a\nbadger. It has a head like that of a fox ; but\nwith ears shorter, rounder, and more naked. The\nhair is thick, long, soft and black at the ends, like\nthat of a fox. On the face there is a broad stripe,\nthat runs across it, which includes the eyes, which\nare large. The tail is long and round, with annular stripes .upon it, like those of a cat. The feet\nhave five slender t^es, armed with sharp claws,\nby which it is enabled to climb trees. It feeds\nitself with its fore feet, as with hands. The flesh\n ACCOUNT OF ANIMALS.\n429\nof this animal is very good, in the months of Sep-\n^pimber and October, when fruit and nuts, on which\nit likes to feed, are found in plenty.\nThe martin is some larger than a* squirrel,\nwhich it resembles in shape, excepting that its\nlegs and claws are considerably shorter. In the\ndarkness of the night, the eyes have a shining\nappearance, like those of a cat. It has short\nears, which are of a roundish shape. The whole\nbody is covered with a thick fur, which in a\nmild climate, isfof a yellowish colour; but in\nthe colder regions of the north, it becomes of\na dark brown, and, in some instances, is nearly\nblack. The skins, which have this dark coloured fur, are much more valuable than the others. The tail is covered with long hair ; and\nunder the neck, even of those of the darkest\ncolour, there is a small spot, of a yellowish cast.\nThe flesh of this animal has a rank, disagreeable taste ; and is, therefore seldom eaten.\nThe muskrat, which receives its name from\nthe musk that it affords, resembles the beaver,\nin every respect excepting its size, which is little larger than the badger. It builds for itself\na cabin in marshy places, at no great distance\nfrom some water: and Jffeeds on roots, herbs,\nmice and fisb5 which it finds dead, on the margin of lakes and streams. In the spring, these\nanimals leave their huts, as they are built in\n 3*\n430\nACCOUNTTOF ANIMALS.\nIf\nplaces so low, that they ^are generally, at that\nseason, overflowed by water. During the summer months, they have no fixed residence: but\nare found in different places, among the grass.\nAs the winter approaches, they erect new huts,\nin which they pass the winter. Carver is surely\nmistaken when he states, that 'they winter in hollow trees, without any sustenance, and that, in\nthe summer, they feed on raspberries, strawberries and other kinds of fruit.\nIn the North West country, there are only three\nkinds of squirrels, which are the red, the striped\nan&l^eMying. The black and grey squirrel, seldom W$' fart her north, than latitude forty five\nor six.*\nThe beaver has been so frequently and so minutely described, and his sagacity, ingenuity and industry are so well known, that a very particular account of this animal, in this place, would be superfluous. As some other animals, in the foregoing\ndescription, have been compared with the beaver,\nit may be necessary to state, that his weight' is\nusually about sixty pounds : that his body is about\nfour feet in length, and that his legs are short,\nparticularly his fore-legs,, which are not more than\nfour or five inches in length. His fore feet are\narmed with claws, and his hind feet are furnished with a web or membrane between the toes,\nfor the convenience of swimming, as he is an amphi-\n ACCOUNT OF ANIMALS.\n431\nbioui animal. His fore-teeth stand obliquely,\nprojecting forward out of his mouth, and are\nbroad, crooked and sharp. His incisors, or side\nteeth, are firmly set and sharp, and his grinders\nare very strong. By means of these teeth, he is\nable to cut down considerable trees, and to\nbreak the hardest substances. The ordinary\ncolour of the beaver is brown, which becomes\ndarker in the northern, and lighter in the more\nsouthern latitudes. The>number of beavers in\nthe North West country, is continually diminishing. The skins of ihis animal constitute, with the .\nNatives, the principal article of trade; and the\nprice oi other things is computed, by comparing\nthepr with a beaver skin.\nThe otter is an amphibious animal, bearing-\nsome resemblance to the beaver, and yet in many\nrespects, differing from it. His body is, in every\npart, less than that of the beaver, though it is\nnearly as long. His teeth are different, being in\nshape like those of a dog or wolf. The hair\nof the otter is not more than half the length of\nthe beaver; and in some parts particularly under the neck, stomach and belly, is more greyish.\nThis animal, when closely pursued, will not only\ndefend himself; but he will attack dogs and even\nmen. His food consists of roots and fish; and\nhis flesh tastes and smells of the latter, and is not\nvery palatable food. H|\n 432\nACCOUNT OF ANIMALS.\nThe mink is of the otter kind,' and subsists\non similar food, and resembles this animal in nfeij\ncolour. In shape and size, it bears a strong resemblance to the martin; but its hair is much\nshorter. A musky scent proceeds from this animal. It is generally found along small rivers.\nThe following catalogue of animals, will exhibit the comparative value of the furs, which\nare annually purchased and exported to the civilized parts of the world, by the North West Company. The animal is first mentioned, the skins of\nwhich will amount to the greatest sum ; and so on,\nin order, to' the last, the skins of which, will\namount to the smallest sum,\u00E2\u0080\u0094Beaver, otter, musk-\nrat, martin, bear, fox, lynx, fisher, mink, wolf, buffaloe.\nThe following catalogue will exhibit the comparative weight of the skins, of the different animals, which are annually purchased and exported, as above mentioned.-\u00E2\u0080\u0094Beaver, martin, musk-\nrat, bear, otter, wolf, buffaloe, lynx, &c.\nEND.\n toi:iii^.iii\nPurchased....\nFrom\nPlace of Purchase....V/.GlaX-C\u00C2\u00BB\nPrice\n "@en . "Other copies: http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/184744235"@en . "Books"@en . "FC3212.1 .H37 1820"@en . "II-0245"@en . "10.14288/1.0305702"@en . "English"@en . "Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library"@en . "Andover : Flagg and Gould"@en . "Images provided for research and reference use only. For permission to publish, copy, or otherwise distribute these images please contact\u00A0digital.initiatives@ubc.ca."@en . "Original Format: University of British Columbia. Library. Rare Books and Special Collections. FC3212.1 .H37 1820"@en . "Indians of North America--Canada"@en . "Cree language--Dictionaries"@en . "Cree language materials--Bilingual"@en . "Carrier language"@en . "Northwest, Canadian--Description and travel"@en . "A journal of voyages and travels in the interiour of North America, between the 47th and 58th degrees of north latitude, extending from Montreal nearly to the Pacific Ocean, a distance of about 5,000 miles, including an account of the principal occurrences, during a residence of nineteen years, in different parts of the country. To which are added, a concise description of the face of the country, its inhabitants, their manners, customs, laws, religion, etc. and considerable specimens of the two languages, most extensively spoken; together with an account of the principal animals, to be found in the forests and prairies of this extensive region. Illustrated by a map of the country"@en . "Text"@en .