•^1 IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // '^ 1.0 I.I |50 ■^* .If m ■■ !!■ Ii£ 112.0 M I!!'! 2.2 1.8 1.25 1.4 II'-* ^ 6" — ► .% w 7 % y ^^ >^ Photographic Sciences Corporation 4 \ <^^' signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbole V signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed rt different reduction ratios. Those too large .o be entirely included in one exposure are film<»d beginning in the uppei left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent §tre filmds d des taux de reduction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clichd, il est filmd d partir de I'angle supdrieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 • 6 f NARRATIVE OF THE ARCTIC LAND EXPEDITION TO TIIK SIOfTU Ol- THE GREAT FISH RIVER, A Nil ALONG THE SHORES OF THE ARCTIC OCEAN, IN THE YEARS 1833, 1834, AND 1835 J CAPTAIN BACK, R.N. " COMMANDRR or THE EXPEDITION. ILLUSTRATED BY A MAP AND PLATES. LONDON: JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET. MDCCCXXXVI, I V k..'> 135469 bA cK Lr, London : Piinted by A. Spottiswoodk, Now. Street- Square. m I TO THK RIGHT HONOURABLE THE EARL OF RIPON. m My Lord, Your Lordship was Secretary of State for the Colonies when the Expedition of which the following is the Narrative was organised : and to your good Offices, and liberal Subscription in its favour, the success of the project was at that time mainly due. I have ventured, in conse- quence, to dedicate to you the Volume • and am most happy in being thus enabled to express some part of the sincere respect with which I have the honour v., be, My Lord, Your Lordship's most obedient and very humble Servant, George Back. ■^ M COXIKXTS. I'liKMMINAHV ClIAI'Tlill Mage I ■*!!' CHAPTKlf I. i)f |)artLii-f from Knglaiul. _ Arrival at Montreal. — Pre- parations for the Expedition.— Fire at the Hotel. — De- parture fro... La Chine. — The .St. Lawrence. — The Ottawa. — Lake Huron. — Tiie Saiilt de Ste. ALnrie. — Arrival at Fort William. _ Distribution of the Loadings. — The .Mountain Fall. — Lae de la Fh.ie. — Arrival "at Fort Alexander. — Magnetic ()bservatiassage. — Leave the Ah-hel.dessy.— A Bear killed. - Ridiculous Story. — March resumed. — Desolate Scenery. — A Deer shot. — Tormented by Sand-flies. — Anecdote of Sir John [ranklin.- Meeting with Mr. M^Leod, by an unexpected Route - - . ij , r/^ Page 1 56 CHAP. vn. "Le grand jeune Homme." — Trade with the Indians.— Sunday. — Mr. King arrives, with two Bateaux. _ Per- formed a Surgical Operation. — Discomforts of an Indian Canoe. — Conduct of the Party. — Erection of new Dwell- ing. — Arrival of Indians. — Their Policy. — Aged In- dian Woman. -Starving Visitors. - Case of Revenge for Inhospitality. _ The Thlew-ee-choh described. _ Observ- atory. _ Strange Appearance of the Aurora Pouring in of the Indians. - Superstitious Fancies. _ Shortness of tood. _ Domiciled in the new Building, named Fort Re- liance.- Supplies again fail. — Akaitcho. _ Discharge of De C'""16it and Two Iroquois; also, of La Charit.!' — Gloom of the Indians. - Story of a young Hunter. _ Breach of Indian Law. — Death of the old Woman — Christmas-day. - Short Allowance. - Experim -nts. - Ex- cessive Cold. - Arrival of Mr. M^Leod. - Barbarous Atrocity. — Revolting Story of an Indian - - 183 CHAP. vin. Exemplary Conduct of Akaitcho. - Mr. McLeod and his Kamily leave us. _ Arrival of Maufelly. - Supply of Deer- Hesh. - Misunderstanding between Akaitcho and the In- terpreter. - Preparation for building Two Boats. - Mr M^Leodsill Success. -Strange Conduct of Two Indians.- VIII CON'l'KN IS. Suj)l)l} of Food. — Distressing- Condition ot' .Mr. .M'Lcnd. — lleturn of Mr. King's I'tU'ty. — News from York V.w- tory. — Uncertain Fate of Augustus. — Presence of Two Ravens. — Ravens shot by an Iro((uois. N ews troni El iiiiaiK 1. — 1) iscliartre o liree M en. Alteration of Plans. — Appi'aranee of Birds. — Adventures by .Mr. King. — Arrival of .Mr. M'Leod. — Anxiety about Wil- liamson. — Sultry Weather. — Melancholy Fate of Au- gustus - . _ . Page 2'.')] CHAP. I\. Reflections. — Halt tor the Niglit. — March resumed. — Obstacles encountered. — The iioats finished. — Eastern Shore of Artilh'ry Lake. — Pursue the Track of Mr. M'Leod. — Two Deer shot. — Stunted Pines. — Encamp- ment.— Difficulty in tracing our IJoute. — News from Mr. M'Leod. — A Snow Storm. — Fires lighted on the Mills. — Accident to Peter Taylor. — Deviate from our Course. — Accident to James Spence. — I'oistcrous Weather. — Plunder of a Cache. — I'ind the runaway CJuides. — The lee unsafe. — Enter upon Lake Aylnier. — A dense F'og. — Sand-hill Vniy. — Judicial Investigation. — Animals. — .Musk-o\ Ivapid. — - .Join Mr. M'Leod. — Survey of the River. — Indians return with the Pennuican. — Stock of Provisions .An Iniiian Relle. — A Reindeer Hunt '2,3G CIIAl'. .\. Instructions to Mr. M'Leod upon our Separation. — Meet with Akaitcho. — His Lodge. — Imminent Danger to the Boat. — Akaitcho's friendly Caution. — Embarkation. — Heavy Storms. — Our Crew. — Geological Features of the Country. — Obstructions from the Ice. — Perils from a Series of Rapids. — Plunder of a Bag of Pennuican. — Obstacles on our Passage, huntinu;. — Observations. l5oisterous Weather. — Deer Deviation oi' the River. — CD NTT, NTS. l\ Di'solate Scenery. — Detained by the lee Cascades. — Laiiil-niaiks. — Contraction of the Kivcr. — Baillie's Kiver. — Flocks of Cieese. — Tact requisite in Connnand. — Precipitous Uocks. — A Fox. — F^squiniaux Marks. — Hullen River. — A Storm. — Lake Pelly. — Conjectures of an Indian. — Encampment. — View of the Country. — Further Obstructions. — Observations. — Lake Garry Page ^09 the of CHAP. XL Gigantic Boulders. — Danger from the Rapids. — Course of the River. — Lake Macdougall. — Hazardous Passage. — Sinclair's Falls. — Nortlierly Bend of the River. — Mount Meadowbank. •— Altitude of the Rocks. — The Trap Form- ation. — M*^KayV Peak. — Lake FVanklin. — Extrica- tion from Peril. — Sluggishness of the Compass. — Esqui- maux. — Portrait of a Female. — Victoria Headland. — Mouth of the Thlew-ee-choh. — Cockburn Bay. — Point Backhouse. — Irby and Mangles' Bay. — Point Beaufort. Our Progress arrested. — Montreal Island. — A Musk Ox killed. — Birds on the Island. — Elliot Bay. — M<=Kay, etc. sent along the Coast. — Esquimaux Encampment. — Cape Hay. — Point Ogle. — Progress obstructed by the Ice. — A Piece of Drift-wood found. — Ross Island. — Dis- coveries by Mr. King. — Magnetic Observations. — Point Richardson. — Point Hardy. — Conjectures as to a N. W. Passage and Channel to Regent's Inlet - - 353 ei't Ithe Ithe a :er CHAP. XII. Exhilarating Influence of a Hunting Excursion. — Removal of the Esquimaux. — Leave them a Bag of Pemmican. — Accident to the Roat. — Inundation of the Country. — Discovery of Esquimaux. — Wise Man of the Tribe. — Critical Position in the Rapids. — A Storm. — Ad- venture of a Lemming Encamp at Musk-ox Rapid. — Meeting with Mv. M'Leod. ~ Fate of Williamson. — 'I'he a CONTENTS. Yellow Knives. — Encamp on Artillery Lake. — Reach the Ah-hel-dessy. — Depart for Montreal. - The Sau- teaux Indians. — Successor a Missionary at Sault Ste. MariL. — Return to England.— Conclusion - Page 428 APPENDIX. No. I. — Zoological Remarks, by Dr. John Ricliardson 475 II. — List of Plants collected by Mr. Richard King, during the Progress of the Expedition - 523 III. — Arciculata. Catalogue of Arachnida and Insects collected by Mr. King . . 532 IV. —Geological Notice of the New Country passed over in Captain Back's Expedition, by Dr. W. K. Fitton . . . _ "^^^ V Meteorological Table, arranged from the Registers kept at Fort Reliance, by Captain Back and Mr. King - . , 563 VL — Table of the Temperature of Animals, Birds, Fish, Trees, and Earth, at different Times and Places! arranged by Mr. King - . 59Q VII. — On the Aurora Borealis . . - 595 VIII. — Magnetical Observations . . ^25 IX Table of Latitudes, Longitudes, and Variations 6.S4 X.- Letter from W. Smith, Esq., Secretary to the Hudson's Bay Company, to Angus Bethune, Esq., Chief Factor at Sault St. Mar^ 's - - 6.'i5 List of Subscribeus to 1 inc Aunu Land Exi'edition IN SEARCH OF CaPI.-UN Ross - . . fj.jf^ . t Keach J Sau- t Ste. e 428 1 475 King, 523 isects 532 I over V. K. 543 isters : and 563 Fish, lacest 590 595 625 634 the Esq., 6ti5 rioN 638 Direcfionsfor plaving the Plates. Halt Plains North Shore of Great Slave Lake IJeverley's Falls, Mouth of Hoar Frost Uiver I*t)rtage in Hoar Frost Uiver Sussex Lake, Source of the Thlew-ee-choh-dezetli - Crossing Lake Aylmer - . . . Interview with tl;e Esquimaux of the Thlew-ec-choh- dezeth Esquimaux of the Thlew-ee-ehoh-dezeth Victoria Headland, Mouth of the Thlew-ee-choh-dezeth Montreal Island, View to seaward Thunder Storm near Point Ogle Western View from near Mount Barrow Anderson's Falls Fish . . ■ " Map of the Roulc, .^c. at the end. 80 98 112 116 292 378 384 890 398 408 422 450 518 NARRATIVE OF A JOURXKY TO THE SHOllES or THE ARCTIC SEA. I'RELIJIINAKY CHAPTER. E.'UiLY i„ tlie year 1 83a ti.e protmcted absence of Captain (now Sir Join,) Il„.,», wIk, i.ad sailed .n imj to tl,e l>olai- regions, and had not after- wards been board of; beean.e tbe subject of general and anxious conversation. A report even reached Italy, where I happened to be, t'lat he and his adventurous companions had pensile,! ; but. having ascertained that there was no other ground tbr this rununn- than the nncertan.ty of their iate, I shortly afterwards fastened to Kngland, ,vith the intention of otter- ing to Government n,yse, vices to conduct an expedition in search of them. On my arrival, in June 1S32, I was informed 2 ' RKLIMIXARY CIIAPTEIl. that my friend and former companion, Doctor Ricliardson, had already made an application to the same effect ; but that his offer, for various reasons, not having- been accepted, he had, in consequence, as I was given to under- stand, relinquished the idea. I was further in- formed, however, by ish\ Beverly, who had been the companion of Sir E. l*arry in his perilous journey over the ice from Sj)itzbergen towards the Pole, that Mr. lloss (brother of Sir John, and father of Ca))tain James Ross) was anxious to find an officer properly qualified to undertake the conduct of a ])arty through America, on the plan proposed by Doctor Richardson ; which, not having been adopted by the Government, liad been presented for consideration to other quarters. I proceeded, therefore, without loss of time to Mr. Ross, who read to me a petition which lie was about to send to the King, praying his Majesty's gracious sanction to the immediate despatch of an expedition for rescuing, or at least ascertaining the fate of, his son and brother ; and my name being forthwith inserted as the proposed leader of the expedition, this petition was for- warded through Lord Goderich, then Secretary for the Colonies. The interval before an answer could be returned was employed in collecting PKEL1MIX.M;v CIl.lI'TKl!. 3 information, and o,-gnnising the necessary co- operafon. I„ tl.is I was warmly seconded and efhcently aided by „,a„y scntlemen wl.ose opmions and assistance were most vakiable, and more especially by Xid.olas Garry, Ksq., the Depnty (,o^er„or of tl,e Ilndson's Bay Com- pany Captains Beaufort and Maconocliie, Doc tor K.cbardson, and George IJaillie, Ksq. I addressed, moreover, on tlieSIst of Aim-ust a letter to the Geographical Society, explai,dng ,U Views, and reqneslingthat they might be recom- rnended to the favourable consideration of Mr. Hay, Under .Secretary for the Colonic;, and a member of that Society. It is gratifying to idd, that the .support of ih: Hay was zealously afforded ; and, .shortly after>vards, the following letter was sent to Mr Koss : — " Do\vnin<; Street, «< v^jp '^^f'l August, ]lly employed in aid of the expedition, v, ere soon lost to the Com- mittee, in consequence of his appointment to the command on the West India station. But his place was condescendingly supplied by his Royal Highness, the Duke of Sussex, who was pleased to become Vice Patron and Chair- man. INIr. George Ross also having resigned his situation as honorary secretary, and turned his attention to the object of getting up an expedition by sea for the same benevolent pur- pose, his place was taken by Robert M'CuUoch, PRELIMINAIIY CHAPTER. liiir- led led an lur- Esq., a cousin of Captain Ross, and tlius not less interested in the success of the scheme than Mr. Ross himself. It was gratifying to observe, in tlie rapid ac- cumulation of our fluids, tlie liveUness of the pubhc sympathy in this disinterested project. No obstacle, therefore, was to be anticipated from want of means, and the pre))arations went on with increased confidence. In furtherance of the communications which were made by Dr. Richardson, the Governor and Directors of the Hudson's liay Company had already despatched directions to their agents in America, apprising them that such an expedition might be expected in the following spring, and directing the neces- sary preparations to be made for it ; and now, besides generously placing at our disposal I'JO bags of pemmican, two boats and two canoes, these gentlemen suggested, with equal liberality siud considerateness, the expediency of taking it under the especial protection of the Company, by issuing a commission under their seal to me as its Commander. Gladly, as may be supposed, did I avail myself of so important an offer, well know- ing, from past experience, that the co-operation of all parties throughout their extensive territory would by this means be effectually secured. The expedition w^as to consist of two officers and eighteen men ; part of whom, including two B 4 8 PUKLnilNAHV (HAPTI'.n. good boat carpenters, were to be engaged in this country, — ami part in Canada, — men who should be inured to fatigue, and well accustomed to the duties they would have to perform, l^'rom Montreal it was projjosed that the ordinary route of the fur traders should be followed bv the Ottawa, French River, the Great Lakes, Lake Winni])eg, &c. to (ireat Slave Lake ; from whence Indians were to be employed as guides and hunters to accom])any the })arty to the banks of the Thlew-ee-choh-desseth, or Great Fish River, which, according to the testimony of the Indians, lay to the eastward of the Lake, and might be approached by an intervening chain of smaller lakes and ])ortages. The winter resi- dence, for which, from a reference to Hcarne's Journey, it seemed so well adapted, was to be there establisiied ; and in the mean while a de- taclnnent of eight men, well armed, was to pro- ceed in advance with me, without loss of time, to explore the river in a light canoe. As it neces- sarily flowed through the barren lands which are of nearly equal elevation with the country north of P^ort Enter})rise, it was to be expectv^d that its course, like the descent of the Coppermine river, W'Ould be interrupted by rapids or cascades ; and tliese the canoe excursion wcjld enable me to survey, so that, on my return to the winter establishment, we might construct boats com- bining the qualities requisite for both the river PIUILIMIVARY CIIAl'TEn. ne s 3 be de- ro- ,to es- are rth its er, les ; Ime iter )m- er and sea navii>ation. As far, also, as the season ^vould permit, my visit to the sea mie })hice where tlie 'I'hlew-ee-choh- dessetli nii,i;ht fall into thoca, that the coast line between Point Turnagain and the known land to the eastward might be satisfactorily ascer- tained, and thus another stej) made towards the determination of that interesting problem — the northern limits of America. For all these ])urposes, I was provided with a variety of astronomical ii.struments, including a dipping neetlle by Dollond, and a diurnal variation instrument by Jones ; which latter was al,-,o to be used to obtain the effect produced on the needle by the aurora borealis. I had also one of Professor Han- steen's instruments, besides three chronometers lent by the Admiralty. Guns and other neces- sary materials were furnished by the Committee ; who, that nothing might be omitted which could at all contribute to our comfort, ordered also a plen'iifnl provision of cocoa and macaroni, than which few things are better suited to such undertakings, and of which such was our eco- nomical expenditure, that some portion even returned with us to Montreal. His most gracious Majesty, the patron of the expedition, having commanded my attendance at Brighton, I had the honour to explain the 12 PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. plans and })rospects of the service, with the means adopted to guard against privation, and to secure the })arty from those disasters to which they might otherwise be subject; and I had the higli gratification of receiving tlie royal approbation of these ])lans, and a gracious ex- pression of sincere desire for the safety of my party. Their Royal Highnesses tlie I'Juchess of Kent and Princess Victoria also received a deputa- tion, consisting of A'ice Admiral Sir (icorge Cockburn, Captains Beechey and Maconochie, with myself, for the ])urpose of pointing out on the chart the line of the ])roposed route, sub- mitting, at the same time, a sketch of the intended proceedings; — on which occasion their Royal Highnesses evinced a truly benevolent interest in the expedition.* Nor was the Duke of Sussex less solicitous to forward tlie undertaking, as I had the bono . to receive a letter from his Royal * Besides being liberal subscribers to the expedition, their Royal Highnesses sent me, some days afterwards, a pocket compass and a case of mathematical instruments, as a con- tribution to its scientific equipment; and I shall not attempt to describe the enthusiasm which these tokens of the interest taken by them in our benevolent mission afterwards created, not only in British North America, but also in the United States. It will be seen in a future part of my Narrative, that this compass, from its extreme delicacy, became after- wards of essential service. PUKL r -AI IXAIl Y CHAPTER. 13 Plighness, recommendino^ me to the attentions of Doctor Hossack, a srientific gentleman at New York. Finally, it was deemed expedient, on many accounts, but more especially to give me ad- ditional authority over the men whom I might engage for the service, that my mission should be taken under the direction of his Majesty's Govennnent ; and accordingly I received from the Secretary of State for the Colonies the follow- ing instructions : — " Sir, " Colonial Office, Downing Street, 1th February, ]S33. *' The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty having been i)leased to lend your services to this office, that you may conduct an expedition now l)reiKiring to i)roceed to the Polar Sea in search of Captain Ross, you are hereby recpiired and directed to undertake this service, placing your- self for the purj)ose at the disposition of the Governor and Committee of the Hudson's Bay Com])any, who have undertaken to furnish you with the requisite resources and supplies. " "i on are tc leave Liverj)ool early in the present month, and proceed with your party by way of New York to Montreal, and thence along the usual route i)ursued by the north-west 14 PIIELI3IINARY CIIAPTEU. traders to Great Slave Lake, wliich it is hoped you will reach by the 2Uth of July. You are then to strike off to the north-eastward, or in sucli other direction as you may ascertain to be most expedient, in order to gain the Thlew- ee-choh-desseth, or Great Fisii lliver, which is be- lieved eitiier to issue from Slave Lake, or to rise in its vicinity, and thence to flow with a navigable course to the northward, till it reaches the sea. On arriving on the banks of this river, you are to select i. convenient situation for a winter residence, and immediately aj)point a portion of your force to erect a house thereon ; but, if possible, you are to ])roceed yourself, with an adequate party, and exph)re the river to the coast the same season, erecting a conspicuous land-mark at its mouth, and leaving notice of your intention to return the ensuing spring, in case Captain Ross shoukl be making progress along this part of the shore. " You are to take care, however, to return before the commencement of the winter, to avoid any undue exposure of your men. Dur- iui:^ the winter you are to construct two boats, ca})able, in your o))inion, of navigating the Polar Sea ; and as early as ])ossible in the en- suing spring you are to descend again to its shores. " Ycur proceedings afterwards must be much PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. 15 ^oats, the en- its mch ^1 I guided by your own judgment. The first ob- ject wi''. be to reach Cape Garry, A'here his Majesty's late ship Fury was wrecked; on the remainino" stores of wl)ich it is known tlia<- Captain Ross In some measure rehed : but in making for this, whetlier by the east or wcit, you must be governed by .";e position of the mouth of the river, and otlier local circum- stances, as you progressively ascertain tiitm. *' AVhile passing along the coast, you are to keep a vigilant look-out upon the shore for any signal or indication of the party of which you are in search (particularly at the entrance of the Hecla and Fury Strait, should you take the eastern passage) ; and in the event of your meeting them, previous to your arrival at Cape Garry, you are to offer to return immediately, and bring them with you to the Hudson's Bay settlements. Or should you rind any indication of their having been on any part of the coast before your arrival, you are to search minutely for some memorial which may lead to the dis- covery of their intentions ; and to proceed, in the event of success, in whatever })racticable direction may seem best calculated to lead you to them. " Devoting the summer, then, to the interest- ing search in contemplation, it is unnecessaiy to recommend to you to make it as effectual as 16 PRELIM IXAItV CIIAl'TF.K, possible, consistently with u due regard for the health and preservation of your party. But, whatever may be its prospects or success, you are on no account to prolong it beyond such a period of the year (varying from the 12th to the 20th of August, according to the distance which you may have attained) as will insure your return to your winter quarters before the severe weather sets in. On your acting in this particular with due caution may depend the eventual success of the whole expedition. On your return to your temporary establishment, you are carefully to examine the state of your supplies ; if possible, also, communicating with Great Slave Lake, to ascertain whether additional stores are there collected for you. And if you find that you can, with reasonable prudence, devote a second summer to the service on which you are engaged, you are hereby required and directed to do so ; but if not, you are to return to England in the following spring. " Subordinate to your object of finding Captain Ross, or any survivors or survivor of his party, you are to direct your attention to mapping what yet remains iniknown of the coasts which you will visit, and making such other scientific ob- servations as your leisure will admit ; for which purposes the requisite instruments will be supplied to you. But you are not for such objects to deviate PIlKLLMINAilV CHAPTEU. 17 from your principal jjursuit, until you shall have either succeecled in its accomplishment, or satis- factorily ascertained that its success is impossible. " lou are, during your absence, to embrace any opportunities that may offer ofcorrespondincr with this Office, and report your arrival here on your return. " I Jiave tile lionour to be, Sir, " Your obedient servant, „ /^, , . „ " GoDKlilCH." (Mjiftiiii George Buck, /?. jV. '•il. lieKciit Street." .Strengthened by this authority, as well as by the co„,m,s.,.or, fron, the Hudson's liayCompany wh,eh orck-red e^x-ry assistanee to be rendered l', by tl,e d.fterent offieer.s in their territories, there now wanted only an effieient medical nnm to take n/.lV'l'r"'''''^''"'^-- Tins was found !" '^''- ^^"=''""1 I^'»g. wlio, having in the first ...stance volunteered his services: was sub ' quontly engaged, at a salary, as surgeon and natura St to the expedition. Threelen ol (twoo whom were carpenters and shipwrigiS iiLi cartel be seen, were solorforl «;fi c Ainnfrn..! V , stiected either from Monnea, or from the Company's posts in the To present at one view the objects, purpose, c 18 PRELIiMINARY CHAPTER. and direction of the service, the execution of wliich is narrated in tlie following pages, it will be pro})er to mention here, that exactly one year after our de})arture from Canada, by a despatch which had been forwarded with the most praise- worthy diligence by the Hudson's Bay Company *j I received the happy intelligence of Captain Ross's providential return, communicated in the following letter from Sir Charles Ogle, Ba- ronet : — '' Arctic Land Expedition. " 21. Regent Street, 22(1 Oct. 1833. (( Sir, *' I have much pleasure in acquainting you, on the part of tlie Committee for managing your expedition, tliat Captain Ross and the survivors of his party retiu*ncd to England a few days ago, in a whaler, w^hich })icked them up in Barrow Straits ; and that thus one object of your expedition is happily attained. *' In concert, therefore, with his Majesty's Government (though the signature of the Se- cretary of State for the Colonies cannot be * The extraordinary expedition with which tliis despatch was transmitted is worthy of being recorded ; and I liave, therefore, in the Appendix, given a i'iiw particulars which will be interestinsjr to the reader. % i PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. 19 spatcli liave, which ■'A Tl" •* immediately ])rocured, in vconsequence of his absence from town), you are liereby directed to turn your wliole attention to your second object, viz. completing the coast line of the north- eastern extremity of America. You will observe, from the enclosed abstract of Captain Ross's pro- ceedings, that this, also, is become an object of comparatively easy acquisition. By proceeding first to Point Tiu'nagain, and thence eastward to an obelisk in about ()[)° 3?' N- and 98° lO'W., which marks the termination of Captain Ross's progress, — or, vice vermy by proceeding first to this obelisk, and thence westward, — it is believed that you may accomplish all that is now wanting in one season. But even should this prove im- possible, and you find that a second season on the coast is desirable, I believe that I may confi- dently assure you that the means will be ob- tained for that purpose. '* Your choice of routes will of course depend on the point where the Thlew-ee-choh joins the sea ; on which head, therefore, the Committee has few or no observations to offer. If, as Governor Simpson imagines, it falls into Ba- th urst's Inlet, and is identical with Back's River there, you will of course proceed thence to the eastward; or if any branch of it, or any other river you may meet with, turn decidedly to the westward or eastward, the Committee would 0) 20 i»iu;liminauy ciiaptkk. rather recommend your eiuleiivoiiriiig- in this case to start from one or other extremity. But beyond this it can offer no hints. " I cannot conclude, however, witliout ear- nestly recommending to you, in its name and tliat of all the subscribers to and promoters of your expedition, to be careful not to ex})ose yourself and men to unnecessary hazard. The satisfjiction which we all experience in receiving Captain Ross again is very great ; but it will be much impaired by any casualties in your expedition. " I have the honour to be. Sir, " Your obedient hinnble servant, " Charles Ogle, Chairman. t " P. S. --As we are not yet quite certain of obtaining funds for a third year (although rea- sonably confident that his Majesty's Govern- ment will, if necessary, supply them), you will be entirely guided, with regard to it, by further in- structions which will be forwarded to you in the course of next season, and which you will receive on your return to your winter quarters. " C. O." fsf The instructions alluded to were never sent, and, had they been so, would have been unavail- able. For, first, the difficulties already encoun- tered had by that time proved, that any further IMtKJJMINAUY CHAPTER. Qi lO." sent, uivail- Icoun- lirther attempt by the Tlilcw-ee-clioh would be as rash as its result would be fruitless ; secondly, the hoj)e of crossing the country direct to Bathurst's Inlet, or in any other direction lead- ing towards Point Turnagain, had long been relinquished, in consequence of the unanimous testimony of the Indians, as to the insurmount- able obstacles that would oppose the transport of canoes, and even the requisite provision for so long and arduous a journey. The whole of the streams west of the Thlew-ce-choh, within the knowledge of the Indians, are its tributaries, and are too shallow and rapid, and too much inter- rupted with rocks and other dangerous obstruc- tions, to be navigable in any thing larger than a small canoe. There remained, therefore, but one way of })enetrating to the sea, viz. by travers- ing the intervening mountains ; and this, with such boats or canoes as woidd carry even the very limited number of men that composed my party, was totally im})racticable. Had I not been fully convinced of this, I should, hi the hope of accomplishing one of the great objects of my niission, liave undoubtedly ventured to remain out another season, even though such an act had not received the sanction of the Com- mittee. The other points of my instructions were followed up to the host of ni}- ability, as, it is (■ ^i 2v> I'RELIMINARY CHAPTER. luimbly hoped, will be demonstrated in the nar- rative wliicli follows. I cannot, however, close this preliminary state- ment, without conveying the public expression of my thanks to Mr. Richard King, for his uni- form attention to the health of the j)arty, and the readiness with which he assisted me in all cases where his services were required. To him the merit is due of whatever collections have been made in natural history, as well as of the preparation of a table of the temperatures of animals, &c. &c. To the invaluable services of Mr. II. M*Leod, the narrative itself bears ample testimony ; yet I must be permitted to indulge my own feel- ings, by offering to him here the tribute of my gratitude and esteem, for the zeal, courage, constancy, and ability which he displayed in emergencies and trials of no ordinary kind. The men, also, and particularly those who ac- companied me to the sea, were admirably quali- fied for the service they undertook, and are entitled :o my warmest commendations for their general conduct. Nor can I withhold especial notice of the three artillery-men who accom- })anied me from Montreal ; their behaviour furnishing an instructive and useful example to the others, and fully according with the high and generous feeling which induced them first to engage in the expedition. I'UKLI.MINAUY CIIAl'TLIl. OJ Numerous, indeed, are the obligations wliicli I am under to ii multitude of excellent persons, both in England and America, who either gave or offered assistance at different stages of the enter- prise. A particular and circumstantial acknow- ledgment of all these is impossible ; but my EnglisJi friends, I am sure, will fo,-give me for making one excej)tion. After the fire at Montreal, by which our hotel was consumed, a rumour having got abroad that all the instru- ments, &c. belonging to the expedition were dc- stroyed, I received, not long afterwards, the lollowing communication : — high "Albany, April 29.1833. ** My dear Sir, " We have just heard of the destruction of the iiritish American Hotel, and it is reported you have suffered loss. Under these circumstances, permit one of your American J nemln to offer to do any thmg for you in Iiis power, by way of iiEPLAciNG any articles at Iiis own expense. " Any thing I can do for you it will give me pleiisure to do, on hearing from you. With sincere regard, " Yours very truly, *' (In haste,) c i< u IMl !•: L I M I N ;\ II Y C I r A I'T H IJ . 4 Any comment on a letter so honourable to the liberal and public-s])irited writer would be su})erfluous. Such a generous act will be duly estimated by every English reader. To my friend Dr. Richardson I owe a large debt of gratitude for many most useful sug- gestions, and for iiis friendl)' aid in general. The public also is his debtor, not only for the valuable matter contained in the fourth Chapter, but also for the exposition of the Natural His- tory which is found in the Appendix. Nor are my obligations less to Professor Chris- tie, of Woolwich, for his valuable assistance in selecting some of the instruments, and for his examination and analysis of the results of the observations made with them. I am also indebted to Professor Hooker, J. G. Children, Esq., and Dr. Fitton, for their kind assistance in different departments of science. Of the great and unappreciable service afforded by the Governor, De})uty (lovernor, and Di- rectors of the Hudson's Bay Company, I have already spoken ; but I should be indeed ungrate- ful, if I were not to acid that their benevolent intentions were zealously fulfilled, and their ju- dicious arrangements carried into complete effect by Mr. Simpson, the resident Governor, and the various officers in the scrxice of the Company. Those who reflect how much, if not how en- 1 i'Hi:li.minaiiy chai'Tku. 25 'A )rded Di- luive jrate- olcnt 1 r ju- 3ffect f lI the )any. ■f ' en- tircly, tlic success of an expedition like that which 1 had the honour to connnand must neces- sarily liave depended on the aid and co-operation of these tcentlemen, will feel how incumbent it is on me to acknovvledi^e, as I now do, with sin- cere and fervent gratitude, the })rompt attention, the ready assistance, and the provident care for our wants, manifested by all and each of them in their respective departments. Thus, for the com})lete and effective arrangements at Montreal I am indebted to Mr. James Keith, the agent of the C'ompany at La Chine. At Norway House, chief factors Christie, Cameron, Rowand, and Lewis rendered me important service in the procuring of a crew, and suggested whatever useful information their experience and know- ledge of the country enabled them to supply. 13v Mr. Christie, indeed, the whole of the winter stock was forwarded to the establishment at Fort Ueliance. Neither can I pass over in silence the efficient and valuable services of chief factors Charles, Smith, Stuart, and ]\I 'Kcnzie, Sen.; of Mr. I). Ross at the depot of Norway House; Messrs. 1). M'LitosJi, Miles, Hargravcs, and M 'Murray, chief traders ; and of Messrs. Hutchinson, Rris- lois, and Clouston, clerks. The frank and hos- })itable kindness which was shown by all to myself personally will never be forgotten by me, and is entitled to tiiis ])ublic acknowlediinient. 26 PIIELIMINAIIY CHAPTER. The courtesy of His Excellency Lord Ayl- nier, and the gratifying attentions of the worthy citizens of Montreal and New York, are of course to be attributed ratlier to their benevo- lent sympathy with the main purpose of the expedition, than to any regard for the individual who had been selected to conauct it. So re- garded, their conduct is more honourable to them, and is at the same time not the less valued and held in remembrance by me. To express 9/^3/ thanks might savour of presumption ; but I take the liberty of recording my feelings, in order that the tribute may be rendered by the British Public. f 27 CHAPTER I. Departure from England. — Arrival at Montreal. Preparations for the Expedition. — Fire at the Hotel. — Departure from La Chine. — The St. Lawrence. — The Ottaxm. — Lake Huron.— The Sault de Ste. Marie. — Arrival at Fort William. — Distribution of the Loadings. — The Mountain Fall. — Lac de la Pluie. — Arrival at Fort Alexander. — Magnetic Observations. — Arrival if Governor Simpso?i, and Arra?igements made Inj him. — Arrival at Nonvajj House. — Dijficult,/ of procuring Men for the Service. — Departure from Norxvaj/ House. Ox Sunday, the 17tli of February, 1833, ac- companied by Mr. Richard King and three men, two of wliom had gained experience under Sir J. Frankhn, I embarked in the packet ship Hibernia, Captain Maxwell, from Liverpool; and, after a somewhat boisterous passagj of thirty-five days, during part of wliich the ship was entangled amongst ice on St. (ieorge's Rank, arrived at New York. We were received with every attention that politeness and hospitality could dictate. The usual forms at the Custom- house were dispensed witli in our favour ; and all classes seemed ajixious to facilitate an under- taking, in the success of which the war.nest AllRlVAL AT MONTREAL. interest was manifested. The proprietors of tlic Ohio, steam-boat, offered tluit fine vessel for our conveyance to Albany; and, as we started from the wharfi n})wards of a thousand well-dressed j)ersons, with our friend Mr. Buchanan, the British consul, at their head, gave us three hearty cheers. From Albany we travelled in coaches or waggons, according to the quality of tlie roads ; and reached Montreal on the Dtli of April, a day earlier than I had promised six months before. Mr. Keith, the principal officer of the Hudson's Bay Com|Hiny at La Chine, lost no time in acquainting me that pre})arations for the expedition were in a forward state, and would be ready by the appointed time. He entertained, however, some doubt whether he could himself obtain the required number of able voyagears ; and thought that they might be selected, with greater advantage to the service, from among the old " winterers" resorting to a depot of the Company in the interior, which I should neces- sarily have to })ass. He also informed me that des])atches, sent from England, had been for- warded to the resident governor, Mr. Simpson ; who, being thus a})prised of our movements, would bo enabled to co-o}:erate accordingf;. No sooner was it Known in ^fontreal that our little l)arty was in one of the hotels, % PREPAIIATIONS. 29 111 rur is, in all respects, a peculiar character ; and on no point is he more sensitive, or, rather, to use an expressive term, more fonc/i?/^ than in the just distribution of " pieces " among the several cr les form- ing a party. It must be admitted, 'le vsame time, that he has very substantial reasons for being particular in this matter, for he well knows that, supposing the canoes to be in other re- spects equally matched, a very small inequality of weight will make a considerable difference in their relative speed, and will occasion, moreover, a longer detention at the portages. The usual mode is for the guide to separate the pieces, and then to distribute or portion them out by lots, holding in his hand little sticks of different lengths, which the leading men draw. From the decision so made there is no appeal, and the parties go away laughing or grumbling THE MOUNTAIN FALL. 39 eces, tby rent rom and at tlieir different fortunes. These important preliminaries, therefore, being settled to tlie tolerable satisfaction of those concerned, we took leave of our tiientUy host, and encamped at the imposing fall of Kakabikka, by the voijageurs connnonly called the Mountain Fall. This has been well and graphically described by Major Long* and Sir J. Franklin t ; in mag- nitude it is inferior only to the Niagara or the Falls of Wilberforce, whilst it far surpasses both in picturesque effect. On the 2Gth, the despatch canoe (a sort of mail) overtook us at the Savannah portage ; and I gladly seized the opjiortunity it afforded me of sending a letter to Mr. Simpson, with a requi- sition for men and stores, and a request that he would do me the favour to make certain in- quiries as to the most practicable route to the Thlew-ee-choh-dezeth. t While descending the narrow and encumbered stream of the Savannah, William Malley, one of my volunteer artillerymen, slipped off a float- ing tree, as he was attempting to open a pas- sage for the canoes, and narrowly escaped being * " Narrative of an Expedition to St. Teter's Uiver, Lake Winnepeg," &.c. \ " Second Journey to the Polar Sea." X Dozcth, desseli, tcssy, Ike. bi'iii<^ only the same word for river, will in future be omitted in the Narrati\ r. JD 1- 40 LAC DE LA PLUIE. drowned ; but he bore the accident with so much indifference and goou humour as to call forth the admiration j^ Paul, who at once predicted that he would make a good voyageur. On the 31st, we crossed Lac de la Pluie, which well sustained its name and character, by receiving us with a pelting rain which d/enched us to the skin. There was neither meat nor fish at the Company's establishment, and, owing to the failure of the crops, scarcely any rice, (wild rice, Folle anmir, Zizania aquaticaf) which is generally abundant at this solitary station, growing in the swampy ground round the lake. We encamped on a small island in the Lake of the Woods, which was literally covered with a dwarf species of prickly pear ( Cactus opuntia), much to tL« annoyance of the men, whose feet were soon stuck full of its irritating prickles. On the 6th of June we arrived at Fort Alex- ander, situated at the southern extremity of Lake Winnepcg. Here I had hoped to find the governor, and was not a little disappointed when informed by Mr. Clouston, the gentleman in charge, that it might be several day-i before he arrived ; thougl), as the despatch canoe had left the day before, there was every reason to suppose that he was by that time in possession of my letter, and, therefore, would naturally infer that I could not be far off. Important as every hour m i I MAGNETIC OBSERVATIONS. 41 was to the accomplishment of my plans, it was of still greater moment to me to see Mr. Simpson personally ; and, aware of the probability of our j)assing each other unobserved, if I attempted to hasten towards him in a canoe, I preferred the alternative of remaining quietly at the establish- ment, and so securing an interview which I so ardently desired. To beguile the time, the stores were ex- amined, and the few which the rain had damaged were exposed to the sun, dried, and carefully repacked. also made a set of observations for the dip. The result was 79° 12'*, making a difference of 25 minutes from those taken on a former occasion. The vibrations and dip were ascertained alternately, according to the face of the instrument; and all were satisfactory enough, except needle No. 2. reversed^ with the face of the instrument east, when a considerable alter- ation appeared both in the number of the vibra- tions and the point at which the needle finally rested. A second trial showed a similar discre- pancy. The reason of this peculiaiity I could not divine until about an hour afterwards, when some gentlemen arrived from the westward, and acquainted us that they had just encountered a se- vere thunder shower, though the sky over the fort * The results aro tlioso given by tlio in-trunuMit, witliout any correction for temperature. 4)2 ONE OF THE PARTY SOLICITS HIS DISCHARGE. underwent no visible change, and wore the same sultry aspect as it had done most of the forenoon. Amongst the people who had accompanied us from Montreal, was a tall fine-looking fellow of the name of Larke, who had volunteered, and, indeed, had taken a great deal of trouble to get entered, for the expedition. He had passed a part of his life in the woods, was particularly well qua- lified for such an undertaking, and had attracted universal admiration by his apparent determina- tion to brave all diffictdties. This man now, how- ever, came to me, and in a humble tone solicited his discharge, as, to use his own phrase, "he was sure we should be all starved to death ;" and so firmly was this unmanly resolution fixed in his mind, that he declared nothing should force him to go on. It is unnecessary to say that such pusillanimous weakness was utterly irreconcilable with an enterprise like that in which we were engaged, which demanded an entire sacrifice of home comforts, and an enthusiastic and unre- flecting ardour in the prosecution of its objects. I was not sorry, therefore, that the disease had shown itself so early ; for, had it broken out here- after, at a more critical period of the adventure, the infection might have spread in a manner too formidable for remedy. He had his wish, and with it a recommendation, at the same time, to the Company to oblige him to serve, in some % ARRIVAL OF G( -"RNOR SIMPSON. 43 '^ distant part, the full term of his three years' engagement. Mr. H. Bercns, who was on his way to Canada from the Red River Colony, brought me the pleas- ing intelligence that Mr. Simpson would very shortly follow ; and as the latter gentleman was about to return to England, without proceeding to the depot at Norway House, it was fortunate that I had determined on remaining, though it was certain that nothing which prudence and ex- perience could suggest would liave been omitted to promote my views. I learned from Mr. Kerens tliat the colony at Red River was in a prosperous state ; and that notwithstanding the failure of the crops last season, meat was from three halfpence to two-pence a pound, and eggs three- pence a dozen. June 10th. — Governor Simpson arrived, and communicated to me the measures he had adopted, as well as the result of a council held by some of tlie principal officers of tlie Company, respecting the affairs of the expedition. Every aid, it seemed, was to be rendered to our operations ; the stores were to be tin'own open for our use ; and the services and experience of several well-informed individuals were to be made avaihUjle for preventing those accidents to whicli our remote situation, or other local cir- cumstances, nnght particularly ex])ose us. Part 4't ARRANGEMENTS MADE BY THE GOVERNOR. of the stores ordered last year were at Cum- berland House, and the remainder would be there before we reached that station. Of pemmican Mr. Simpson anticipated a less plen- tiful supply, on account of the migration of the buffalo from the plains in the neighbour- hood of Carlton and Edmonton, the two prin- cipal posts for collecting that useful, and, to us, indispensable provision. Yet, as orders had been transmitted along the whole line of route up to Great Slave Lake to hoard provision for the expedition, there was every reason to be- lieve that we should not be exposed to inconve- nience. Two additional men were engaged by the Governor ; and for the rest he recommended me to go as speedily as possible to Norway House ; where, by intercepting the different brigades of boats on their way to Hudson's Bay, I might have an opportunity of selecting a choice crew of old hands. Two letters, which about this time I received from Mr. Simpson, are so creditable to him, both as regards his capacity as Governor and iiis fadings as a man, that, though written with no such view, I cannot deny myself the gratification of making them public. If they excite in others only a small part of the ad- miration with which I regarded them, Mr. Simp- 1 LETTEll TO CAPTAIN BACK. 45 the ley ad- Tlp- soii will have no reason to complain. My own feelings towards him may be nnderstood, when it is seen tiiat he thus literally identified himself with the expedition, and, what was scarcely of less value , impressed those around him with the same sentiments. " To Captain Back, Jl. iV., Commander of the Arctic Land Expedition. " Red River Settlement, 7th June, 1832. " My dear Sir, "I am in possession of two very valuable communications from you, which came to hand yesterday ; one dated London, December 14th, 1832 — the other at Gros Cap, Lake Superior, May 12th, 1833. " It is with unfeigned regret I have to state that imperious circumstances oblige me to fore- go the pleasure of a personal interview with you, on your route to the scene of your operations ; but the state of my health is so deranged as to render it absolutely necessary for me to proceed direct from hence to Canada, and thence to England, for the benefit of medical advice. Indeed, so completely invalided am I at present, that in this communication I am obliged to have recourse to dictation, being iniequul to the fatigue of writing. 46 GOVERNOR SIMPSON S LETTER " Permit mc, Iiowever, my dear Sir, to assure you that I liave perused tliese favours, together with tlie printed plan of the expedition under your command, with impressions of the most lively interest. Indeed, such are the humane and philanthropic views of the enterprise altogether, that they cannot fail to excite and command the sympathies of all with whom you may come in contact. " For myself, allow me to say, that in my in- dividual as well as official capacity, I am exceed- ingly anxious to further your benevolent views ; and I cannot but rejoice that the conduct of the enterprise is intrusted to one whose experience, character, and abilities have been already so well appreciated by the British public in re- ference to former expeditions. " What may be the fate of those who are the objects of your humane exertions it is, in the pre- sent state of things, impossible to say. Should the worst forebodings be realised, still the expense and fatigue of the expedition will be compensated abundantly in the valuable acquisitions which discovery and science will acquire, collaterally, in its prosecution ; while the public in general, and your party in particular, will have the proud satisfaction of having done all within the reach of human exertion for the relief of fellow 1? ^ TO CAPTALV BACK. 47 inse ited liich lily. jral, loud [ach llovv A creatures supposed to be in circumstances at whicli our nature shudders. " I fully concur in Mr. Keith's suggestions, respecting tlie necessity of getting experienced men who are inured to the fatigues of the coun- try. There will probably be some difficulty in procuring volunteers ; but I am happy to confide this part of the arrangement to Messrs. Chief- factors Cameron and Christie, gentlemen, who, from their experience in the country, and well known benevolence of character, are eminently calculated to assist in furthering the well-being and comfort of the party. Mr. Charles will meet you at Jack River, and is directed to give you the full benefit of his experience and local knowledge of the country about Slave Lake and its vicinity. " 15y the enclosed you will perceive that the Council have nominated four officers in the Com- pany's service, all men of courage and ability ; any one of whom will be fully adequate to the duties which may devolve upon him under your command. Hope of speedy promotion in the .service is the reward held out to such person of that number as may embrace the o})j)ortunity of aiding and furthering your views and objects. In fine, I wish it to be })erfectly understood that all oiu* resources are available to you ; that our craft will be at your service, and our stores %"t*v 48 LETTER FROM GOVERNOR SIMPSON. at your command; and that tliis letter is to be considered as sufficient authority for you to call those resources into action as occasion may require. " Believe me, my dear Sir, " Yours most faithfully, •' Geo. Simpson." " To Alexander R. M'Leod or Simon 3P Gil- livraijy Esquires ; and to Mr. Jolin M^Leod, or Mr. Murdoch M^Pherson. " Red River Settlement, 5th June, 1833. " Gentlemen, ** An expedition has been planned by the Governor and Committee and the Arctic So- ciety, in which his Majesty's Government and the British public take the deepest interest, having for its object the discovery of Captain Ross and his crew, and the relieving them from their supposed perilous situation, if still in exist- ence ; together with the survey of those un- known regions on the northern coast of America lying between Point Turnagain and the Straits of the Fury and Hecla. " The command of this expedition has been given to Captain Back, R.N. ; and the Governor and Committe have directed that every support, assistance, and facility be aftbrded that gen- LETTER FROM GOVERNOR SIMPSON. 49 »» )een rnor brt, iren- tleman towards carrying tlie important objects alluded to into effect, which we are most anxious should be met with the best feeling, in spirit and to the letter. *' Captain Back will require the assistance of one of the Honorable Com))any's officers on this mission ; and we see no"'' 'v likely to render him the assistance required as one of yourselves. We therefore call upon one of you, in the order in which your names stand at the head of this letter, to join Captain Back without delay, and to act under the command of that gentleman in the service in question ; and as an encourage- ment to enter on this dangerous service, we hereby assure to you Alexander Roderick M'Leod, Esquire, or to you Simon M*Gillivray, Esquire, our warmest support towards early pro- motion to a chief factorship, in the event of either embarking on this enterprise, and render- ing to Captain Back such valuable services as we consider you qualified to afford ; and to Mr. John M*Leod, or Mr. Murdoch M'Pherson, we hereby promise our warmest support towards early promotion to a chief tradership, in the event of either embarking on this enterprise, and rendering in like manner to Captain Back such valuable services as we consider you capable of affording, besides an increase of salary of 100/. £ 50 DEl'AllTUHi: VUOM FOHT ALEXANUEU. per anniiin for the time you may be employed on this expedition. '* I am, (ientlemen, " Your most obedient Servant, " Geo. Si^jpson." ft Flattering', as these arrangements were, and in the liurry of our affairs decidedly the best that could have been made, I felt nevertheless that the time necessary to collect my party and stores, and convev them into the interior against the obstacles and difficulties of an unknown route, would seriously obstruct, if it did not entirely prevent, my getting to the Polar Sea this autumn. Not that this would materially affect our ulterior object, as I believe the most sanguine never contemplated the idea of our being in a condition to afford succour to Captain Ross and Lis much- enduring party before the summer of 1831<. Yet for many reasons it was desirable that the situation and nearest route to the river Thlew-ee-choh, and thence to the sea, shoidd be discovered, if practicable, by the time the laden bateaux should get to Slave Lake ; more especially as it would tend to encourage the men, who, gene- rally speaking, are always more or less nervous on new ground. After the departure of Mr. and Mrs. Simpson, I })rej)ared to leave Fort Alexander — to the MUSULITOES. 51 *f. »> )son, the great deligiit of the coija^eurs, who had been so tormentetl hy the mosquitoes tluit they lonuecl to ixet to tlie cool breezes of Lake Win- nipeg, and indulge in the luxury of an undis- turbed nap. My companion Mr. King, among others, was severely punished, to his no little disa})pointment, — as, being indifferent to the attacks of English insects of every description, he had fondly imagined he should be invulner- able to those of America. But a dipping in the Styx itself would not have saved him from the darts of the indefatigable searchers after blood to which he was now exposed ; and he rose in the morning with features so changed that it was difficult to recognise the friend of the preceding night. At 1' A. M. of the 1 1 th of June, we left the esta- blishment ; but the wind blew so hard, that we had not |)roceeded more than three miles before the iieight of the waves, whicli broke freely over both sides of the canoes, obliged us to encamp. 13ut few birds of any kind were seen ; and though I remembered that on a former occasion the wild pigeons were very numerous, yet none were now found near the fort, though the cleared land around the Red River colony, not more than a day's march off^i was said to swarm with them. On the I'^th and following day we made con- siderable progress. The weather afterwards i; o .0^2 N'ATUUAI. IHSTOIIY. beciinu! imscttkHl and stormy. Gccse, tliicks, plover, <;iills, aiul tern, were seen .s|Kirini>'ly scattered alont*' the east shore of tlie lake, which, unlike the nioinitains to the north, which are limestone *, is com})osed of smooth and rounded granitic rocks of littl'.; altitude, intervening between low banks, with sand, and skirted by a swampy country behintl. From the different ridges of sanil in the bays between the rocks, and the increase of vegetation on them, 1 ccm- cluded that the shore was gradually gaining on the water ; and this ()})inion seems confirmed by the fact that the Comj)any has been obliged to change the situation of Old Norway House, on the o})posite side, owing to the rapidly progressive advance of tlie water there. In fact, it has so undermined and washed away the banks, as to have arrived within a few feet of a building, the distance of which from the edge of the lake in 18 1<) was u))wards of three hundred yards. Few pelicans were noticed ; and as these birds are fiiithrul attendants at good fishing places, for which the lake is re- markable, the Canadians augured an indifferent season. On the 17th of June, having hoisted the Com- pany's ffag, we arrived at the de])6t called • licliardson, Appeiulix to iTimklin. •v^. AUinVAI. AT NOinVAY HOUSK. 53 111 iway feet the liree :ed ; s at re- rent ■^H Norway House, situated on Jack River. Onr rece})tion was most cordial. Messrs. Christie, Kowand, Lewis, and DonaUl Ross, tor most of whom I had letters from my excellent friend Mr. (larry, lost not a moment in tendering all the assistance in tiieir power. Hut notwith- standing the good feeling on their ])art, some trouble was cxj)erienced from the exorbitant terms proposed by the men who seemed dis- posed to volunteer. TJie bulk of the people from the more remote stations had already passed the depot ; and those who remained, either re- luctant to expose themselves to the hazard of wliat was justly considered an enterpiise of dan- ger, or influenced by the strong desire of gain, demanded the same ])rivileges and emoluments which had been granted to the men employed on the two (jovernnient ex})editions under Sir J. Franklin. Unreasonable as this seemed to us, we had no choice but to yield in part to their demands ; and even then, it was not until I had taken infinite pains, by pointing out on the map the whole line of my operations, by lessening the danger and magnifying our re- sources, and, finally, by arousing the slumber- ing spirit of the Highlander, that .Fames M'Kay, to whom 1 first addressed myself, — a powerful fellow, ami one of the best steersmen in the i; ;j 1?*? .51. Diri'ICLI/JV OF IMIOCUIJINC; country, — at length consented to be my follower. The example once set was soon imitated, and others, more or less qualified, completed my list to within two of the complement. Two days sufficed to equip them ; and as a large supply of stores, together with sixty bags of ])enmncan and two new boats, or batteaux, were already at Cumberland House, I despatched Mr. King, with written instructions and fifteen men, to precede me to that })ost. 1 remained behind to secure, if possible, another sieersman, and a mid- dleman for a canoe, with which it was my inten- tion to push on, by the Athabasca, to (Jreat Slave Lake ; whence I hoped a route might be found to the rhlew-ee-choh, and where at all events an eligible place might be selected for our winter residence. About the same time Mr. Christie and several other gentlemen took their departure for York factory, with a jnomise to provide me, if possible, with an Esquimaux interjn'eter, either in the person of my old friend Augustus, who was expected from the Labratlor coast, or in that of a lad of the name of Dunning, then at Churchill, and rej)resented by (lovernor Simpson as equal to the task. Messrs. Cameron, Lewis, lioss, and myself, were now the only persons left at the depot; and I may conscientiously say that I almost countetl the hours, in my anxiety for the arrival of the *< MKN von THK SKIlVrCK. ■)0 ;elf; [in (I the parties, from eitlier of wliieli it was supposed I migiit i^et the men required. They eame at last ; and two Canaihans, fbrnn'r aeijuaintances of mine, presented tliemselves, ahnost l)reathless with haste, as eandidates for the service. Their merits being known to me, I made no scruj)le about receiving them, and (Urected their agree- ments to be made out. In tiie meantime, liow- ever, returning to the camp, they were met by their wives, who were no sooner madeaccpiainted with the transaction tiian tliey resorted to dif- ferent, thougli as it seems e in an oil-cloth, containing some three blankets, called a bed ; — 1 m A VOYAGKIIR S TKNT. near it a j)iece of dried burtiilo, fancifully orna- mented vvitli long black hairs, which no art, alas ! can prevent from insinuating themselves between the teeth, as you laboriously masticate the tough, liard Hesh; — then a tolerably clean napkin sj)read, by way of table-cloth, on a red ))iece of canvass, and suj)porting a tea-})ot, some biscuit, and a snlt-cellar ; — near this a tin ])late, close by •I scpiare kind of box or safe, of the same mate- rial, rich with a pale greasy ham, the produce of the colony at Red River ; — and, last, the fiir- renowned pemmican, uncpiestionably the best food of the country for exj)editions such as ours. Behind me were two boxes, containing astrono- mical instruments, and a sextant lying on the ground ; — whilst the different corners of the tent were occupied by washing ai)paratus, a gun, Indian shot pouch, bags, basins, and an unhappy- looking ja})anned pot, whose melancholy bumps and hollows seemed to re})roach me for many a bruise endured upon the rocks and j)ortages betwixt Montreal and Lake M'innipeg. Nor was my crew less motley than the furniture of my tent. It consisted of an Englishman, — a man from Stornaway, — two Canadians, — two Metifs (or halt-breeds), — and three Iroquois Indians. Babel could not have produced a worse confu- sion of unharmonious sounds than was the con- versation they kept up. ■ i 1 LAND STORM. GIIAND IIAPII). i)3 IS Towards evening the wind abated, and I made sure of resnniing the mareli in the night ; but the clouds soon grew heavier, and sent forth, at intervals, hollow-sounding gusts of wind, the liarbingers of a strong gale, which the morning of the 30th ushered in. The lake resembled one rolling sheet of foam, which contrasted strorgly with the dark slaty sky to windward : the mosquitoes had vanished ; six or eight gulls, unable any longer to sustain their flight in search of food, had huddled together on the lee side of a projecting sand-bank ; and tw^o crows, wearied with exertion, sat perched on the waving branches of a tall pine, unscared by the approach of in- truding feet. It was altogether an impressive scene of picturesque and melancholy wildness. I assembled the men in the tent, and read divine service. In the evening a fire-fly was seen. July 1st An opportune change in the wea- ther allowed us to get away ; and, having ])assed the limestone rocks bordering that part of the lake, we shortly arrived at the Grand llaj)id, the interesting particidars of which are too well and too minutelv described in Sir .John Franklin's Narratives, to require or evenjustity a repetition here. Some "freemen" *, Indians, and other idlers. ■" Persons who, having been in the Company's employ, have obtained tlieir discharge, and are living on their own exertions. *% 64 advan(m: of cultivation. had, according" to their usual custom, conorcgatecl at cither end of the rapid, with the view of inter- cepting- tlie voyagers, as they ])assed to and from the interior, in order to barter their maple sugar, or, in consideration of a recompence, to assist the exhausted crews in carrvini>- tlieir lieavv burdens across the portage. Many were sick, and all bitterly com})lained of the late scarcity of ani- mals. Ilavnig poled up several rapids, we got to Cedar Lake, the well-known '* Lac Bourbon," where Indian barbarity, in its most hideous form, amiihilated for ever the })ious labours of the early missionaries^ In the River Saskashawan, I was not more pleased than surprised to behold, on the right bank, a large farm house, with barns and fenced inclosures, amid which were grazing eight or ten fine cows, and three or four horses. It be- longed to a freeman, of the name of Turner, whom I regretted not having an opportunity of seeing. At length, on the 5th of July, we entered the Little River, and got to Pine Island Lake. The crew had dressed themselves out in all their finery, — silver bands, tassels, and feathers in their hats, — intending to approach the station with some ert'ect ; but, unhap})ily for the poor fellows, the rain fell in torrents, their feathers drooped, J AKIIIVAL AT CUMIJIRLAND HOUSK. ().5 iiiul sikIj was the acciimulatinii of imul, tluit it was necessary to wade a full mile betbre we could land at Cinnberland House. Owing to the same cause, a creek leading from the Saska- shawan had been rendered nnpassable ; and thy land extended so far from the house into the hike, that the fishery, as I afterwards found, was diminished almost to nothing. During the whole of my stay there, though no pains were sj)ared, not a solitary fish was taken. I was received by Mr. Isbester, a clerk of the Company, my companion, Mr. King, who had arrived with- out accident, and another person, who liad been accommodated with a })assage in the boat. The boats, stores, anil })emmican were in good order and quite ready ; and, having made some arranjrements with Mr. Isbester for our mutual convenience, and a few changes as regartled the diflerent crews, I had the satisfaction of ffettinjr mv two hfffefni.v awav, under the orders of Mr. King, on the (3th of July. Kach was laden w^ith a cargo of (il pieces of 90 lbs. each, making, for both, 10,1)80 lbs., exclusive of men, bedding, clothes, masts, sails, oars, and other spars. Yet, with such steersmen as M'Kay and Sinclair, I had not the slightest apprehension for their safety, and looked with confidence to their ar- riving at winter quarters before the setting in of the ice. F ('){) KM HA Ilk IN A CANOK. It occiipiiMl the (lay to make some alterations in the canoe, and I availed niyselt'of the interval to obtain observations on the dip, force, and lati- tude ; tiie latter of which ai^reed, within three seconds, with Sir J. Franklin's. I also wrote to the Coni))any for a further su])ply of stores to be forwarded with the outfit of the following season. The hope of gettin«»- sights for time induced me to remain a little longer than I had in- tended ; but, as there was every a])pearance that the weather would continue overcast, I embarked about noon of the 7th of July, in the canoe, with eight hands ; and, being comparatively light, we made tolerable progress. On the following day we overtook Mr. King in the Sturgeon River, or, as it is more ex- pressively named in the country, the Riviere Maligne. It may with ])erfect j)ropriety be described as one iminterru])ted rapid ; and was at that period so low, that the boats had to treble their distance in going backwards and for- wards for the cargo. A glance at their manner of working was enough to satisfy me of their capability, and confirmed me in the expectation that tliey would arrive early at Great Slave Lake. Still the contrast between us was great ; and my skilful guide, De Charloit (a half-breed), did not fail to make the superiority of the canoe appear to the best advantage. The cumbrous I wouKiN(i or tin; hoats i\ tiik hapids. 67 hnteaiix were dragged laboriously, a tew paces at a time, by the united exertions of those on board and those on shore. Sometimes, unable to resist the impetuous force of the current, they were swe})t back ; at others, suspended on the arched back of a descending wave, they struggled and laboured until they were again in the shelter of a friendly eddy. But the canoe, frail as she was, and too weak for the encounter of such rude shocks, was nevertheless threaded through the l)()iling rapids and sunken rocks with fearful elegance. The cool dexterity with which she was managed was truly admirable ; not a "set " * was missed ; and, as she glanced past the boats, she must have seemed to the envying crews as if endowed with ])reternatural powers. We were soon out of sight, and, by wading and poleing over shoals and rapids, at length reached the head of that dangerous and annoying river. The canoe was then examined ; and, besides several minor fractures, she w^as found to have been grooved by the shar}) and cutting rocks from one extreme to the other. For many days there was heavy rain, with thunder and lightning. The woods were burning in all directions j set on fire, ac- cording to the account of some Cree Indians, noe bus * A " set" is tlie firm fixing of the pole against tlie bottom of the river, and u false "set" has often occasioned tlie loss of a canoe. I 'Z i ()8 isLK .\ r,A crossf:. b}' tlicir own liaiuls, to scare tlu* animals into the water, wlierc they are more easily captured. July 17th. — We uot to Isle a hi ('rosse, wliere I made the necessary arrangements for the boats receiving'; twenty hiv^s ot' pemmican, some dogs, and whatever might be tiirther recpiisite for e\- ])e(Hting their progress. Here, also, two new canoes were at my disj)()sal, having been pur- posely utade to prevent any disappointment in conveying tiie stores to tlie north of Portage la L(;cl ',', in case, as sometimes happens, there should be onlv sufficient boats to carry the trading sup])Iies of the Company to their dif- ferent posts. However, as my arrangements with Mr. (^harles had obviated every difficulty in that res])ect, I had only to admire, and to cx])ress my tiianks for, such considerate fore- sight ; and, having made the accustomed ob- servations for the di)), force, cVc, I left the fort, and pursued my way. Kee])ing to the left of Clear Lake, we entered Huffalo Lake, which, among a less rude and savage people, woidd certainly ha\e formed tiie theme of many a legendary tale of " hair-bread'Lh 'scapes," fi-om the mischief-loving genius that haunts its shores. I'Vw ])ersons have ever completed the lonii; tra\ erse of this deceitful lake, without bein<>' favoiu'cd witii a breeze that endan<»vred their lives. I had been caught before ; yet, from the A S(il'Al,I. 09 ol). tl»e MCll its tlio loir till' ! .mnifHiul sinootliiK'ss of its wide siirfhce, I l)cgiin to fimcy that we were now to De exempted t'roni the usual eompHnient. The men siiiio; and pad- dled with energy, the fitful cry of a slightly wounded bittern, which lay at the bottom of the canoe, serving lor an acc()m])animent ; and we had gained the centre of the traverse, when suddenly a gentle air was felt coming t'rom the well-known (|uarter of the nulfal > Mountain. The suspicious guide woidd now no longer permit even the cus- tomary rest of a few minuies to recover stren<»'th, but urged the crew to exertion ; and thev, ever and anon looking towards the blue summits of the mountain with something of a superstitious glance, made our light bark skim over the water like a thing impelled by wings. A dark cloud rose from beliind the mountain, and began to expand towards the zenith ; little gusts of wind followed ; and in less than half an hoiu' we were in the midst of a thunder-storm, that raised a sea from which there was no escape but by hoisting a shred of a sail, and running through breakers to the nearest lee land. 'I'he place was u swam]), concealed by long- grass ; and, just as a spot had been found to pitch the tent, a man, in going to it, accidentally dis- turbed a skuid<. The animal resented the intru- sion in the usual way. In a monu'ut there was a general complaint ;!gainst the rank offence ; every I ') I 70 I'OUTAGh: LA LOCHi;. one turned himself to windward, and the poor fellow wlio had unconseiously brought the evil upon us was half stifled with the noisome odour, and threw his capot into tiie lake, with deep ini})recations on the unsavoury and ill- mannered brute. It was the '2lst of .July when we reaehed Portaijfc la Loche. the hii»h ridae of land whieli divides the waters rjinning into Hudson's liny from those whieh direet their course to the Arc- tic Sea. For about six or seven miles on this portage, the vot/a<>eK}\s are exposed to temporary but acute suffering, from the total absence of gocd water {() cpiench the thirst, aggravated, in ourcase, by carrying loads of '200 lbs. in an atmosphere of ()H° of Fahrenheit. They are, at the same time, incessantly tormented by myriads of insatiable mosfjuitoes and horse-flies, significantly called *♦ bull dogs," which, delighted with the rare treat of a human subject, banquet on their victims till, not unfrecjuently, the face streams with blood. irap])y, therefore, is the moment when the bright sinfiice of the Little Lake is descrietl, which cools and refreshes their wearied frames. In addition to these evils, which are connnon to all, two of mv i)art v were sadly foot-fallen, and almost groaned uniler their burdens, — a sight too ])ainful to be witnessed without compassion. Ilo\\(;ver, in services such as anis KMlt ake icir vils, ere leir •.sell I) as HI'IHCT OF Tin: SCEXEUY. 71 that on wliicli we were engaged, it often becomes even a duty to stiHe our sensations ; or, rather, though we may and must feel, there are times wlien we must he earet'id not to express tlie t'eehng. After labouring, with i're(iuent halts, tln*ough the thick woods, we c-nie sucklenly u})on the spot from which the ])ictures(jue antl beautiful view from Portage la Lociie bursts ui)()n the sight. A thousand feet below, the sylvan land- scape lay spread betbre us, to the extent of thirty-six miles, in all the wihl luxuriance of its sunmier clothing. Kven the most jadeil of the party, as he broke from the gloom of the wood on this enclnuiting scene, seemed to Ibrget his weari- ness, and halted involuntarily with his bunleii, to gaze tor a moment, with a sort of wondering ad- miration, on a spectacle so novel and magnifi- cent. My own sensations, however, had not the keenness of those of a stranger to the sigiit ; and it was not without a sort ol' melancholy, such as results from satiety, that I contrasted ni) ))resent feelings with the raptiue which 1 had formerly experienced. It was, to me, I'ortage la Loche, and nothing more, — the saiue beautiful and romantic solitude through which 1 had ])assed and re))assed on two former expeditions. Tlu're was nothing new to exciti> surprise, or (|uicken ilelight ; not a spot oi" latent beautv, not even I I- i n KFFKCT OF Tin: SCKNKIiY. ci mpani()ns, and was apparently the only living beint;' in the wihleruess around me. Almost uneoiisciously i reloaded my j^im ; and then, stepjjing cautiously along' the narrow ridge of the descent, glided silently into the valley, as if afraid to distiu'b the genius of the })lace. It was a ])ositive comfort to hear, now and then, the hollow tread of the men as they ])assed rapidly through the thicket which screened them from sight ; and when the white tent was j)itched, and the curling smoke rose through the dense green of the forest, it seemed as if the spell of the de- sert was broken, and the whole landscape was suddenly animated into life and cheerfulness. •July '2.'>d.--'i'he last loads were brought down to the water's edge, and, as soon as they were safely deposited, the men, exhausted with fatigue, threw themselves on the grounti, and remained almost motionless for upwards of an hour. AitiM- this the canoe was gummed, and we Linbarked near some haleatLV belonging to 1 il INTKUVIIOW WITH MKSSUS. STUAU'I' AND M'LEOD. 7^ Ml US It T h 0 tlie C\)mi)aiiy, wliich, Mr. Charles had informed nie, niiglit, if we ])leased, be a})i)r()priated to our use. On arriving at the Pne Portage, I was agree- al)ly surprised by meeting Mr. J. Stuart, and Mr. A. R. M'Leod, wiio iuid got thus tar on tlieir way from M'Kenzie's River, with a lari>e ear<>() of furs. I had looked forward witli no Httle anxietv to the ehanee of seeing tiie hitter gentleman, not only as he was the first person named in (iovernor Simpson's eireular to aeeom- ))any me, but as being an old ae([uaintanee, and one whom 1 ktiew to be ])artieularly well (pialified for the performanee of those duties whieh the nature of the serviee woukl recpiire. Indeed, his refusal to aeeompany me would have |)laeed me in a very awkward predieameiu ; for I had reek- oned on his assistanee in manv matters whieh eould not, without great ineonvenienee, have de- volved on myself It was theretbre of importance lo secure him ; and my friend Mr. Stuart, to whose kindness and love of enterprise I was no stranger, undertook at once to break the subject to him. Hut there was no necessitv for mediativiU ; for, although Mr. M'Leod had long been indisposed, and was then on his way to Canada, with a view to the re-establishment of his health, no sooner did he see tiu' circular from Mr. Sinij)son, and learn the humane J 71' :MK. M'LKOU ACCOINIl'ANIKS THE KXI'KDITION. object of my mission, than he removed every apprehension lioni my nnnd, by declaring- his sympathy tor our h)ng' absent countrymen, his satisfaction at seeinu; me, and his gallant de- termination to sacritice his own plans to the ])leasure of l)ec()minL!; my companion. I wrote, theretbre, innnechately to the ('om))any, and, with his able assistance, made a requisition, in full, tor the necessary supplies, to suj)p()rt tlie expedition during the year IS.'jl. iMr. Stuart, 1 believe, was scarcely less delighted at his friend's decision than myself, and, besiiles many useful suggestions, of which I was glad to take adxantage, generously otlered every aid, |)id)lic and private, within his j)ower. July '2.Hh. — 'I'here was so nnu!^ dilliculty in stowing the additional baggage, tliat my guide declared the canoe woukl not hold us: and when it is considereil that he had to make places for six more |)ersons, viz. Mr. M'Leod, his wife, three chihh'en, and a servant, whom I hired at the same rate as the others ; in other words, that fourteen were to be crannned into a sj)ace in- tencleil for eight or nine, it is not surprising that he should indulge in a growl. lie foresaw ti»at, with such extra weight, his " cher canot" woidd \ erv p()ssil)ly get broken ; and his ap- prehensions were soon viMified by our striking against a sunken rock. I le i» V ARUIVK AT FORI CIIll'PKWYAN. 75 After some detentions of an ordinary kind, we got to Tort Clnj)pewyan on the 20t\\ of .Inly. We arrived so early, tiiat we were not in the least expected; and the canot* was not seen until within a short distance of the land, — a circumstance by no means ))leasing to the guide, who, besides his own decorations of many coloured feathers, &c., had taken more than ordinary pains to dis- play to the best advantage the crimson beauties of a large silk flag. The sleeping inmates were, however, at length roused ; and we w(!rc welcomed by Mr. Jloss, who had been left by Mr. Charles in charge of the establishment. It was to be regretted that the whole of the Indians usually resorting to this station were, at the timeof our visit, too much dispersed to allow of any one in ])articular being sent for ; so that we were obliged to rest satisHeil with the meagre narrative of an infirm old Indian, who, in his youthful days, had i)assed by the Fond du Lac to the rivers I was in search of; and his account was too vague and uncertain to warrant any ho})es of success in that direction. Mr. M'Leod, indeed, who had been at tiie Fond du Lac, confirmed the statetnent I had first lieard, that there was a river there which was known to take its rise flu* to th(> north : but yet, when the old man concluded his description of the coini- try by remarkinir, that " he was old and of i 7n .1UU11N1:V IIKSUMKD. IK) importance in Iiis tribe ; and lie did not like to say too much," — a tone which, how- I'ver praiseworthy for its modesty, was very diHferent from the boUl expression witli which an Indian, conscious that he is right, usually concludes his answers to similar incpuries, as, *' It must be so, for my eyes have seen it," — 1 say, when I heard this, 1 abandoned at once all idea of going by the Fond du Lac. Hesides the j)rovisions required from this j)ost, there were many other indispensable articles that could not be provided elsewhere ; but under the superintendence of Mr. M'Leod, the greater part, together with the necessary implements for building a new establishment, were ready in a couple of days. In that interval, 1 ob- tained observations tor the dip, force, &c. ; and with an increased cargo of several bags of grease, iron-work, guns, and bales of leather, which were ])ut into a second canoe, which I thought might be convenient in the exent of finding any shoal rivers to the north, we quitted the fort late in tlie exening of the 1st of August ; further instructions being hf'i for the guidance of Mr. King, on his arrival with the batediu'. 'I'lie lake was unusually low this season, and, ill consequence, \\v had more than ordinary trouble ill crossing the flats to Stonv Kiver, where we encamped The lollowing night was SALT RIVKU. 77 remarkably calm, and we hoard the sound of the Falls at a distance of twenty miles, (ireat matted rafts of drift wood were floating" down the Slave River ; and on reaching the Rapids and Falls, the water line on the rocks showed a depression of six feet lower than I had ever seen it. Numerous sand and mud banks, of consider- able elevation, had been thrown u]), and were already green with incipient vegetation. On the granitic rocks of the Mountain and Pelican Falls (which were bare and clean wlien Sir ,J. Franklin passed) was a de))ositi()n of at least fourteen inches of nnid, a proof how gn.'at a quantity is annually carried down by the spring floods into Slave Lake. August 4. — The thermometer this morning was only 3(3° ; and a cold N.W. gale blew, which, being directly against us, counteracted the cur- rent, and almost prevented the canoes making head-way ; we were, conse(|uentIy, five hours in accomplishing the twelve miles, wiiicli brought us to the Salt River. Here there had been a recent encampment of Indians. From the marks about the place, it was suj)posed that they had ascended the river to the 'plains, which are gene- rally well stocked with buflaloand other animals ; af'd, as it was material to iia\ e an inter\ iew» the lading was taken out of my canoe ; and with Mr. M'Leod for a comjjanion, 1 went, (|uite I J 78 SKKITH OF A PAHTY OK IXDIANS. lii^Iit, in search of them. Wc had hardly rounded the second point, when the sight of a " cache*," snspendeil from the apex of a deserted lodge, convinced us that we sliould so(m come u)) with the suai;'i;iers ; aiul, accordingly, about a quarter of a mileiarther, two young Indians thrust their dark bodies through the branches of the trees, and called to us to stx))). They formed j)art of the tribe of Slave Lake Indians, who were exj)ected to be in tiiis direction, and their friends were not far from them. They merely told us wiiat we well knew, " that there was little water in the river, and they doubted if we could get up." Shortly afterwards, we met a whole fleet of canoes, whose approach was notified by loud and discordant sountls — a horrible concert of voices of all ages, utterlv indescribable. Their chief was :iu intelligent looking old man, called by the traders, " le camarade de Mandeville ;" and from his extensive knowledge of the coun- try to the northward and eastward of Great Slave Lake, there was every reason to expect consi- derable uiformation, if it coukl only be wormed out of him. To achieve this, Mr. jNI'Leod re- turned with the Indians to our encampment; there with all befitting ceremony to open the preliminaries by the customary ])ipe : for a social * Secreted heap, or store of any thing. SKKTCH OF A I'AIITV OF INDIAN'S. 79 piirt' is to an Indian, what a bottle of wine is to an Kn«»lishinan : " a|)ci'it prst'cordia," it unlocks the heart, und dissipates reserve. The tout ensemble of these " i)eople," as they, with some vanity, style themselves, was wild and grotesque in the extreme. One canoe in parti- cular tixed my attention ; it was small even for a canoe ; and how eight men, women, and chil- dren contrived to stow away their legs, in a space not more than large enougli for three Eu- ropeans, would have been a })uzzling prol)lem to one unac(piainted with the su])pleness of an In- dian's unbandaged limbs. There, however, they were, in a temperature of ()()°, [)acked heads and tails like Yarmouth herrings — half naked — their hair in elf-locks, long and matted — i'.'thy beyond description — and all squalling togetlier. To conq)lete the picture, their dogs, scarce one degree below them, formed a sort of body guard, on each side of the river ; and as the canoe glided away with th'^ current, all the animals together, human and canine, set uj) a shrill and horrible yell. By sunset I got well up the stream ; but not having been '.here for thirteen years, and my crew being no better acquainted with the locality than myself, we took a wrong ciiamiel, and encanq)ed. The following morning the route was regained ; and on arriving at the proper spot, we filled our 4 ^ «^. >^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) /. 1.0 I.I 1.25 »- ^ UUi- 1.8 U 11.6 6" V <^ /i C^^'fc J% ■ v> ■w %. ^ S,^ Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 ,\ V 4* *«!) .V 6^ ''" 80 DKSCIIIPTION or THE SALT SPRINGS. five large bags with pure and white salt, in the short space of half an hour. There were no mounds like those seen in 1820 ^ but just at tiie foot of the hill whicli bounds tlie prairie in that quarter, there were tln'ee springs, varying in diameter from four to twelve feet, and pro- ducing liillocks of salt, from fourteen to thirty inches in lieight. Tiie streams were dry, but the surface of tiie chiyey soil was covered, to the extent of a few hundred yards towartls the plain, with a white crust of saline particles. The plain itself had been trodden into paths, by the footsteps of buffalo and other herbivorous animals. We returned the same way to the encamp- ment at the mouth of the river, and found the Indians seated in clusters round Mr. M'Leod, still busy in listening to and answering his interroga- tories. The information thus collected was made intelligible to me by means of an outline of the north-eastern country, drawn by tlie Cama- rade. In this sketch, the Thlew-ee-choh and the Teh-Ion were represented as maintaining a nearly parallel direction E.N. E. to the sea; though, where that sea was, whether in some of the deep inlets of Hudson's Bay, or, as I fer- vently hoped, more directly north, towards Poi'.it Turnagain, it was altogether beyond his knowledge to declare. id Is is N^ I IMOIv.MATJON RECEIVED FROM THE NATIVES. 81 The relative bearings of several lakes, which many of their immher had frequently visited, and of which, in fact, they knew every winding,' were equally iivolved in doubt and obscurity. In one point alone were they positive and una- riimous ; and that was, the superiority and many advantages of the Teh-Ion over the Thlew-ee- choh. The former was described as being a broad and noble stream, decorated on either bank with tall pine and birch, and flowing in uninterrupted tranquillity to its journey's end. The latter was gra])hically pourtrayed, as ori- ginating in rapids — narrow, shoal, and dan- gerous — destitute of wood, even for fuel — full of dangerous cascades and falls— and after a course more tortuous than that of any river known to the oldest and most experienced of tlieir tribe, tumbling over its northern barrier in a foaming cataract into the sea. They also afl^rmed— agreeing in this respect with the information which had previously been given me at Lake Winnipeg, that the distance be- tween the mouths of the rivers was inconsiderable; and concluded by saying, that if the Great Chief was determined on going to the Thlew-ee-choh, it would be without an escort of Indians, who,' inured as tiiey were to privation, would not expose themselves to the suffering which, in a district so sterile, was inevitable. To say the G H^2 ARRIVAL AT FOliT IIKSOLITION'. truth, they were tired of the repetitions and details of my questions ; and no wonder ; for before I began, they had sat up witii Mr. M'Leod the whole night, telling their prolix stories with much cheerfulness. I could not lielp smiling at the (.'amarade, who, puzzled and distressed at the many positions in which I requested he would place himself, so as to give me an idea of the bearings of what he was describing, at last rather peevishly exclaimed, " that we did not place the world as it was ; whereas he ke})t steachly to the rising and setting sun." In our progress down Slave River, we halted for a short time at a cache of Mr. Stuart's, Iiaving his permission to take from it a stock of birch bark, p^cient for building a new canoe. On the Sth of August we reached Great Slave Lake, and were received at Fort Resolution by Mr. M'Donnell, the gentleman in charge. .1 S3 CHAP. III. Inquiries and Emharra.sments about the Route, -Pre- 2>arations for Departure.- Embark in search of the We^^-ee-choh. -- Indian Encampment and Indian Poh^ness. - Point cf Honour cmon^ Indian Hunters. --Description of the Country through ^hich the Route lay. — A small Ice-berg seen. — A Bear Hunt. —In- dian Inconsistency. -Description of the Coast Line — loint K,ith and Christie^sBay. - Eastern Extremiiy of Great Slave Lake.- Discovery of the River supposed to leadto-^ards the Thle^^-ee-choh.- Preparations to ascend it. Soon after my arrival, I was informed by Mr M'Donncll that the chief called -Le grand Jeune Homme," who had been .nentioned to me by Mr. Charles, was somewhere near the Buffiilo Creek, a day or two from the houre, employed in making canoes, in the full con' viction that he was selected to accompany the expedition, and feeding i,is imagination with the thoughts of a boundless remuneration. Ihinking It right to eradicate immediately so preposterous a notion, I despatched a couple G 2 81, lX(iUIUIKS ANM) KMr.ARIlASS.AIENTS of lads ill a canoe, to acquaint him of our arrival, and to require his attendance. In the mean time, there being many Indians at the Fort, and among tliem a hah-breed, of the name of La Prise, whom J had seen on a previous occasion, and who liad now become a kind of leader of a small party accustomed to hunt to the eastward, I thought it a good opportunity of iiaining some information as to the bending; if the Great Slave Lake, and the nature of the country at its eastern extremity. La Prise, who had been subjected to similar catechising by my friend Sir John Franklin, in 1820, at once understood me, and pointed to the com- pass, as an instrument with which he was ac- quainted. Having been placed right over it, he jiointed his hand in the direction of the places required, while I carefully noted their magnetic bearings ; and it is but justice to state, that the whole of his description was subsequently found to be remarkably correct. He made the lake run nearly north, and estimated the distance at about five days' march, for a light canoe, well manned. A young hunter, however, who had just come from that part, with a message from one of his companions, offering to take me by a new cut to the Teh-Ion, differed from La Prise, and with a bit of charcoal drew a sketch, of which the following is an accurate copy. 1 ABOUT Tin: !iOlJTK 85 1 N i.SV'. Sun i/.i :■. /« •f (\ Slat;- I.iih: It was gratifying to observe thai, accordino- to tins description, tliere was a water eonmunilca- tion tlie whole way, with the exception of three portages, probably near the height of land With this local knowledge of, I may sav, every inch of ground in those directions, it was not 'i httle singular that he, as well as all the rest of his tribe, was utterly ignorant of the situation of the Thlew-ee-choh. Not so, however, of its evil qualities ; and, like the Camarade, they agreed, Ci 3 J 8() INQUIRIES AND EMBARRASSMENTS one and all, in magnifying its dangers, and deprecating any rasli attempt to Jauncli a boat on its unnavigable waters. " And why," said tliey, " should the chief wish to go thcrc^ when tlie Teh-Ion is not only nearer, but offers liim so many more advantages ? wliere lie will find, musk ox, moose, and rein-deer, wood, fish, and animals wherewith to ])ass a comfortable winter. It is true," continued they, "that our fathers did go down the Thlew-ee-choh, when they made war on the Esquimaux, a long time ago ; but how few returned ? and who is there now to tell of what they did, and what befell them ? No one ; — they are in the land of spirits, and our old men only remember their names," Nor was this the only discouragement of my projected route by the Thlcw-ee-choh, for at the same time a circumstance came to light, as unexpected as it was unwelcome. A Cana- dian, named Sanpere, had formerly, at Sir John Franklin's request, been sent by the gentleman at that time in charge of Fort Resolution, to ascertain the existence of the Thlew-ee-choh. The man accordingly set out, in company with the natives, and on his return gave a detailed account of his journey. But his guides, to some of whom I was speaking, now affirmed that on reachintj; the end of the lake next to Great Slave Lake, he became alarmed; and in spite of all it .\jioL i nii; ijoL ii;. ^7 their eftorts and rciiionstraiiccs, ictiiscd to «•() farther, and retiirnetl hack witiioiit liaving- seen or e\en a])proaclied the rixer. Tliey rehited ininiiteiy all particulars, and ended by remark- inn-, that I was no stran<.x-r to Indians, and that wlien 1 passed the spot I should find that they had spoken the truth. Tiic account given by Sanp6re had been gene- rally credited ; and I confess J was ofthe juimber of those who had relied on his veracity. This, however, being now rendered doubtfid, if not absolutely destroyed, 1 was left in a state of very uncomfortable uncertainty. Ikvsides, though the sketch of the young hunter represented the Teh-Ion as running to the westward of north, and the position of the sun was in favoiu' of its maintaining that course, still I could not reconcile to myself the notion of high woods, frequented by moose, on the banks of a river flowin^:, through the barren grounds, except on the supposition that it trended fhr away to the south-east, in a line for Hudson's \hy. Ulti- mately, therefore, after much embarrassment and perplexity, I decided on following uj) the original plan, as laid down in the ])aper read before the Royal Geographical Society; comforting my- self with the reflection, that the observations of Black Meat, an old Indian warrior, whom I had known in IS'Jo, were as likely to be correct G 1 88 I'llEPA RATIONS FOR DKPARTL'RE. ill this instance, as they had proved to be in other ])articulars on the two former expeditions. JVIy resohition being taken, I divided my crew into two parties. Five were to be left as an escort for Mr. M'Leod, and fonr were to accom- pany me in my search for the Thlew-ee-choh. Itl lap i})})ene d, for Fort a half-sized c tunatelv, that there was at the moe. which was both liizhter to carry, and in other respects more convenient than the larger one, for getting up the shoal streams which we expected to tind to the east- ward. This was immediately, therefore, put in re))air ; while Mr. M'Leod, who had the ser- vice as much at heart as myself, gave me the benefit of his assistance in arranging our futiu'c operations. He undertook to wait and appease the Grand Jeune Homme, under the disappointment which it was thought he would feel at being rejected : for, knowing from past experience the constant trouble and anxiety that a leader, spoiled and indulged as he had been, would probably have given us, I deemed it more prudent, as it was certainly more economical, to dismiss him alto- gether, with a douceur for lost time, than to rest my hoj)es, and possibly the safety of my wliole })arty, on the exertions of the most fickle and wavering of his tribe. Such a step, moreover, was necessary, by way of example, to moderate i I J rUKl'AILATIONS FOR DK PARTURi:. 89 f. h the extravagant notions entcM'taincd by the In- dians of our liberality; for, too dull to conii)re- bend the disinterested principle on wbicli the present expedition was undertaken, and viewing it in the same linbt as the preeeding ones, tbey expected the same measure of bounty ; and sunk into a moody silence, wlicn told that I had only broun-ht o-oods enouoh to satisfy the demands of my hunters ; and that against them, as well as tlie others, a strict account would be kept. Tlie inter])reter I had brought with me was a pure Indian, - a Cliipewyan, who, under the auspices of the Company, had received the nidnnents of an education at the Red Kivcr Colony. 13ut being unaccustomed to speak his native tongue, he was not altogether adai)ted for the first introduction of a i)arty amongst Indians, many of whom but rarely visited the trading establishments :— and, as much depended on the information to be communicated, and per- haps not less on the impression made on the people by the manner of address, 1 requested Mr. M'Donnell to lend me his interpreter, Louison, who had travelled with me befbre, and who, from his intimate acquaintance with the surroundino- tribes, was peculiarly well qualiHed for our pui^ pose. The inconvenience to him was consider- able, yet, like the other gentlemen of the country, he cheerfully acceded to my request, and a tem- 90 EMBARK IN SEAIlCIi OF THE TIILEW-EE-CIIOII. porary oxcliange was effected, as agreeable, as I afterwards learnt, to Louison, as it was to myself. We were here also })rovided with extra clothing and shoes, in the event of being caught by the frost ; and tlie remainder of the time, I occupied in milking obsjrvations on the dij), force, &c., by which itap})eared that an increased diffei of th asterly had tak rence place since 18'25, in the \ariation. While we were discussing our usual dinner of Iiard dried meat and pemmican, one of the hunters burst into tlic room, with the glad tidings of his having killed a moose deer, of which he had brought a small part with him. At the same moment, the servant entered with a bladder of fat in his hand, a sight which, from the great scarcity of that luxury, so surprised Mr.M'Donnell, that he exclaimed, " Oood God ! from what part of the country did that come ? " Nor will this ap])car strange, when it is known, that he had not tasted any fresh meat since April ; nor had I seen any since leaving I'ort William. Having w^ritten some letters of business, and left further instructions for Mr. KiiTT, I embark- ed tie next morning, August Uth, at 6 a.m., in my old canoe, now manned by one Englisii- lUan, (William Malley, U. A., my servant,) one Canadian, two hall-breeds, and two Indians. i • i 1 ] INDIAN enca:\ipment. 91 1 lie weather was squally aiul threatening, and a heavy swell, which sometimes rose into crested waves, warned lis to avoid the oi)en lake, and «eek the protechon of the windward islands. Ihe canoe shipped much water, but the men kept on their work, and, after crossin- an exposed bay, we soon reached the nniddy^Mitrance of the Little C:hannel. This took us to the Slave Jiiver, which we traversed, and discovered, on the eastern bank, a laro-e party of Indians, who proved 1,0 be the same we had seen at Salt Kiver. ihey were assembled in little o-rouijs, thmkino- that, according to the general a.stom of the traders, we shonld land ; but i)erceiving that It was not our intention to do so, they called out, " What! does the great chief go past, with- out even offering us a i)ipe of tobacco ? » How- ever, on we i.assed, and entered a very narrow channel, where I began the survey, and shortly after another, called Cha-bilka, which is said to come from some lakes not far distant. Near to this was an Indian encampment, the ()ccuj)ants of which were busily and noisily emi)loyed in drymg the meat of tlu'ee recently killed moose. The successful hunters, apj)arently not a little vain of their prowess, were either h'ing at full length on tiie grass, whiffing the chJrished pipe, or lounging on their elbou s, to watch the friz/hng of a rich marrow bone, the customarN perquisite •f i 92 INDIAN rOLITENLSS. of their labours. Women were lighting or tend- ing the fires, over wliich were suspended rows of thinly sliced meat, — some screaming to thiev- ish dogs making free with the hunt, and others with still louder screams endeavouring to drown the shrill cries of their children, who, s\ "iddled, and unable to stir, were half suffocated with the smoke ; while, to complete the scene, eight or ten boys at play were twining their copper- coloured bodies over and under some white bark canoes, like so many land dolphins. Poor crea- tures, their happiness was at its full : at that moment they were without care, enjoying them- selves according to their nature and capacity. Is human happiness ever much more than this? A clump of trees had prevented me from observing another group, consisting of La Prise and his followers. He hatl undertaken to paddle my half-sized canoe to the other end of the lake ; but finding, as he said, that two persons were required to keep her free from water, he had wisely put on shore to repair her. After that operation, twelve of them, with several dogs, squeezed themselves into her, and yet managed so well, that we had hard work to keep way with them. On parting from the Indians, we were supplied with fresh meat. One of them, to show his respect, put on a surtout that he had pur- chased at the Fort. The coat was unbuttoned ; ,i CIIOSS TUK GIJAXDK RIVIKRE A JE.W. ()3 and, as lie was un])rovic!ecl with inexpressibles, the effeet was extremely comical. It is curi- ous, by the wpy, to observe that the notion of testifyhig respect by a})peariniv in f nil dress, if in this case the term can be properly applied, is not confined to drawing-rooms and courts. Hemmed in by willows on either side, we occasionally got a glimpse of the lake throuo-h various little creeks and o])e).ings, and shortly crossed the Grande Uiviere a Jean, to enter the Petite Riviere a Jean, where the stream was in our favour. Its course was uncommonly tortuous, the banks being bordered by low land, covered with pme, poplar, and willow. The sharp sight of the Indians had detected a moose some distance ahead of us, and La Prise, being expert at ap- proaching those quick eared animals, went in pursuit. iMeanwhile we droi)i)ed silently down the stream along the opposite side, until a place was found dry enough for encamping. The night was clear and bright ; and the men were earnestly w^atching the boiling of a kettle of meat, when they were startled by a long shrill whooi), ^vl.ich Louison the interprcter'^imme. (hately answc red, announcing, at the same time, that It was the small canoe, and that La Prise had killed his game. The splash of paddles wis now heard in the distance ; and in a few minutes the canoe, with its many inmates, glided against 94 POINT OF HONOUR amon:; .'.vdian iiuxtkrs. the long grass, on the bank of the encampment, under the broad sliade of wliich nothhig was visible but the dark heads of the Indians, as they appeared and vanished, with the motion of their canoe. Wiien Louison inquired if he had been successful, La Prise, with the character- istic of a true Chipewyan, answered in the negative, Oohilt. Oolah ! re-echoed the inter- preter, in a disappointed tone, oolah ! ''Mon- sieur, il a manque ; who ever heard of the whoop without its accom})anying prey ?" Scarcely were the words out, wdien La Prise was at his side ; and as he lianded him the gun, gave from the other hand the fine tongue and nose of a moose. " There," said he ; " I shot it tlu'ough the heart, through an opening between the trees not wider tlian my hand : but it was with your gun and ammunition, which, according to our customs, you know, makes it your pro- perty. I thought the Chief would like to have the tongue and the nose*, and the rest lies at the bottom of the canoe for your disposal." This restraint on their appetite was the more remark- able, as they had scarcely eaten any thing for several days past; and the few scraps with which their friends had supplied them could not have sufficed for a single meal. But they never infringe tliis law among themselves j and * Considered the choice parts. ? ii : i kn('a:\ii' foi! Tin; mgiit 95 i I; nothing but imminent starvation would excuse the Indian who should trans.i^rress it. Neverthe- less, such conscientious dealing merited a re- ward from me, which was easily bestowed by allowing La Prise and his party to retain the larger proi)ortion of the animal. August l^th. — We continued our course down the Little River ; but the cold north-west wmd, which bent the pines with its violence, too plaudy indicated what was passing on the lake, which, accordingly, on our arrivhig at it, pre- sented so stormy an appearance, as to forbid our venturing farther, and compelled us reluctantly to encamp. TJie night was very boisterous, and the morning of the 13th wore a threatening aspect J but suddenly it fell calm, the wind changed to south, and by G a. m. we were en- abled to put out into the wide expanse of the lake. Keeping along the low swampy shore, thickly matted with drift wood, we made fbr a jutting elevation, called Jtocky Point, and then striking off in a northerly direction, pad- dled with spirit for a cluster of distant islands, which, owing to the refraction of the atmo- sphere, appeared as if poised in the sky. This is the traverse so much dreaded by the Indians, who, having no stouter craft than th^u- small canoes, are in great danger of perishing, if un- happily caught by a gale. A light breeze sprung 'g I 9() DESCRIPTION OF TIIF. COUNTIIY up to assist US, and, witli the aid of the paddles, the islands were gained by 11 a. m. They were too numerous to be counted ; but most of them were marked by small clumps of dwarf pine, and tlie one on which we landed produced whor- tleberries and cranberries. The rocks were all granitic, being either grey with plates of mica, or red felspar with quartz. From this position I could see the llein-deer Islands and M*Kenzie's cape to the westward, a re- markably high round rock with innumerable islands to the nortliward, a clear horizon and spots of land to the eastward, and the main shore to the southward. Sending La Prise for- ward, that I might more easily get my bearings by having him as a mark, 1 followed myself shortly afterwards, but in no very amiable mood, having just discovered that cither the bow or steersman had left our only frying pan at the last encampment, for the benefit of whoever might find it. This was a matter of no small consequence to me, who, however ready to rough it on j)emmican, had been enjoying prospectively, for some days past, the rich rein-deer steaks which the " barren ^rounds " were sure to afford ; nor did the assurance of the interpreter, who maintained that the "grillades" were just as good done in a kettle, afibrd me much con- solation. i THllOUOII WHICH THE ROUTE LAY. 97 Fo lowing the small canoe tinoiigh a labyrinth of IS ands more or less wooded, some steep, •ouiKl, and bare, others broken or shelving, co. vered with low pine and bireli, we made a short turn to M. N. E., and opened into a fine long .•each, bounded on eaeli .side by rocks, varying .n height from two linndred to a thousand feet which resembled in some parts those to the westward, about the (iros Cap, and in others st.ll more clos.ly the red granite of Chipewyan. llie necessity of despatch forbade my landing, to ascertain the difter.nce in these respects. Tlfe character of the scenery, so different from that which we had quitted in the morning, together with the northerly trending of the land, was the .flore gratifying, as it coincided with the Indian accounts, and led me to expect a long extent of navigation. The drift wood, found in such piles from the .Slave Kiver to the M'Kenzie, and ar along the east and west shores of the lake bad now disappeared, and the water, no lonner tnrbid and yellow, was of a pellucid green Its temperature was 52°, while that of the sur rounding air was .^S", having increased lo" since the morning. The extensive islands as- sumed a more mountainous character as we ad vanced ; and it was observable that the western ones were more thickly wooded than those to tlie eastward. Through occasional vistas, the II I 98 Di;sc;uii*TJ()N or the countuv distant blue land was seen (liintly in tlie clear liorizon to the right. At 8 p. ^r., the people being completely tired, I eiicani])ed for the night. ^Vngust lltii. — Tiie thermometer had sunk to -'30° ; and when at I v. m, we resumed our course, the water was found to be slightly en- crusted with ice, wJiich, together with the cold wind, so cracked and injured the bark of the canoe, as to make it necessary to repair her. The country to the left became gradually less rugged, subsiding into round-backed hills, whose sloj)ing sides w ere covered with wood ; the uniformity being agreeably broken by two light columns of smoke issuing at separate points, most likely from the fires of some straggling hunt- ers. But the scenery to the right increased in grandeur and boldness ; and never, either in Alp or Apennine, had I seen a picture of such rug- ged wildness. liising to a perpendicular height of upwards of twelve hundred feet, tlie rocks wxn-e rent, as if by some violent convulsion, into deep chasms and raii'^'ed fissures, inaccessible to the nimblest animal. A few withered pines, grey with age, jutted their shrivelled arms from the extreme ridge of the abyss : on one of which a majestic fishing eagle was seated, and there, unscared by our cries, reigned in solitary state, the monarch of the rocky wilderness. ii d I'l •^ ■X ■^f " i TiiKOLCiii wmcii Tin: uovn ,.,„•. 9.) .Sj.lvato,- alo„e conid H,,, ,,„„, -^^^-^^ ^^ ^,,^ As we i,roceoad concealed among the rocks. His little treasure was in safety ; anci, trusting to my sup. plying h.s wants, he allowed it to remain for a iiiture emergency. The south-west face of the rock was smooth and almost perpendicular ; and as we bore up to he north-east, it became still „,ore so, extend- ng to the extreme limit of siglu, in one unin- terrupted mural precipice, along the base of wlHch was a SL.ecession of trap hills, with similar taces, and rounded summits. I could not but re- -nark the resemblance of these last to the form- at.ons around Point Lake, and on the coast to he eastward of the Copper-mine. Being unable to land on this side, wc made for the north main shore on the declivities of which so„,e patches of las wniter's snow were yet visible. Hmo we disembarked ; and. the tent having been pitched. La nse set a net. which the following mornin-. produced a few white fish, a trout, and. what surprised the Indians, an inconnu. • August ].5._A .smart head wind with a pitching sea did not allow «s to do much with the paddles ; .nul though we sought the lee of ™y thing Chat offered shelter, we were soon obliged to lie by. Presently intelligence was F™,m;'','.'"' '""'"'^"- '^^ ''■^"-''-"•» Appendix .„ II 3 i 102 DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTUY. brought me that La Prise and an Indian in my canoe were quarrel ling in a manner that fore- boded a disagreeable termination. My appear- ance rather separated than reconciled them ; since La Prise, in going apart, muttered out, "You may thank the Chief; but it is not finish- ed : we shaU meet on the barren lands." The weather becoming more favourable, the journey was continued, and we got to a narrow passage called Tal-thel-leh, or the part that does not freeze, — a fact verified during two successive winters, but for which we could assign no cause. The right shore was particularly bold and impos- ing: it was a continuation of the trap formation from Pipe-stone Point, with this difference only, that here it had the glittering light brown ap- pearance of mica slate, and was piled, terrace upon terrace, to a height of eight hundred feet. The dip of the range was N. E. by E., with the face of the cliffs northerly. To tiie left, and not more than a mile from the trap, the rocks were principally gneiss, with here and there a jutting mound of red granite or porphyry. A southerly current was perceptible in the narrow ; though tiie Indian positively affirmed, that it was tlie reverse in winter, as the ice was invariably packed towards the north, and not towards the south of the strait. A few larch and pine were thinly scattered ; and the general ap])earance presented wai^i that of roundetl hills, intersected i \. A SMALL ICi:-BERG SEE.V. 103 on the one side by valleys, and on the other cu^ oft in part by the nnn-' precipices of the Lsland already mentioned, whicii Jiere rose mto seven consecutive ranoes, producincr a sin- giilar and striking effect. Another island be- tween this and the main, consisting, of a single roc.., l„e soutiiern far of ^vhich was broken into columnar cliffs with large rhomboidal frac tures, seemed to be basaltic. The wind had fallen ; but a heavy swell was runnmg from the clear horizon befbre us, and dashed against the rocks with a violence suffi- cient to swamp a fleet of canoes. The smaller of the two canoes took in much water at every pitch ; and as she leaked besides, the Indians prudently made for a small bav, where they Janded, with no other damage than that of gettmg wet. They innnediately called out to me not to persevere, as the shore was inapproach- able for many miles, and added, that several of tlien- friends had perished in the same place from disregarding this counsel. And, indeed we found as we proceeded a high surf lashing t.ie beach ; and had a gale come on, which, how- ever was not indicated by the clouds, we might have had reason to repent our obstinacy. A large piece of ice was seen floating in the dis- tance, in the pride of a miniature berg; a sio-ht which so surprised the Canadian, who had been 11 J. 104 A BEAU HUNT. long to the southward, near the Columbia, that he exclaimed, " Cela va bien, nous ne sommes pas mal avances au nord," and the poor fellow actually thought we could not be far from the sea. While rounding a projecting bluff or headland, near which I was told there was a river, our attention was attracted to the crest of a steep rock, where the keen eye of the Indian de- tected a poor bear, quietly regaling himself with a feast of berries. "8ass! sass!"* whis- pered he, and in a moment all were down to a level with the canoe, and remained motion- less, except the bowman, who ])ersisted in mak- ing signs perfectly unintelligible ; until at last he said, in an under tone, " Dites-lui d'oter son bonnet rouge/' meaning my servant, an honcsi: Lancashire lad, who, not understanding a word of French, had never ceased to look at the bear, without once thinking of his flaming red cap. *' What! " exclaimed he, as he took it off, " will it frighten him ?" The interpreter and Indian waded on shore, and crawling silently tiu'ough the bushes, were soon lost to our sight. In a few minutes a couple of shots, followed by a whoop, proclaimed the fate of bruin ; and we landed at a convenient spot to fetch the meat. While the men were absent on this errand, I strolled about and saw some gooseberries and currants on the bushes, still unripe ; there were * Sass, bear. ! 'I LUDICROUS APPEARANCE OF THE BOWMAN. 105 also a few roses yet in bud, the colour of which was a deeper red than that of the roses which grow more south. A brood of young ducks was likewise observed. The party at length returned : the animal bemg small was slung on the bowman's back • and as he had placed a stick in its mouth to keep the jaws apart, and then tucked the head under his arm, his appearance, as he brushed through the wood, was ludicrous enough. The evening being far advanced, "we took advantage of a snug bay that completely shel- tered the canoe from danger, and very soon after La Prise also arrived. He stated that after my departure he had discovered that the frost of the preceding night had split the canoe in several places, which at once accounted for its leaking ; and that having repaired it, he pre ferred the risk of coming on to the chance of being left behind. The truth was, that having no provision of their own, his party regular^ was supplied from our stock, and could ill brook therefore, even a short separation. The auror-'i was brilliant, and in rapid motion until midnio-ht when the wind increased so much, that weco'lild not move from the bay. The hunters were des patched in every likely direction to find deer • and, though unsuccessful, were much pleased a[ the many recent tracks they had seen. I 10() INDIAN INCONSISTENCY. By a set of observations made here, the latitude was found to be ()2° 45' 35" N., the lon- gitude by chronometers was 111" 19' 52"'7 W., and the variation by Rater's compass 45° 31' E. Thermometer at 3 p. :m. 54°. August 17. — The nets having been set over night produced eight white fish and a trout, which were equally divided ; and at 4 a.m. we got away, and paddled against a cold north-east breeze. The main on one side, and a range of islands on the other, screened us, however, from its effects, so that by breakfast time we had accomplished a satisfactory distance, having passed on our way another small berg, and some patches of snow, which still lingered in the fissures and deep gullies of the hills. It is always difficult to get at the real meaning of an Indian, even on subjects with which he has been to a certain extent acquainted all his life, and on which one might reasonably expect something like a straightforward answer. Not only the others, but even the lad who had drawn the sketch, now began to hint that the Teh-Ion was far away to the south and east, and that the portages between the intervening lakes were long and bad for the transport of baggage, if not altogether impracticable. The Indians, it was observed, were never encumbered with any thing heavier than their guns, and perhai)s a small canoe. ii I DESCRIPTION OF THE COAST LINE. 107 which was often left, in case the carrier were unable or unwillincr to take it on. From tlie direction, too, in which they pointed to it, I was the more confirmed in my former opinion, not only that it lay considerably to the eastward, but also that It inclined towards Hudson's Bay. On the other hand, one of the party confessed that he had been on the Thlew-ee-choh when he was a boy ; and though, as he had gone by land, he had no exact knowledge of the route by water, still he knew that there was a river about a day's march off,leading to some lakes which would eventually conduct us to it. His only apprehension was, whether the canoe could be conveyed in any manner over the mountains and falls, in our way to the Barren Lands where we should find the lakes to which he had alluded. - We Indians," said he, -should not think of attempting it, but the white men are strong." On such a subject it was scarcely prudent to hazard an assertion: but as much depends on first impressions, I did not hesitate to assure him, that I had the power to sur- mount all such obstacles as he had described, and only required an active hunter like himself to accompany me, for which, I added, he should be well remunerated ; though, to say the truth, the general appearance off the country, and the increasing altitude of the mountains,' I 108 DESCRirTION OF THE COAST LINE. rendered it evident that no common exertion would be required to get to either of the large rivers, and in the decision to which I now finally came, I considered myself as having merely chosen the lesser evil of the two. Still, coasting along the northern shore, and a continuous link of islands to the right, we came to a place distinguished, by the Chipewyan and Yellow Knife Indians, by the emphatic appellation of "The Mountain." Here it is their custom to leave their canoes when they go to hunt the rein-deer on the Barren Lands ; and few have much acquaintance with the coun- try beyond it. Three or four of La Prise's crew, influenced by their old habits, could not bring themselves to pass the rock at which they had always landed ; and separated from us here, under the plea of going to join their fami- lies. The Mountain rises gradually from the water's edge into round backed ridges of gneiss, with intervening valleys rather scantily wooded ; and its various summits, consisting of a succession of mounds or elevations of smooth and naked granite, in the form of obtuse cones, rarely attain a greater height than from ten to fourteen hundred feet. The Mountain River is seen near its base, and precipitates itself, in a picturesque fall, over a ledge of craggy rocks, into the lake. Opposite this is the termination POINT KEITH. 109 of the islands beginning at Tal-thel-leh ; and a Mne drawn from thence due south cuts a huge bluff, forming the western angle of Grdi-houn- tchella, or Rabbit Point. This indented isth- mus juts out in a W.N.W. direction from the eastern main, and, overlapping the immense island of Peth-the-nueh, or Owl Island, so as to make the land seem continuous, gives the ap- pearance of a deep bay, of which, together with the island, it seems to be the boundary. In truth, however, the effect so produced is an optical illusion, occasioned by the distance and refraction of the objects ; for although the blue outline appears perfectly unbroken, yet Grdi- houn-tchella was subsequently discovered to be the northern opening to a narrow strait leadin- into a magnificent inner bay, at the south part of which we afterwards established a fishery. Still flirther south than the fishery IS another narrow passage, hemmed in on the west by the mural precipices of Peth-the- nueh, and on the east by lofty granitic moun- tains. This forms the outlet to a part of the lake which is bounded by the horizon, the whole space being one sheet of water as far as Point Keith. The southern shore I have ventured to lay down, according to the dotted lines in the cliart, after a patient investigation ot various Indian accounts, all of which make I 110 CHIUSTIE*S 13AV. its distance from Peth-the-nueh rather more than I have fixed upon. Peth-the-nueh, or Owl Island, is an accumuhition of trap moun- tains, having tlieir least altitude at Pipe-stone Point, o})posite Rein-deer Island, and their greatest, at the narrow ])assage south of Grdi- houn-tchella. Its whole length east and west is lifty-four geographical miles, and the breadth of the lake a little beyond jVIountain River, in a line due south, may be fairly estimated at not less than thirty-nine miles. It lies between the two main shores, somewhat nearer to the north : the rivers to the southward and eastward are of some magnitude, and are continually resorted to by the Chipewyans ; yet, though acquainted with every rapid and turn in them, they were unable to point out or even afford a guess at their sources. The one, however, with the islands at its entrance, which is laid down as running into Christie's Bay, — so called after Mr. Chief Factor Christie, of the Company's service, whose prompt and courteous services I have pleasure in again alluding to, — is often visited by them in the spring, for the purpose of shooting swans, with which at that season it abounds. Continuing our course along the hard and rocky line of the northern shore, we passed a picturesque torrent; which, from a thread of il ^'-.^r d re t lie s r s s 1 f t EASTERN EXTREMITY OF GREAT SLAVE LAKE. Ill shining silver in the distance, came gamboHng down the steep declivities, and then mingled gently with the broad waters of the lake. Near it was the Rocky Point River, just beyond which we encamj)ed, at the close of a beautiful day, in which the thermometer had stood at 5^2". August 18th. — We started at 1- a.m. under the impression that a couple of hours would certainly bring us to the river sj)oken of by the Indians; but at the spot where we hoped to find a river there was merely another torrent. " That is not it," said Maufelly, the Indian before spoken of, who was to be our guide ; so on we went, paddling along the lake, now contracted to a width of five or six miles, and a})parently terminating near a blue point in the south-east, which, however, turned out to be the bend leading into a deep bay, forming the eastern portion of Great Slave Lake. As it seemed that a long circuit might be avoided, by making a portage in a favourable part, almost in a direct line before us, I was about to give directions ac- cordingly, when launching past some rocks, which had shut out the land in their direction, we opened suddenly on a small bay, at the bottom of which was seen a splendid fall, upwards of sixty feet high, rushing in two white and misty vo- lumes into the dark gulf below. It was the object of our search — the river which we 112 LA I'UISE LEFT IN CHAKGE OF THE BAGGAGE. were to ascend ; so, without noticin^r the very significant gestures of my crew, indicauno- the inipossibihty of ascending it, I immediately ianded, and set them about drying and tho- roughly repairing the small canoe. An addi- tional blanket or two, with some other requisites, luiving been set apart, all the other baggage,' together with the large canoe, was placed under the charge of La Prise, who undertook to wait for and deliver them to Mr. M'Leod. The observitions to-day gave the latitude 62° 50' \5' N., longitude 109" 17' 51/" W., and variation 36° 52' E. i » l:- I a I t r ' — fV-T' 'h V* 113 CHAP. IV. r)i^cult and toilsome Ascent of Hoar Frost River. - Strtfang Scenery along its Course. - Illness of the Intapreter.- Encampment upon Cook^s Lake. ^As- cent of another small River Ml of Rapids, - Dcse^, *Z\"^'^"" '^^^ Guide as to t^ paper Course and Attempt to desert. - Succession ofStn-ams and Lakes. -Lulian Account of the The-le^^ lak n" ^'^''^'^''■^'^^^^-' A'A^er, and Susse. J-Mkes. — Discovery of the Thle^-ee^choh. A NEW scene now opened upon us. Instead of the gentle paddling across the level lake, by ^vhIcIl we liad been enabled to penetrate thus far, we had to toil up the steep and rocky bed of an unknown stream, on our way to the high lands, from which the waters take an opposUe course. The labours which had been hitherto so cheerfully undergone were little more than those to which voya^eur. are accustomed; but m what was to come, it was evident that extraordinary efforts and patient perseverance would be required, to overcome the difficulties hat the fall to which, after my enterprising friend Beverley, the companion of Sir E. Puny I lU TOILSOME ASCENT in Iiis attempt to reach the Pole, I have given the name of Beverley's Fall, was the com- mencement of a series of appalling cascades and rapids, which, according to their account, were the distinguishing characteristics of Hoar Frost River ; and, indeed, some fifteen or twenty small canoes, concealed in the bushes, belonging, as was conjectured, to my old friend Akaitcho and his party, who were hunting on the barren Lands, showed pretty clearly the obstacles we might expect to encounter. Maufelly, however, maintained that it was the only practicable route, and added, that by following its channel we should shorten the distance, and not improbably fall in with an old man who could give all ihe information I required about the Thlew-ee- choh. The greater part of our lading, consisting of three bags of pemmican, with a little ammunition tobacco, &c., had been carried up the aicent the evening before ; and on the morning of the leing themselvesin high spirits, from having seen some fresh tracks of deer, which, according to their notions, indicated an early hunting season, as it proved that those ever shifting animals liad begun to migrate from the north. The descent towards the river was at first gradual, for the path lay over the even though rounded surface of the rocks. But moss- covered swamps soon followed, and then a pre- cipice so abrupt and deej), that, with no other incumbrance than my cloak and gun, it re- quired all my vigilance and exertion to save myself from falling with the loose masses which slid away from mv feet. The people with the canoe stood resolutely to their work, and after a slip or fall, recovered themselves with such adroitness, that, after an interval of pn. traded anxiety, I enjoyed the satis- faction of beholding her placed safe and sound in :h to id 11 ..,.■:< U ■ r M'l-.i.- ;. 1. ■1 i'; I •Si SAND-FLIES AMD .AIOSQUITOS. 117 the stream below. The course of the river could be traced N.N.E. about three miles, in which, though there was evidently a strong current, nothing appeared to break the glassiness of the surface. It was bounded on each side by steep shelving rocks, cheerful with vegetation, and thmly clad with birch, firs, and willows. The sun was too low, and the crew too wearied to move on; and having paddled to the other side, for the convenience of a level spot on which to pitch the tent, we gladly halted for the night. The laborious duty which had been thus satis- factorily performed, was rendered doubly severe by the combined attack of myriads of sand-flies and mosquitos, which made our flices stream with blood. There is certainly no form of wretched- ness, among those to which the chequered life of a myageur is exposed, at once so great and so humiliating, as the torture inflicted by these puny blood-suckers. To avoid them is im- possible : and as for defending himself, though for a time he may go on crushing by thousands, lie cannot long maintain the unequal conflict ; so that at last, subdued by pain and fatigue, he throws himself in despair with his flice to the earth, and half suffocated in his blanket, groans away a tew hours of sleepless rest. August 20.-The thermometer had fallen to ^^ , and at four a. m., as soon as the sunken I 8 A. lis ILLNESS OF THE INTERI'RETEU. rocks, and otlier impediments to our progress, could be distinguislied, we got away, and went on clieerily enough, until interrupted by a rapid, wliich was succeeded by so many more, that for the best part of the morning we did little else than lighten tiie canoe and drag it up with a line : at length a fall of twenty feet obliged us to carry both canoe and baggage. This passed, other rapids presented themselves ; until finally the canoe got so seriously damaged by the shocks, as to make us hasten on shore to avoid sinking. The unhappy interpreter had been unable to take any share in the work, and was evidently suffering severe |)ain, which he begged of me to assuage. I had only a box of common pills, and some brandy, neither of which could be prudently applied to a case which seemed to require the skill and attention of a professional man. The poor fellow, however, persisted in his belief that I could relieve him, not doubting that any thing under the name of medicine would answer the purpose. I yielded, therefcve, to his importunity, and indulged him, first with the contents of the box, which made him worse ; and next with the contents of the bottle, which made him better. Scarcely was the canoe repaired, and our la- bour recommenced, when we were involved in fresh troubles, by a most intricate channel of X / WILD SCENERY. 119 tlcq) water, thickly .studded with sharp angular rocks, sonietiincs so close together as barely to allow of a passage. The stream having at this part a considerable tall, rushed between or bub- bled over them, with a force that almost swept the hauling men off their legs ; and no sooner had they with great resolution surmounted this difh'culty, than a fresh demand was made on their energy by the appearance of three distinct falls, rising like huge steps to the height of forty-five ihot Again, therefore, the whole mafcriel was to be carried, much to the annoyance of tlie crew, to whom, on such occasions, the sickness of any of their companions is a matter of serious importance. One or two more rapids, and a narrow fall of twenty feet, terminated the ascent of this turbulent and unfriendly river. No- thing, however, can be more romantically beau- tiful than the wild scenery of its course. Hio-Ji rocks beetling over the rapids like towers, or rent mto the most diversified forms, gay witli various coloured mosses, or shaded by over- lianging trees —now a tranquil pool, lying like a sheet of silver - now the dash and foam of a cataract,-these are a part only of its picturesque and striking features. The canoe having been coinpletelv repaired we entered on a different scene. An amphi' 1 4 i \ 120 KNCAMPMKNT UPON theatre of gently rising hills, interspersed with rounded and barren rocks, and a few clumps of gloomy-looking pines, rendered more conspicuous by the yellow sand on which they grew, em- braced a calm sheet of water, which, taking a northerly direction, kej)t gradually widening to a distance of three or four miles. Some old ice still adhered to its banks, and the snow shoes and bundles affixed to the poles of a recently deserted encampment, showed that it was a resort of the Indians. It was too late to gain the pines, for the sun had set ; so we encam})ed on an island where we had observed that there were shrubs enough t cook the evening meal ; and had no sooner landed than we were assailed by swarms of sand- flies and mosquitos, which for a time irritated us almost to madness. I do not know that there is any thing very original in the idea, but as I contemplated the repose and stillness of the evening landscape, mellowed by the soft tints of the western sky, and contrasted it with the noise, the impetuosity, the intense animation and bustle of the morning, it seemed to me a type of that best period of the life of man, when to the turbulence and energy of youth succeeds the cdm sobriety of ripened age. It brought to my mind far distant friends, — one especially long known and well esteemed ; in remem- 1 V \ rOOK*S LAKE. IQ\ sun I ere Ligh II er nd- ted hat lit he ts he on a en ds ht brance of wliom I gave to the slieet of water be- fore me the name of Cook's Lake. As tlie night (h'evv on, sometliing was perceived indistinctly on the lake; it was neithera loon,nora deer, but its cautious motions excited that sort of suspicion which made our invalid look about him. He and the three Indians with me determined tliat it must be either a Chijiewyaii thief, or the scout of a party of slave Indians, who were at war with the Yellow Knives. As it turned out, how- ever, neither of tliese conjectures was correct, for the object of apjirehension proved to be one of those who had left us at the mountain, and who, having lost the only two charges of powder in his possession, had been driven to the necessity of performing this long journey, to obtain the means of sustaining his family until they could get to their friends. " Had there been only my wife with me," he said, in a faint voice, " I would not Iiave troubled the chief, for we could have lived upon berries ; but when I looked on my child, and heard its cries, my heart failed me, and I sought for relief." There needed no other appeal ; and having received a liberal supply of ])rovision and ammunition, the poor fellow went away the happiest of his tribe. August 21. — Thin ice had been formed during the night ; though when we started, at 1- a.m., the thermometer stood at (38°. A few miles i 12*2 ASCKN'T OF ANOTin:il s:\IALL urvEii. northerly brought us to a river, barred by fifteen rapids, varyin*;' in lieif^ht from three to ten feet. In any other situation, such a succession of inter- ruptions would have seriously annoyed me ; but 1 now regarded them with complacency, as the ladder by which I was to mount to the dividing- ridge of land, — the attainment of that goal being all which at that late season I could hope to accomplish. I had in l)e Charloit, the bowman, one of the most expert men in the country, and in no place liad his astonishing strength and activity been called more into play than on this occasion. In the midst of dangers the most imminent from rapids or falls, he was cool, fearles^ and col- lected ; and often, when the pole o Idle was no longer available, he would spring into the curling water, and, with a foot firmly planted, maintain his ])osition, where others would have been swept away in an instant. But in spite of all his careand exertion, our frail vessel was sorely buf- feted, and the bark hung in shreds along its sides, ripped and broken in every quarter. We were, therefore, not a little glad, when, after a difficult portage, we found another free and open water. Mliile the necessary patching and gumming of the canoe was going on, to render her tight, I climbed to the top of a short range of rocks about two hundred feet high, and dipping to the 3 >i 1 1 i l)ESi;ilTH)N' or TWO INDIAVS. V2:i luf- [les, ;re, ;ult mg ,1^ i eastward, rrom this elevation Maufelly i)ointeil to a lake, on vviiicli lie said we were to .i2;o a long way ; adding, however, that, from the fact of his having been so snow-blind when he last passed as to be led with a string, he did not exactly remember the channel. He reciuested, therefore, permission to land at certain elevated ])laces — one of which he recognised, and ])ointed out as the spot where he had formerly killed a deer. Still this did not enlighten him as to the ])recise ])art we should make for : and whether the two Indian boys in the canoe differed with or distrusted liim, or whether it was the mere caprice and imsteadiness of their nature, we knew not ; but certain it was, that, on landing at a ])oint of the shore, they began to j)repare for a march, with the intention, as they said, of visiting their re- lations, who they thought might be somewhere to the north-west. As there was no indication of Indians within range of the telescoj)e, we tried to dissuade them from their purpose, for their services, just then, were doubly requisite in order to carry the baggage over the })ortages ; and this the rogues well knew, but with invinci- ble stubbornness they rejected every offer that was made. Finding they were determined, I supplied them with a little ammunition, warn- ing them at the same time to keep away from my fort, unless they brought with them a heavy load of good meat. i 124 PERPLFA'ITY OF THE GUIDE. We then paddled among islands extending to a great distance, w'tli an uninterrupted horizon to the westwar \ It was evident that Maufelly was puzzled ; for though he knew the general direction, he was so little acquainted with the form of the lake, that we constantly found our- selves either in a bay, or pulling round an island. Not liking to be baffled in this way, I landed, and sent De Charloit and the Indian to reconnoitre ; and the result was, that they descried a lake in the line of our intended course. The mosquitos here tormented us dreadfully ; and the steersman, for whom they had a particular affection, was so swollen that he could scarcely see. At daybreak of the following day (the 22d of August) we went to an adjoining bay, whence the canov urid baggage were carried to two small lakes. Another portage took us to an extensive sheet of water, vdiich, however, proved to be only a branch of the lake we had left. In this, as in the other part, were many islands, composed of low rocks with shelving sides, covered more or less with reindeer-moss and large stones. Streaks of old ice were still ad- hering to the shore ; and on some of the hills, al- ready of a brown tint, were patches of last year's snow. A few hours brought us to the end of the lake (which has been called after the Rev. Dr. Walmsley of Hanwell) ; and scouts were 11 RETURN OF ONE OF THE DESERTERS. 125 >, al- despatched in diit'erent quarters to find out the most favourable route to the large lake of which we were in search. A set of observations gave the latitude 63* 23^ 46" N., longitude lOS^ 8' 16" W., and vari- ation SC)'^ 0' E. — a position a little to the north of the Checsadawd Lake of Hearne ; though, from the concurrent testimony of the Indians, it would seem that the only one bearing the name is situated between the Athabasca and Great Slave Lakes. Tov u'ds evening the men returned; and about the same time, one of the Indian lads, who for some trifling cause had separated from his com- panion, and was now willing to join us again. The former had succeeded in finding a chain of small lakes, inclining to the eastward, and had the good fortune to shoot a young deer : the latter was unceremoniously dismissed with di- rections to inform his tribe, tliat those who were desirous of profiting by the expedition must pur- sue a steady and honest course of conduct, and, according to their own phraseology, abstain from " speaking with two tongues ;" for by that means alone could they entitle themselves to any benefit. He was refused even a particle of pro- vision,— a rigour which I felt assured would be made known, and i)roduce a wholesome effect upon the whole tribe; for, though fickle and un- I ti IQ6 SUCCESSION OF STREAMS AND LAKES. grateful, they are yet right-minded enough to know, and candid enough to acknowledge, their errors. In the j)resent instance, the lad smiled as lie went away, and observed, that " it was just, for he did not deserve better treatment." August 23. — The operation of carrying be- gan with the first dawn of day ; and, though tormented by the mosquitos from the time that the sun began to have any power, and drenched with hail and rain as soon as it declined, yet we managed to get over fifteen portages before night compelled us to encamp. August '24. — The thermometer fell to 32 ", and a cold sheet of vapour rose from innumerable watercourses, which dispersing as the sun ap- peared above the grey cloud that walled the horizon in the east, allowed us to resume our tedious occupation. A succession of lakes and portages took us to a small stream, which I was glad to observe ran easterly ; and at its termin- ation, in an open space of water, I saw some sand hills about north-west, which led me to con- clude that we could not be far ofll^' the height of land. The bark of the canoe, however, had been split by the frost, and a short delay was necessary to repair it. Tiiis completed, we began to make a traverse to gain some hills, whose eastern sides, as Maufelly asserted, were washed by the large lake ; but a (juestion now arose, as to the pro- i i ( be- ro- a k THE INTERPRET'- 'I ATTEMPTS TO DESERT. 127 bability of a passage along the base of the sand hills to the westward ; since, according to my sight, a wide opening seemed to stretch from thence far to the right, which, I cannot help still thinking, was connected with the other large sheet of water. Be this as it may, the Indian put his veto on the proposition ; and accordingly the blue hills were reached, a long })ortage made, and 1 had the satisfaction at last of look- ing on a wide clear ex])anse of water to the southward, bounded only by the horizon. — The latitude was 03° 23' 5?" N. We now crossed to a jutting bluff point, ap- parently a continuation of the opposite shore, but which was stated to be the northern sweep of a bay, the receptacle of a rapid river, which Maufelly said we must ascend. It lay precisely in a straight line with a very distant column of smoke, to which our Indian wished to go, under the plausible pretence of i)rocuring information ; declaring, at the same time, his entire ignorance of any water communication beyond the one we were in. This conduct I thought it riuiit to resent, and with a seasonable severity of manner gave him to understand that artifice and du- plicity were not likely to succeed with me at any time, much less at the present moment, when, from his own ailmission, he had been at anotlier lake, and stood convicted therelbre of 128 CHASE OF A REINDEER falsehood. I told him, that what he really wanted was to desert ; that if so, his lands were before him ; but that by so doing he would forfeit all claim to whatever benefits I might otherwise have conferred upon him. The ef- fect was instantaneous ; he confessed that he had done wrong, and promised fidelity for the future, begging that I would not be displeased, if, from want of memory on his part, we some- times missed our way; for that it was a long time since he was a boy, and from that early period he had never been beyond the land be- fore us. The banks of the stream consisted mostly of sand, heaped here and there into mounds, the comfortable retreat of many siffleu, or ground squirrels, some of whose company were basking in the sun, or sitting up in cu- rious gaze at each otiier : on seeing us, they dis- appeared. Four rapids, liaving an aggregate fall of from sixteen to twenty feet, were the only obstacles to the navigation of the river, and by five o'clock we had got up them all, and opened on a mag- niHcent lake. Close by, a reindeer appeared, running at full speed, chased by a long white wolf, which, though it seemed to have little chance in swiftness, was nevertheless resolute in tlie pursuit. The deer gradually made for a pass below the rapid, at the otiier side of which 4 I BY A WOLF. 129 anotlicr wolf was now first perceived, croiichino- down, with l.is eyes fixed on the chase, and evideiitly ready to spring upon the poor animal, II It unhappily took the water. I he ve a strong antipathy to wolves, however speciously attired ; and though these fair-robed gentlemen were but following a natural instinct of appetite, I thought fit to interfere with voice and gesture. The panting deer bounded past me as if conscious of safety and protection, while the wolf stood motionless for a moment and then, scenting an enemy, slunk slowly away' under the shelter of some fragments of rocks Ihe country near the margin, and, indeed, for sevc^-al miles from the lake, was very low and ievd. being only occasionally elevated into moderately-sized hills. By one of these, to the eastward, lay the route to the Thc-lew * As we were certain to return by this place,' I took advantage of a detached heap of stones, in the ■shape of an island, to make a cache of a ba<. of pemmican; soon after which we encamped! where there was some good moss for cookincr-_ a consideration of no trifiing importance on'the barren lands. 'fte wliite partridsos kept „j, a burring call untd near midnight; and wk-n this had ceased. * Sometimes called Teli-lou. i 130 INDIAN ACCOUNT Or my rest was repeatedly interrupted hy the start- ling and fiendisli screams of a score of the larG:est sized loons ; so that I was not sorry when the mornin"- of the '25th of Au^just afforded liu-ht enough for escaping from their harsh and grating notes. As we proceeded, the land on each side swelled insensibly into a different character, attaining an elevation of one hundred and seventy or one hundred and ninety feet, with rounded summits, partially covered with rich lichens, and strewed with huge boulders, closely resem- bling those round Point Lake. The valleys af- forded a luxurious pasturage, and were tenanted by a few scattered deer, A weak current was found to oppose us; and having passed through a narrow, which produced a ri})ple having something of the character of a raj)id, we managed to get embayed. I^Iaufelly was fairly lost ; and after trying ineffectually half a dozen openings, I returned to the current, which became imperceptible as the land fell off; but, takinc; the "•eneral direction of the last river and this stream as a guide, I directed the course to a distant northerly hill, which, luckily enough, hap- pened to be the western point of another narrow, well known to the Yellow Knives as a favourite deer-pas!s, and which was, in fact, the only passage for the water. A " band*" of deer was * Any miniber above six. THE TIIE-LEW, OR TEII-LON. 131 and ced of -iiy uilf icli Lit, nd o a Lip- w, 'ite fy Ivas swimming across at the moment. The face of tlie country was extremely barren and for- bidding. When afterwards we encamped, not a shrub could be found ; and the moss being wet, it required some ingenuity to make a fire : ultimately, however, it was effected, by building two parallel walls, within which the moss was placed, and fanned into flame by the draft rushing between. This simple no- tion was the means of saving us much trouble afterwards. The pass led us to an immense lake, from which land could be faintly dis- tinguished to the north, while east and west it was indented with deep inlets and bays. One of these, to the right, presenting a clear horizon, led, as Maufclly beheved, to the ThC'-lew\ Subsequently, several Indians, who had been there, informed me that, by making a portage from the eastern extremity of a deep bay, tliey got to a small lake, and from thence by another portage to a larger one; that this discharged it- self by a river into the north-cast end of a very long but narrow lake, the southern termination of which was about half way between that point and Slave Lake. To the east, they said it was connected, by a short line of rapids, with a lake of singular shape, whicii, by means of a river seventeen miles long, communicated with the The-lew, at a mean distance from our position K 2 132 INDIAN ACCOUNT OF of about eighty miles. As to the course of tlie principal river itself, little seemed to be accurately known ; for the Indians never pene- trated far, perhaps not more than twenty miles, beyond the part which has been just described. There it was said to maintain a uniform di- rection towards the north-east. Proceeding by the western shore of the lake which we had entered, we cut across from point to point, coasting by islands so extensive, that we not unfrequently mistook them for the main. The water was of a dark indigo colour, but very clear; and the occasional and almost noiseless rising of a fish at a water-fly was the only sound which broke the stillness and serenity around. Whether it were owing to continued calms, or to the limited time during which this lake is liberated from its icy fetters, I am not prepared to say ; but certain it is, that I no where observed those successive banks, or layers of sand, along the beach, wso common in the lakes to the southward, — the joint effect of the action of the waves and of the rise and fall of the water. Neither were there any of those horizontal lines on the base of the rocks, which force themselves on the notice of the traveller in other ])arts of this country, and which indicate, with the nicest precision, the fluctuations of the level at diflercnt seasons. 13ein"" somewliat bewildered amonc: the nu- f THE TIIE-T,F,\V, OR TKII-LON. 1.33 mcroiis bays and islands, our Indian, from time to time, ascended tlie elevated ground, with a view of guessing at the best route; and on this occasion he considered that, to avoid makii y detours, equally unprofitable and vexatious, we ought to keep more to the northward. He be- gan now also to remuk that many winters had glidedaway since he had visited the Thlew-ce- choh, as a boy, with his old father ; but that he remembered his saying that there were nu- merous sand-hills in its vicinity; and he felt some confidence now, that we should, sooner or later, find it. What most comforted him, how- ever, was a newly entertained idea that we should not (as he ha(' hitherto dreaded) be caught by the setting in of winter, before the object was accomplished. For r. considerable time past, a dazzling white- ness, which did not seem like the ordinary eflfect of the sunlight, had been visible on the western liorizon ; and, as we neared it, I had the mortifi- cation to behold a well-defined stream of ice, decayed, indeed, but compact enough to have brought up the largest ship in his Majesty's navy. There needed no stronger i)roof to convince me of the tardy disruption of this wintry barrier, and, by consequence, of the faint chance that existed of my being able to j)rosecute the journey by open water during the early part of' summer. The K 3 13 1< TOIIMKNTDI) IJY SAND-FLIKS AND MOSQUITOS. intimation, however, was not without its use ; it prepared me to expect other obstacles, and oc- casioned the metliodising of various plans, by which the execution of that part of the service was at last successfully com})leted. Having paddled along the edge of the stream of ice, we made for a remarkable mountainous bluti' to the north-east, between which and some other liigh land was a passage leading north. But the sun had set; and, after a hard day's work, my weary crew were hapi)y to encamp, notwithstand- ing the vigorous and unintermitting assaults of our faithful tormentors, the sand-flies and mosquitos. Certainly they were j)ests, and sharply did they convey to us the moral lesson of man's helplessness ; since, with all our boasted strength and skill, we were unable to repel these feeble atoms of the creation. August 2(ith. — The temperature had fallen to 31°, and coated the lake, for a few hundred yards from the shore, with a thin sheet ot ice; while the calm surface of the open water was literally black with dead flies. Slight as the impediment was, it required the utmost caution on the part of the bowman to open a lane, by breaking the ice on each side, so as to allow the canoe to pass without touching; for the bark be- ing rendered brittle by the overnight's frost, the least concussion would have produced serious con- THi; sAND-nirj,. 1.3. J 9 as sequences — to pie\'ent wliicli, pieces of leatlier, &c., were placed over the sides as lenders. Tlie mountainous ap})earance of the country to tlie northward l)y no means answered to tlie character of the part of ^\•hich we were in search, and greatly diminished the hoi)es that Maufelly had nourished of finding a portage to the Thlew-ee- choh in that direction. We therefore veered to the westward ; and, after paddling from tifteen to twenty miles, without descrying the faintest symp- tom of a sand-hill, w'e asceniled a lofty hill, and, atl;er considerable embarrassment, durin<»' which I was careful to encourage him, the Indian ])ointed to the south-east. Arriving at another point, he again directed us west, through a kind of strait, where there was an island, consisting of one conical mount, about two hundred feet high. Some sand was visible round and near its a))ex, and it was distinguished, as I afterwards learnt, by the name of the Sand-Hill. From its sunnnit we were surprised to behold another immense lake, extending with a clear horizon to the south-west, and aboun.ding in large islands, and in bays from ten to fifteen miles deep. How far it might be across, could not be conjectured, the apparent boun.dary on the other side being but dimly marked by narrow dark lines, which the Indian assured me were only islands. Resuming our journey, we passed K 1. il lf]C) PIlOGUIvSS OF Oril JOUllXKY. tliroiigli the upper end of the strait, in wliicli the current set to the southward ; and, liaving gone half round the compass, and ])assed an extensive oj)ening to the right, we directed our course to tlie westward. The wavering uncertainty of IMaufelly in- duced me to abstain from any remarks on the time lost in rounding bays to look for some near cut, which lie had never seen, but which he persisted in thinking must exist. Any opposition, I well knew, would only produce a sulky obsti- nacy, and put an end to all effective cooperation. I therefore left him to follow his own plans, confiding in that instinct which will guide an Indian through the mazes of the darkest and most tangled forest. The view to the south- ward and westward might well be called that of an inland sea ; for, with the exception of a dark spot here and there, the range was bounded by an horizon of sky and water, now gilded with the brilliant rays of a setting sun. Holding more to the north, we threaded some bleak and picturesque islands, apparently of gneiss; for all were round and naked rocks, with little or no vegetation, and rose abruptly from the water's edge to a height varying from eighty to a himdred and twenty feet. Near the spot where we er.camped was one considerably higher, with huge boulders on its obtuse and irregular I THF- TEN'T IMTCIIFO. 1.37 tot' me of itli >m hot cr, lar outline, wliicli bore an exact resemblance to the scenery about Fort Enterprise. The shelving' and moss-covered mainland, with isolated rocks in sitiiy formed a pleasing' con- trast to the bold fronting of the neighbouring islands. The beach where the tent was pitched was of a sliingly gravel, composed of minute and roimded fragments of mica slate, quartz with scales of glittering mica, and red and grey fel- spar. A few geese, one gull, and many loons were seen ; and mosqiiitos, like the fourth plague *, swarmed innumerable, and banished comfort. When the cool air of night had benumbed them, and afforded me a respite for contemplation, I could not help feeling deeply impressed with the intense stillness of the scene : no living thing was seen or heard ; the air was calm, the lake unrutHed : it seemed as if nature had fallen into a trance, for all was silent and motionless as death. Our little canoe w\as afloat at four a.:m. of the 27th of August; and the men, excited by the keen air of the morning to vigorous action, imi)elled her through the calm water with unusual swift- ness. Several deep bays were traversed and points rounded, until at last we had the satis- faction of seeing some sand-hills, which, as we drew near, Maufelly thought he recognised. * Swarms of Hies. — Exodus. I i 138 ( I,i\TON-C:OLDEN LAKK. Twice lie went to adjacent heights to discover some object, which might remove liis doubts ; and the second time he returned with a light stej), and a countenance betokening satisfaction and trium})li. With renewed confidence he pointed to a bay from whence we might go to tlie Thlew-ee-clioh, and, on our landing, turned to the interpreter, and showing him the well- beaten tracks of the deer, exclaimed, with a smile, that his old father loved to dwell on the feats he had ])erformed there; " and though," added he, " I was but a child when I accom- panied him. these places look familiar to me." The two large lakes by which we had come were only separated by the strait of the Sand- Hill ; and, considering the first as extending from that strait, not to the river, but merely to the first narrow to the south, it will embrace a direct distance of twenty-nine miles, and an es- timated breadth, east and west, of nearly thirty. This I have named C'linton-Colden Lake, as a mark of res])ect to the memory of those dis- tinguished individuals. The second, or northern one, is, according to the concurrent testimony of the Indians, about sixty miles in extent towards the north-west, with a breadth not exceeding thirty, nor less than twenty miles. The eastern shores are broken hito bays, dee}) and indefinable ; the rest was i ht a mile forward, the line of stream could be distinctly traced into an open s])ace, w^hich, as it contracted, inclined to the north ; and this, with the appearance of two plovers, exactly resembling the noisy plover ( C/iffradria.s rocifenis) about Fort Enterprise, convinced me that I stood on ])art of the continuous height of land which extends hither from the borders of the Copper Mine liiver. The men not making their appear- ance, I raised a dense smoke, by firing the moss, to apprise them of my situation ; and returned to tlie tent, })assing, on my way, a white wolf, wluch was sneaking towards a deer. A smoke car- loss, Inctl jolf, lokc i § 'jjii- -^ ^:i-. '-^ « 3i IF THE TIILEW-EE-CIIOII. 113 i seen to rise from behind the saniLhills anounced, shortly afterwards, the approach of tlie men; and at a late hour, the Indian h'rst, and afterwards the others, came in. De Charloit groaned under the weight of a musk-ox's head and horns, while Iiis companions were more usefully laden with the sj)oils of some good fat deer. They had fallen on the river the second day, and described it as being large enough for boats! Keturnmg along its banks by a wide lake, and two tributary streams as large as itself, they ascertained that it was really the same stream the source of which I had thus accidentally dis- covered in the Sand-hill Lake close to us; which was now distinguished by the name of Sussex Lake, after His Iloyal Highness the A^ice.J>atron of the expedition. I had reserved a little gro- for this occasion, and need hardly say with what cheerfulness it was shared among the crew whose welcome tidings had n erified the notion of Dr. Kichardson and myself; and thus i)laced beyond doubt the existence of the Thlew-ee- choh. i Ui CHAP. V. Di\ar- ried only by Hearne's giving up his longitudes as not being corrected by observation, but con- tinuing to support the truth of his latitudes. We shall, however, show, that his error in these was still greater than in his longitudes ; his ob- servations, if any were actually made, having miserably deceived him. But we should greatly mistake, if the detection of various instances of disingenuousness led us to consider him as entirely unworthy of credit, and to deny the reality of his journey. We had an opportunity, on Sir John Franklin's first expedition, of convers- i IIEARXr's ROUTE. 117 Liules coll- udes, these ob- eatly ■inces m as the nity, vers- ing with several old men wlio had belonged to the party of Copper Indians, that met liearne atCon- gecathewachaga. Tiie leading facts of his jour- ney are still current subjects of tradition among that tribe, as well as with the Northern Indians ; and from all that we have been able to collect in the fur countries, as well as from an attentive examination of his narrative, we are led to conclude that he visited the various places marked in his map, in the order in which they stand; that all the rivers and lakes which he names actually exist ; and that he has correctly described the general physical features of the country he traversed. His description of the lower part of the Coppermine River, in particu- lar, is evidently that of one who had been on the spot. Hearne's original journal was very meagre, but, in common with all the residents in the fur countries, he seems to have had an excellent memory, and to have trusted much to it. By its aid, accordingly, and with the co-operation of Dr. Douglass, who edited his work, he has given an exceedingly interesting account of his travels and sufferings, together with very correct and im- portant details of the habits of the various ani- mals he was acquainted with. His printed work does not, however, quote his courses and distances so fully as his original journal (a copy of which we saw at Hudson's Bay) •, the ani- 148 DIGRESSION CONCERNING madversions of Dalrymplc liaving apparently caused him to leave several important gaps in the emmieration of his daily jonrnies both out- ward and homeward. " It is a matter of some consequence in the geographical delineation of the country, to ob- tain the true route followed by Hearne ; and notwitiistanding the difficulties in the way of do- ing so, originatini^ in the above-mentioned causes. Sir John Franklin's first journey supplies us with data for the correction of part of his course, and Captain Back's researches enable us to bring another portion nearer to the truth. From the former we obtain the correct position of the mouth of the Coppermine River, of Congeca- thewachaga, of Point Lake, and of the mouth of Slave River, by which we can readily ascertain all the western part of Ilearne's route, the prin- cipal errors of which are shown by the follow- ing table : - Hearne Franklin Coppermine River. Lat. Long. 71" 55' 120° .W ()7° 48' 115° 37' Congecatlieitiachaga, Lat. Long. 68° 46' 118° 15' 66° 14' 111° 26' 4° 07' 4° 53' 2° 32' 6° 49' Hearne rranklin Point Lake. Lat Long. 65° 45' 119*' 00' 65° 00' 112° 16' Slave lliver. Lat. Long. 60° 48' 123° no' 61° 30' 113° 24' 0° 45' 6° 44' 0° 42' 10° 31 I i hearxe's route. U9 15' 26' 49' 55' 24.' 31 ** It will be at once perceived, that while Ilearne's latitude is too great at his most northern j)oint, by upwards of four degrees, it is too little by three quarters of a degree at Slave River ; and there is also a great error in the course, for the mouth of the Slave River is actually two degrees to the eastward of that of the Coppermine, and not to the westward, as laid down in Hearne's map. This appears to luive originated principally in his not having attended to the variation of the magnetic needle; though at the date of his journey it must have exceeded two points easterly on the Copper- mine ; and to give the correct course and dis- tance between the latter place and Congeca- thewachaga, that amount of variation is required to be applied to Hearne's courses, while his dis- tances are diminished to one half. A large re- duction of the length of his marches, though not always quite to this extent, must be made dur- ing his whole journey. When travelling with the Indians, their wives and children, during the winter, and when it was necessary to hunt for subsistence, he averages the daily distances made good at ten, and even fourteen, or twenty miles. Now in our joiunies with the Indians, under similar circumstances, we found that they seldom moved the camp above six miles in one day, more frequently travelling only four, and L 3 150 DIGRESSION CONCERNING scarcely ever exceeding eiglit, excluding the windings of the route. The power of estimating the distance walked over can be acquired only by practice, in conjunction with the daily correction of errors by celestial observations, — allowance being, of course, made for the easy or difficult nature of the country ; but Hearne, as we have seen, was deprived of every means of correction ; and having once started with .in inaccurate no- tion of the length of a mile, he carried the error with him to the end of his journey. Jn correct- ing his ma}), therefore, it is necessary to diminish the size of the lakes in an equal, if not in a greater degrc^ than the distances. Upon these principles we have ventiued to fix the following- points of Hearne*s route, taking, for conveni- ence, his homeward one. " He appears to have fallen on the Copper- mine River first at the Sandstone rapids of Franklin, and to have traced it to Bloody Fall ; but, as contrary to his usual practice, he under- rates the distance from thence to the co ^st, we are led to conclude that he did not actually go down to the sea, but was content to view it from the top of the hill which overhangs the falls; and, indeed, it is not very probable that he could have induced the Indians, over whom he had little in- fluence, to accompany him on his survey, after they had completed the massacre which was the % HEARNL*S ROUTE. 151 I object of their long and laborious journey ; nor, had he gone actually to the mouth of the river, would he have nnentioned marks of a tide foiu'- teen fee; nigh. '* Buffalo or Musk-ox Lake, which he passed in going and returning, ought to be known by the latter name exclusively, as it is not frequented bv the buffalo or bison. Cocjead Lake is the Cont-woy-to, or Rum Lake, of Franklin ; and its waters, agreeably to Indian information ob- tained by Captain Back, flow by Congecathe- wachaga into the Thlew-ee-choli ; in whicli case, the Anatessy, or Cree River, as it is named by Franklin, is from its size to be considered as the main branch of the Thiew-ee-choh. The true distance from Congecathewachaga to Point Lake is 78 mi'es, though by Hearne's map it is 1.50. At one time, we were incliiied to tloubt the identity of Frankhn's Point Lake witii the one so named by Hearne, but we now consider them to be the same ; and, indeed, tlie small scrubby woods, which Hearne mentions as existing on its banks, were seen by us, this being an advantage possessed, i)erliaps, by no other lake so far to tlie eastward, and in so high a latitude. Thaye- chuck-gyed, or large Whitestone Lake lies a short way to the northward of Point Lake, and its waters most probably fall into that arm of Point Livkc which Franklin's party crossed on \. 1 I 152 DIGRESSION CONCERNING the 23d of September, 1821. No-name Lake is evidently Providence Lake of Franklin. Hearne crossed Slave Lake by the usual Indian route, tlirough the Reindeer Islands to Stony Point, and the liivitje a Jean, a branch of Slave River; but his map is inaccurate here, and does not agree with his text. The next place, whose position it is very desirable to ascertain, is Thelew-ey-aze-yeth, or Little Fish Hill ; and we may be assisted in doing this by our knowledge of three fixed points, viz. the mouth of Slave River, the edge of the woods to the north- ward, and Churchill Fort. The northern ter- mination of the woods inclines from the east side of Great Bear Lake considerably to the southward, as it runs to the eastward, pass- ing Fort Enterprise in 64i", Artillery Lake in 63^", and continuing nearly in the same direc- tion until it approaches Hudson's Bay. Hoarne makes it 63" 4-5' in the longitude he assigns to Thelew-ey-aze-yeth, but we shall not probably be far from the truth, if we consider it as in 63j^ Now if we reduce the distance of one hundred and fifty miles, at which he places Thelew-ey-aze-yeth south of the barren grounds, to between eighty and ninety miles, and allow 27° of variation on his route, we obtain ()1° 55' for the latitude of that place, which is forty miles north of the position he assigns to it on his IIEARNE S ROUTE. 153 K' 55 liles his map.* By a proportionate reduction of the dis- tance between Slave River and Thelew-ey-aze- yetli, and from the hitter to Churcliill, we fix the required longitude at 10G°. The position of Thelew-ey-aze-yeth is important as forming the junction of three branches of Hearne's route; and if we have correctly established it, that traveller must have passed over or near Artillery La^ e in Iiis journeynorthwards, which is probably hisPee- shew, or Cat Lake. The Thlew-ee-choh, whicii he crossed about midway between that lake and Congecathewachaga, is evidently not the branch of that river which originates in Sussex Lake, but a stream which flows in from the north- ward, most likely into the Anatessy branch. *' The course of Thclcw-ey-aze, or Little Fish River, is a matter of considerable interest, but we can derive no positive information respect- ing its debouchuie from Hearne's map. If he cal- culated his distances on the same scale in his first journey as he did afterwards, which is likely, even though he had the assistance of a better instrument on that occasion, the chain of lakes which he lays down as far to the northward as Chesterfield's Inlet, will reach but little beyond Knap's Ray, and the nature of the country can * As this reduction applies only to one of tlic branches of Ili'urnc's roult", it would be .safer for the present to let thig place keep the latitude he gives to it, viz. Bi"* 15' N. 154< DIGRESSION CONCERNING be considered as known only np to that parallel. He indicates a Little Fish River as existing at no great distance from Hudson's J5ay, and says that it is three quarters of a mile wide, which as he estimates distances may be about five hundred and seventy yards ; but it can scarcely be the river of the same name that originates so far to the westward. H the latter issues in Ches- terfield inlet, it may hereafter afford a very desir- able route to Great Slave Lake. Its origin is at no great distance from the Lake of the Hills, as the traders travel to it from the establishment at the Fond du Lac in four days. It is known to them by the names of Riviere Noire and Thlewndiaza. " In conclusion we would remark, that the names given by Hearne to the various lakes which he saw are derived sometimes from the Cree language, at other times from the northern Indian ; and that his mode of writing the latter is different from that which we found to be best adapted to the pronunciation of the Copper Indians. He spells the term for lake whniej while it is written to in Ca})tiiin FrankUn's nar- rative; and the epithet tran*slatcd 'great' is spelt chunky whereas to us it sounded more like cho or chuh. There are likewise some evident mis- takes in the names, and English is occasionally employed in the text, while the map gives only : li f IIEARNE's IIOUTE. 155 :es •i( fi I Indian, or vice versa. An instance of error originating in this practice occurs in Hearne's book, wliich shows that tlie author was not always at the editor's elbow. In page 10^,>. Peeshew Lake is supposed to be tlie same with* Partridge Lake. Now Peeshew is the (^ree name for a lynx or cat, and tlie lake in question is accordingly marked on the map as Cat Lake being, as we suppose, the same with Captain Backs Artillery Lake. Thoy-noy-kyed Lake, which Hearne draws correctly enough in his original ma^,, as discharging its waters into Slave Luke, IS the Lakes Aylmer and Clinton-Colden of Captain Back. Tha-na-koie, as the latter writes It, means - Sand-hill Mount," and is the name given to the narrows between these two lakes Hearne places this spot a degree and a half too far north, and seven degrees and a nali too far west." I i 156 CHAP. VI. Coifinuc our Proirrcss. — llocJcs on the T/ikxic-ce-choh. — - Island of singulm' Appearance. — Musk-Ox Lake. — Conjectures on the Course of' the llilew-ee-choh. — Icy River. — Appearaiice of' two Indians. — Maufellij per- mitted to visit his JViJ'e. — Consummate skill of De CharUnt. — D'{i:a)f Pi7ies. — Storjj of the Hat and the Heaver. — Unfitness of the Trees for Planks. — Artil- lery Lake. — Fmee of the Rapids. — Accident in our Passa TORMENTED BY SAND-FLIES. 179 covered with a rich layer of flit two inches thick, afforded a luxurious breakfast. Having put tJie remainder en cache, we proceeded on our way, and when we liad gained the top of a hill Slave Lake was seen right before us, hemmed in by mountains of considerable magnitude and height. A craggy range to the right determined the course of the Ah-hel- dessy; and many a steep rock and deep valley between the lake and us, announced the fatigue which was to be endured before we arrived at our destination. But how can I possibly give an idea of the torment we endured from the sand flies r As we dived into the con- fined and suffocating chasms, or waded throuo-h the close swamps, they rose in clouds, actualfy darkening the air: to see or to speak was equally difficult, for they rushed at every un- defended part, and fixed their poisonous fangs m an instant. Our faces streamed with blood as if leeches had been applied ; and there was a burning and irritating pain, followed by imme- diate inflammation, and producing gidcHness which almost drove us mad. Whenever we baited, which the nature of the country com- pelled us to do often, the men, even Indians, threw themselves on their faces, and moaned with pain and agony. My arms being loss en- cumbered, I defended myself in some degree by N O ISO ANECDOTE OF SIR JOHN FRANKLIN. waving a branch in eacli hand ; but even with this, and tlie aid of a veil and stout leather gloves, I did not escape without severe punish- ment. For the time, I thought the tiny plagues worse even than mosquitos. While speaking on tliis subject I am reminded of a remark of Maufelly, which as indicative of tlie keen observation of the tribe, and illustrating the humanity of the excellent individual to whom it alludes, I may be pardoned for introducing liere. — It was the custom of Sir John Franklin never to kill a fly ; and, though teased by them beyond expression, especially when engaged in taking observations, he would quietly desist from liis work, and patiently blow the half-gorged intruders from his hands — " the world was wide enough for both." This was jocosely re- marked upon at the time by Akaitcho and the four or five Indians who accompanied him ; but the impression, it seems, had sunk deep, for on Maufelly's seeing me fill my tent with smoke, and then throw open the front and beat the sides all round with leafy branches, to drive out the stupefied pests before I went to rest, he could not refrain from expressing liis surprise that I should be so unlike the old chief, who would not destroy so much as a single mosquito. As we ii'ot to the confluence of the Ah-hel- dessy with Great Slave Lake, I was glad to per- .MEETING WITH MR. M%EOD. 181 ceive that the trees, though knotty, were of greater olrt],, and that some small birch were also tJiinly scattered about. As yet, however, I had not seen any that would have answered for planking, and began to fear that we should have to send about one hundred and fifty miles for that indispensable material. We had now reached the eastern extremity of the lake, where, in my letter of the lyth of August, I had directed Mr. M^Leod to build an establishment. Proceeding onward over the mossy and .ven surface of the sand-banks, we were ac- cordingly gladdened by the sound of the wood- man'sstroke; and, guided by the branchless trunks, which lay stretched along the earth, we soon came to a bay, where, in agreeable relief against the dark green foliage, stood the newly-eix^cted framework of a house. Mr. AFLeod was walk- ing under the shade of the trees with La Prise, and did not hear us until we were within a fbw yards of him. We were ranged in single file, the men having, of their own accord, fallen into that order ; and, with our swollen faces, dressed and laden as we were, some carrying guns, others tent poles, tS.c., we must have })resented a strangely wild appearance, not unlike a group of robbers on the sta^'e. This, however, did not ])revent my friend from testifying his satisfaction at our return. X 3 182 TAKK AM UNEXPECTED ROUTE. He had expected tliat our route would liave been by a small river, about a mile to the eastward, invariably used by the Chipewyans or Yellow- knives, whenever they proceed in that direction ; and, as it may be supposed, quite unknown to me until that moment. On subsequent in- spection, however, it was found to be too shallow for canoes, being merely the outlet to some small lakes, and the waters of a picturesque fall, from four to eight miles distant. There were many small Indian canoes stowed under the branches of the willows ; and as it was the lowest and most favourable route to the Barren lands, it was preferred, it seems, to those by which I had passed. J 183 CHAP. VII. ' Lc grand jcmie Homme"— Trade xvith the Indians. — Sunday. — Mr. King arrives, xscith t\i:o Bateaux.— Performed a Smgieal Operation. — Diseomforts of an Indian Canoe. — Conduct of the Party. — Ereet ion of 7U-W Oia'lling. — Arrival of Indians. — Their Policy. —Aged Indian Woman. — Starving Visitors.— Case of Revenge for Inhospitalitjj.— ThcThlex^-ee~choh described. — Ohscrvatorij.— Strange Appearance of the Aurora. — Pouring in of the Indians. — Superstitious Fancies. — Shortness (f Food.— Domiciled in the netv Building, named Fort Beliancc.— Supplies again fail.— Akaitcho. — Bischarge of Be Charloit and fjco Iroquois ,- also, of La Char it c^. — Gloom of the Indians. — Storij of a young Hunter. — Breach of Indian Laii\ — hccith of the old Woman. — Christmas-day. — Short Alloxv- ance. — Experiments. — Excessive Cold. — Arrival of Mr. M'Leod. — Barbarotis Atrocity. — Revolting Story (fan Indian. * I LEARNT from Mr. MTeod, tliat he had waited the arrival of the Indian chief, " Le grand jeune liomme," at Fort Resolution ; that at first tJie chief liad affected to be mightily disappointed on being told that I did not require his services; but had gradually moderated his ill humour on hearing of our limited stock of goods, and tlie strict regulations that were to be enforced; and finally, having been requited for his loss of ISi TRADE WITH THE INDIANS. time with the vahie of forty beaver skins, he became perfectly satisfied, and was so left. Assisted by tiie Indians, and having picked up La Prise with my canoe, &c., at Hoar- frost River, Mr. ^PLeod Iiad arrived on the *22d of August ; and, witii only four men, had contrived to erect the log framework already mentioned. The work had been seriously inter- rupted by the sand-flies ; nor could the men stand to it at all without the protection of clouds of smoke, from small fires of green wood which were kept burning around them. The hopes of a new establishment on the borders of a lake rest chiefly on the produce of a fishery ; and the daily su])j)ly of white fish, as well as trout, yielded by the nets, seemed to verify the accounts we had received, and held out an encouraging prospect for the future. Some iUeat, also, had been seasonably brought in by the Indians, in paying for which, Mr. M'^Leod, foreseeing a great expenditure of am- munition, had, with a proper regard to economy, reduced tlie usual trading prices. The innovation was by no means popular, but, as there were upwards of one hundred and fifty miles between us and the next house, it was their interest to acquiesce ; fo, the market being near their hunt- ing grounds, if they got smaller profits, they had quicker returns. SUNDAY. 185 he The following day being Sunday, divine service was read, and our imperfect thanks were humbly offered to Almighty God for the mercies which had been already vouchsafed to us; and, though in this imperious climate, with every thing to do, time was certainly precious, yet, feeling that the first opening of the sacred volume in this distant wilderness ought not to be profaned by any mixture of common labour, I made it a day of real quiet and repose. After the men had recovered from their bites, rather than their fatigue, they were sent for the meat which we had concealed on our track ; and, returning by a different route, they had the good fortune to find a clump of trees sufficiently free from knots to admit of their being converted into the proper length of planking for boats. This discovery was most important, as it was afterwards found to be the only clump at all suited to the purpose; and, had it not been thus luckily stumbled on, the trouble, expense, and fatigue of sending at least a hundred miles over the ice for wood, might have cramped, if not altogether paralysed, our efforts in the ensuing summer. On the Kith of September, I had the gratifi- cation to welcome to the fbrt my companion Mr. King. He arrived with the two laden bateaux ; and, notwithstanding his inexperience in the country, he brought his heavy cargo in a very I 18(1 A\.\OYA\Ci:s SUFFEIIEI) HV MU. Kr\G. good state of preservation. He liad suffereil, ns was to be expected, the usual impositions whicli the old roijogeurs consider themselves entitled to practise on the uninitiated, and had, conse- quently, been exposed to frequent personal incon- veniences. Between Cumberland House and Isle a la Crosse, lie met some Cree Indians, " who passed," said Mr. King, *' in their canoes, in seeming higli spirits ; ])ut in a short time the old man of the family r.'tiu'ned, with a request that I would extract a tooth, claiming me, at the same time, as a brother * medicine man.' The difference in his first and second appearance was truly ludicrous, — then active and cheerful, now, diseased and dejected : he acted his part admirably, and, at his earnest entreaty, I gave him a few harmless mixtures, which might assist him in maintaining his professional respect- ability." The negligence of the men had caused his passing the pitch springs in the Elk River without taking in a supply ; and, on reaching Chipewyan, he had to send back for some. Fortunately, during the delay so occasioned, Mr. Charles, the chief factor of the district, arrived, and relieved him from another embarrass- ing situation with regard to provisions. He had my directions to supply his party with enough for thirty days' consumption, but was informed by the clerk in charge that he could not have I ad gli ed Hve SL'KGICAL Ol'KUATION ()\ A WOMAN. 187 half tlie quantity, as some must be reserved for the Shive Lake and Peace River brigades. His instructions were positive, to keep our sixty bags entii ?. except in case of actual starvation ; and he luid begun therefore to provide nets, to avoid the necessity of trenching on them, when the op- portune a})pearance of the chief Hictor removed his disquietude, by clearing the store for him. Mr. King at the same time bore grateful testi- mony to the general courtesy and kindness manifested by this gentleman. Certainly, to one who is wandering for the first time in a strange land, the meeting with a generous and warm- liearted countryman is inexpressibly delightful. It cheers and refreshes the traveller, carrying back his thoughts to that dear land which claims them both for its children. That Mr. King, under the circumstances in which lie found liimself, should feel even more than ordinary gratitude was but natural. While at Chipewyan, Mr. King had performed a successful operation on a woman's upper lip, which was in a shocking state from cancer, brought on, as he thought, from the inveterate habit of smoking, so common among the half- breeds. He had met with two or three cases of it before ; one, at Fort William, was incurable, and very loathsome. His presence was liailed with delight at every post beyond Jack River, 188 DISCO3IF0RTS OF AN INDIAN CANOE. either by the natives, or those who resided at them ; and it surprised me to learn how much disease has spread througli this part of the country. Having procured the tar, Mr. King embarked in a lialf-sized canoe with four men, and followed the bateaux, which had been sent ahead, with- out other guide than James Spence, one of my men in tiic last expedition, who had ex- changed with a Canadian, to join me, — an excel- lent lad, but with not a very accurate memory, so that the canoe was nearly drawn into the fright- ful rapids and falls of the "Cassette," to run which is never even attempted. He had passed the pro- per turning to make the portage, and the Iroquois in the bow declared he could neither advance nor retreat. Luckily they were near the land, which they reached ; and, by converting their ceintures, or sashes, into a towing line, they hauled up against the strong current, and ulti- mately got into the right track. On descending the Skive River, Mr. King met some Indians, and engaged one to take him in his small canoe to Fort Resolution, under the imj)ression of gaining time ; and this species of travelling he described as not being over comfortable. " I was forty hours in the Indian canoe," said lie, " and it was decidedly the most irksome time I ever sj)ent. I was not able to move hand or foot j and tliis occasioned such a state of drowsiness, CONDUCT OF THE PARTY. 189 as made sleep almost irresistible, though the con- sequence might have been the upsetting of the canoe.'* Some strong tea, liowever, dispelled it ; and, on reaching the Fort, he found that the boats had been four days before him. * The people, according to Mr. King's account, had conducted themselves as well as those of their station generally do, under similar circum- stances, with th3 exception of two j and they Mere the less excusable, from the consideration shown them, and the generous treatment they had experienced from the Arctic Committee in England. I therefore took this occasion to assemble the whole of my pariy, and to inflict a public and severe reprimand upon the offend- ers. The binding nature of their agreements was recapitulated, and a brief explanation given of the system that would be observed throughout the service, I endeavoured to convince them that it was their true interest to conduct themselves like good and honest men ; and I reminded them that they were embarked in an enterprif-e which, whether suc- cessful or not, would always receive the meed of public approbation. Afterthisadmonition I intro- duced Mr. M^'Leod as an oflicer of the expe- * I luul been kindly provided with various seeds, by Mr. Lindley, the learned Secretary oF the Horticultural Society, some of which were left at each post. ino CONSTRUCTION! OF NEW DWELLING. dition, and the person to whose superintendence and management our future establishment would be committed ; and I informed them that from liim they would receive their orders. The site of our intended dwelling was a level bank of gravel and sand, covered with reindeer moss, shrubs, and trees, and looking more like a park than part of an American forest. It formed the northern extremity of a bay, from twelve to fifteen miles long, and of a breadth varying from three to five miles, named after my friend Mr. M*^Leod. The Ah-hel-dessy fell into it from the westward, and the small river previously mentioned from the eastward. Granitic hills, or mountains, as the Indians term them, of grey and flesh-coloured felspar, quartz, and in some places large plates of mica, surrounded the bay, and attained an altitude of from five to fifteen hun- dred feet ; which, however, instead of sheltering us, rather acted as a conductor for the wind between E. S. E. and W. 8. W. which occasion- ally blew with great violence. The long sand- banks, which ran out between the two rivers, and the snug nooks along the shores, seemed to offer a safe retreat for the white fish during their spawning season, which was now at hand ; and more nets were set, to take advantage of so au- spicious a promise. The men were divided into parties, and ap- ARRIVAL OF INDIANS. 191 pointed to regular tasks : some to the felling of trees, and squaring then into beams or rafters ; others, to the sawing of slabs and planks: here was a group awkwardly chipping the shape- less granite into something Like form ; and there a party in a boat in search of mud and grass for mortar. It was an animated scene ; and, set off as it was by the white tents and smoky leather lodges, contrasting with the mountains and green woods, it was i)icturesque as well as interesting. In a few days, the framework of the hoitse and observatory were up ; but, in consequence of the smallness of the trees, and the distance from which they were carried, our progress in filling up the walls was necessarily slow. In the mean- time, there was an evident falling off in the numbers of the white fish, which had given place to trout. On examination, it was foimd that these latter had eaten the spawn of the others. We were scarcely settled in our new station, when a small party of Indians came with a little meat ; and, having obtained in exchange what they wanted, went away again, leaving, however, behind them an infirm old man. Two more elderly Chipewyans shortly afterwards jouied him, one of whom carried on his back his son, who was weak from want of food. In short, the sick and miserable soon began to flock in from all quarters, in the hope of" prociu-ing that 19'2 ARRIVAL OF INDIANS. succour from us which we could not afford but tlirough tlie means of tlieir own countrymen. Indifferent to the sufferings of those around them, the hale hunters move with the activity almost of tlie animal they pursue ; trusting to the humanity of the white man to sustain the infirm or sinking members of their family. In a long settled post, the resources of which are constant, this may be tolerated, so long as it does not amount to imposition ; but in our situation, cramped as we were already beginning to be in our means, it was easy to foresee that the injudicious en- couragement of such a practice would involve us in inextricable difficulties. With this conviction, I resolved not to yield to it; and, though the applicants never left us altogether unsolaced or empty-handed, they were not permitted to remain on the ground. Wherever a station is established, not only the diseased, who come from necessity, but swarms of other visitors, immediately repair to it, — women and children, old and idle, seek- ing what they can get, or actuated by curiosity, or, as they say, *' coming to see their relations," by that term meaning the half-breed women wlio are the partners of the voj/ageur.s. Fortunately we had none of these relations, and were there- fore free from the unwelcome civilities of their kinsmen of the forest. To be sure, when an excuse is wanted for a visit, they are not par- AGED INDIAN WOMAN. 193 ticular as to the degree of affinity ; for an Indian, who addressed me as " brother in law," being asked why he gave me so affectionate an appelt lation, answered witli great naivete, '' What r does not the chief recollect that I spoke to him at Chipewyan ?'* On the 29th of September, a fire beino- seen on the opposite side of the bay, a canoe was despatched to see who had made it ; and soon returned, not witli a good load of meat, as we had hoped, but with a poor old woman, bent double by age and infirmities, and rendered absolutely frightful by famine and disease. The ills that " flesh is heir to" had been prodigally heaped on iier, and a more hideous figure Dante himself has not conceived. Clad in deer skins, her eyes all but closed, her hair matted and filthy, her skin shrivelled, and feebly supporting, with the aid of a stick held by both hands, a trunk which was literally hori- zontal, she presented, if such an expression may be pardoned, the shocking and unnatural appear- ance of a human brute. It was a humiliating spectacle, and one which I would not willino-ly see again. Poor wretch ! Her tale was so^on told : old and decrepit, she had come to be considered as a burden even by her own sex. Past services and toils were forgotten, and,' in tlieir figurative style, they coldly told her,' o 194 ST.iRVING VISITERS. that " though she appeared to live, she was already dead," and must be abandoned to her fate. " There is a new fort," said they ; *' go there ; the whites are great medicine men, and may have power to save you." This was a month before ; sincie which time she had crawled and hobbled along the rocks, the scanty supply of berries which she found upon them just en- abling her to live. Another day or two must have ended her sufferings. The nights now began to get fiosty, and diminished the chance of taking fish in any number, so that in a length of four hundred fathoms of net, only twenty-seven, and those of an indifferent sort, were caught. As these did not suffice for the rations of the day, we were reluctantly driven to our sea stock of pemmican. October. — Starving Indians continued to arrive from every point of the compass, de- claring that the animals had left the Barren Lands where they had hitherto been accustomed to feed at this season ; and that the calamity was not confined to the Yellow Knives, but that the Chipewyans also were as forlorn and destitute as themselves. There is no reasoning with a hungry belly, that I am acquainted with. The only way is to satisfy its demands as soon as possible; and, indeed, when this is obstinately re- fused, the Indian considers, and perhaps rightly. CASE OF REVENGE FOR INHOSPITALITY. ] (Jj that he is only obeying the natural impulse of self-preservation, in laying forcible hands on whatever falls within his reach. At one of the Company's posts in the north- ern department, where the animals, as in our case, were so scarce that the natives could not procure subsistence, they threw themselves on the generosity of the gentleman in charge, and requested a small proportion of the meat out of his welUstocked store, to enable them to recruit their strength for fresh efforts in the chase. They were denied ; and returned dejected to their wintry abode. Now and then a moose deer was killed, but long was the fastmg between ; and in those intervals of gripmg pain, the inhospitality of the white man was dwelt upon with savage indignation, which at last vented itself in projects of revenge. An opportunity presented itself in the arrival at their lodges of the interpreter, who had been despatched from the factory to see what they were doing. This man had not been popular with them before, and the part he had taken in the late transaction had aggravated the feeling against him. Of this he was himself aware j and being a half-breed, was not without the cautious suspicion which is characteristic of the aboriginal. Mill the wonted familiarity, and the friendly pipe that greeted his entrance into the principal o 'i^ 190 CASE OF REVENGE FOR INHOSl'ITALITY. lodge, diminished his fears ; and a Httle dried meat, given with apparent cheerfulness for t^^e use of the fort, finally removed all apprehension. Two Canadians, who had accompanied him, left early on their return ; and, in an hour after, he followed their steps. Tlie Indians watched him until he was hid by the woods ; then grasped their guns, and by a short cut gained a spot favourable for tlicir purpose, before any of the three had arrived. Cowering in ambush within ten paces of the track, they waited for their approach, and at a given signal fired, and brought down two of the luisuspecting travellers. The third fled, and was pursued with savage yells by the infuriated Indians. Fear added wings to the Canadian ; and having outstripped the foremost, he hid himself breathless and exhausted among some rocks. The Indians rushed past without per- ceiving him, and having reached the house, broke furiously into the apartment of the gentleman, who had not yet risen, and after reproaching him with the horrors he had caused, instantly de- prived him of life. Their vengeance being thus horribly satiated, they returned to the woods without committing the slightest act of spoliation. The Canadian and another man, whom, strange to say, they did not molest, hastened to the neighbouring- posts, with an account of tliis shocking catas- trophe. Fresh parties were established at the same THE TfJLEW-EK-CIIOH DESCHIIJEI). HJJ Station, and the perjietrators of the nuirder were finally Jmnted down by the people of their own tribe, —a melancholy but salutary lesson not only to the red man but to the white. It was now the middle of October, and up to this time a few snow birds and four white partridges were all that had been seen. The deer too, as well as the fish, seemed to have taken their departure. The Indians, satis- fied with the pittance doled out to them, and having been supplied with hooks and bits of nets, quitted us one after anotlier, leaving only some of the elder ones, from two of whom I learnt, that they had been further down the Thlew-ee-choh than any others of their tribe. They described it favourably, and asserted that it was entirely free from falls, though sufficiently interrupted by rapids. The value of this assertion will hereafter be seen. Their idea of its course was, that it ran due north, or, if any thing, rather to the eastward, though, from some blue moun- tains often mentioned in the discourse as the limit of their knowledge, it was represented as taking a course to the left. Their statements, more^- over, corroborated the })revious opinions given of the The-lew, which was said to flow through a low marshy tract, connected with an estuary, opening to the sea by a narrow channel, the shores of which were lined by Esquimaux. On o 3 fl 198 BUILD AN OBSEKVATOUY. these people, they said they had formerly made war, as well as on the Esquimaux at the mouth of the Thlew-ee-choh. The work of building went on briskly, though our substitute for mortar, clay and sand, froze as fast as it was laid on. The observatory was soon completed ; it was a square building twelve feet inside, having a porch at the west with double doors, the outer one of which opened south. The roof was angular, and covered with rough slabs of wood having the flat side down, and the hollows on the outside were filled up with a mixture of clay, sand, and dry grass. It had four windows of moose-skin parchment, with a small pane of glass in each, facing respectively north, south, east, and west. The space within was care- fully cleared of all stones, and a thoroughly dried trunk of a tree seven feet long, and two feet and a half in diameter, was let down into a hole three feet deep in the centre, and then rammed tight by successive layers of clay and sand. This part was cased in a square framework of three feet, grooved and mortised ; and the interior spaces were gradually filled up with the same composition as was used to plaster the walls. When the plaster was quite dry, a square thick board was mortised on the post, and the whole fabric was as firm as a rock. The floor was planked, and when the doors were closed, the !I HUILl) AN 01J.Si:UVAT()l!Y. m) \ 1 difference of temperature between the out and inside was 14°. Tiiere was not a nail or the smallest particle of iron in the building ; and to guard against the accidental approach of any person with a gun, an axe, or the like, I had it enclosed with a ring fence of seventy feet diameter. It was situated on a gentle rise, two hundred yards from the lake, and about one hundred from the east end of the house. A strong staff, fifteen feet high, was fixed on the northern extremity of the ridge pole, on the spindle of which was a vane ; and besides white poles, placed in the direction of the true and magnetic meridian, I had a horizontal cross at the north side of the observatory, within the fence, to enable us to take the bearings of phenomena with greater accuracy than can be attained by the mere guess of the eye. The angular heights of the sur- rounding mountains were also ascertained. Observations were immediately made for the magnetic force and dip, with Hansteen's and Dol- lond's needles, and a lozenge-shaped one after the suggestion of Captain Beechey ; but this, for the sake of clearness, will, together with our observa- tions of other phenomena, be thrown into a tabu- lar form in the appendix. Three thermometers (spirit) were placed inside the observatory — four outside, on the north, and one exposed to the sun on the south side. They had been previously 0 4 . 200 STRANGE APPEARANCE compared, and for some time their relative means were taken ; but afterwards that plan was relin- quished, and the nearest mean thermometers were adopted as standards for the whole. The daily- variation instrument, made by Jones, on a plan of Professor Christie's, to be explained hereafter, was also adjusted in the magnetic meridian, and its readings registered ten times a day, between eight in the morning and midnight. The tem- peratures were noted fifteen times in the twenty- four hours. A short time after the needle was placed, there was a strange appearance connected with the aurora, and which, though it will probably be again mentioned when I come to treat of that subject expressly, I may perhaps be excused, on account of its singularity, for noticing in this place also. At 5'^ 30™ p. m., while occupied in taking the transit of a star, I perceived the coruscations streaming from behind a detached and oblong dark cloud in a vertical position at £. b. S. * They issued along an undulating arch 38° high, and spread themselves laterally in beams north and south. Another arch, brighter and narrower than the former, suddenly emerged from W. b. N., and passed between a nearly horizontal black cloud and the stars, which were i Magnetic bearing. f OF TlIK AUIIOUA. 201 ing tlicn not visible through the Aurora. 1 imniedi- atelv looked at the needle, and found it slightly agitated, but not vibrating : on returning, I was surprised to see the dark horizontal^ cloud to the westward not in the same shape as before. It had now taken a balloon form, and was evidently fast spreading towards the zenith. On looking to the eastward, I perceived that a duik cloud there also was rapidly altering its appear- ance. So unusual a sight induced me to call my companions, Messrs, King and M^Leod, and we saw the dark broad mass from the westward gradually expand itself, so as to meet the other, which was likewise rising, at or near the zenith. The effect of the junction was a dark gray arch, extending from E. b. S. to W. b. N. across the zenith, and completely obscuring the stars, though at each side of the arch they were par- ticularly clear and twinkling. In the meantime, the Aurora assumed every variety of form ; such as undulating and fringed arches, 30° to 50** high and more or less broad, with flashes and beams at right angles to them. The cloudy arch, too, was illuminated at and around its N. W. edges near the horizon, while rays and curved beams played round its eastern extre- mity. In a few seconds, the part of this nearest the horizon assumed a zig-zag form, like forked lightning ; and immediately the western extre- 20^ STRANG !•: APPKAUANCK OT Till; AURORA. fl mity sympathised, undergoing momentary trans- itions which defy description. Such convul- sions at the extremes soon affected the centre of the arch, which becoming gradually fainter and fainter, at last vanished entirely, leaving the stars to shine forth in all their brilliance. The detached m?.jses yev remained, though under various forms, and the Aurora nimbly played round and through them, especially the eastern one, until not the slightest vestige of them remained. On this occasion the Aurora was high, and consequently did not act powerfully on the needle, which was an extremely delicate one ; but I had opportunities afterwards of seeing this drawn eight degrees on one side, by the same agency ; a remark which I only make for the information of those, who may not be disposed to inspect the tables. The little river to the east, and the borders of the L>ke, were frozen over by the latter end of the month ; but the weather was very mild, and a fresh gale generally broke up the ice again in a few hours. To this unusual mildness of the season may be ascribed the unparalleled sufferings of the Indians, who, emaciated and worn out by fatigue, continued to pour in upon us from the barren lands, where, contrary to their habits, the deer still remained ; keeping SUPEUSTITIOUS FANCIES. '203 at too great a Jistancj to be followed. One poor fellow had not tasted meat for ten days, and, but for the hope of seeing us, must have sunk by the way. Pinched as we were ourselves, Httle could be bestowed on the wretched sufferers. Amongst other fancies, the Indians began to imagine that the instruments in the observatory, concealed from every one but Mr. King and myself, were the mysterious cause of all their misfortunes : nor were they singular in this opi- nion ; for on one occasion when taking the dip, &c. two of the voyageurs listened, and hearing only a word at intervals, such as Now ! Stop ! always succeeded by a perfect silence, they looked at each other, and with significant shrugs, turning hastily away from the railing, reported to their companions that they verily believed I- wa^ ** raising the devil." Endeavouring to laugh away the whimsical notion of the Yellow-knives, I told them that they had mistaken the thing, for that the mys- terious instruments attracted, not dispersed, the animals ; as they would fird when they went to hunt. The assertion, uttered in jest, seemed to be verified in earnest, for an old bear was shot the same day, and, though lean and tough, was greedily devoured. Altliough, among so many, it was but a taste for each, it excited a slight animation ; soon, however, they relapsed into 5201 SHORTNESS OF FOOD. their former melancholy ; and a painful sight it was to behold them, singly or in groups, standing by the men at their meals, and eagerly watching each envied mouthful, but disdaining to utter a word of complaint. The wretched old woman, whom I have spoken of before, was too much worn out by her infirmities to be sen- sible of our kindness and protection ; and, though assured that she would be taken care of, she never failed to attend our scanty repast, and, with monotonous and feeble wailings, assailed my servant for the scrapings of the kettles. Different places had been tried for fish, but after the first haul, the nets were invariably found empty. To remedy, if possible, so de- plorable a circumstance, the men were divided into parties, and, with the exception of one retained to finish the house, were sent to a specified part of the lake for the sole purpose of procuring subsistence. Some succeeded, but others returned after a short absence, with the loss of two nets, and a most discouraging account of their labours. I had theiefore no resource but to reduce the daily rations, and stop the usual allowance to the dogs, many of which be- came in consequence so reduced as to be barely able to crawl, and to this day I have not ceased to wonder how they were kept alive. In the midst of these disasters, our hopes were DOMICILED IN THE NEW BUILDING. 205 >; somewhat brightened by the accidental but well- timed arrival of two young hunters, who, having separated from Akaitcho to look for deer, had fallen on a large herd, some of which they had killed, but, in returning to inform the chief of their good fortune, had got bewildered in fogs, and finding themselves, when the weather cleared, within a day*s march of our situation, could not resist the temptation to get a little tobacco in exchange, to us most welcome, for some fresh meat. In a few hours, all who were capable of exertion set off for the land of pro- mise ; and, for a time, the immediate prospect of want was removed. On the 5th of November, we had the pleasure of changing our cold tents for the comparative comfort of the house, which, like most of those in this country, was constructed of a framework, filled up with logs let into grooves, and closely plastered with a cement composed of common clay and sand. The roof was formed of a num- ber of single slabs, extending slantingly from the ridge pole to the eaves; and the whole was rendered tolerably tight by a mixture of dry grass, clay, and sand, whicli was beat down between the slabs, and subsequently coated over with a thin layer of mud. The house was fifty feet long and thirty broad ; having four separate rooms, with a spacious hall in the centre for the ■'I 206 FORT RELIANCE. reception and accommodation of the Indians. Each of the rooms had a fireplace and a rude chimney, which, save that it suffered a fair pro- portion of the smoke to descend into the room, answered tolerably well. A diminutive apology for a room, neither wind nor water tight, was attached to the hall, and dignified with the name of a kitchen. The men*s houses, forming the western side of what was intended to be a square, but which, like many other squares, was never finished, completed our building. As every post in the country is distinguished by a name, I gave to ours that of Fort Reliance, in token of our trust in that merciful Providence, whose pro- tection we humbly hoped would be extended to us in the many difficulties and dangers to which these services are exposed. The exact site is in latitude 62° 46' 9.^" N., longitude, 109° 0' SS-g'' W. ; the variation, ^5'' 19' east, and dip, 84° 44'. About a mile from the house was a tree which had been struck by lightning, and splintered twenty feet down the trunk, the pieces being thrown thirty or forty paces away. I do not recollect to have seen a similar in- stance. A continuation of mild weather, and the manner in which the deer were harassed, caused them to return to a distance on the barren lands, where they could not be followed at this season ; I SUPPLIES AGAIN FAIL. 207 and towards the end of the month our supplies again failed ; distress was prevalent, and the din and screeching of women and children too plainly indicated the acuteness of their suffering. The opportune appearance of my old acquaintance, Akaitcho, with a little meat, enabled us to relieve and quiet the confusion, and some of them went away with the chief, who promised that we should not want as long as he had any thing to send to the fort. He did not directly inquire about Sir John Franklin, or Doctor Richardson ; but his satisfaction was very visible, when I gave him some little presents in their names, and pointed to the silver medal presented to him at Fort Enterprise, which he was then wearing as a proof that he had not forgotten them. An additional trifle or two made him quite happy, and he left us to all appearance the determined friend of the expedition. Among those who accompanied him was an old man, who gave us information of a lake about thirty miles to the S. E., where on pressing occasions he resorted to fish ; and, willing to catch at the smallest chance of saving the pem- mican, I prevailed on him to act as guide to a small party selected to make the trial ; the result of which, if favour-.ble, was to be communicated without delay. Accordingly on the third day La Charity, one of the party, reached the house 208 DISCHARGE OF FOUR OF OUR PARTY. late at night, after a painful walk without snow shoes through deep snow in the woods, bringing four fish, and the welcome tidings, that by spread- ing over a greater surface there was a likelihood of taking more. Every man that could be spared was thereupon sent away with him ; we who remained being thrown upon our pemmican, a third of which was already expended. December 7« — Being anxious to diminish as far as possible the number of our party, I now discharged De Cliarloit and two Iroquois, con- formably to their agreements, and La Charite, at his own solicitation ; but not until he had pro- vided a substitute, who turned out to be in every respect superior to him as a voyagcur. They were supplied with the necessary means to carry them to the next establishment ; and I charged De Charloit with my despatches for Mr. Hay, Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, and for the Admiralty — together with extra requisitions for the use of the expedition during the follow- ing year, to be sent from York Factory. Only four Indians arrived within this week, and they came for food. They were greatly dejected, and added to the general gloom by encouraging the apprehension of those calamities whicli, judging from so unpromising a beginning, might be expected to befal them during the winter. Had it been a solitary instance of misfortune, APPALLING VISITATIONS. 209 their superstition, I fear, would have fixed the blame on the expedition ; but it appeared that the two preceding years had been pregnant with more than ordinary evils to the different tribes inhabiting the country about Slave Lake and the M^Kenzie River. To the westward, indeed, and more directly in the neighbourhood of the Riviere au Liard, forty of the choicest hunters among the Chipewyans had been destroyed by actual famine ; many others had not yet been heard of; and the scattered survivors, from the rigours of the climate, and the difficulty of pro- curing a single animal, had experienced the se- verest hardships which even their hardy natures were capable of sustaining. Sometimes unusual and appalling visitations carried them off, as in the case of two women and their children, who with their laden dogs were travelling near the mountains, towards their tents ; when suddenly, one of them called out in alarm, and before they had time to fly, they were caught in a whirlwind, and in an instant swept into eternity. One boy only out of the number was found, and he died in excruciating pain the same night. December 16. — The interpreter came from one of the fishing stations with an account of the loss of some nets, and the inadecpiacy of their means of support. They seldom took more than thirteen small fish in a day, and the Indians, I 210 SUFFERINGS OF THE INDIANS. now reduced to a state of great weakness, crowded round them for a portion of what they could ill afford. It was the same with us ; for those who happened to be within a moderate distance fell back on the Fort, as the only chance of pro- longing their existence ; and we freely im- paired the utmost we could spare. In vain did we endeavour to revive their drooping spirits, and excite them to action ; the scourge was too heavy, and their exertions were entirely paralysed. No sooner had one party closed the door, than another, still more languid and dis- tressed, feebly opened it, and confirmed by their half-famished looks and sunken eyes their heart- rending tale of suffering. They spoke little, but crowded in silence round the fire, as if eager to enjoy the only comfort remaining to them. A handful of mouldy pounded meat, which had been originally reserved for our dogs, was the most liberal allowance we could make to each ; and this meal, unpalatable and unwholesome as it was, together with the customary presentation of the friendly pipe, was sufficient to efface for a moment the recollection of their sorrows, and even to light up their fiices with a smile of hope. — "We know," they said, "that you are as much distressed as ourselves, and you are very good." Afflicting as it was to behold such scenes of suffering, it was at the same time gratifying to observe the resignation with which they were SUPERSTITIONS. 211 I met. There were no impious upbraidings of Providence, nor any of those revolting acts, too frequent witJiin lateyears, wliich luive cast a darker shade over the character of the savage Indian. WJiile tlie party thus scantily relieved were ex- pressing their gratitude, one of their companions arrived, and after a short pause announced that a child was dying for want of food, close at hand. The flither instantly jumped up ; and having been supplied with some pemmican, for we had no other meat, hurried away, and happily arrived m time to save its life. Like all other barbarous nations, these people are naturally prone to superstition ; and many of their legends, whatever may be thought of them in these enlightened days, are qui.e as reasonable as the traditionary tales which in other states of society dimly reveal the past, and serve to amuse the present age. They have their good and evil spirits, haunting the waters, the woods, and the mountains; their giants, and confabulat- ing animals, "animali parlanti ;" their " Pucks," and a host of other mischief-loving gentry. 'l allude to these superstitions here, by way of preface to a story related by one of our unhappy guests, respecting the conduct of a Chipewyan, whom he and many others held responsible for the absence of the deer. *' We might have known," said a young but V 2 212 STORY OF A YOUNG HUNTER. emaciated hunter, as he ejected large volumes of smoke from his nostrils, — " we might have known that this winter would be marked by something uncommon. The C'hipewyans luive always been unfriendly to, if not secret enemies of, the Yellow- knives, and would feast and rejoice at our mis- fortunes. Why did he come among us? Was he not cautioned by our old men to desist from his rash purpose, and listen to the words of wisdom founded on experience ? 13ut no ; he liad often, he said, been told, that if a solitary deer were beaten, the whole herd would at once abandon that part of the country where the deed was done : as if thousands of animals feeding at places far distant from each other could possibly know what he might do at any particular spot to one of their kind. He did not believe it ; some people had bad tongues, and at the first op- portunity he would put the matter to proof. Accordingly, in the spring of the year, when a little crust was formed on the snow by the effect of the heat of the day followed by the cold of the night, he sallied out on his long snow shoes of six feet ; and skimming lightly over the bright surface, soon discovered eight or ten deer feed- ing on a frozen swamp. "Making a circuit behind them, he approached with the greatest caution; yet even his almost noiseless tread scared these timid and watchful STORY OF A VOUNG HUNTER. J^13 :{ creatures. As he had expected, tliey ran upon the lake, using every exertion to escape ; but their hoofs, though remarkably broad, were unequal to their support, and at each plunge they sank to their haunciies in the snow, and became an easy prey to the hunter ; who, borne up by his long snow shoes, got close to and killed them all except one. This he beat in the most wanton and merciless maimer, and then drove it, stupefied and spent with flitigue, to his lodge, where, amidst the laughter of himself and his kindred, its miseries were at last ended. * Now,' said he, * I shall know if there be any truth in your sayings ; and, whether there be or not, I am a Chipewyan, and shall return to my lands, which are far away, and better than your swampy and barren country.' Did we speak the truth ? the deer know it, and will not come." — He ceased speaking, and a deep gut- tural " whew, whew ! " shewed the interest with which the recital had been heard. Another day a middle-aged woman, with a girl about six years old, came to us in great con- sternation, seeking protection against a hunter, over whose gun she had unluckily stept during the night. On discovering what she had done, which, in the opinion of an Indian, would destroy the qualities of the gun and prevent its killing, she was so alarmed for the consequences p 3 214 SINGULAIl BREACH OF IVDIAN LAW. of her crime, that, though attached to the man, she preferred flight to tlie chance of what his fury might inflict on lier. However, after allow- ing a reasonable time for the evaporation of his passion, she returned ; and as he had, fortunately for her, shot an animal with the same gun since the disaster, she was let off* with a sound thrash- ing, and an admonition to be more careful for the future. This, according to Indian law, was most lenient, as the unhappy female guilty of such delinquency seldom or ever escapes with a slighter punishment than a slit nose, or a bit cut off the ears. In the evening of the day on which this last incident occurred, a man, his wife, and three c^ Mdren, sought our hospitality, in a condition w made me grieve afresh that we had so little to bestow. They were the most wretched party of all — mere shadows. The man was reduced to a skeleton ; and the scanty and tattered covering which served him for a gar- ment, having become hard and frozen, had, by constant friction against his bare legs, produced a dreadful state of excoriation. Nor were the others much better off. Our situation indeed now assumed a serious aspect, and it was im- possible to divest one's self of anxious foreboding for the future. In the midst of this gloom occurred the death of the wretched old woman before mentioned. In spite of all the care DEATH OF THE OLD WOMAN. 215 i which we could bestow, she had continued to sink under accumulated infirmities and disease ; the circulation became languid, and her ex- tremities were severely frost-bitten. Too feeble to raise herself up, she crawled whiningly along on her hands and knees, with a stick to make known her presence, wherever her inclination led her; but chiefly to Mr. King's room, where, once a day, she received the benefit of his humane attention. The most indifferent ob- server must have been occasionally shocked at th ; loathsome objects which have met his eye on some parts of the Continent, and particularly at Lisbon ; but no form or variety of human wretchedness or degradation that I have ever witnessed coidd be compared with that which was exhibited in the person of this poor old creature. The effect of her appearance, — the involuntary shuddering which it caused, may perhaps be conceived, but cannot well be described. What a contrast between her and the young girl standing erect and full of juicy life by her side ! What a rebuke to the pride of lordly man ! She was found in her hut, stretched dead by the fire, near which were several pieces of spare wood. Among the In- dians the event occasioned not the slightest feel- ing ; and, as she had no relations, it is doubtful whether she would even have been buried, had p 1 216 ANXIETY FOR AKAITCIIO AND HIS rAUTY. H we not taken that office on ourselves ; an office which, thougli difficult at this time, on account of the frozen state of the ground, was necessary, to preserve her remains from the starving and voracious dogs. The anxiety I began to feel, respecting the actual condition of the main body of the Indians with Akaitcho, whom we supposed to be in quest of deer to the westward, was so great, vhat Mr. JVPLeod, with much kindness and spirit, volunteered to go in search of them, and by his presence encourage and incite them to exertion. He left us on the 18th of December, accompanied by the interpreter and an Indian lad, who the previous morning had received a cudgelling for thieving. The very next day, one of our men, who had been with Akaitcho, arrived with a small quantity of half-dried meat, which he had dragged eight days* march. From him we learned that the deer were rather numerous than otherwise, but that they con- tinued to linger on the verge of the barren lands, to the surprise of the Indians, who declared this to be the first tine they had deviated from their habit of seeking the shelter of the woods at this inclement period of the year. They were very poor, he said, but plenty were shot; and would have been sent to the Fort, if the dis- tance had been less : as it was, the persons em- THE FISHERY UNPRODUCTIVE. 217 the ployed to bring it would necessarily eat all or the greater part of their loads on the way, and therefore the meat was put en cache for our future use. All this was very well, but did not minister to our present need ; and as for caches, in a neighbourhood of wolvereens, I knew that little dependence could be placed on their secu- rity, however carefully made. Still, the knowledge that the animals were within reach, and had not entirely left us, was enlivening ; and though not sanguine, yet I saw no reason to despair of finally making up our original stock of coast provision. In the mean- time, and before this dream could be realised, we were mortified and embarrassed by the return of the whole of the people stationed at one of the fisheries, which was described as being totally unequal to their support, having yielded only three or four fish a day for the last fort- night. Casualties such as these, coming in quick succession, were not a little harassing : my plans and prospects underwent cont-nual change from circumstances which no foresight could antici- pate ; and when I thought myself most safe, I was, perhaps, in the greatest danger. However, it was of no use to sit still and mope. Action, if it had no other effect, would at least keep up the spirits of the men, and divert their thoughts from the privation which they were suffering. 218 WRETCHED OBJECTS. Accordingly they were again divided, one party being directed to take their nets and proceed to the only remaining fishery, and the other to make the best of their way to the Indians. Our hall was in a manner filled with invalids and other stupidly dejected beings, who, seated round the fire, occupied themselves in roast- ing and devouring small bits of their reindeer garments, which, even when entire, afforded them a very insufficient protection against a temperature of 10'2° helow the freezing point. The father torpid and despairing — the mo- ther, with a hollow and sepulchral wail, vainly endeavouring to soothe the infant, which with unceasing moan clung to her shrivelled and exhausted breast — the passive child gazing vacantly around ; such was one of the many groups that surrounded us. But not a mur- mur escaped from the men. When the weather was a little milder, we took them into the store, and showing them our remaining provision, re- presented the necessity of their making an effort to reach Akaitcho, where their own relations would supply them plentifully : for, trifling as was the pittance dealt out to them by us, yet it contributed to the diminution of our stock, and it was evident that by strict economy alone we could get through the season at all. With the apathy so strikingly characteristic of the inert and callous savage, to whom life itself is a thing I CHRISTMAS-DAY. 219 i scarce worth preserving, some declared they could not, and others that they would not go. This obstinacy compelled me to reduce their allowance, a measure of necessary rigour, which ultimately drove the stronger away, and left us more means to nourish and support the weaker. Mr. King was unremitting in his care of those who required medical aid ; and often did I share my own plate with the children, whose helpless state and piteous cries were peculiarly distress- ing. Compassion for the full-grown may or may not be felt; but that heart must be cased in steel which is insensible to the cry of a child for food. 1 have no reserve in declaring the pleasure which it gave me to watch the emotions of those unfortunate little ones, as each received its spoonful of pemmican from my hand. Christmas-day was the appointed time for open- ing a soldered tin case, the gift of a lady at New York ; but our companion Mr. M'Leod being absent, we thought it fair to postpone the grati- fication of our curiosity till he could participate in it; and Mr. King and I made a cheerful dinner of pemmican. Happiness on such occa- sions depends entirely on the mood and temper of the individuals; and we clieatcd ourselves into as much mirth at the fancied sayings and doings of our friends at home, as if we IkrI par- taken of the roast beef and plum pudding which 220 SHORT ALLOWANCE. doubtless *' smoked upon the board" on that glorious day of prescriptive feasting. January, 1834. — Some Indians brought a small supply of meat, half dried and very bad; and by a letter from Mr. M'^Leod, I learned that the animals had taken a western direction, which, with the coldness of the weather, precluded the possibility of the Indians following them. Mr. M^Leod himself, being a first-rate rifle shot, had by his personal exertions already assisted one party, and was going to visit another. On the ISth, the women and children were sent to the fishery, and our own allowance was reduced a quarter of a pound each. Another supply of lean and half putrid meat was sent by Akaitcho, which was augmented a few days afterwards by eighty pounds from Mr. M'^Leod. He had been to the fishery, '* which," he added, " I was sorry to find unproductive, besides being burthened with a number of starving natives, who proved expensive and annoying, but are now all away. The dogs can hardly stand on their legs. For the two last weeks I have had much trouble, owing to the importunities of the Indians by whom I am surrounded. Some are strangers, but others you have seen. Many are extremely low, but I hope not beyond re- covery. From what I have seen of the coun- try, animals are scarce." At the same time we EXPERIMENTS. 221 that had accounts of several deaths from famine, with a repetition of the former tales of suffering, which there were but faint expectations of bet- tering until the weather should be milder. A few days exhausted our small stock of meat, and I reluctantly opened another bag of pemmican, our store of which was now reduced to less than one half of the quantity originally put aside for the sea service. Mr. King and I contented ourselves with half a pound each a day ; but the labouring men whom we retained with us could not do with less than a pound and three quarters. Even this was but scanty rations ; nevertheless, the fine fellows (principally artillery men), far from being moody or sullen, were always cheerful and in good spirits. It had been my endeavour to foster this feeling of contentment by general kindness, by a regular observance of the Sabbatli Cthe service beinff read in English and French), and by the insti- tution of evening schools for their improve- ment. We had seen the thermometer at 70° below zero, at which time the Aurora was bright. We now made a few experiments on the effect and intensity of the cold, the results of which were as follow ; With the thermometer at 62 minus, a square six- ounce bottle of sulphuric ether with a ground stopper, was taken out of the medicine chest, ^2QQ KXPERIMENTS. exactly in the same state as it had been packed at Apothecaries' Hall, viz. with the stopper down, and exposed immediately below the registering thermometer on the snow. In fifteen minutes, the interior upper surface of the sides of the bottle was coated with ice, and a thick efflorescent sediment covered the bottom, while the ether generally appeared viscous and opaque. After having remained an hour, during which the temperature rose to 60° minus, it had scarcely changed, or, per- haps, as Mr. King agreed with me in thinking, it was more opaque. The bottle was then care- fully brought into the house, and placed on a table, within four feet and a half of the fire ; and though so near, and with a temperature of 32° plus, it did not recover its former clearness or purity under forty-two minutes. A bottle of nitric ether, similar in dimensions to the sulphuric, was not changed in the same time ; but after two hours' exposure it also became viscid, the temperature in the meantime having varied from OO to 56 minus. A fluid drachm and a half of sulphuric ether was put into an ounce and a half bottle with a glass stopper ; and when it liad become viscous the stopper was withdrawn, and a lighted paper applied to the mouth, when it ignited with an explosion and an escape of gas. On repeating the experiment, the ignition did not take place until the light EXPERIMENTS. 223 was brought into contact with the liquid ; but it was accompanied by a similar explosion. A small bottle of pyroligneous acid froze in less than 30 minutes, at a temperature of 57° minus j as did also the same quantity of 1 part of rectified spirit and 2 of water, 1 part of the same and 1 of water. Leeward Island rum became thick in a few minutes, but did not freeze. A mixture of 2 parts pure spirit and 1 water froze into ice in three hours, with a temperature from 65" and 61° minus. Another mixture of 4 parts spirit and 1 water became viscid in the same time. A bottle of nitric ether having been out all night was thick, and the bubbles of air rose slowly and with difficulty; the mean temperature at 6 A.M., January 17th, being 70° minus! A surface of 4 inches of mercury, exposed in a common saucer, became solid in two hours, with a temperature of 57" minus. On the 4th of February, the temperature was G0° minus, and, there being at the same time a fresh breeze, was nearly insupportable. Such, in- deed, was the abstraction of heat, that, with eight large logs of dry wood in the fireplace of a small room, I could not get the thermometer higher than 12" plus. Ink and paint froze. I made an attempt to finish a sketch, by placing the QQi EXCESSIVE COLD. table as near the fire as I could bear the heat ; but a scratchy mark, and small shining particles at tlie point of the sable, convinced me that it was useless. The sextant cases, and boxes of seasoned wood, principally fir, all split. Nor was the sensation particularly agreeable to our persons ; the skin of the hands especially became dry, cracked, and opened into unsightly and smarting gashes, which we were obliged to anoint with grease. One one occasion, after washing my face within three feet of the fire, my hair was actually clotted with ice, before I had time to dry it. From these facts some idea may, perhaps, be formed of the excessive cold. It seemed to have driven all living things from us : we had been accustomed to see a few white partridges about ; but even these, hardy as they are, had disappeared. Once, indeed, a solitary raven, whose croak made me run out to look at him, swept round the house, but immediately winged his flight to the westward. Nothing but the passing wind broke the awful solitude of this barren and desolate spot. February 9th. — A little variation was given to our society by the gratifying arrival of Mr. M'^Leod, who had preceded a party of men laden with meat. The weather had made a visible alteration in his countenance, which was severely frost-bitten in seven places ; nor was it to be i i I ! I APPALLING SUFFERINGS OF THE INDIANS. 225 wondered at on such a wide unsheltered lake as lie had been travelling over, especially when the Indians themselves were unable to bear up against it, but were all, to the number of four- teen, similarly lacerated. The latter complained bitterly, and compared the sensation of handling their ^uns to that of touching red-hot iron ; and so painful was it, that they wrapped thongs of leather round the triggers, to keep their fingers from contact with the steel. The deer were represented to be plentiful enough, but so restless and difficult to approach that few were shot ; added to which they were edging westerly, and when left were at a distance of fourteen days' journey from the house. Suf- fering, the Indian's inheritance, attended the na- tives wherever they went. The forest was no longer a shelter, nor the land a support ; " famine, with her gaunt and bony arm," pursued them at every turn, withered their energies, and strewed them lifeless on the cold bosom of the snow. Nine had flillen victims already; and others were only snatched from a like fiite by the op- portune intervention of Mr. M'Leod, in compel- ling a Chipewyan to return after his wife and child, whom the unnatural monster had abandoned. In another instance, where two of the same tribe had deserted an infirm and starving relative, Q 226 BARBAROUS ATROCITIES. his efforts were unavailing, for he was found dead in the woods. For the neglect or abandonment by the more active hunters of the sick and feeble of their tribe, some allowance may be made, on account of the peculiarity of their circumstances. To follow and keep up with the migratory animals which constitute their food, is essential to the preservation, not only of the hunters themselves, but of the whole encampment. An infirm or diseased savage is not merely useless ; he is a positive clog and encumbrance on the motions of the rest. No wonder, then, if occasionally, in the impatience or necessity of the chace, he is left behind to the mercy of chance. But there are instances, it is painful to say, of uarbarous outrages for which no such palliation can be found. In my progress through the country, I heard several stories of transactions among the Indians almost too revolting to be mentioned. Others equally shocking were related to Mr. King ; and one in particular, as narrated by Mr. Charles, the factor mentioned above, was so horrible, that, although the recital, it is to be feared, will excite loathing and disgust, yet I think it right to give it, as illustrative of the occasional atrocities of savage life. A Cree Indian of the name of Pepper, who had long resided around Chipewyan as a J IlKVOLTING STORY OF AN INDIAN. 227 Jiunter, came to the Fort in November, 1832, after a temporary absence ; and, having smoked his pipe, gave a plausible account of severe ca- lamities, which had befallen him in the preceding wmter. After describing the horrors of starva""- tion in the desolate forest, and his ineffectual efforts to ward it off, he said that, worn out, at length, by hunger and cold, his wife, the mother of his children, sun', into a lethargy and died • his daughter soon .ollowed ; and two sons just springhig into manhood, who promised to be the support of his old age, -alas ! they also perished ; lastly, their younger children, though tended by him with unwearied solicitude, and fed for a time on the parings of their leather garments, sunk under their sufferings, and slei)t with their brethren. 'MVhat could I do?" exclaimed the man, with a frenzied look that almost startled the hearers, — - could I look up to the Great Spirit ?-could I remain to behold my strength laid prostrate ? No I no ! One child was yet spared. — I fled for succour. But, oh I the woods were silent, — how silent!— I am here." The boy alluded to was about eleven years of age, and at the close, as during the recital, kept his eyes vacantly fixed on the blazing flre near which he was seated, seeming unconscious that the narration was ended, and still listening, as if Q 2 228 REVOLTING STORY waiting for some dreadful story not yet told. His father spoke, and he started ; then, having given him a live ember to light his half-emptied pipe, he relapsed into his steadfast gaze of vacancy. Not a word, not a gesture, had escaped the attentive ears and sparkling eyes of some men of his tribe who arrived just as he began to speak. Never was man more patiently listened to ; his grief, or the long pauses which counterfeited it, were not once interrupted, except by his own wailings: but when he had concluded, a kind of hollow muttering arose from thegrouped Indians ; and the spokesman of their number began a speech, at first in a subdued tone, and then, gradually elevating his voice with the energy of one strongly excited, he finished by denouncing him as a murderer and a cannibal. The accused hesitated a few seconds, mechanically whiffing at his exhausted pipe, — and then, with the most stoical indifference, calmly denied the charge. But, fiiom that instant, his spirits fell ; and the anxious and painful expression of his countenance, whenever his son was absent for a moment, betrayed the consciousness of guilt. He could no longer look his fellow man in the face. Those who had roused this inward storm ke])t aloof, as from a poisonous reptile ; and, having OF AN INTDIAN'. 229 obtained the trifling articles which they wanted from the store, returned to their hunting. The wretched man lino-ered about the Fort for some time, and at length, accompanied by his boy, sulkily left it. " Back to the thicket slunk The guilty serpent." But by a strange infatuation (such are the mys- terious ways of Providence), instead of seeking some lonely place where he might have hid his guilt, and lived unmolested, he went to the lodges of the very persons whom he had most cause to avoid, — the men who had branded him as a murderer and cannibal. He sought their hospitality, and was admitted ; but an instinctive loathing, not unmixed with apprehension, induced them to request his de- parture. After a slight hesitation, he not only refused, but, assuming a tone of defiance, uttered such threats that the endurance of the Indians was exhausted, and they shot him on the spot. More than one gun having been fired, the boy was also wounded in the arm ; and, thinking to mitigate their rage, he fled behind a tree, and offered to confess all he knew, if they would only spare his life. His wish was granted, and then was told the most sickening tale of deliberate canni- balism ever heard. The monster had, in truth, Q 3 230 REVOLTING STORY OF AN INDIAN. murdered his wife and cliildren, and fed upon tlieir reeking carcasses ! Tliat the one boy was spared was owing, not to pity or affection, but to the accident of their luiving arrived at the Fort when they did. Another twenty-four hours would have sealed his doom also. 231 upon ' was , but ; the lours CHAP. VIII. Exmplayy Conduct of Ahaitcho.-^ Mr. M^Lcod and hi, Mhj leave us. -Arrival of Maufdhj.- Supply of Dcer-Jlcsh. — Mimnderstandins; between Akaitcho and the Interpreter. —Preparation for building Two Boats. —Mr. MLcod's ill Success. — Strange Conduct of Two Indians. — Supply of Food. - Distressing Condition of Mr. WLeod. — Return of Mr. King's Party. — News from Yor/c Factory.— Uncertain Fate of Augustus. — Presence of Two Havens. — Havens shot by an Iroquois. — News from England. — Discharge of Three Men. — Alteration of Plans. — Appearance of Birds. — Adventures by Mr. King.— Arrival of Mr. M'^Lcod. — Anxiety about IVilliamson. — Sultry Heather.— Melancholy Fate of Augustus. During this appalhng period of suffering and calamity, Akaitcho proved himself the firm friend of the expec'-tion. The dawn of each morning saw him prepared for the hunt ; and, aware of the heavy pressure of that distress which, though he could not altogether avert, it might be in liis power to mitigate, he boldly encountered every difficulty, and made others act by the force of his example. Complaints were incessantly j)referred to liim by all classes, young and old ; and many would 232 EXEMPLARY CONDUCT OF AKAITCHO. have yielded to their gloomy superstition, had they not been sustained by his language and for- titude. " It is true," he is reported to have said in answer to one of them, " that both the Yellow Knives and Chipevvyans, whom I look upon as one nation, have felt the fatal severities of this unusual winter. Alas! how many sleep with our fathers ! But the Great Chief trusts to us ; and it is better that ten Indians should perish, than that one white man should suffer through our negligence and breach of faith." Mr. M'^Leod's observations at the fishery where he had been were too imfavourable to give me any confident hope of receiving support from that quarter ; and, under these circumstances, it was consolatory to me that he approved my decision to make a further reduction in our establishment. I say consolatory, because that decision fell particularly heavy on his own family, whom he now offered to remove to a place about half way between us and the Indians, who, he said, would provide him with meat, as the lake would with fish, and in this way the separation might be made still further subservient to our benefit. Before we parted, however, his daughter, a pretty little girl about six years old, took care to remind me, that I had promised, on her father's return, to open the " boite a fer blanc." Ac- cordingly, the treasure was explored ; and she DF.PARTURE OF MR. IVFLEOD AND HIS FAMILY. 233 was not the only one who rejoiced in the sight of U large plum-pucldnig, to the merits of which practical testimony was borne by the children and ourselves at dinner. Nor did we forget to drink the health of our fair countrywoman Mrs. Maxwell*, who had so kindly afforded us this luxurious meal. Mr. M'Leod, during his absence, had not been exempted from his share of privation, having been for days together without food ; yet, nothing daunted by hardships, which he treated as the ordinary incidents of the service, he and his family, with two men, left us on their cold and comfortless journey, on the 1 1th of February, about noon. Nothing but a conviction of the importance of this measure, as regarded our future plans, should have induced me to consent to this exposure of children to the severities of so cold a month ; but, as every precaution w^as adopted to prevent ill consequences, I entertained the hope of their getting safely to their des- tination. The unexpected disasters with which the un- happy beings to the westward had been visited made me more than commonly anxious for my former coinj)anion, Maufelly, who, with a small * The wife of Capt. Maxwell, with whom we crossed tlie Atlantic. 234. ARRIVAL OF MAUFELLY. party, had gone to the south-east, and had been absent now some months. No intelligence of any kind had been received ; and, as they had promised to be at the Fort in January, if alive, we naturally began to have gloomy bodings of what might have happened. Happily, however, we were now relieved from our suspense by the appearance of Maufelly himself, who, with a very melancholy visage, recounted the narrow escape they had had. There was not a track of an animal, he said, to be seen, except at a remote part, bordering on the southern waters of the The-lew, to which his party could not go. They had therefore wandered about until weakness and want had almost killed them, when the sigjit of some straggling deer stimulated them to exertions which were crowned by success. From his sorrowful looks, we concluded that he had hardly yet recovered from his debility ; but, on closer inspection, it was clear that the rogue was in good case ; and, when the necessary time for Indian etiquette had expired, he quietly com- municated the joyful information that he had five deer killed for us, within a couple of days* walk. This was, indeed, a windfall, and we ventured to think that better times were coming. Three men were instantly despatched for as much as they could carry of the precious deposit ; and as ^ SUPPLY OF DEER-FLESH. Q35 they left only my servant at the Fort, Mr. King drove the clog sledge for wood, and I made myself as useful as I could. The three men had neither snow shoes nor sleighs ; and, when they got to the deep snow filling up the narrow valleys and ravines in the mountains, they were obliged to scramblo across by creeping on their hands and knees. In this unsatisfactory and fatiguing manner, they neared the lodge of the Indians ; who, as they slipped and sunk into the snow, at every effort to advance, set up loud ant' merry laughs, but did not fail, nevertheless, to make them welcome to a kettle of prepared meat when they did at last succeed in getting within their humble dwelling. For their return they were provided with snow shoes ; and, having brought part of the meat, we enjoyed with a relisli which may be imagined the first steak of fresh meat which we had tasted for three months. On the 23d of February, a party of our own people also arrived, after fourteen days' travelling, with a small quantity of half-dried meat ; in their journey for whicli, they had been three entire days without food. They reported the failure of Mr. MTeod's endeavours to procure fish at his new station ; but added, that two of the best men were going from place to place, until they should be more successful. The worst information, however, regarded a 236 QUARREL OF AKAITCHO AND INTERPRETER. misunderstanding between Akiiitclio and our interpreter, in consequence of which the former, it was said, liad dechired his intention to cease acting for us, and to dispose of his *' liunt" elsewhere. In our present exigency such a resolution would have been a blow aimed at the very lives of those engaged in the expedition ; at best, it was sure to deprive us of the assist- ance which I had calculated on receiving in the spring, for conveying our provision and heavy baggage to the Thlew-ce-choh ; so that, in any view, it would paralyse our efforts and frustrate the interesting object of the imdertaking. Great, however, as was my anxiety, I derived consolation from the hope that Mr. IVrLeod's influence might procure some material modifi- cation of the purpose of the unstable chief, if it failed to restore him altogether to his former friendly disposition. The uncertainty of the means of subsistence, and the almost daily distresses and disappoint- ments by which we were harassed, had interfered with many, and altogether marred some, of my plans; among others, the important task of pre- paring the materials for the construction of two light boats to take us along the coast had been hitherto suspended. The time, however, had now arrived when further delay was impossible. Accordingly, the two carpenters, with Sinclair (a ILL SUCCESS OF MR. MaEOD. 237 i Steersman), were sent to the clump of pines found by De Charloit in September last, and directed to saw sufficient planking for the pur- pose. The weather having now changed somewhat for the better, a little provision was occasionally brought from one of the hunters ; and I looked daily for a large supply from Mr. M'Leod. But, as if it were destined that matters should not go smoothly, intelligence was conveyed that far from being able to assist us, he could get neither fish nor flesh ; and had, as a last resource, been obhged to transfer the men to the other fishery under the charge of M'^Kay, for the preservation of their lives. In performing this journey, the poor fellows were again three days without food. Two young Indians also came to the Fort about this time, as it appeared to us, solely for ammu- nition. They saw that our store was empty, and must have understood our distress ; but to our repeated questions as to their success, they uni- formly answered with apparent indifference, "Et- then oolah," — there are no deer. Having been provided with what they required, they were dismissed, and requested to be alert in hunt- ing; but still they answered, " Etthen oolah — tahoutai * ; " and with tlie most stoical com- posure lounged about the house, or lolled before * " There are no deer." 238 STRANGE CONDUCT OF TWO INDIANS. tlie fire for full two days, receiving merely such scraps of food as we could spare them. It so liappened that at the end of that time, Mau- felly arrived with a load of meat, which the others no sooner saw, than they drew out fifteen tongues from a bag hitherto concealed, and placed them on the table without any remark, though we passed and repassed several times. The conclusion was, that they had as many deei' in cache, and only wanted somebody to fetcli them. When taxed with the folly of tlieir conduct in so serious a case as ours, they an- swered carelessly that it was their custom, and still cried *' Etthen oolah — etthen tahoutai." Hoping that there was now a probability of our obtaining regular supplies from the two parties, I was less fearful of increasing my party, and directed four men to come immediately from the fishery, and assist in sledging the meat to the house. The deer were accordingly brouglit ; yet before this welcome labour was completed, I had the mortification of receiving from the Indians on whom I had mainly depended, the unwelcome tidings that the animals had again dispersed they knew not whither, but that they would give us notice as soon as they had any thing to send. March 13th. — The men, who had been latterly subsisting on a single fish a day, arrived according to their instructions j and that there SUPPLY OF FOOD. 239 might be no leisure for brooding over their privations, I sent Mr. King witli the whole of them, including those at the house, to drag the iron work, together with such planking as the carpenters might have ready, to a bay on the western borders of Artillery Lake, where I in- tended the boats to be built. This was occupation for four or five days, and in the meantime I fervently hoped that some fa- vourable change might take place. Nor in this instance was I deceived ; for no sooner had we enjoyed the calm consolation of divine service on the following Sunday, than the yelping of a dog too weak to do any thing else notified the a])proach of strange feet, and I was met at the hall door by the old Camarade de Mandeville. Accustomed to see the Indians empty-handed, it never occurred to me to inquire if he had brought any thing ; and after the usual bon jour, which these people have learned from the Canadians, I proceeded to explain the reason why he found me alone. " You have no provi- sion then," said he; «'tiensl the dogs are eating it ;» and opening the door, to my great surprise and no less joy, he pointed to an Indian youth, wlio was leaning on his gun, and looking at two sledges of dried meat which the Camarade and he had dragged from their lodges, five days* journey distant. 240 NEWS FROM YORK FACTORY. The following day I received a further supply from Mr. ^fLeod, though with the painful intel- ligence that he with his family were surrounded by difficulties, privations, and deaths. Six more natives of either sex had sunk under the horrors of starvation, the nets had failed, and Akaitcho, on whom he relied (for the old chief had for- gotten his hasty expressions and was still faithful), was twelve days* march away. Distant, however, as he was, Akaitcho had managed to despatch some of the strongest young hunters with a supply of meat, and it was a part of this which was now forwarded tome. Mr. M^Leod's situation was one of great embarrassment. I pre- vailed on him therefore to sacrifice the comfort of being with his family, and to send them to Fort Resolution, to break up the fishery for the present, and stimulate the Indians to further exertion by keeping constantly near them. March 18th. — Mr. King and his party returned from Artillery Lake, where the requisite articles had been deposited, and the carpenters had begun the boats. On the 2()th a person arrived late in the evening with the packet from York Factory, which we had been expecting daily for the last six weeks. The happiness which this announcement instantly created can be appre- ciated by those only who, like us, have been outside the pale of civilisation, and felt the I rNCEIlTAFN FATK OF ALGrSTlS. '2l\ blessini*- of comimiriication with thoir frienils but once tliroui.|i a long twelvemonth. Yet so true is it that " iMan never is but always (o ht blest, " that before we had time to conoratnlate each other, our joy was almost turned into sorrow. The bearer, on delivering the j)acket, added, that he believed he had brought only half; that the remainder had been sent from Fort Ileso- hition upwards of a month ago, under the charge of two men, a Canadian and an Iroquois; that these had been accompanied by my old com- panion Augustus, the Esquimaux interpreter, who no sooner heard that I was in the country than he expressed his determination to join me, and had actually walked from Hudson's Hay with that affectionate intention; that the three men, having no language in connnon, were unable to convey their sentiments to each other ; and that having lost tlieir way, two of them, after an absence of eighteen days, fountl their way back to the fort ; but without Augustus, who they declared persisted, in s])ite of their en- treaties, in his forlorn search. On opening my letters I found this account but too true, and moreover that the brave little fellow had with him, when they parted, only ten pounds of pcmmican, and neither gun nor bow and arrows. '2V2 UNCERTAIN lATE OF AUGUSTUS. Three days after the arrival of this sad news tlie other part of the packet was broiiglit by one of my former men, who had been guided by an Indian ; and I then learned from Mr. M'^Donell, the gentleman in charge of Fort Resolution, that on the arrival of the Canadian and Iroquois without Augustus, he had the same day de- spatched two more Iroquois with plenty of pro- vision, and instructions to follow the same track, search for Augustus, and, if found, conduct him to us. But, strange to say, after a similar lapse of time, viz. eighteen days, these two men also made their appearance at the Fort; and Mr. M'^Donell had the mortification to hear that, they, like the first, had got bewildered, and having exhausted their provisions were com- pelled to explore their way back. An Indian, who happened to be with him at the time, was engaged as a guide to the present bearer ; and he added, " I hope the packet will reach you safe at last. As no one has come hither from you, I apprehend that poor Augustus has been starved to death." There was, indeed, every reason to fear the worst ; but the account of his companions, that they had heard the report of two or three guns in the direction of the place where they had left him, aflfbrded me a feeble hope that he might have fallen in with some party, and be yet alive. As liu' as was in my power I circulated the fact among the Indians, I PRKSF.XCE OF TWO RAVENS. 2*3 I i though they were unfortunately far away, and held out an unlimited reward to an^' who should find and save him. The ready zeal with which Augustus had volunteered to partake the hard fortunes of the service, his attachment and frenerous devotion to myself, and the proba- bility that his recom})ence had been a shocking and untimely death, impressed me with a melan- choly that for some time fixed deeply in my mind. By letters from York Factory, we were in- formed that the Company's two ships were forced to winter in the bay ; — one at Churchill, and the other at Charlton Island, — owing, as was said, to the vast quantity of drift ice which blocked up Hudson's Straits, and cut off all communication with the Atlantic. But I was requested to be under no uneasiness as regarded the expedition, since the letters for England were to be sent by Canada, and all my demands would be punctually attended to. April 2()th. — For the last fifteen days our habitation had been rendered more cheerful by the presence of two ravens, which having, by my express directions, been left unmolested, had become so tame as scarcely to move ten paces when any one passed them ; they were the only living things that held communion with us, and it was a pleasure to see them gambol in tlieir glossy ])lumage on the white snow. R 2 *241- RAVENS SHOT IJY AN IROQUOIS. A party of men liad arrived over night, and amongst them an Iroquois, who, pcrceivi!ig tlic birds together, and being ignorant of my wishes, could not resist the temptation of a double shot, and so killed them both. In any otlier situation such an event, would, pprha})s have seemed too trifling to be noticed ; but in our case, the ravens were the only link between us and the dreary .soli- tude without, and their loss tlierefore was painfully felt. Moreover, there seemed a sort of treachery in the act, for the ])oor birds had been taught to look upon us as friends : their petty thefts were licensed ; and their sharp croaking was welcome, as breaking the monotony of silence. When they were gone, I felt more lonely, and the moaning wind seemed as if complaining of the barbarity. April 25th. — This was the anniversary of our departure from La Chine. We were talking for about the hundredth time of those kind persons who had come so far to see us away, and had begun to speculate on their different occupations at that v^ery hour, wli-m we were interrupted by a sharp and loud knock at the door. The permission to come in was unne- cessary, for the person followed the announce- ment before the words coidd be uttered, and with the same despatch thrust into iny hands a packet, which a glance sulhced to tell me was from England. *' lie is returned, sir !"said the NKWS FROM ENGLAND. '245 messenger, as we looked at him with surprise. " Wliat ! Augustus ? — thank God ! " I repHed quickly. *' Captain lloss, Sir — Captain Ross is returned." •' Kh ! are ^ou quite sure? is there no error ? where is the account from ? " The man paused, looked at me, and pointing with Iiis finger said, " You have it in your hand, sir." It was so ; but the packet had been for- gotten in the excitement and hurry of my feel- ings. Two open extracts from the Times and Morning Herald confirmed the tidings ; and my official letter, with others from the long-lost adventurers themselves — from Captain Ma- conochie, Mr. Ciarry, (iovernor Simj)son, and many other friends, English and American, re- moved all })ossible doubt, and evinced at the same time the })owerful interest which the event had awakened in the public, by a great propor- tion of whom the })arty had long since been numbered among the dead. To me the in- telligence was peculiarly gratifying, not only as verifying my ])reviousIy expressed opinions, but as demonstrating the wisdom as well as the hu- manity of the course pursued by the promoters of our expedition, who had thereby rescued the British nation from an imputafion of indilfer- ence which it was far iiuleed i'rom meriting. In the fulness of our hearts, we assembled to- gether, and humbly offered up our thanks to T 246 DISCHARGE OF THREE MEN, that merciful Providence, vvliicli in the beautiful language of Scripture liatli said, " Mine own will I bring again, as I did sometime from the deeps of the sea." The thought of so wonderful a preservation overpowered for a time tlie common occurrences of life. We luul but just sat down to breakfast ; but our a})petite was gone, and the day was pa <.'m[ in a feverish state of excitement. Seldom, indeed, did my friend Mr. King or I indulge in a libation, but on this joyful occasion economy was forgotten ; a treat was given to the men, and for ourselves the social sympathies were ouickened by a generous bowl of punch. May 5. — David Williamson of the Royal Artillery and two other men were discharged from the service ; the former on account of con- tinued ill health, and the latter at their own solicitation. By them were forwarded letters for England. We had now a smart thawj and patches of green, as well as projecting parts of rocks, were daily becoming visil)le. Shortly afterwards a letter arrived from Mr. MT^eod containing information, which 1 had some time anticipated, of the total failure of Akaitcho and his party to collect ])rovisi()n — as well as a hint that the chief had been tampered i * Psul. (>(>. ALTEllATIOX OF PLANS. ^247 with, and allowed a part of his hunt to go in anotlier direction. The fact that a portion of the meat had been so diverted was substantiated, and laid to the charge of a free-man ; but the quantity taken by him was too inconsiderable to be of any consequence, and afforded merely a pretext for Akaitcho, to cover some little in- fidelities of wiiich, I fear, he luid been guilty. A month before, such intelhgence would have caused the bitterest sorrow ; but now, when I knew of Captain Ross's safety, it w\as compar- atively of little moment ; and I determined at once on going with one boat instead of two along the coast, selecting the best men for my crew. This, in fact, was the only means left by which I could execute my instructions, and dis- charge the duty that 1 owed to the public ; for though the enthusiasm that had before animated LIS was now of coiu'se much abated, it still set with a strong, because concentrated, stream, towards the region of discovery. The provision that we had still in reserve was, or could be made, equal to the expenditure of three months for ten persona. The smallness of the party would be more than compensated by the cha- racters of the individuals who com})osed it — every man in himself a host — experienced nu/a^eurs^ good hunters, equal to the most try- ing situations. There was, therefore, no rational i; 1< ^21-8 ai'I'I'-akancf; ov uiuds. ground for apprciicnsioii that we sliould be unable to surmount the obstacles otthe voyage, though cooped within tlie narrow space of a soHtary boat on tlie inhospitable waters of the Arctic sea. The people were regularly en)j)loyed in dragging the pennnican and baggage to Artillery Lake, where the carpenters had already finished one and half completed the other boat ; tor though tlie original plan was relinquished, the secontl boat, it was thought, would be highly serviceable in enabling Mr. ArLeod to fulfil the instructions which it was my intention to leave for his guidance during our absence. And I now wrote to him, to engage as many young Indians as would undertake to carry a bag (or })U lbs.) of pennnican each to the J'hlew-ee-choh, in direct distance one hundred and fifteen miles. On the l.'Uh of May, a single goose, the har- binger of sunnner, flew past the house; and during the day it was followed by five more, all of which took a nortiierly direction. This was six days later than thev had been seen in IHQC) at Fort Franklin, though a higher northern lati- tude. A fly and ;i flock of small birds appeared in the evening; and during the three succeed- ing days we had gulls, orit)les, grossbeaks, yellow legs, robins, mid butterflies. A small swamp behind the house was the resort of two or three kinds of ducks, some of ADVKNTUUi; 15Y Mil. KING. ^249 wliicli vvcM'c occasionally got by Mr. King, who was a daily visitor runongst them; On one occa- sion, just as he hail hit his bird, his attention was attracted by some more in an adjacent pool j so, without staying to pick up his game, he crept towards the others, and as he thought disabled a fine drake. Eager to bag it, he waded into the water, when he was startled by a sharp whizzing noise over his head. This, lie soon perceived, was caused by a large wliitc-headed eagle, which was descending with tlie ra})idity of lightning towards the ])recise spot where lay the duck he had before hit. Impelled by the desire at once to secure the bird lor dinner, and if possible to get a shot at the eagle also, he instantly left the wounded drake, and, sans culottes, flew with all speed over patciies of hard snow, dashing through the swamj), and arriving just in time to see the powerful ma- rauder quietly sweep off; exactly out of the reach of shot, with the duck firmly grasped in its talons. Having watched it out of sight, he then re- traced his steps ; and leaving his gun in a dry place, betook himself to the acpiatic chase of the drake, which, far from being fluttered or alarmed, remained motionless, as if waiting to be taken up. Stiil, as he nearetl, it glided easily away through innumerable little nooks and wind- ings, with all the confidence of a branch pilot. 250 ARRIVAL OF MR. M'^LEOD. Several times lie extended liis arm to catch it; and Iiaving at last, with g'-nit patience, man- aged to COO}) it in a corner, from which there aj)])eared to he no escape, he was triumphantly bending down to take it (gently, however, as he wished to preserve it for a sj)ecimen), when, to his utter astonishment, after two or three flounders, it looked round, cried " (juack," and then flew ofi' so strongly that he was convinced he had never hit it at all. The object of the drake had clearly been to draw Mr. King away from its c()mj)anion, of whose fate it was unconscious ; indeed, so attached are these birds at certain seasons, that it is no unconnnon circumstance, when one has been shot, for the other, especially the male, to linger about its struggling partner, exhibiting the greatest distress, until either killed or frightened away. Sometimes in such cases they will dive to avoid the shot, but refuse to fly ; as in an instance where one remained to be flred at no less than five times. On the 18th May, the catkins of the willows were half an inch long, and the snow was fast disaj)pearing from the ground. On the S.^th we also welcomed the arrival of oiu' companion Mr. M'Leod, whose indefatigable endeavours to re- alize the expectatioi>s held out by the Indians of procuring deer, as the warm weather increased, had been grievously disa])pointed. He had found ANXIETY ABOUT WILLIAMSON. 2.51 his hunters indeed as wretchedly off as could be imagined ; so that the winter terminated as it had commenced. Bad as this was, the serious ap- prehension wliicii he raised in my mind about the fate of David Williamson, the artillery-man, who had been so lately discharged, was infinitely worse. It appeared that he had left the fishery with his companions, and two Indians as guides ; but, being a slow walker and much encum- bered with useless baggage of his own, he had one day set out first, the route being quite straight ; while the others, knowing that they could easily overtake him, had loitered in their encampment, perhaps an hour after his departure. Aware of his eccentricity, they were not alarmed at not seeing him for the better part of the day; but as the evening drew in, their fears were ex- cited, and one of the Indians retraced his way, in order to be quite sure that he was not behind among the islands. His search was fruitless, and he very properly returned with the information to the fishery. Mr. M'Leod lost not a moment ill selecting another Indian to accompany the same ])erson, directing them to use the utmrst vigilance, and holding out the [)romise of a con- siderable reward to whoever should fiml him. With such an inducement, it was not likely they would leave any part unexamined ; and, accord- ingly, after an absence of three or four days, ^02 SULTRY WEATIIKH. they returned to the fishery with the assurance tiiat he liad not sto])ped between their hist en- campment and the islands, from which tlie tra- verse is made to tlie soutli shore ; on the contrary, they concluded tliat he had crossed over, and made the best of his way to Fort Resolution. For my own part I much doubted this ; but, at all events, it was consolatory to know that he had a compass, aiul was not des- titute of provision. Towards the end of the month, the weather became sultry, the temperature in the sun being 10()° ; an extraorilinary contrast to that of the 17th January, when it was 70° below zero. The snow was all gone, except that which !w.«.i l^cen drifted to a great deptii in the narrow valleys, and under steep ])recipices ; and the Al-hel- dessy, to the westward, had burst its icy tetters, and opened a clear chiuuiel to the })ortage o))j)()- site the house: loons, gulls, and 'lucks took possession of the water, and seemed to contend which should make the most noise; some small birds also, very prettily marked, hovered about a sho"ttime, and then both thev and the ducks sud- denly deserted us. Akaitcho :uul thirty of his tribe arrived, empty-handed, and were followed by a couple of young Chipcwyans, who brourht a little dry meat from the Yellow Knife RImt, where one of their party had died from want. MEI.ANCnOLV lATH OF AUGUSTUS. 2.53 On tile 3cl June, the vvliole of the men came ill from the fishery, and brought with them tlie iiiehmcholy tidings, that tlic Indians had been at Fort Resohitioii without hearing anything about poor Williamson, who, it was now conjec- tured, must have got bewihlered among tlie islands away from the track, or met with some accident so as to incapacitate him from making a fire, and thereby indicating his situation. The remains of Augustus also had been discovered not far from the Riviere a Jean. It ajipeared that the gallant little fellow was retracing his steps to the establishment, when, either exhausted by suffering ant! privation, or caught in the midst of an ojieii traverse in one of those terrible snow storms which may be almost said to blow through the frame, he had sunk to rise no more. Such was the miserable end of poor Augustus ! — a Ihithful, disinterested, kiiul-hearted creature, wiio had won the regard not of myself only, but I may add of Sir John Franklin and Dr. Rich- ardson also, by qualities, which, wherever found, in the lowest as in the highest forms of social \\\i\ are the ornament and charm of humanity. These were not very cheering ausjiices for the eve of our departure ; but past griefs must yield to present necessities and the sharpness of the feeling gradually wore oti' under the pressure of mental and bodily occupation. F^y the5th June, I 254 PllErAUATIONS Foil DKI'ARTUm:. luulgotMr. M'Leod, the Indians, and all the men bnt three, from the Fort. It was arranged that the former, with a chosen })arty, shouhl precede us to hunt, and should make caches oi' meat along the line of route, so as to save the penmiican ; while the other Indians, with })art of the men, should assist in dragging the baggage. One Indian was left with us as a guide ; but his friends were scarcely out of sight, when he began de- liberately to pack up, with the intention of fol- lowing them. This caprice (for he had remained voluntarily) was owing, it seemed, to distrust of the constancy of his young wife, who was some- where to the nortii ; and it was only by threaten- ing to discharge him altogether from the service, that I could i)revail on him to stay. We had in vain tried every allurement to induce some Indian family to remain and take care of the establishment during the absence of Mr. JNPLcod: no temptation was strong enough to entice th .• poorest among them to accept of so dangerous a trust ; all agreeing that it would be imj)ossible to procure a livelihood there at this season of the year. No more convincing proof can be given of the wretched poverty of the country j for the people will suflier any privation short of death to obtain their favourite tobacco, ammunition, and clothing ; and as it is acknowledged that an Indian can live where a wolf would starve, M.AVE I'OIIT IlKLIANCE. ^JJ the !ici«i;liboiirlu)oil of our residence must be a niiseral)le spot indeed. 1 was conse(|uently obliged to trust to chance for the sal'etv of the papers containing the observations, journal, dniwings, and survey. A platlbrni was erected in the hall, on which the remainder of our stores were depositeil, and carefully secured against wet, anil marauding wolvereens. Some thinjis were lowered into a cellar, the opening of which was closed and naileil ilown. The stronirer boxes were piled into a heap, and covered with a tarpaulin ; and a very small (juantity of brandy, which we were unable to take, though not un- willing, had economy ])ermitted, to drink, was buried "full fathom five" — then, and not till then, being considered safe from biped or quad- ruped, Indian or bear. It now only remained to block up the win- dows and doors ; which done, the four ])ersons remaining with me, including the guide, were laden with burdens of ninety pounds each, and two dogs, equi|)ped with saddle bags, carrying meat for the journey; and thus apj)ointed, I left Fort Reliance, accomj)aTiied by Mr. King, a little past noon of the 7th June. ^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) V /> .^.% ':>. 4^ f/i K1 10 I.I 1.25 S [jf IIIIM I «- Ilia *- u 1.8 1.4 1.6 % <^ /}. /: VI '/ ttiotographic Sciences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. MS80 (716) 872-4503 ^ 'v > '^rA'} CHAP. IX. jRcflcdions. — Hall for the Night. — March resumed. — Obstacles encoxmtcrcd. — The Boats finished. — Eastern Shore of Artillery Lake. — Pursue the Trade of Mr. MLeod. — T-lCO Deer shot. — Stunted Pines. — Encampmetit. — Dilficullij in tracing our lloide. — Ne-jos Jrom Mr. M'Leod. — A Snovo Storm. — Fires lighted on the Hills. — Accident to Peter Tajjlor. — Deviate from our Course. — Accident to James Spence. — Boisterous JVeather. — Plunder of a. Cache. — Find the runct^ajj Guides. — The Ice unsafe. — Enter upon Lake Aylmcr. — A dense Fog. — Sand-hill Bay. — Judicial Investigation. — Animals. — Musk-ox Rapid, — Join Mr. M'Leod. — Survey of the River. — Indiatis return xvith the Panmican. — Stock of Provisions. — An Indian Belle. — A Reindeer Hunt. I I ri^ J HERE is somethiiif^ exciting' in the first start even upon an onlinary journey. Tiie bustle of preparation — the act of departing, vvliich seems like a decided step taken — the prospect of change, and consequent stretching out of the imagination — have at all times tiie effect of stu'- ring the blood, and giving a quicker motion to the spirits. It may be conceived then with what sensations I set forth on my journey into the Arctic wilderness. I had escaped from the wretcliedness of a dreary and disastrous win- IlKl'LECTrONs. 2.57 I ter — froni scenes and tales of suffering and death — from wearisome inaction and monotony — from disappointment and heart-sickening care. Before me were novelty and enterprise ; hope, curiosity, and the love of adventure were my companions ; and even the prospect of difficulties and dangers to be encountered, with the responsibility inseparable from command, instead of damping rather heightened the en- joyment of the moment. In turning my back oil the Fort, I felt my breast lightened, and my spirit, as it were, set fi'ee again; and with a (liiick step, Mr. King and I (for my companion seemed to share in tlie feeling) w-nt on our way rejoicuig. Taking a northerly direction through the woods, we soon got into a succession of swamps; then ascended steep rocks; and subsequently gained a sight of the Ah-hel-dessy, which seemed in that part to be navigable, though, fiom the noise, it was certain that a heavy fall was not far distant. We passed many sand-hills, variegated by the arbutus plant, called, as I have elsewhere said, by the traders " sac i\ commis," cranberry and crowberry. These hills wore generally hemmed in by broken cliffs of red feldspar and ban-en granitic rocks, with here and there thick masses of snow filling up their chasms, or sh)[)ing from the lower parts of ver- s 258 HALT FOR THE NIGHT. tical precipices. A few old tracks of deer were seen near tliem. The oppressive sidtriness of the weatlier having affected my servant so much that he was unable to proceed, we halted j and as we had no tent, we took uj) a position for the night on a smooth carpet of reindeer moss, under the thick and spreading branches of a tali pine. A few willows growing round the margin of the small lakes we had passed wave not so forward as those at the house, though the latter, probably ni})ped by the north-east winds which had latterly prevailed, had made little progress in the shooting of the catkins ; indeed, one flower only had blown, and the green buds of the dwarf birch were but just perceptible. Wiiether this was owing to the accidental lateness of the season, or to poverty of soil, I cannot take upon me to determine ; but it may not be out of ])lace to mention, that some cress sown in a box, in the best earth that could be found, never came to pen ^tion, at least in three weeks' trial, though it was care- fully kept in a warm room at night, and exposed to the sun during the day. The only green observed along our route was in the arbutus and the younger firs ; all besides wore the sombre brown of an advanced autumn. A smart fall of rain in the nio;ht reminded us that RESUME OLU MARCH. 25(^ we were out of our rooms j and this, or, it may be, the excitement of getting away, banished sleep fiom my eyes. Nevertheless, I endea- voured to cheat myself; by fancying drowsiness; and had just arriveci at the falling-off point, —a kind of misty half.'jonsciousness,--when a white partridge came burring within five paces of us, and rang such an alarum that no fewer than three heads were simultaneously popped up, to discover the cause of this unwelcome dis- turbance. Our march was resumed at 3 o'clock of the following morning, by descending one side and scrambling up the other of a very deep ravine, thickly interlaced with underwood, through which we had much trouble to get our doers • but a greater misfortune was the weakness of my servant M.-lley, wliich by 6 o'clock had increased so much as to oblige him to stop altogether. Believing that his indisposition was attributable to confnement and sedentary oc- cupations at the Fort dining the winter, and that a few days would restore him, I requested Mr. King and one of the men to stay with him, using their discretion in coming forward ; while I, with the Indian and the remaining man, pushed on as quickly as possible to Ar- tillery Lake. Our way lay through swamps, covered with s 2 ^(U) ())!Sr.\CM:s ON <)l|{ \\A\. what the Indians call women's heads, which are round hunniiocks of moss-covered earth, the bases of which are reduced by the action of the surroimding water to about one tliird of tlie diameter of their surface, yet strong enough, owiuii' to the fibrous roots which thev contain, to keep u])right ; being, in short, something like a large mushroom. In crossiug the slopj)y swamp, the travellei is tempted, by their dry appearance, to stej) upon them ; but, unless he tread exactly on the centre, which is a matter of nice judgment raid calculation, they invariably fall over, and down he tumbles, or gets an awkward twist ; in either case plunging up to the knees, or deeper, into the swamp. My Indian was caught twi'*e, and called out "Sass" (Bear"^ the well-known expression of his tribe when iiot inclined to be over geutle. Acclivitous rocks intervened between the swamjis ; and in going over their summits, the Ah-he',-dessy was frequently seen working its rapid course along the base of the mountain range, wliich sometimes assumed the wildest character. The space from the spot where I had left the small canoe last year to the first rapid out of Artillery Lake was quite open, and immense quantities of ice were floating down the stream. The temperature was full ten degrees colder than at the house ; large masses of ice and \ Mil; liOATs 11 MSI IK I). .> 2()] di y its snow encumbered the banks or l)orders of tlie rocks ; and tlie ice on tlie lake had not decayed nearly so mucli as was observed at the same season of the year in 1821 at J\)int Lake, more than tw^o degrees to tlie north. Tracks of deer were visible at difieient points ; and leading from these tracks the Indians had placed rows of moss on the iee, to kc(^p the timid animals in a particular direction. In the evening we reached the bay, and found that the carpenters had just completed the boats, which, considering the knotty and in- different material of which they were construct- ed, did much credit to the builders. They were precisely such as I recpiired ; being sharp at both ends, with good beam, and plent} of floor for stowage: my only apprehension was that they were weak. The one selected for the voyage was thirty feet over all, and twenty-lour feet keel : extra oars, masts, tiller. Sec. were pie- pared, and the bottom of the boat w as •)aid over with a coating of tar. I ought to mention, also, that in conformity with my directions, the lower part was carvel, and the upper part clinker- built j for as the carpenters were neither of them strong enough to be included, however desirable it might have been, in the number of my picked crew for the expedition to the sea, I thought that, in case of accident, the former s i) '262 OUR PROGRESS RETARDED. construction would be repaired more easily, and with less loss of time, than tlie latter. It had, besides, this advantage, that there were no over- lapping edges, which might catch against the stones in the rapids. My first care was to despatch three smart men to assist in bringing up Malley ; and at 4 p.m. the ibllowing day, the whole i)arty arrived with Mr. King, who reported tiiat his patient would be unable to perform any duty for several days ; a circumstance untoward enough, when every man was required to drag forward his allot- ted proportion of baggage. Mr. M^'Leod had left only two days before ; and, on examining what pieces he had taken, I was rather cha- grined to find that what remained was more than could be conveniently carried by us at one trip J and as the arrangements had been de- finitive, there was no alternative but to make two, which was, in other words, trebling the distance. The evening was passed in getting everything ready for our departure, and to each of the eight men who were to compose the boat's crew were given a new gun, powder- horn, &c. My old guide Maufelly, with another Indian, had been selected to show us the n( arest cuts, and now promised to hunt a little a-head of us. Accordingly, at 8. 30' a.m. of the 10th of June, niSPOSITIOX OF TIIK BOATS. QG3 the larger boat was dragged about three qiiar- ters of a mile through a half-dry swamp, and over some rocks to Artillery Lake, where she was placed firmly on runners plated with iron, and drawn over the ice by two men and six fine dogs. The smaller boat was launched into a pool, where she would be quite safe until required in the autumn. By 8 a. m. each man had his runner laden with something less than a hundred pounds weight; when leaving Mr. King to siqierintend the transport of what yet remained, I took the party forward, intend- ing to send them back so soon as we had attained the appouited distance ; which, for the accom- pUshment of my object, would not be less than from six to nine miles. The scene was new to every one but myself; and I took care to encourage the mirth which the grotesque and awkward attitudes of slipping people continu- ally excited. The runners appeared to slide easily, and for half an hour a brisk pace was kept up. By degrees, however, it slackened, on account of the badness of the ice, which was literally a bed of angular spikes, of many shapes and sizes, but all so sharp as to make mere walking a most painful and laborious operation. From the same cause the runners were also peeled, or otherwise much injured; and it was easy to foresee their speedy destruc- s 4 ii64 KASTEHN SIIOHK tion, unless timely measures were adopted to prevent it. Iron seemed to be tlie only etiectual defence, but we had none left, except one laroe saw, wliich it was thou<^lit might answer, if the carpenters coukl manage to cut it into the projjcr breadths and lengths. Our prospect of reaching the ])ortage of the Thlew-ee-choh on the ice depeniled entirely on the soundness of our tackle, and this early assault on the wood showed me the necessity of devising some method of protecting it, cither with tlu; saw, or, failing that, with reindeer horn, bones, or binders of birch. We halted, consequently, at the end of six miles ; and the ])eople, after a couple of hours* rest, returned to Mr. King, wlio was desired to set the carpenters immediately to work about the saw, and to join me as soon as convenient with the rest of our |)rovision. This, indeed, made the bulk of our baggage ; for in services like this only a very limited wardrobe can be allowed ; and having set tlie example of taking only one change of linen, flannels, aiul a few pair of moccassins for my own use, the others were, of course, obliged to submit to a correspondent limitation. The eastern shore of Artillery Lake, which we now followed, was less rocky than its opposite, being composed principally of smooth rounded hills, covered with verdure and large stones, many ' (»I' Ainil,' i;i{Y I.AKK. '.>()■ of which wore raii<>ecl on tin; summits, presenting ii hold coiitnist to tiie yellow skv hehind. Dinino- tiie nii»ht the thermometer K-ll to '28^ ; and in the morning (Jnne 11th) I took ii stroll with my gim, with the double object of procuring, it' possible, a chiuige of food, and observing what crtect the early sun would have u})on the ice. Ill the first, J failed ; but as to the second, I suc- ceeded in convincing myself that it would be injurious to the men, and very soon knock up tiie dogs, to })ersist in travelling through the heat of the day; and that it would be better, therefore, to reverse the order of marchinix and rest, and to take advantage of the fi-esh air of the night. In the afternoon Mr. King and his party arrived, having succeeded in converting the pit saw to the purpose recpiired. All were immediately at work in shoeing their respective runners ; after which, having rested until 9 p.m., we started ^•»"iin. To husband the penmiican, which, from the want of other provision, was already in consump- tion, I was desirous of following, as nearly as possible, the track of Mr. M' Leod, who had been instructed to put conspicuous marks wherever he had made a cache for us. But, as this would necessarily lead us round all the bays of the main shore, and greatly increase tlie distance and fatigue of the journey, I deter- Q()(\ rURSUF, THE TRACK OF MR. lArLEOl). mined on undertaking it myselti with one man selected for the purpose, leaving directions with Mr. King to proceed with the boat, &c. in a straight hne from ])oint to point, until he should see signals to guide him to the caches, or to en- camp. The air was keen, even to freezing ; the ice hard, and galling to the feet. Indeed, the sensation was like that of treading on sharp palisades : but the runners now slipt smoothly over it, and opposed considerably less resistance to the men, who began to talk of carrying lieavier loads, so as to avoid the fatigue of returning for the baggage left behind at every encampment. The laml had a uniform and uninteresting outline, with here and there a dark clump of pines, though these began now to be less frequent. After four hours' brisk walk- ing in the night, — but not in the dark, for it was quite light all the time, — we stopped at the mouth of a small river, the banks of which it was thought might produce a little wood ; and on inspecting some recent marks, the place was found to have been an encampment of Mr. M'Leod. The sun rose at 2. 1.5' a.m. due north by compass. The boat arrived safely, but somehow or other the men had contrived to break the runner ; so having harnessed the dogs to single sledges, they were despatched to the carpenters with orders to take the present EVKNTs WHICH bi:fat,l rs. 2G7 and only opportunity of supplying themselves with what wood minht be icciuired i'or the reparation of the sledges, &c. 13y 10 a.m. all the things were brought. During our march five deer and some geese had been seen, but no other animal, except two mice, which were making a rather hazardous traverse across the ice ; one little adventurer of the same family was found dead (aj)parently drowned), at the distance of a full mile from the nearest land. I had been trying for a trout in the river, and happening to espy in the sand an old copper kettle, nuch bruised, 1 had the curiosity to take it up ; and hearing something rattle within, I had it forced open, when it was found to contain thirty-four balls, a file broken into three pieces, an awl, a fire-steel, and a crooked knife. This, to an Indian valuable property, had apparently been thrown away, according to the custom unfortunately prevail- ing with that peoj)le, either as an expiatory sacrifice for some calamity, or as a token of extreme affliction for the loss of a wife or child. At 9 P. i\r., the boat's runners having been repaired, and the dogs' feet cased with leather shoes, we recommenced the route; and soon after- wards being attracted by some stones piled upon an island, from which bits of moss laid in a line led to the shore, I expected to have discovered a ■"■WH 2GH TWO I)F,i;i{ SHOT. cache ; but my attendant (a half-breed) and I souglit in vain for the wished-for troasure : we saw, indeed, an Indian encampment, where a deer liad been killed, and ilie traces of a sledge near the shore, and hence surmised that our store liad been pilfered. IJefb-'e morning, however, wc were comj)ensate(l for the disappointment by the acquisition of two deer, shot by Sinclair and Taylor. June 13th. — The few trees now met witli were stimted ])ines, from tin-ee to six feet higji, spreading nnicii at the base or near the root, and generally dead at the ton. They were seen only on sand-hills, near small rivulets, or (verv rarely) on some moist declivity. The double trips fatigued the people so much, that I ac- quiesced in their request to be i)ermitted to take additional l)urdens, and travel more slowly, on condition, however, that they were to make good a greater distance each journey ; and at the usual hour this plan was put into execution, and appearetl likely to answer. Some marks led us to a cache; and again, at midnight, we found a second, the meat of which I caused to be placed on the ice, so tliat the main party might not be drawn aside from their course. The eastern land now became broken into uays so irregular in their form as to lead us more than once astray, and occasion some difli- i;\("A.Mi'Ari;xr. '2(id cnlty in finding the right track ; indeed, the continued absence of Maufeliy and iiis com- panion was what I had not calcuhitcd upon, though I still hoped they would be found at an appointed place, near the entrance of the next river. We encaini)eii this day (June Ik) at the point of a large opening leading to the east- ward, and the greater jiroportion of the men came up in tolerably good condition, consider- ing the badness of the ice, the sj)ikes of which were just sofb enough to allow tlie runners to cut through, instead of sliding over it, increasing thereby the laboiu- of getting along. It was past noon when the carpenters, who were always the last, arrived ; one of them \vas so affected by the glare of the ice as to be almost unable to see, and would lain have excused himself on that account from taking r.ny share in the work. He had, however, brought the evil on himself by not kee})ing pace with his comrades in the night march, which he could well have done, as he had a much lighter load to drag, and his strength was unimpaired ; so, notwithstanding his complaints, he was obliged to take hold of a cord made fast to his brother's sledge, and to drao- his burden as usual. Indeed, squeamishness is little heeded in such travelling as this, and shirking is ([uite out of the question. I could not dispense with ^270 UNCERTAINTY OF OUIi ROUTE. the duty of" a single individual, as an exact distribution iiad been inade of the baggage, from which any deviation might have seriously affected our future operations : each day's dis- tance, moreover, was marked out, and it was only by a rigid observance of these arrange- ments that I could expect to reach the Thl^w- ee-choh on the ice. In short, in my case, as I have elsewhere said, })ity for temporary ailments might be felt, but was not to be expressed ; the restraint, however painful, being absolutely in- dispensable. In the course of the night the weather became overcast and threatening; and being perplexed as to the most direct route, from the seeming continuity of the land to the eastward, as well as the deej) bays and strange sand-hills in the same quarter, I made for two dark points that stood out boldly from the opposite western shore, in tlie conviction that the track would either be found there, or that I should recognise some objects whicli might lead me to it. The sky was extremely lowering, with a cold northerly wind; and a small sleet falling, made the ice so slippery that the dogs were much fugged. The points, when reached, proved not to be islands, as I had conjectured, but the extreme promontory of an extensive bay. I therefore ascended the highest hill near me, and per- FALL INTO THE RIGHT COURSE. ^71 ceived that we were actually on the western main shore ; though, so great is the difference hetvveen a summer and winter prospect, and so deceptive an appearance does the snow give to heights, that I could not, by any strain of memory, recollect tlie outline of a single part, the whole being, in fact, entirely changed. Nevertheless, we were fortunate enough to hit upon the right course ; and, after some hard walking, were stopped by a ridgj or barrier of ice and a lane of water, which compelled us to make a long detour before the line of route could be recovered. In doing this, we got sight of two sand-hills, which I remembered; and about 4 a. m., June 15th, we encamped under the shelter of a higli rocky hill, about a quarter of a mile from the river, at which we expected to find the Indians. Had they been witli us, much of the late tedious and ujisatis- factory march would liave been avoided, greatly to the benefit of the feet of all the party ; for this continual walking on spikes was certainly .doing severe penance, and most sensibly did we feel that two thirds or more of the original distance was yet to be performed. Snow showers ushered in the morning ; and, when these cleared off, it was seen that we were on the borders of a swamp, caused by the melting of the snow from the upper lands, which, fi'om ^7"^ NO SIGN' OF VKGKTA IIOX. the ground uiiderneatli being frozen, collected into pools, that slowly discharged themselves into the lake. There was not the least sign of vege- tation, for the sun as yet exerted little influence over the cold and barren soil. Divine service liaving been performed to the men assembled in the tent, the journey was resumed by the line of the river. A partial channel in its centre in- duced me and my attendants to keep to the right bank, which, thougii it receded to the eastward, offered nevertheless, somewhat higlier up, a shorter cut to the other side, the river at the place where we were being of considerable width. The channel, however, led us mucli farther round than had been anticipated, and finally ended near a small rapid, which my party forded ; but as a serious loss of time would have attended the attempt to follow us, I hastened back, and directed the boat aiul sledges to return to the mouth of the river, and go along its western bank. In the meantime my party kept to the right, and, on their wa>', saw occasional traces of Indians, at ])laccs where they had been fishing. The ice was more or less decayed, and shelved from the banks, where it was four feet thick, becoming much honey-combed towards the middle, where it dipped into the open water of the narrow channel formed by the current. Walking, therefore, was painful and NEWS FROM MR, M'^LEOD. 273 dangerous ; for so slippery was the surface, that the nicest caution was required to keep our foot- ing, and a single false step would have sent us sliding into the stream. As some defence to the soles of the feet, I placed pieces of undressed buffalo skin with the hair on between two pair of moccassins and thick blanket socks, and obtained by this means sensible relief; though, even then, Peter Pindar's pilgrims, and the happy thought of " boiling the peas," presehted themselves more vividly to my imagination, than they had ever done before. About 1 A.M. of the l6th, on turning a point, we discerned in front of us the usual mark of piled stones, and soon increased our store with two deer, a quantity just enough for as many days' consumption. I learned from a note, that Mr. MXeod'ij party were living upon the chance of the day, feasting or fasting, as it might happen, with seldom enough and never too much ; but that this was the fifth cache he had made, so that we had passed two unnoticed. Nor, under the circumstances which have been mentioned, could this be wondered at, though, as may easily be believed, a keen look-out had been kept. Deer, it was added, were scarce ; but the Indians held out hopes of overtaking large herds in the course of a few days, and for that purpose intended to make a straight route to the next lake, keeping 274 OBSTACLES ENCOUNTERED. along its western shore, in which line I should find whatever they were fortunate enough to kill. The many interruptions of the ice, over which the boat had to be dragged, caused fre- quent delays, and it was late before she came up. Here, therefore, we encamped ; and after a short repose, proceeded to caulk the boat in several parts, to prepare her for the water, which was now sufficiently unobstructed to admit of her being towed along shore. The morning was gloomy in the extreme, and snow fell so thick as to cover the hills again with their wintry garment. By 5 p.m. the boat was ready, launched, and f^very thing stowed in her, the bow and steersman alone remaining on board, while the others hauled her along with a tracking line. The water was a great deal lower than in the autumn, so that, on arriving at the first rapid, some trouble and waste of time were experienced in ascending its contracted and furious torrent. Once the boat grounded, the line broke, and only by jumping out was the bowman enabled to save her from being driven on the rocks ; and such was the immense force of the water, that it was not until she was lightened of her cargo that the men succeeded in hauling her up. In doing this, they were obliged to pass along the margin of the ice nearest the stream ; and, though five others had done so in safety, yet the sixth ^ A SNOW STOII.AI. 27.5 (CaiTon) broke tlirougli, and sunk over head : his next companion fortunately looked behind him at the moment, and on his re-appearance instantly seized him by the arm, and saved him from being swept away by the current. The weather, always cold and gloomy, soon became squally, which, at about 9 p.m., settled into a storm of sleet and wet snow, coming from ahead, which, driving upon our faces, so injured our eyes that we were frequen«;ly compelled to turn round to shelter and recruit them. A second lapid was gained, and, the channel about it being interrupted by ice, the former plan of drairfrino- the boat on runners was again resorted to. In less than an hour, a third rapid made it necessary again to launch her, which having surmounted, we got fairly on the lake, not far from the island where, last season, I had made my cache of pemmican. It was here that I depended on finding our two Indians ; and, as they might be either asleep or hunting, I encamped, to give them an opportunity of seeing the white tent, which, on the barren lands, was a conspicuous object. The thermometer stood at 33°, with snow, and a raw cold wind tliat pierced through us in spite of cloaks or blankets. It was two o'clock in the morning j and, as I had not yet dined, T 2 QjC) INT.FFECTUAL ATTEMPT TO LIGHT A FIRE. certain internal gnawings began to intimate the propriety of supplying the organs of digestion with some occupation which might keep them from quarrelling among tliemselves. Oh ! thought I, for a cheerful fire, and a warm comfortable meal ! Accordingly, having managed to col- lect a beggarly account of wet brandies, we applied ourselves, with laudable zeal, to ignite and blow them into a flame. The moss and shrubs were saturated, and would not burn j but it was fondly imagined that, by dint of per- severance and relieving each other quickly, the dwarf birch might be importuned into a blaze. We puffed, and it smoked — again, and it lighted — still more, and it went out : the puff- ing was renewed — it looked cheerful, and wanted only a little more coaxing. *' The least thing in the world," said one, blowing gently, though at the distance of a yard. " Mind what you 're about," cried another, — " there ! it will go out, — it's all over." " Oh ! get out of the way, let me come," bawled a third ; and thrust- ing himself forward, applied himself to the work with such vigour and force of lungs, that the few embers yet living flew scattered about like the sparks of an exploded cracker. " We can- not make a fire," said my servant to me, who had been latterly a passive though not an un- interested spectator of the proceeding ; " but 1 DIFFICULTV IN TRACING OUR ROUTE. '■Z'^^'^ have brought you some pemmicaii and a little cold watery Sir.'* As the Indians did not make their appear- ance by the following noon, the men were sent to light large fires with the moss, which by that time was dry on the neighbouring hills; a well- understood signal, which, if they were within sight, would immediately bring them in. I was the more, anxious about thi , as, without their assistance, on a lake of such magnitude as the one before us, and so full of intricacies as to have more than once, on the expedition of last year, bewildered Maufelly himself; we could not hope to find the way correctly, at least without vexatious delays and many useless perambulations. In summer there would have been perhaps little difficulty ; but it was now like a strange country, for so complete is their transformation that the natives themselves, ac- customed as they are to the character of the country, sometimes go astray. To have followed the main western shore would have greatly in- creased the distance, and, indeed, would not have answered, since the Thlew-ee-choh lay to the eastward of north, and at a part where the traverse is so wide that a free horizon intervenes between the opposite sliores. Under these cir- cumstances I determined, if the Indians should not come, to make as straight a course as was T 3 278 FOLLOW THE IMGMT COUIISF-. consistent with tlie bends and windings of the land. To give them a turtlier chance, for it never entered into my imagination that they had de- serted us, I remained all night; and this the more readily, as the weather was so cold as to make it desirable to court the pale sunshine of the day. At length, wearied with waiting, we com- menced the journey at 10 a. m. of the 18th June, in the accustomed line of march, except that I now preceded as guide, having deputed others to look out for the caches. The thermometer at .36°, with a strong N. W. gale blowing, made it necessary to defend the eyes from the sharp drift that beat upon them ; and going entirely from memory (for, depending on the Indians, I had not thought it worth while to brmg my last year's survey), I can ascribe it only to good fortune that I hit upon the right course, in a part so narrow that the current, y.hich was perceptible, had already forced an open passage. On the borders of this narrow grew a few straggling willows, and I had nearly run against one before I perceived a note for me stuck into a notch of a projecting branch. It was to apprise us that two caches had been made in a bay just passed ; and, although I thought it likely they would be pi'-ked up by those behind, yet, to avoid disappointment, I sent Peter Taylor, one of my party, with the ACCIDENT TO PETER TAYLOR. 279 note to Mr. King. He, wishing to shorten his distance, ventured on some dark ice (at this season generally rotten), which gave way ; and, hut that he was a very active fellow, and kept hold of his gun, which stretched across the hole, and so prevented his going under, he would certainly have perished. Mr. Kirg found one of the caches, and despatched ri couple of light hands after the other. It was easier to launch die boat, and pull her as far as the narrow went (about a quarter of a mile), than to drag her along the shelving slips of ice on the banks : this done, she was again placed on the runners, ready for the following dayj after which we encamped. A flock of geese, some gulls, and two loons were playing about in the open water, but cautiously re- mained far out of shot. A partridge that I shot was quite white, though those about Slave Lake, near tiie Fort, were partly brown before we left. The night was bleak and cold, with the same N.W. gale, accompanied by show^ers of sleet and snow ; and so thick and forbidding was the morning of the 19th, that we did not attempt to move before noon, when, encouraged by a gleam of stray sunshine, we determined on setting forward. Accordingly, Mr. King went to direct the men, who we'- . a liltle apart from us, to get ready j and, to his surprise, found T 4 280 DEVIATE FROM THE UIGHT COURSE. them all snug under their blankets, quite un. conscious of the march of time. We wer° soon off; but met with great inconvenience, as well as hazard, in consequence of the snow having fallen in such quantities as to render the good and bad ice undistinguishable, and reduce it to a lottery whether we fell through or not. Luck- ily, nothing more important befel us than an occasional dip up to the knees ; and, as a set-off) marks, stretching far out on the ice, led us to two fine buck deer, which had been shot by Mr. M'Leod himself. I was not at all certain of the route at this point, remembering that last year we had gone astray hereabout ; and after a tedious march of doubt and perplexity, I ascended a hill, and discovered that we were too fur to the eastward. The course was therefore changed six points, though upon no better ground than personal recollection, which, for the reason before stated, viz. the altered appearance of the country, was but vague and indistinct. The spot where we were seemed to be about equally distant from the numerous indentations of the land, in any one of which the course might lie, and the greit similarity in the outline of which made it dif- ficult to select one in preference to another; indeed, our oldest voyageurs confessed them- selves unable to determine which was most ACCIDENT TO JAMES SPENCE. 281 likely to be right. In this uncertainty I made for a bluff bearing N. VV. ; and, finding no pas- sage at its base, I ascended another high hill, whence I saw a black line of open water, which appeared to come from the ciirection of the narrows leading into Clinton-Colden Lake. This supposition was soon after agreeably confirmed by the discovery, near the spot which I have before described as the Deer Pass, of a rich cache, containing more than three whole ani- mals, with a note written by Thomas Hassel, a pure Indian, who had been educated at Red River, and engaged by me as an interpreter. The water and wind together had so wasted the ice near the bank here, that not unfrequently we had to lift the boat and sledges over dry stones and rivulets to get to the next sheet; and tiie sheets themselves were so rotten, that on one occasion James Spence fell through, and got a complete ducking before he could be pulled out. But the worst was, that this roudi hiah- way strained the runners ; several of which were already in so indifferent a plight, that we should have thrown them away, if we could in any way have supplied their place. However, the people worked cheerfully, and at 8h. 40m. p. M. we encamped, and immediately set about repairing the runners. As we were now about to traverse Clinton 282 BOISTEROUS WEATHER. Colden Lake, it was material not only to our comfort, but to our successful progress, that we should have fine weather ; and many a look was cast to windward to read our fortune in the face of nature. But the N.W. gale continued un- abated ; and the morning of the 20th was squally, dark, and cold, with heavy showers, which con- tributed more than any thing to the decaying of the ice, and making it unfit for travelling on. There was no change at noon; lut as every hour was of consequence, an effort was made to head the gale, which was with difficulty ac- complished, the boat being driven greatly to leeward, even with the assistance of extra men bearing up against her. The ice was exceed- ingly rotten, and twice all but sunk with us (for in this state it does not break short), a danger which we endeavoured to avoid by running quickly and with a light step over it. The sledges, though heavier, were in less danger, because covering a larger space. I took a direction more westerly tlian that of Maufelly last year, hoping by so doing to shorten the way ; in fact, it was matter of mere chance whether, even if I tried, I should suc- ceed in tracing his route through a labyrinth of islands ; so that 1 rather trusted to the compass and my general recollection for groping out the way. In the meantime, the weather got worse. BOISTEROUS WEATHER. 283 and the assistance of every man was required for the boat, Mr. King taking cliarge of some of the sledges. Nor was it without the most laborious, or, as they called it, killing exer- tions, that she was at length hauled to a shelter under the lee of a rock, which, thouirh it seemed at the distance like the boundary of a bay, was found to open upon a large expanse of lake. As it was now about full moon, we looked for a favourable change of the weather, not without some anxiety ; for I was apprehensive that, with tlie constant drenchings and fatigue together, two or three of the weaker hands migiit be laid up. But the night was more boisterous than ever, and never was seen a more gloomy sky than that which ushered in Midsummer's-day. It was of a leaden grey colour, with horizontal streaks of dirty brick-red clouds — exce})t to the north, where, in strong contrast with the cold whiteness on which it rested, were accumulated, in one black mass, all the horrors of an hyper- borean winter. Hail, snow, and rain pelted us, one after the other, lor some time witiiout respite, and then only yielded to squalls that overturned the tent. 1 watched till noon for some pro- pitious omen, but watched in vain ; so, having encouraged the men to stick to their work, we again tried what could be done, though with little expectation of making more than a few 284 A CACHE PLUNDERED. miles. At this part the lake was so wide, that between the openings of the land there was everywhere a clear horizon. With alternate spells and haltings to rest, we gradually advanced on the traverse ; and were really making reason- able progress, when pelting showers of sleet and drift dimmed and confused the sight, so as to render it an extremely perplexing task to keep even neai- the course. Towards evening it cleared to windward, and showed us an island, which, though partly covered with snow, I thought I remeiiibered. Accordingly, we went there, and were gratified by observing some marks which removed any doubt about the route. The boat arrived late, and the men complained of being tired. " However," said the pooi fellows, " we should not mind that, if the sun would only shine for us to dry our clothes." Fatigued as they were, the marks were followed ; but, in this instance, the cache had been plun- dered — by whom was never discovered. A break now and then in the sky gave some token of a change, and by midnight the wind had much abated ; but it was only to rage and howl with more violence as the sun rose, bring- ing along with it snow and sleet so thick as to darken the atmosphere, and limit our view to a few paces before us. In short, it was more like a dreary day of December than of midsummer. SUNDAY. 285 It was impossible to move ; and being Sunday (22d June), divine service was read in the tent, where, to th . credit of the men it shoi'M be mentioned, notwithstanding the wet and dis- comfort to which they were exposed, they all came shaved and clean. At length the gale wore itself out, and long lulls, with now and then a feeble moan, showed that its strength was nearly spent. Nevertheless, the morning of the 23rd of June was unpromis ing and dull ; but as the distant land was visible, I lost not a moment in starting. It was from this island that, in our autumnal excursion, we had been compelled to make two or three tours of islands and bays before our guide had been able to discover the hidden passage of the Sand Hill, connecting this lake with the next. The farthest land was seen about N. W. by N. at an immense distance; and though the line was to all appearance perfectly continuous, yet from an impression that on the former occasion we had kept to the left, I now made for the S. W. ; and, having traversed a wide opening, suddenly came upon fresh marks that pointed to the horns of rein deer fixed on the top of a heap of stones. Mr. M'Leod, it seemed, had left onlvon the 18th, having been detained by collecting the meat, which, notwithstanding his care, had suffered no inconsiderable mutilation from the wolves. T 286 ANOTHER CACHE. The cache was most welcome, as, but for this seasonable supply, we must have opened the pemmican that night. It consisted of deer and musk oxen, both very poor, and the latter strongly impregnated with the odour to which it owes its name. This was so disagreeable to some of the party, that they declared they would rather starve three days than swallow a mouth- ful ; which coming to my knowledge, though not right hearing, feeling. thought it spoken within my to counteract the feeling, and accord ingly ordered the daily rations to be served from it for our own mess as well as theirs, and took occasion to impress on their minds the injurious consequences of voluntary abstinence, and the necessity of accommodating their tastes to such food as the country might supply. The similarity of the extensive openings right and left made me again hesitate where to direct my steps ; but, aware of the deception arising from overlapping points, I ultimately persevered in my first idea, though against the opinion of my party, who thought we were going into a bay ; nor, in- deed, was I by any means certain, until some rotten ice, and a lane of open water following, indicated the narrow of which we were in search. All doubt on this score was soon removed by a long line of marks loading to another cache, which, with the former one, made a total of eleven animals to- FINE WEATHER. 287 day. The weather was now clear and warm, the thermometer being 66° in the sun, and 54>° in the shade ; so that not only were the dogs panting from heat, but as the snow was made slushy, and the surface of the ice softened, there was great difficulty in dragging the boat along at all. However, by 9 p.m. the whole party came up, and we encamped. The tent was not well up before the report of a gun on the opposite shore attracted our atten- tion to two Indians, who, on a nearer approach, proved to be the runaway guides. They were the bearers of a note from Mr. M^Leod, who very properly insisted on their returning to me immediately. Their story to him was, that being ordered by me to hunt a little in advance, and finding no traces of deer, they could not resist the temptation of accompanying some of their friends whom accident threw in their way j and as for my requiring a guide, they never so much as thought it possible, because I had always my ' little sun," meaning the compass, which 1 had only to ask, to be informed of the direction of any part of the country. June 24th. — A warm day was so great a novelty, and so much needed, that I rested, for the pur- pose of enabling the men to dry their clothes and blankets, and getting observations myself for time and latitude. To collect a few willows T 288 THE ICE UNSAFE. that were growing on the opposite side it was necessary to cross the d6troit ; and the strength of the ice being unequal, owing to the under current, several of the party broke through, and, amongst others, Mr. King, who fortunately reco- vered himself, however, before his chronometer touched the water. Towards evening distant thun- der was heard ; and though the breeze had blown from the S. E., an appearance of steely dark clouds to the N. W. intimated that rain might be expected from that quarter. Accordingly, just as we started at 8h. 15m. p. m. there was a brisk shower, but without thunder or lightning. The decayed and unsafe state of the ice ren- dered it advisable to launch the boat, and trans- port the baggage to the next solid piece, which was a little beyond the conical mound called the Sand Hill. Opposite to this sand-hill above fifteen Indians and their families were encamped : they formed a part of those whom we had sup- plied with ammunition and other articles, to help ihem to make the best of the summer j but so proverbially improvident are these miserable people, that nearly the whole which they had received was already lost or expended ; a few had two or three charges of powder and ball, but by far the greater part had to depend on their bows and arrows or the uncertain chance of fishing. We were informed by them, that ANNOYANCE FROM THE GUIDES. 289 many of the Yellow Knives andChipewyans, wlio were carrying our pemmicun to the Thlew-ee- choh, had eitlier eaten or made away with a considerable portion of it; not by reason of anydeficiency of provision, since they had abini- dance, but from sheer indolence or wanton- ness. Our guides also again annoyed us by their mulish conduct; for though directed to hold themselves in readiness to accompany us, when the moinent of departure came one was absent hunting, and the other was quietly loung- ing on the bank, wrapped in his blanket, and smoking his pipe with all imaginable unconcern. I ordered him, with some signs of impatience and displeasure, to equip himself; and come with me without delay, which order was r.ilently obeyed after we had been kept waiting a full hour. As for the other absentee, I threw the respon- sibility of his conduct on his old father, making him answerable for the appearance of his son, within the next forty-eight hours, with tlie bag of pemmican which had been entrusted to his care. Nor did I entertain the least doubt that the requisition would be jjunctually complied with, as he well knew that in default he would thenceforth be scouted irom our establishment. Indeed experience had taught me the advantage of assuming and maintaining an air of superiority over the Indians. There is no need of unkind- u 290 ANOTHER CACHE. ncss or severity ; all that is required is a steady firmness, and ne\'er overlooking an attempt at deception, however plausible. No people scru- tinise more narrowly the behaviour of those with whom they have to deal ; and if they once perceive that they cannot lie or equi\ocate with- out detection, they will cease to make the attempt, though, from a natural propensity to falsehood and the habitual character of their speech, they will do so to a stranger most gratuitously. Our guide led us in a tortuous direction, among the black and rotten ice, and fi-equently halted to try its strength by pressing on it witli liis feet, or striking it with the handle of an axe ; but such over caution — proper enough, if we had had time — ill accorded with my anxiety to get quickly forward : and on such occasions after- wards, Peter Taylor (a half-breed) boldly led the way across any suspected place. Still, con- stant impediments presented themselves in some shape or other, from open water, ice, or snow j but all were happily surmounted : and when we liad made a short portage across a point of land, we came to another cache containinir five nuisk oxen and a deer. The latter only was taken, the remainder being left to be converted into dried meat, for the supply of Mr. M'Leod's party on their return. We now entered u])on Lake Aylnier, and mude for a detached and rounded mass of rock ENTER UPON LAKE AYLMEll. 291 forming an island in tlie distance. Here we would gladly have stopped, had there been moss enough to make a fire; but this not being the case, the route was continued, at a rate that made me wonder what had called forth this sudden and extraordinary spirit of emulation. I was obliged to put my best le.o- forward to keep up at all ; and, when we halted for encamping, I wiped my brow, and asked where the deer were which we had been chasing, or why they had started off at full speed, as if the " manito," or evil genius, had been behind tliem? After a pause, and looking at each other, the Indian said he thought Taylor was trying how flist he could walk, and Taylor said he was sure the Indian wished to pass him, which he was determined he should not do; so that it seemed I had been assisting at a foot match ; and the i)eople behind were four hours in coming up to us. Passing showers had fidlen during the march; but when the wind died away into a calm, the rain fell in torrents, and the under-stratum of soil beino- frozen every hollow was transformed into a pool of water, the accumulation of which over- flowing in a thousand little rills gradually un- dermined the tent, which, unfortunately, had been pitched on a declivity, and finally insinu- ating themselves between the blankets, awoke u '2 0()0 A DENSE roc;. rijc in the iiiidillc; of a first na]). The sun had not risen, or at least was not visii)ie, and 1 nnich ([uestion it' the most ri^id Mnssuhnau would have enjoyed so early an al)lution. Never- theless my companion, Mr. King, seemed to liecd neither rain nor flood ; for ha\ ing espied a herd of deer on an adjacent hill, he com- })osedly j)ut on a blue cloak and set off' after tlicni; and though he got no deer, he brought back some fine plover. The ^2:jth was dark ami gloomy, but our stray Indian failed not to come in with the pennnican. A fog, that hail been more or less prevalent for the last fourteen hours, became rather thicker as night drew on ; but having now my guides, and judging that the men would suffer less in travelling than from lying inactive in their wet clothes, I started at 10 r. m. The Indians, always timorous, kept close along the land, and fixed us constantly amongst the bad and unsafe ice, whicb now resembled sj)ikcs from two to three inches long. Shoes were soon })erforated, as well as the pieces of rein-deer skin with the hair on which Jiad been fastened round them as a slight protection to the feet. The party with the boat very wisely kept farther out, and had conse([uently better ice, the surface of which was like ^c bed of madrepores, exce))t that the upper edges were considerably sharj)er. :.:^H^' ■\ s- \ N v. ] t f a c 11 a k 11 7 & cl in bi cr di cc di 111 111 OUR ciir:i:nLE.ss situation. 293 About midiiiglit the giiiilcs hesitated to pro- ceed, on account of tlie dense fog- : they thought they had ah-eady erred, and affected to be fearful of misleading me ; but to this pretence I quickly put an end by directing the route with the comj)ass. It must be confessed that the travelling was by no means agreeable ; for to say nothing of the darkness, the fog almost wet us through, creating a chili whicli exercise was miable to overcome. A wild rocky point which we made I recoo-- iiised as one of my last year's encamping places, and was not a little glad to find tliat we were within one march of Sand Hill Bay, where our labours on this lake would terminate. About a mile further we stopped, and the boat arrived at 7 A.M. of the '^Gth. Throughout the whole of this day not a gleam of sunshine came to cheer our spirits or dry our wet clothes ; on the contrary, we had a weary continuation of gloomy weather, and rain in torrents. The night was yet more for- bidding, and wdien the usual time of departiu'e came we could not distinguish objects a liun- dred yards off. Under such circumstances to continue the route was im])ossible. All were drenched to the skin, and no fire could be made ; but the men, with great resignation, making the best of their damp lodgings, looked u :^ '29^ ULACII SAND-IIII.L BAY. about for the most sheltered place to lie down : some wriiiii;- their blankets, while others, as a last resource, put on their whole wardrobe, in the hope of a little warmth. Tliese precautions, however, were ineffectual ; for in the morning the greater ])art found themselves in pools of water, which their own weight had brought down on them from the hijvlier surface. I hap])ened to see one of them awake, and could not help laughing at the sudden jerk witli Avhich he withdrew his ric;]it hand out of the puddle in whicii he had uncoiisciously placed it. The morning of the 27th was still foggy ; but a prospect of clearing to the N. W. en- cou raided us to start, and about noon it became fine. A fresh cache afforded a seasonable recruit to our provisions, whicli would not have hcltl out beyond this day. It was a joyful sight to see Sand-hill Bay, and to know that we were now within a tew miles of that water which was to carry us to the Polar Sea. As we neared the portage of the Thlew-ee-choh a white tent was distinguished, with a crowd of people around it ; and this, of course, proved to be Mr. M'Leod and his party, who scarcely ex- pected us so early. The badness of the weather and the distance from which his men had to fetch the meat had caused two days of detention, for which 1 was not soiry, as it gave me the .TUniCIAL IXVESTKiATIOV. 295 o])i)ortiinity of iiivcstigiiting the triitli of the ic])0»'t about the peniniicaii. There had been much exao-o-eration, but the cliarg-e was not altogether without Ibuudation, as one man confessed that he had given hiz wife a sound drubbing tor having taken some ; with this exception, however, neither Mr. JVPLeod nor the interpreter woukl beheve that the bags had been toueiied, an opinion whieli could not then be put to the test of an examination, as the Indians were dispersed. Among the number of the accused was a Chipewyan calleil Jack, who, on being interrogated, merely pointed to Ills bag, and asked if it was in any way altered, or looked as if it had been oj)ened. " And for what reason," said he, "should I do so? Have I not as much and more than I can eat? And if it were not so, luue I been so long with the cliief as to take his property without leave? i\o, I am not a thief; I know white men better." This was spoken without any a})pear- ance of ill-feeling ; but when he learned that a Yellow Knife had accused him, his countenance settled into a sullen fiown, tiiat bespoke deter- mined revenge. INferely saying that he " woidd see him," he remained silent, and in the even- ing went away with Mr. MT.eod, who was to push on for Musk-Ox llapiil, and send his men back to our aid if he thought we should require n I 201 the eastern side of the hills, and two snow birds were seen which had not changed their wintry plumage; yet the mosquitos, at a temperature of 40°, were quite lively enough to execnte with their usual skill the neat operation of cnp])ing. About the time that the boat arrived, we wxn-e joined by our fiiend M'Leod. He remained with us through the night ; and gave an account of his hunting excursions, in which the superiority of his rifle-shooting had, it seems, perfectly astonished the Indians: as well it might, for at that work he would have rivalled a Kentuckian. July 1. — As we had now overtaken the Indians, it was useless to hurry on, and I gladly permitted tiie men to rest till noon. The boat then took us to the ice on Musk Ox Lake, and at i< v. m. we reached Musk Ox Rapid, the point tiom which I had returned the previous year. Several Indians who were encamped here paddled to us in their small canoes, and assailed our ears vvith the familiar but annoying cry of " Etthen-oolah, Etthen-ta-houty," — no deer, the deer arc gone away; and begged I would give them a little tobacco, for they were *' hungry for a smoke." It appeared that the scarcity of animals had driven Akaitcho a short distiince to the north, where lie was forced to live upon the Hesh of the nuisk o\, tlu^ flavour oC which is not a .30^2 UNITE WITH Mil. M'LEOD S TARTY. delicacy even to a Yellow Knife Indian, wlio certain !y is not fastidious in his taste. 8oon after we encamped, Mr. M*^Leod*s party also came up, thus uniting our force ; and, as there was still daylight, a part of the baggage was carried forward, and the boat safely moored in the eddy below the upper rapid. July 2nd.— Some Indians with pemmican were yet missing; having, as it was supposed, loitered behind to hunt : the rest were directed to go with the interpreter, and deposit their respective charges at the north end of the port- age, there to be released from their servitude — an intimation which was received with wonderful satisfaction, as they were yet puzzled to compre- hend why we should take such pains to plunge into the dangers which they considered as as- suredly awaiting us. The desire to rescue our fellow-creatures from calamity or death, and still more the thirst of enterprise and the zeal of discovery, were notions far beyond the conception of these rude children of nature, whose only desires are for food and raiment, and whose pity is a merely animal sympathy, which ceases with the presence of the object that excites it. It seems a harsh assertion, yet I have met with very few indications of what may be called pure benevolence among these people. Akaitclio himself may, perhaps, be an exception : but in RESUME THE SURVEY OF THE RIVER. 303 genera], the motive, secret or avowcti, of every action of a northern Indian is, in my judgment, selfislmess alone. The length of the port:i'j:e being four miles, the })eople were occuj)icd all day in carrying the baggage, which gave me an oj)portunity of veri- lying my former observations, as well as of obtain- ing the dip.* The survey, which, it may be remembered, terminated here the ijrecedinir autumn, was now continued ; and, takinir Mr. ^rLeod for a comj)anion, I followed the" course of the river for a few miles onward. After a bend to the westward, it piusued a serpentine and rapid course to the northward. About two miles down, it was joined by a large stream from the westward, which I am inclined to consider as the main branch of the Thlew-ec-choh, but which the Indians distinguished by the appel- lation of the Contwoy-to River, calling the one w^e came by, Thlew-ee-choh. Be this as it may, there seems no doubt that this western branch does take its rise in Contwoy-to, or the Rum Lake of Hearne ; which lake was fully identified by the Indians prcocnt as that whose western extremity Sir J. Franklin's party crossed in the Ih'st overland ex{)edition at Belanger's Rapid. They spoke of two outlets ; * Appendix. w 301 SURVEY OF THE RIVER. and some who had been there described the lake as one extensive and uninterru})ted sheet of water : they also agreed in stating that it was at a considerable distance, and 1 subsequently heard tliat two smaller lakes intervened between tliat and the Thlew-ee-choh. A line of rapids which the boat ran led us to an opening or small lake four miles broad, bounded on the north by a ridge of blue moun- tains, named after my lamented friend Captain Peter lleywood, R.N., which cut the lake at a right angle. The centre, and, indeed, the greater part was covered with ice; but a channel of open water on tlie eastern shore gave me hopes that we should not long have occasion for the sledges. July yd. — Two Indians were despatched this morning in search of those who were yet absent with the pcmmican, whom having found a few miles oi]\ they conducted them to the encamp- ment with their burdens. This precious article, which, from the commencement of the winter to the present moment, had been a continual subject of anxiety to me, was now counted and examined, and most happy was I to learn that, to all appear- ance, it had been brought without injury or spoliation, except in the solitary instance already stated. The husband of the offender had himself given the information, and he now expressed a OUR STOCK OF PROVISIONS. 305 wish that the act of a bad woman might not be tiie means of his losing the promised reward for carrying it ; « for," added he, " I beat her well j and if you do not believe me, ask tiiose who stood by. Oh ! she has a bad head— Sass! That very evening she went away from my lodge; nobody knew where. Two nights I remained silent ; but as she did not come on the third, fearing she might be lost, some of us went in search of her, and, after a long and fatiffuino- walk for miles in every direction, and looking in every nook and cranny that we could see— would you think it? we found her hid among the larire rocks close to the lodge. Oh ! she has a bad head! but I drubbed her well— Sass!" The poor fellow evidently regarded this summary chastisement as an expiator)^ offering to appease our resentment. We had altogether twenty-seven bags of pemmican, weighing about eighty pounds each ; two boxes of maccaroni, some flour, a case of cocoa, and a two-gallon keg of nun : an adequate supply, if all good, for the three months of our operations. It does not become me to enlaro-e upon the difficulty and danger of trans])orting a weight, all things included, of near five tliousand pounds over ice and rock, by a circuitous route of full two hundred miles ; but, when the pain endured in walking on some parts, where the ice X 300 AN INDIAN BELLE. formed innumerable spikes tluit pierced like nee- dles; the risk encountered in others, where, black and decayed, it threatened at every step to engulpli us ; the anxiety about provision, and the absence of a guide for a considerable part of the way : when these and other difficulties are taken into consideration, it will, perhaps, be conceded that the obstacles must be great which cannot be surmoinited by steady perseverance. The Indians who, for hire, afforded us material hel]), were not more astonished at their own voluntary subjection to our service, than at the sigjit of a boat, manned with Europeans and stored with provision of the southern country, floating on the clear waters of the barren lands. The weather was thick and fogg and the ])icturesque lodges of the natives, co....ciUCted in the rudest manner, often of two or three skins thrown over a few short poles or sticks carried for the purpose, extended in the indistinct mist upwards of a quarter of a mile. Groups of dark figures huddled together under these im- perfect coverings — others crowded in front of Mr. M^Leod's tent, or standing round the poor embers of a fire at which our kettles were doing slow duty, presented, altogether, a striking and interesting spectacle. In the midst of one of these groups was my old acquaintance and Indian belle, who will be remembered by the A RFJNDEKR HUNT. 307 readers of Sir J. Franklin's narrative under the name of Green Stockinjrs. Thouali snr- rounded hy a family, witli one urchin in her cloak clinginf,^ to her back, and sundry other jiiaternal accompaniments, I immediately recoo-- nised her, and called her by her name ; at which she laughed, and said '« she was an old woman now," — begging, at the same time, tiiat she might be relieved by the "medicine man, for she was very much out of health." However, not- withstanding all this, she was still the beauty of licr tribe ; and, with that consciousness which belongs to all belles, savage or polite, seemed by no means displeased when I sketched her portrait. The scarcity of animals in the neighbourhood created no little doubt in the minds of the lumters as to the best route to be taken on their return with Mr. APLeod to the Fort ; and they had half decided on going a day's journey to the north to kill musk oxen, when the fb"- clearing away discovered the branching antlers of twenty reindeer s})read over the summits of the adjacent hills. To see and j)ursue was the work of a moment, anil in a few minutes not an active hunter remained in the encampment. It was a beautiful and interesting sight ; for the sun shone out, and lighting up some parts cast others into deeper shade ; the white ice reflected V o 308 REINDEER HUNT. millions of dazzling rays ; the rapid leapt and chafed in little ripples, which melted away into the unruffled surface of the slumbering lake ; abrupt and craggy rocks frowned on the right ; and, on the left, the brown landscape receded until it was lost in the distant blue mountains. The foreground was filled up with th( ochre- coloured lodges of the Indians, contrasti^^g with our own pale tents ; and to the whole scene animation was given by the graceful motions of the unstartled deer, and the treacherous crawling of the way hunters. 309 CHAP. X. Instructions to Mr. M'^Lcod upon our Separation. Med with Akaitcho. — His I,oih^e. — Imminent Danger to the Boat. — Akaitchds friendly Caution. — Embark- ation. — Ileavij Storms. — Our Crexv. — Geological Features of the Countnj.— Obstructions from the Ice. — Perils from a Series of Itajrids. — Plunder of a Bag of Pemmican. — Obstacles on our Passage. Bois- terous Weather, — Deer-hunting. — Observations. Deviation of the River. — Desolate Scenery. — De- tained by the Ice. — Cascades. — TMnd-marks. — Contraction of the River. — Baillic's River. — Flocks of Geese. — Tact requisite in Command. — Precipitous Rocks. — A Fox\ —Esquimaux Marks.— Bullen River. — A Storm. — Lake Pelly. — Conjectures of an Indian. — Encampment. — View of the Country. — Further OI)structions. — Observations. — Lake Garry. It was now unnecessary for Mr. M'Leod to pro- cecd farther ; and it was satisfactory to me, at parting with him, that I could make over a tolerable stock of dried meat for his })arty, which would consist of ten persons and fourteen dogs, otherwise entirely dependent on the success of the hunters who were to guide them. At 10 A.M., July 4th, the boat was sent off 310 SEPARATION FROM MR. IV^LEOD. with the sledges and lialf tlie cargo to the ice on the lake j and I availed myself of this last occa- sion to repeat the substance of our former conversations respecting the duties that would be required of him during my absence ; the most important of which were, his going to Fort llesolution for the stores, to be sent there by the Company, and the building of a house for a permanent fishing station at some place to be selected by himself. 1 also deli- vered into his hands an official letter, requiring him to be again on the banks of the Thlew-ce- choh, by the middle of September, so as to be in readiness to afford any assistance to my party that unforeseen misfortunes might render neces- sary. Finally, I returned him sincere thanks for the zealous attention with which he had ful- filled my wishes, as well as for his general kind- ness to every individual of the expedition. })y this time the boat had returned, and with a hearty farewell, I embarked for the ice. The boat was soon put on the runners, and, together with the baggage, con\cyed to the other side of the lake ; when, the water being open, she was again launched, to avoid acci- dents only half the cargo being placed in her. Tile river, flowing from the lake, cuts through a chain of craggy rocks and mountains, thickly strewed with boulders and debris, but with MEET WITH AKAITCHO. 311 S sufficient pasturage in t. e valleys and down the declivities to attract musk oxen and deer, which are said to resort to them in spring and autumn in vast numbers. An increasing cur- rent brought us to a strong rapid and fall, with an island in the centre ; and just above it, on a moss-covered rock, we perceived Akaitcho*s son and another Indian, waving and shouting to warn us of the danger, which, however, we had already perceived. The luggage brought on this trip being now landed, the boat was sent back for the remainder. Akaitcho had chosen this bleak tract for his hunting ground, and had pitched his lodge on the very peak of the highest hill, a few miles oft'; wliich being too distant for me to visit, I sent him some tobacco and other presents, witli a re- quest tliat he would detain his young men at his lodge, as we were too busy to talk. Scarcely, how- ever, had I returned from taking; some bearinjrs, wlien I saw the old man and several others close alongside. The interpreter declared he could not prevail on him to remain, for that as soon as he heard that I was there, he left his lodge, say- ing, " I have known the chief a long time, and I am afraid I shall never see him again — 1 will go." The boat had now arrived ; and the rest of the men being busied in making the portage, she was pushed off with four good hands, quite X I 312 IMMINENT DANGER TO THE BOAT. light, to run the fall. Unfortunately the steers- man kept her rather too much to the left ; in con- sequence of which, after descending the first fall, she was drawn upon a shelving rock, form- ing part of the ledge of the second : this brouglit her up with a crash which threatened imme- diate destruction, and called forth a shriek from the prostrate crew. The immense force of the water drove her farther on, so that she Imng only by the stern. The steersman jimiped on the rock ; but though he maintained his fooling, lie could not lift her off; he jumped on board again, whilst I called out and made signs for the men to go forward into the bow, and be ready to pull the larboard oars. Amidst the confusion this direction was not attended to, and, in an instant, her stem was swept round by tlie large fall. I held my breath, expecting to see her dashed to shivers against a protruding rock, upon which a wave five feet high was breaking directly before her; but, happily, the steering oar had been only half laid in ; and, taking the rock, it twirled her broadside to the rapid, which then carried her down without further injury. The water being pumped out, it was found that she did not leak ; and this being so, I was, upon the whole, not sorry for the adventure, as it not only gave the men a memorable proof of the strength of these clear- water rivers, but afforded me an occa- AKAITCIIO*S FRIENDLY CAUTION. 313 sion for cautioning them against running any rapid for the future, without first studying the lead of the current. The river appearing to be free from ice, as far as could be ciscerned from the heights, I thought it unnecessary to take all the spare people on with me, and therefore lefb the interpreter with others to remain at Akaitcho's lodges until the carpenters, who were wanted to inspect the boat, should return with further instructions for their guidance. Seeing that I was about to depart, Akaitcho looked very melancholy, and cautioned nie against the dangers of a river which he plainly told me none of the present race of Indians had the least knowledge of: especially (lid he warn me against Esquimaux treachery, which, he said, was always perpetrated under tlie disguise of friendship ; and " when you least expect it," added he, " they will attack you. I am afraid I shall never see you again," he continued; "but should you escape from the great water, take care you are not caught by the winter, and thrown into a situation like that in which you were on your return from the Copper- mine, for you are alone, and the Indians cannot help you." Having endeavoured to quiet his apprehensions by acquainting him with my in- tended precautions, and my determination to keep to the river in the event of any accident to 314 EMBARKATION. the boat, which could only happen by the special permission of the Great Spirit, in whose keeping we were as safe as if we had a score of boats, I recommended him to collect plenty of provi- sions for me by the autumn, and in two moons and a half to look beyond the mountains for the smoke of my fires on our return. Then, shaking him by the hand, I stepped into the boat : it was half loaded; and pulling down stream we entered a small lake, whose western shore led to a narrow channel formed by an island with a rapid on either side. The one wliich we ran was rather shoal, but the boat did not grountl ; and having rounded the nortli end of the island, we encamped at a clump of willows on the eastern shore, which offered every con- venience for drying and caulking her. In the space of an hour, the whole of the cargo was brought without dogs or sledges ; and the boat being turned up to dry, we were rejoiced to see that the bottom was uninjured, havdng been merely scraped in one place. The thermometer to-day was 56° with a light breeze from E. by S. It is remarkable that lor near a month past there had not been two consecutive days of fine weather j and now as we hoped tlie charm was broken, the clouds began to gather with the declining sun, and by midnight assumed an aspect so decidedly stormy as not to be mistaken. HEAVY STORMS. 315 'S It really looked as if that watery saint, old Swithin, had taken it into his head to leave his favourite abode in England, just to travel north a little, and was then on his passage hereabout. However this may be, the rain poured, and the wind blew, first in hollow gusts, then in loud squalls, and last of all in a downriglit heavy gale sufficient to have laid low the pride of the tallest and stoutest pine in the forest : as it was, its fury was thrown away, the only trophy of its prowess being the upsetting of our tent, though secured with a rampart of heavy stones, and the carrying off of one of my moccassins. Not the less, however, did it continue to rage, and throughout the whole of July 5th the boat was untouched ; nor was there the least abatement on the follow- ing day, which, being Sunday, was devoted to the exercise of our religious duties, during the whole performance of which I observed with great pleasure that the men paid the most de- corous attention. This state of weatlicr could not last much lons^er without deluijrino: the country; and on the yth the storm gradually moderated, got drizzly, and finally spit only at intervals, still loth, as it seemed, to leave o\\\ At last the sun peeped faintly through the grey clouds, and at his setting lit up a hope of better times. The boat was finished, and the carpenters, witli an Iroquois, who had been purposely kept 316 OUR CRKW. to accompany them, were dismissed, and desired to return with tlie other men with all possible dihgence to Mr. M*'Leod. July 8th. — There was still rain, but a break in the clouds indicated something of a change ; and I had the boat launched and laden with her cargo, which, together with ten persons, she stowed well enough for a smooth river, but not for a lake or sea-wav. The wei^ijlit was calcu- lated at 3360lbs., exclusive of tiic boat's cover- ing or awning, masts, yards, sails, spare oars, poles, planking, and the crew. The latter, as now finally reduced, consisted of — Higlilunder James M'Kay, George Sinclair, Half-breed Charles M'Kenzie, Higlilander Peter Taylor, James S pence, John Ross, William Malley, Hugh Carron, Half breed Orkney Higlilander Lancashire Irish Steersman. Do. & Bowman. Bowman. } Artillery- men. ■ Middlemen. Besides Mr. Richard King, the Surgeon, and myselfl At 10 A. M. we pushed from the shore, and found the rain had caused a rise of full eight inches in the river, which varied in breadth from two hundred yards to a quarter of a mile, as long- as it kept between the rocky ridge of the moun- tains, a distance of about six miles. In this part, I remarked the same characteristic features GEOLOGY OF THE COUNTRY. 317 of gneiss and porpliyritic rocks, with large frag- ments and boulders on them, as Dr. Richardson * describes as presenting themselves in the neigh- bourhood of Fort Enterprise and Point Lake. Many of these rocks were broken into cliffs and precipices, which faced to tlie east. Numerous regular gullies, or what might once have served for tributary channels, cut liie river with con- siderable uniformity east and west. The beds of most of them were half filled with earth, stones, and moss, together with some few willows, whose small and tardy leaves were just beginning to look green. A wide and deep channel that was passed terminated in a rapid, which having first carefully examined, was run with a full cargo, and brought us to a small lake perfectly free from ice. This lake is remarkable, as forming the northern boundary of the Heywood chain of mountains, which here slope off into incon- siderable and regular hills, so thickly strewed with grey rocks and stones as to have the ap- pearance of an immense quarry with loose rubbish about it. The river now became con- tracted, and formed an easy rapid, upon the northern bank of which I made our first cache of pemmican, nearly opposite to a little sand-hill. The stream soon became wider, and opened into a lake so completely blocked up with ice as to arrest our progress, and at 6 v.m. we encamped. * Appx., Franklin. 318 OUR PROGRESS STOPPED BY THE ICE. APKay and Sinclair were immediately de- spatched, one on either side of the lake, to find out the most likely part ibr getting through. But while they were absent, a light breeze from the N.W. sprung uj), and opened a channel alon"* the western shore, barred only by two pieces of ice, which Nvere jammed iigainst the point nearest us. Through these a passage was cut; and on the return of the men, who, I was sorry to hear, had seen another lake covered with ice, the boat was hauled carefully on, and for three or four hundred yards we were enabled to use the oars ; a shift of wind then closed the heavier masses ahead; but, by cutting and poling, we ultimately succeeded in reaching open water, and at l^SO™ A.M. again pitched the tent. As the boat leaked a little, she was left in the water ; and, to pre- vent her getting damaged from the floating ice, the men slept in her. In the morning of the 9th there was more rain, so that we did not get away before 10" A.M. ; when it fortunately happened that a narrow opening was formed inshore, and allowed of our crossing to the eastern, whicii was the weather side, where there was a lane of water as far as the low points allowed us to see. A little more than an hour's pulling, liowever, took us to the end of it ; and we found that a reef of large stones, cased in ice. DANCER FROM THE RAPIDS. 319 divided it from aiiotlicr lane. This ice bcinc: in shallow water, was porous and rotten, so that it yielded to the united effect of the axe and the weight of the men; and, at the expiration of an hour and a half, the boat was got through, though not without some awkward scrapings. An easy rapid, and the shelving shore of a sand-hill, rather encouraged the hope that the river would turn out favourably ; but that il- lusion was soon dispelled by a very long rapid immediately succeeding, where the boat was only saved by all hands jumj)ing into tiie break- ers, and keeping her stern up the stream until she was cleared from a rock that had brought her up. We had hardly time to get into our places again, when we were carried with con- siderable velocity past a river which joined from the westward ; a rapid then followed ; after which another tributary was observed coming from the same quarter. The hills in that direction did not exceed three hundred feet in height, and often not fifty ; but they had the same sterile appearance, and were spotted with the same dark fhigments of rocks or stones as those already passed. On the eastern side sandy banks were frequently- met with, which gradually rose into acclivities, or gently sloping mounds, with small streamlets winding round their bases, affording pasturage 320 A SERIES OF RAPIDS. to musk oxen and deer. The latter scampered away as we approached, but tiie former stood stupidly gazing at us : luckily for them, we were not in want of their carcasses. An island, near the centre of the river, with thin columns of mist rising suspiciously at quick intervals on each side, made it necessary to land. Having ascertained that there was, as had been expected, a fall, we carried the baggage below it, and the boat was then brought down in a manner which convinced mo that M'^Kay and Sinclair thoroughly understood their business; for, by dexterous management in the rush of the fall, they avoided the principal danger, and the boat swept into the eddy with the ease and buoyancy of a water-fowl. The stream was very irregular in its dimensions, for it was now a quarter of a mile broad, and continued so for nearly three miles, when it contracted into two hundred yards, and, running in a serpentine direction, formed a series of no less than five rapids, augmented by two streams from the westward. A still sheet of water, bounded to the right by mounds and hills of white sand, with patches of rich herbage, where numerous deer were feeding, brought us to a long and appalling rapid, full of rocks and large bould- ers ; the sides hemmed in by a wall of ice, and the current flying with the velocity and force of IMMINENT DANGER. S21 we a torrent. The boat was lightened of her cargo, and I stood on a high rock, with an anxious lieart, to see her run it. I had every hope which confidence in the judgment and dexterity of my principal men could inspire ; but it was impossible not to feel that one crash would be fatal to the expedition. Away they went, with the speed of an arrow, and in a moment the foam and rocks hid them from my view. I heard what sounded in my ear like a wild shriek, and saw Mr. King, who was a hundred yards before me, make a sign with his gun, and then run forward. I followed, with an agitation which may b? conceived ; and, to my unexpressible joy, found that the shriek was the triumphant whoop of the crew, who had landed safely in a small bay below. I could not bnt reward them with a glass of grog a-piece, and they immediately applied themselves to the fatiguing work of the portage, with as much unconcern as if they had only crossed a mill-pond. It grew late before this last task was accomplished, and then Malley was miss- ing. Some of the men were despatched in search of him ; and at length he returned, heartily tired with rambling among swamps and rocks, having lost himself in consequence of deviating from the course of the river. Such incidents (among voyageurs) generally afford Y PLUNDKlt OK A B.\(i OF PKMMICAN. a name to the spot vvliere tlicy happen ; so, to conform to the usage, I called this Malley's Rapid. On opening another bag of pemmican to. night, the up})eii part was found to be mouldy, as if" it had been wet : on removing it, a stone was found, and a further examination led to the discovery of hiyers of mixed sand, stones, and green meat — the work of some rascally Indian, who, having })ilfered the contents, had adopted this ingenious device to conceal his peculation. And well indeed it must have been managed, since it had esca])ed the experienced eye of Mr. M^Leod, wlio considered the whole to be in good order. As it was now uncertain whether \ke might not be carrying a heap of stones instead of provision, every bag underwent a severe probing, and, nuich to our satisfaction, the re- mainder proved sound and well-tasted. For five days the sun had been visible only thrice, and this night and the morning of the loth were so rainy, tliat, witli an intricate piece of water before us, we did not venture to stir, until a short respite temj)ted us to try what could be done. The ra})id was wedged in between two hills that forbade all landing in case of an accident : so to guard against consequences, as far as possible, I had the guns, ammunition, and instruments carried, and thouiiht it advisable to OBSTRUCTIONS ON OUR PASSAGE. 323 direct the same precaution to be observed at every rapid throughout the river navigation. We had but just started when the rain poured down as usual, bringing with it a cold northerly wind, and a fog which, shuttiiig out from view the rocks under water, added to the difficulty, already sufficiently great, of worming out a passage in a strong current, broken by shoals and sharp stones so as not to allow of a mo- ment's indecision. Another rapid and a portage took us to what would have been still water, had not the wind crested it with white waves considerable enough to j)rove the buoyancy and dry qualities of the boat, which, considering how deeply she was laden, took in very little water. The only peculiarity in the scenery was the striking contrast of the white sand-banks with the irregular rocky hills in the distance, which were of a gloomy greyish hue, scarcely enlivened by the dull green of the vegetation with which they were thinly covered Occasionally we passed s me low islands, and many deer "ere feeding in the prairies on either side. From a narrow we emerged into a wide space, which various clitTy banks to the left induced me to think would take a bend to the westward ; but, on getting there, an opposite current was found, which was subsecpiently discovered to be owing to the junction of another large river. The fog Y '2 J 824 UOISTFIIOUS WEATHER. then became so dense, that the nearest land was concealed from our view ; and perceiving tliat we were drawn towards a rapid, we pulled liastiiy for the shore, and encamped. The magnitude of objects, as is well known, is increased in such an atmosphere ; and some ice that still adhered to either side wore so formidable an aspect that, together witii the roar of the rapid, it made us really glad to be safe on shore. The 11th commenced with heavy rain and a gale from the N.W., which did not lull throughout the day ; we were consequently prevented from moving, as the boat could not be taken down the rapids on account of the spray hiding the rocks, as well as the impossibility of keeping her under control. Instead of decreasing with the decline of the sun, the gale freshened, and became far more boisterous. Neither did the morning of the 12th bring any change for the better : the squalls were more violent ; and even with the shelter of a high bank, the tent was with difficulty saved from being swept down. In the former expe- ditions farther west, we had never experienced an extraordinary quantity of rain ; indeed the con- trary might rather have been remarked ; and if it sometimes blew more fresh than usual, the gale seldom lasted more than twelve or twenty-ibur hours at most, and was generally followed by fine warm weather. Hut here was a combination DKER-IIUNTING. 325 of foul and boisterous weather, a very chaos of wind and storm, against wliich it was vain to struggle. July 13th was still hazy witli showers, but my patience was exhausted ; and at 5 a. m. we started, and found ourselves in what might be called a continuous rapid, which after a few miles was joined by a stream from the left, divided at its confluence by an island near the centre. Near this was a lake, ruffled by a head wind, against which we had some difficulty in making way. Two or three hundred deer, and apart from them herds of musk oxen, were either grazing or sleep- ing on its western banks, which looked green and swampy, and were all more or less cloven by inconsiderable ravines, with a clayey surface. Tliese soon disappeared in tiie rising ground, which, broken by isolated rocks naked and black, had its boundary in a semicircular range of irre- gularly shaped hills. For the first time in nine days the sun shone out in the morning, and I eagerly took occasion of the welcome visit to get sights ; whilst in the meantime our hunters, unable to resist the tempting neighbourhood of so many animals, and fidgetty to try their new guns, were allowed to go in pursuit, with the express stipulation, how- ever, that they were not to fire at the does or the last year's fawns. In less than an hour they Y 3 326 OBSERVATIONS. returned with four bucks, which were just be- ginning to get into condition. The change of food was pahitable enough to ail parties ; but as we had abundance of provision, and the boat was already too much lumbered, I discouraged all such pursuits for the present. The result of the observations gave the lati- tude 65° 38' 21'='N., and longitude 106° 35' 9.3' W. This, as to the former, agreed very well with the dead reckoning, but gave the latter more to the eastward. Having examined a line of deep rapids that had a clear lead, we did not hesitate to run them with full cargo, and in so doing passed some singularly serrated and rugged hills, which, stretching from the limit of view in round and naked masses, dipped into the water with a curiously diversified stratification at an angle of 170°. A white wolf, some geese, and partridges with young ones, were observed here. A small tributary came in from the left, and thence the river spread itself into several branches, which not a little puzzled me; though, as we were then situated, the right channel for our purpose was obviously that which trended to the westward of north. Accordingly we pulled towards that branch, and shortly opened a view to the S. E., so extensive that the extreme dis- tance was definable only by a faint blue line. I was a little alarmed at such a syphon- DEVIATION OF THE IlIVKll. 3^27 like turn; yet I eiuleavourccl to persuaclc my- self that the river would not ultimately deviate so very far from its original course, and went on to the western inlet. However, as we ad- vanced the opening assumed a more circular appearance, and the altitudes of the boundary hills became more and more ecpial and unbroken, until at last, when we got fairly to the entrance, it was evidently only a bay. Hut though it could not be concealed that a range of low mountains, stretching in a direction X. W. and S. E., seemed to oppose an insurmountable barrier to the onward course of the river iu the direction of my hopes, yet, as there was one part unexamined, where a strong rij)ple with white waves had been seen, 1 was unwilling to abandon all hope until it had been ascer- tained what that ripple was. x\ccordingly a party- crossed overland, and soon saw that the foam was caused by a heavy rapid which fell into the river at that part. My disappointment and un- easiness may be conceived. All my plans and calculations rested on the assumption of the northerly course of the river ; l)ut this deter- mined bend to the 8. E. and the formidable barrier ahead seemed to indicate a verv tlitlerent course, and a termination not, as had been anti- cipated, in the Polar Sea, but iuChesterHeld Inlet. However, be the issue wiiat it might, Hudson's Y 4 3^28 DESCRIPTION or THE COUNTRY. Bay or the Polar Sea — I had no alternative hut to make for the S. E. We were at this time little more than a degree to the southward ot" the confluence ot" Back's River with Batiunst's Inlet; but all hope that this river would j)rove identical with the Thlew-ee-ciioh, or that the latter would trend to the westward, was utterly extinguished. Our proximity to the coast, how- ever, explained the cold and dreary weather which had lately incommoded us. A fresh and fair wind now relieved the men from the labour of the oars, and we ran under the foresail (a lug) until S p.m.; when, being stopped by a ridge of ice reaching from shore to shore, directly athwart our course, we hauled into a deep bay, and secured the boat in snug shelter under the lee of the weather land. The temper- ature had scarcely varied from 4^2°, and tlurc was a chilliness in the wind which blew from the coast that made cloaks and blankets very accept- able. Towards the close of tl)e day's journey the country assumed a more mountainous and imposing appearance, but contiiuied rugged and desolate. Many j)arts bore a close resemblance to the lava round Vesuvius, the intermediate spaces being filled up with green patches of meadow, which literally swarmed with deer, not fewer than twelve or fifteen hundred having been seen within the last twelve hours. 14th of July. — During the niglu, the wind DF-TAINKn BY TIIK ICE. 329 veered a couple of ])oints to the northward, and increased to a pjalc, wliicli made it impossible TO move with our car^o. But, wishing to as- certain if tliere was any prospect of a lead through tlie ice insliore, tlie boat was sent quite liglit, with directions to the steersman to land, and examine the whole kmgth along the western edge y and, at the same time, to see if the nature of the ground would allow of our making a portage. At S a. m. he returned, with a re[)ort that the ice was closely packed, with so heavy a surf runnitig that any attempt to approach it might stave the boat ; wiiile the land side, he said, was ecpially imj)racticable, owing to the iinevenness of the rocks. There was, thcietbre, nothing left, but to remain patiently until a change of wind or its violence should demolish the ice and make a passage for us. This accord- ingly was gradually eftected, and about sunset we had the satisfaction to perceive a clear space, so far as could be judged up to the blue land in the distance. We now, therefore, only waited for an abatement of the gale to take advantage of this good fortune. The night was squally; but the wind having somewhat moderated, we got away at 5 o'clock on the following: morniim", Jidv 1.0th, the ther- niometer then standing at .SS°. The stream still carried us to the south-east, and though the different bays and openings to the westward were 330 A SERIES OF CASCADES. anxiously examined, in the hope that a passage might be found through one of them, the land was found continuous, and still bore to the east- ward. By 10 A.M. the mountains had dwindled to hills, which soon gave place to sand-banks, especially to the rigiit ; an ominous indication of the future course of the stream. Tiie lake, which I have named after my friend Captain Beechey, visibly decreased in breadth ; and at length discharged itself by what, from the loud roar that was heard long before we got to it, was conjectured to be a fall, but which was found to be in fact an awful series of casr:ides, nearly two miles in length, and making, in the whole, a descent of about sixty feet. The right bank was the most favourable for a portage, which we commenced without loss of time, while the two steersmen were despatched to examine the falls. Their report was, " that it was possible the boat might be got down, but they did not see how she ever could be got up again ; '* a con- sideration of no great moment yet, when we were not out of walking distance from the house, what- ever it might become afterwards. Accordingly, having completed the portage, and made another cache of pemmican and fat, to which was added a spare oar, the trial was made with the boat. She was first lifted over some obstacles, and then lowered cautiously down the difierent descents ; OBSERVATIONS. 331 and so alternately lifted, launched, and lowered, until she was safely brought to the eddy below, which being also rough, she was finally hauled on the gravel. The observations to-day gave the latitude 65° 14' 44/' N., longitude 106" 0' 53'' W., and variation 39° 12' E. ; so that it appeared we had got considerably to the southward and eastward of our position two days before. The country was still composed of the same variety of rocky hills and swampy prairies, though the latter were far more extensive, and, near the cascades, might be called plains, all thickly in- habited by deer. July l6th. — We embarked before 4 a.m., and a strong current carried us to a broad part of the river, which, I was rejoiced to see, took a sudden turn to the northward ; but at a detaclied conical hill, somewhat farther on, it again bent suddenly to the southward, and, as there was no passage perceptible at its farther extremity, the crew jocosely said we should be sucked under ground. However, an extremely sharp angle led us be- tween cliffs in a contracted channel into a rapid, at the foot of which it was necessary to land to avoid another, the waves of which were too high to allow of its being run with the cargo. When lightened, the boat ran it uninjured. A loud roar of rushing water, iieard for the distance of about a mile, had prepared us lor a long line of 332 IlAriDS AND CASCADES. rapids, which now appeared breaking tiieir furious way throngii mounds and ranges of precipitous sand-hills of the most fantastic outline. Some of them resembled parts of old ruins or turrets, and would have offered pleasing subjects for sketcii- ing. The course of tiie river became afterwards more tortuous, and its clear blue tint yielded to an olive green, more or less dark according to the character of the nuiddy tributaries which poured in their contents from both sides. As we drew away from the influence of the cold winds coming from Bathurst's Inlet, a propor- tionate and most agreeable change took place in the weather ; and at 2 p.m. of this day the ther- mometer stood at ()8° in the shade, and 84" in the sun. We glided quickly along with tiie strong current, passing by peaked sand-hills, which rose like artificial structures amidst low shelving prairies, covered with deer to the amount of many thousands. After crossing a small lake, where the current could just be disthiguished in the centre, the stream again contracted to about three hundred yards, and precipitated itself over a bed of rocks, forming rapids and cascades, which compelled us to carry the principal bag- gage ; a precaution, indeed, never omitted when there was the least appearance of danger. Three detached and lofty hills of gneiss, with obtuse conical tops quite bare, here formed conspicuous T.ANn-MAIlKS. 333 objects. From the level cliaractcr of the land to the eastward, they could be seen at a great distance, and might thus serve as marks for any wanderers whom chance or desifjn should brin«r to this far country. Indeed, that they had already been made use of for this purpose seemed to be indicated by numbers of piled stones, precisely similar in figure to those ^ wiiich I remembered to have seen along the banks of the Copper Mine River, as well as by some trenched divisions of ground, containing the moss-covered stones of circular encampments, evidently the work of the Esqui- maux, on whose frontiers we had arrived. I confess that these unequivocal traces of the "shivering tenants" of the arctic zone did not a little surprise me ; since on former occasions we had not found them at a distance from the coast. Was it possible, I asked myself^ that we were nearer the sea than I had imagined ? It was not likely that they had come from Bathurst's Inlet, though not more than one hundred and seventeen miles off, for that lay to the north-west, and they would fall on the river much nearer, namely, at the western extremity of Lake Beechey. On the other hand, if they came from the eastward, were they from Chesterfield Inlet, the western or nearest termination of which, according to Arrowsmith's map, was not less than one hundred and fifty-eight miles ? 334 COXTUACTION OF THE UIVEH. By a inimitc inspection of the marks, I was at length 'satisfied that tiiey all pointed N. E. and S. W. with as much precision as if they had been so placed by compass, and hence concluded that it was in the former bearing that we might expect to find the Esquimaux; though, whether far or near, we had as yet no means of determining. The river, from an imposing width, now gra- dually contracted to about fifty yards, and this narrow space had projecting rocks which com- pressed the passage still more. In the language of voijageurSy this form is denominated a spout ; and the only danger attending the going through it is the risk of being thrown into the eddy at an unfavourable moment; in whicli case, some serious accident is sure to occur. We ran this one, and were lifted considerably higher than the side water, as we shot down with fearful velocity. Familiar as 1 was with such scenes, I could not but feel thankful that we escaped safe, and determined for the future to lower down all others. The stream after these agitations settled into a calm though not very gentle current, which swept us opposite a magnificent river, as broad as the Thames at Westminster, joining the Thlew-ee-choh from the eastward. Some Esquimaux marks on the banks seemed to point this out as their line of route ; and I was far from being convinced that bailmk's ihvkr. S35 it was not the The-lew, however much that opi- nion might be at variance witli the accounts v/e had received from the Indians.* Whatever it was, it received the name of Baillie's River, after my worthy friend, George BailHe, Esquire, Agent General for Crown Colonies. Not a great way from this we encamped ; and some explanations having been made to the crew, as to the caution which the smallness of our number rendered necessary, a regular watcli was estab- lished, in which Mr. King undertook to look out from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., the usual hour of startmg. The following morning, instead of gaining to the westward, which various gleams of open water in that direction had again led us to hope, tiie river turned short round to the eastward; but after three or four miles, again resumed its old course. Sand-banks and islands were constantly met with; and from our ignorance of the chimnels between them, we were repeatedly aground. In these cases, the people had to wade until the boat again floated freely, with the chance of being thrown into the same situation ten minutes after- wards. Since the junction of Baillie's River, the stream had sensibly widened ; and had it not been for the strong cinrent, might have been * From a minute inquiry made afterwards, I have every reason to believe that the The-lew falls into Chesterfield Inlet. 330 FLOCKS OF GEESE. taken for a lake. It was bordered on cither sido by a low sandy district, studded witli a few- inconsiderable rocky hills, mostly detaclied, and a mile or two from each other. Even these soon disappeared, giving place to an alluvial deposit, so flat as scarcely to rise beyond the general horizontal line, and to raise our hopes of being near the sea; a notion rendered more probahle by the great resemblance of the country to the western mouth of the APKenzie. Once, indeed, some of the party imagined that they saw tents ; but these, as we advanced, pro\ ed to be nothing but a solitary and luxuriant border of fine wil- lows, the secure retreat of hundreds of geese, which having lately cast their large quill feathers, were unable to fly; though, aided by instinct ami good legs for running, they frequently eluded our most active hunters. If in the water — which, however, they took all pains to avoid — they had recourse to diving ; and on rising to breathe, merely exposed their heads and a small part of the back, so that often they were not seen, and still oftener missed when fired at. On land, they either had a fair run for it, or plunged into any cover that happened to be near; through which, however thick, they waddleil sufficiently quick to double on their pursuers, and lead them into many ludicrous situations which called forth the mei riment of the rest. OBSERVATIONS. 337 The low land was now diversified by occa- sional mounds; and presented an opening to tlie left caused by a river whicli was called after Captain Superintendent Sir Samuel Warren, of Woolwich Dock Yard. The banks here were higlier, sometimes rising into clilis, but of the same dry and sandy character, barren and cheer- less. Again, trending more to the eastward, we passed Jervoise River, another large tribu- tary from the right;, and then came to a low sandy opening, which seemed to be completely shut in, until at the northern limit a ra})id channel led us among some rocks that appeared to extend from an adjacent height towards a range of hills to the north-west. The sun beina' too low to allow of our running the rapids before us, we encamped. There were some musk oxen here ; but neither they nor even the deer or gocse were startleil, unless they saw some one actually going towards them. The observations to-day gave the latitude ().5° 9' hr N., longitude 103° 33' 8" W., and the variation 30° (V K. ; thus showing that we had made nearly all easting. Tiie threatening appearance of the curling waves, and the roar and gloom of a defile along which our course now lay, rendered it necessary to examine what there might be to contend with among the frowning rocks, which, overlaj)ping as they receded, seemed to the eye as if they I 388 TACT REQUISITE IN COMIMAND. blocked up the passai^e. Some time was iin. avoidably spent in doini^ this ; and the report was an expression of the same sort of doubt as on a former occasion. This, liowever, 1 looked for as of cor"se ; for it could not be expected that the steersmen, however excellent in their capacity, should be equally anxious to ))roCved as myself: their predictions of the difficullii's we should encounter on our return were, oi. I'lu contrary, freniient, though I })arried them by referring- to my experience in these latitudes, and to the entire alteration ])r()duced by the dill ferent j)eriods of the season in the character of the rivers ; with which reasonings they were generally satisfied. It may ])erhaps a})pear to some ])ersons that to persuade those whom I might have connnanded was a gratuitous and unnecessary trouble; but it should be borne in mind that, in services not purely military, the paity is not, and caimot be, brought under strict luibits of discipline. The success of such an exjiedition dej)ends materially on the temper and disposition of the leading men, who must sometimes be reasoned with, and at others kept in check, as circumstances may direct, ft is necessary that they should feel a confidence in and attachment to their leader, not J)aying a mere sulky obeilience to his orders ; and wiiat they do will thus be done heartily and with good will, not as the cold luKilment of u contract. I'llECIl'lTOUS HOCKS. 331) as nil' report iul)t as lookeil J)CC't(.'(l II tlioii ii'oCvod icultii's 01. ll\c I em by titiules, the (litl icter of y were Dear to lioni I us and oriie in ly, the 31* strict cli ail em per o must kept It is ^Miee in ying a I wiiat 1 good ict. rs Marly in the tbllowing morning \vc pushed out into the l)eginning of the rapids, when tlie boat was twirled about in whirlpools against the oars; and but for the amazing strength of M'Kay, who steered, it must inevitably have been crushed against tlie faces of the protruding rocks. As we entered the defile, the rocks on [he right ])resented a high ami perjienilicular front, so slaty ami regular that it needed no force of imagination to suppose them severed at one great blow from the oj)posite range ; which, craggy, broken, and overhanging, towered in stiatiried ami many-coloured masses far above the eiiafing torrent. There was a deej) and settled gloom in the abyss — the eHect of which was heightened by the hollow roar of the rapid, still in deep shade, and by the screaming of three large hawks, which frightened from their aerie were hovering high above the middle of the jiass, and gazing fixedly upon the first in- truders on their solitiule ; so that I felt relieved as it were from a load when we once more burst Ibrtli into the bright sunshine of day. The boat was then allowed to drive with the current, the velocity of which was not less than six miles an hour, among whirlpools and eddies, which strangely buHeted her about. Tlie men, glad to rest from their oars, were either carelessly look- ing at the objects which they passed, or whilKng 3iO ADVENTURi: OF A FOX. the ever welcome pipe, wlien sometliing was seen swimming ii little aliead, which was takin for a young fawn. As we nearly touched it in passing, tlie bowman, almost witiiout lookiiiir, stretched out his hand to grasp it ; but drew it in again as (piick as lightning, and springing iij) for the boat-hook, called out, " 1) — n it, it lias bit me! it's a fox." I would not allow it to be fired at ; and Reynard gained the bank, and skip- pcd about as if enjoying the trick he had played. Still widening, the river rolled on without obstruction, being here large enough to reniiiul me ;)f the M^Kenzie. Heavy and long borders of thick ice, with a great deal of snow, were on the sides of the sloping banks, full ten feet above the j)resent level. As we advanced still most })rovokingly to the eastward, a large river, nearly as broad as that which we were descend- ing, came through a low country to the right, and after many windings cfliected a junction round a little sandy blufJl It was named after llear-Admiral iVrKinley, who has unifoniily evinced a great interest in the recent voyages of discovery. The land then became more un- even, and soon changed into hills, partly com- posed of bare rocks, with loose masses on thcni. On one, indeed, something higher than the rest, we thought for a long time tiiere was a man ; but afterwards the general opinion determined KSQUIMAUX 3IARKS. Sil it to be a heap of stones, possibly placed there by the Esquimaux. Ami this was the more probable, as on arriving opposite to another wide tributary, called, after his Majesty's Consul at New York, Buchanan's River, a great number of marks were seen distributed at particular points, and on commanding eminences along the banks, apparently for the purpose of either frigh^Tring the deer, which were plentiful as usual, itiio a particular course, or as places of ambush when in quest of them. The latter I think the more likely ; because at certain distances along the line of marks there were semicircular skrcens built of stones, having the high part, of from two to three feet, towards the open country, and the sloped or exposed side facing the river, under the banks of which the hunters would be effectually hid in passing to tlieir lurking sta- tions ; while even if the deer were not only in fiont of the marks, but also between them and tlie water's edge, tliey might still be useful as a cover, and a comnuuiication might be kept up by crawling from one to another. The breadth of tlie river now varied from a quarter to a mile and half; and, what exceedingly delighted me, it made a bend to the north. The country became decidedly hilly, with an odd mixture of ravines, conical sand-hills with black mossy tops, and isolated rocks, which rose like z .3 342 BULL EN RIVER. sombre fortresses over the green and yellow soil to the westward. It looked as it' constant floods had washed away the liijfhter earth, an.l 1 efl those solid masses as monuments of tlieir ravages. We made for a distant blue peak, and passed a cluster of islands ; one of which was remarkable for beini^ overjrrown with willows, while its neighbours were as sterile as the de- sert. Keeping close to the western shore, \\v rounded a jutting point, and ojiened upon :i deep bay which received the waters of a broad river. This river has been nametl after niv much respected friend Captain Suj)erii. Pendent Sir Charles IJullen, of Pembroke Dock Yard, under whose command 1 had once the happi- ness to serve. Jt is difficult to conjectiu'e wlicic it may take its rise ; but fron? the powerful oflbct upon the current at two miles below its mouth, there can be no doidit that an innnense bod} of water flows through its channel. A little beyond, a wide westerly bay almost tem))ted us to search for an outlet, the curreJit having now got so slack as to be im])erceptible j and numerous islands and openings at different bearings occa- sioned some endjarrassment as to the course, until, after j)ulling inshore a little, the loom of a large sheet of ice arrested our attcMiipt in that (piarter; and having again regained the current, we yielded ourselves to its guidance, and were acrain led to the eastward. A STOUM. 313 Tlic wcatlier had been variable, and the t!ier- mometer as high as (iS", in tlie afternoon ; but tlie sky suddenly became overcast, and heavy bhick clouds roiled from the X. W., which, hiusting with violent squalls, poured down rat- tling showers of sleet. The storm, however, passed away, and the evening was fine enough to draw out some swarms of moscjuitoes, that failed not to " take the goods the gods pro- vided," when we encamped, as we were obliged to do, on the edge of a swamp. From the more hilly character and general trending of the shore, 1 entertained a hope that we should soon be led to the north ; and most devoutly did 1 wish to arrive at the gneiss formation, being certain that to reach the sea in the desired direction, the river nuist cut its way through rocks of some kind, as J had previously observed in the Copper- mine and jVrivenzie. In my desire to gain some further knowledge of the course, I asceniled a distant hill, from the summit of which, with the help of my glass, I could discern se\ eral exten- sive sheets of water in almost ojjposite bearings, one of them being due south ; but owing to the intervention of rocks, and uneven ground for about two miles in the line of my view, it was impossible to determine whether they were sepa- rate or formeil one continuous water. The doubt, however, was clc^ared up at an early hour on the / I. 3U LAKE PELLY. siicceediiijT morning (July 10th) ; for the cur- rent, to which we yicklccl ourselves, in a short time lost itself in a large lake, full of deep bays ; one, indeed, with a clear and uninter- rupted horizon, but glimmering with firm ice. Having taken a more nortiierly course than before, and passed two openings of about fifteen and twenty miles in extent, we landed on an island for the ])urpose of making a third cache of pemmican. From this point I got cross bearings, and a view oi another opening almost entirely covered with unbroken ice : a piece of an old kieyak *, blanched with age, and other remnants of Es([uimaux workmanship, showed that the place was frequented by them at some part of the year. The opening itself was distin- guished by the name of Lake Pelly, after the liberal and spirited Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company. Leaving tlie island, a slight current })iloted us to a rapid, near which the latitude was obtained, and informed us that indefatigable as our exer- tions had been we had ffained but little north- ing, and had abiuidance of hard work in pros- ])ect before we should be permitted to taste salt water. As for the men, the majority inclined to a tale told them by an Indian, whom I had not seen, — that before arriving at the sea, they * Esfjuimaux canoe. CON'JECTURES OF AN INDIAN. 345 would find an immense lake, with such deep bays that no Indian had ever been round them ; these he said, lay to the easvvard, but they must be careful to keep on its western side, and by so doing would arrive at a steep and heavy fall between high rocks ; this the boat would not be able to pass, but from thence they might easily walk to the '* bad water ;" near which, he assured them, they would also certainly find the Esquimaux. It was true that we had consider- ably strayed from the direction thus indicated, and had come more than double the distance at which the Indian placed the sea ; but still, here was a large lake with bays answering to the descrintion, or it might be that we should come to another still larger ; after which, it was their opinion, the remainder would be verified. The strong current fi'om the rapid gave us some expectation that the tediousness and un- certainty of winding and groping our way in liie lake was at an end ; but, to our chagrin and ainioyance, we soon again found ourselves in a wide indefinable space, studded with islands of sand-hills, witli, occasionally, a clear horizon to- wards the S. and N. W. The difficulty of finding the river increased as we advanced amid this labyrinth, betweer- the openings of which dis- tant land could sometimes be faintly discoverixl. The unwelcome glare of ice was also seen. From 310 ENCAMT ON AN ISLAND. time to time \vc found a current ; still we were batHed, and liad often to turn on our track, only j)erliaps to make another deviation. At leni^tli we observed a number of graylini^ piayin*; in a narrow, and rising at the flies which fell acci- dentally into the water; and aware that these fish usually fre([uent the outlets and channels of connecting water, we i)roHted by the hint, and so far had reason to be satisfied with our judg- ment. Uut towards evening our hopes were agiiiii blighted by the startling sight of extensive and unbroken fields of ice, stretching to the extreniest j)oint of vision. Seeing, therefore, no chance of further progress at present, 1 encamped on a spot which, judging from the circles of stones found regularly j)laced, had doubtless at some time l)een used by the Escpiimaux for the same purpose. We were on an island ; and the ridges and cones of sand were not only of great height, but singularly crowned with immense boulders, grey with lichen, which assuredly would have been considered as having been j)laced by design, had not the impossibility of moving such enormous masses proved incontestibly that it was Nature's work. It was with indescribable sorrow that 1 beheld from one of these boulders a firm field of old ice, which had not yet been disturbed fioni its winter station. IMio nearest land was a bold VIEW OF Tin: COUNTRY. 347 rocky bhiff' about ten miles to the northward, but receding thence to an indistinct outhne; the southward view offered notlunjj: more encourair- ing, for the shore in that (hrection was low and distant ; while to the eastward, which was mani- festly our coiuse, a black line, supposed to be water, just bordered the horizon. The whole of this expanse was sealed with ice ; and with the exception of a lane of oj)en water from our en- campment to a sand-hill in the south-west, and some small holes too remote from each other to serve any purpose, there was not a place that could with any certainty be fixed on as afibrd- ing a passage. Nevertheless the attempt was made the next morning a little past 3 a. .m. ; and though without the slightest idea of getting heyond the sand-hill, I directed the steersman to ])ull for it : in doing which we soon lost all traces of the current. The lane grew narrower as we })roceeded, until there was barely room for the hoat to pass with the poles. The ice here, far from being decayed, was two feet thick, green, and compact, and gave ominous token of what was in reserve for us farther nortii. Having arrived at our Ultima Tluile, we ascended the highest hill near; but only to see one wide and dazzling Held of ice extendiiiir far away in every direction, and presenting a uniform bed of sharp and ragged points, tiiat would have ground the keel to powder had we IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) '^/ ^ "^ // / 4. C// ^4 *t ^° g^ -««^ 7i 1.0 !!f« I.I 1.25 M 12.5 I! 1^ 1.8 U IIIIII.6 //, ^# o;^^ Photographic Sciences Coiporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 g^ 3i8 OBSTRUCTIONS ENCOUNTERED tried to launch across it. As for carrying, tlie wood was miicii too sodden and heavy to allow the thought to be entertained. The steers- men, whose long acquaintance with inland ice had made them skilful in discovering the best way of overcoming such difficulties, were de- spatched to different stations, that by crossing the view they might have the better chance of acquiring the necessary information ; they returned, however, with nothing but regrets at their want of success, and did not hesitate to express an opinion that a passage could not be reckoned upon until the natural disruption of the main body. Nor was this the result of any lukewarnniess ; for, on the contrary, they were zealous and hearty in the cause in which they had embarked, and the expression of tiie opinion was evidently painful to them. Of this a proof was immediately given by their cheer- fuhiess in preparing for a start when I was heard to say that we woidd try what old voyageura could do. I had in fact discovered by means of the telescope a slip of what I took to he water away to the N. E., in which direction, from the invariable pointing of all the Esquimaux marks we had yet seen, I felt confident that not only the river but the sea would be found. Patches also were visible in the ice between the water and tiie opposite land j and it was clear IN OUR PASSAGE. 349 that if we could only get along the low soiitlicni sliore, which, though apparently unpromising, yet from its shallowness and greater radiation of iieat favoured the chance of a narrow lane, we niiglit by making a few portages l)e fortunate enough to succeed in reaching the open water j and at all events, whether we reached it or not, the people would be occupied, and prevented from brooding over their difficulties, and alarm- ing themselves with the anticipation of imaginary evils. For several hours we continued to creep slowly to the south, sometimes wedged in tlie ice, at others cutting through it with axes, -ind breaking huge masses away, — now bringiig the weight of the boat and cargo to act, then lifting her with fenders on each side cautiously through the openings ; and ttius was the way groped nearly all day, till, as the sun got low, a shallow part defied every attempt to pass it. In vain did the people wade and carry the pieces to ligliten tlie boat ; still she would not float over the large stones that paved the bottom. The ice, there- fore, was the only chance ; and after making a portage for some distance over an extremely rotten part, she was absolutely lifted over the re- maining obstructions, and again loaded ; after which our progress was more satisfactory, and 350 OBSERVATIONS. by using tlic same means, though at greater intervals, we at length (at 9 r. m.) reached the open water with a strong current. But though tlie picturesque sand-hills seemed close to us, and the crew, half benumbed as they were from being so long in tlie watei, exerted themselves to the utmost, and liad moreover the aid of the current, still, with all this, we did not reach land until past 10 p. m. Our observations placed us in latitude 65° 48' V N., longitude 99° 10' 46" W., with variation 29° 38' E. ; and in sixteen hours we had only come fbiuteen miles. July 21st. — I examined the lake from tlie summit of the hill above our encampment, and found that the current which had befriended us over night became powerless about two hundred yards farther on ; at which point the main body of the ice commenced again, and stretched to an undefinable distance, interrupted occasionally by jutting points, over which in some places it was again visible. A small sout'?' \y channel, however, led to some islands, and for these we steered, but soon became hampered wi^h sur- rounding ice. The same mode of proceeding was therefore adopted as on the precedng dayj and in four hours we were lucky enough to have ad- vanced eight miles, though not in the direct line of our coiu'se. Some open water was then seen LAKE GAIIIIY. 3.51 to tlie north ; and though doubtful if the river would be in that quarter o: more to the eastward, 1 stood over fbr ic, as the inclination of a line of siind-hills rather favoured the former opinion. With a little diiticuity we succeeded in reaching a lane, which ultimately led us to tiie main land, against whose rocky sides the ice again abutted. A ])ortage was immediately made, and the boat lifted over into the water. In ten minutes we were again stopped by ice, so thick that all our endeavours to cut a passage with the axes, and break it as had been hitherto (lone, were utterly in vain. Another place, which seemed to offer fewer obstacles, was tried with the same result; we therefore, landed and made a second portage across the rocks, whicli brought us to a sheet of water terminating in a rapid ; and this, though seldom a pleasing object to those who have to go down it, was nowjoy- tiilly hailed by us as the end of a lake which had occasioned us so much trouble and delay. In summer, however, or, more properly speaking, autumn, this lake must be a splendid sheet of water; wherefore, regarding it apart from the vexations which it had caused me, I bestowed upon it the name of Lake (Jarry, after Nicholas (iarry, Esq., of the Hudson's Bay C'()nq)any, to whose disinterested zeal in the cause of polar 352 NICHOLAS CARRY, ESQ. discovery, and iindeviating kindness to all con- nected with it, such honourable testimony has been borne by Sir Edward Parry and Sir John Franklin that to dwell on tliem here is super- fluous. 353 CHAP. XI. Gigantic Boulders. — Danger from the Rapids. — Cours£ of the River. — Lake Macdougall. — Hazardous Pas- sage. — Sinclair's Falls. — Northerhj Bend of the River. —Moujit Meadawba7ik. ^Altitude of the Bocks. — The Trap Formation. — M' Kay's Peak. — Lake Franklin. — Extrication from Peril. — Sluggishjiess of the Compass. — Esquimaux — Portrait of a Female. — Victoria Headland. — Mouth of the Thle-jo-ee- Choh. — Cockhurn Bay. — Point Backhouse. — Irhy and Mangles' Bay. — Point Beaifort. — Our Progress arrested. — Mo?itreal Island. — A Musk Ox killed. — Birds on the Islatid. — Elliot Bay. — M'Kay, etc. sent along the Coast. — Esquimaux Encampments. — Cape Hay. — Poi?it Ogle. — Progress obstructed by the Ice. — A Piece of Drift-'wood found. — Ross Island. — Discoveries by Mr. King. — Magnetic Observations Point Richardson. — Point Hardy. — Conjectures as to a N. W. Passage and Channel to Regent's Inlet. Congratulating one another on our release, we went on with renewed spirits. Much ice was carried down the rapid, which, instead of going into the wide space in front, was impelled sud- denly to the eastward, and thence again hur- ried by a strong northerly current into a branch of another lake, the bays of which were not less than from twelve to fifteen miles deep. Long ranges of conical and clifF-broken sand- A A 354 GIGANTIC BOULDERS. hills extended irregularly nearly round the com- pass, but mostly to the northward and westward, towards which direction the stream ran with im- mense force. There were no rocks visible nearer than Lake Garry; but gigantic boulders were strewed in every direction, and in two instances were seen on the summits of conical and isolated sand-hills much resembling those previously mentioned. One of these was very conspicuous, as well from its height as from its situation in the centre of the river, thus forming an excellent mark for the rapid from any direction. The ther- mometer had been as high as 102° in the sun, and was 56° in the shade, with a S. E. wind, so as to create considerable refraction during the greater part of the day. The evening, however, was cool ; and at a little past 8 p.m. we encamped. The following day we got away at the usual hour, with the advantage of a swift current, which now swept to the northward, and in about an hour brought us to a strong rapid, the descent of which looked exceedingly like going down hill. After the usual examination, the steersmen were desirous of lightening the boat before running it, but the water was too shoal for landing, and we were obliged to pole up a small rapid to an island ; whence it was at length decided, as no eligible landing-place could be found above or below it, to risk the descent with the whole cargo. It was a case of necessity ; so off we IMMINENT DANGER. 355 pushed, and in a few minutes were plunged into the midst of curling waves and large rocks ; but the coolness of the crew, and the great dexterity of the bow and steersmen, avoided each dantrer as it arose. At length, however, one towering wave threw us on a rock, and somet'^ng crashed ; luckily we did not hang, for nothing could have resisted the force of the torrent, and the slightest check at such a time would have been inevitable destruction to the whole party. After being wliirled to and fro by the velocity of counter currents, we escaped from this without other damage than a broken keel plate — an acci- dent which left that part from thenceforth un- defended — but rapid still followed rapid in disagreeably quick succession, and I was not a little rejoiced when we were again fairly in smooth water; for the lakes we had passed, with their unknown but assuredly distant bound- aries, and the numerous deep bays and other impediments to a land journey, such as I had acute reasons for remembering, made the safety of the boat a paramount consideration. Not that all ordinary accidents which could befall men in our situation had not been already con- templated, and as far as my ability extended provided for ; but these hourly demands on the nerves brought possible contingencies more home, and made them sink deeper into the mind. In A A 2 356 COUIISK OF THE RIVEll. short, I CO aid not divest myself of those cares and anxieties which every conscientious officer must feel for those, be they few or many, who look up to him for safety and direction. Much to our satisfaction the river kept to tlie northward, and gave us the hope of making a little latitude, now become extremely desirable ; when suddenly, notwithstanding the long view ahead, towards which the current seemed to be setting, it turned off at a right angle, and opened into a spacious lake, the extremity of which could not be discerned. With singular eccentricity, however, it soon again trended northward through a wide space with many deep bays, some of which were totally covered with ice. The islands were also numerous ; and having passed between two where there was a rapid, we came to so great an extent of water and ice, land being not visible to the north, that the steersman exclaimed, " All the lakes we had yet seen are nothing to this one!" In its large expanse the current was soon lost, and proportionate embarrassment was occasioned us in deciding on the most probable direc lion for striking on the river. Several likely openings near sand-hills were explored ineffectu- ally between north and east ; for I was unwilling to think it would be found elsewhere. We rested on the oars, but the boat remained mo- LAKi; -M AC DOUG ALL. S57 I" tioiiless, and gave no clue to the current ; nor was it until 1 imagined that I caught the faint sound of a fall, that we reluctantly pulled along a herder of firm ice which took us away due south, a direction the very opposite of that to whicli my wishes tended, and looking directly towards Chesterfield Inlet, — the proximity of wiiich, I will not deny, began to give me serious uneasiness. Still keeping south, we threadea a zigzag passage through a barrier of ice, and were then led by the increasing noise to the end of the lake, whicli received the name of" Lake Macdougall," after my friend the Lieutenant- Colonel of the gallant 79th Highlanders. Bending short round to the left, and in a comparatively contracted channel, the whole force of the water glided smoothly but irresist- ibly towards two stupendous gneiss rocks, from five to eight ?^i'ndred feet high, rising like islands on either side. Our first care was to secure the boat in a small curve to the left, near which the river disappeared in its descent, sending up showers of spray. We found it was not one fall, as the hollow roar had led us to believe, but a succession of falls and cascades, and whatever else is horrible in such *' confusion worse con- founded." It expanded to about the breadth of four hundred yards, having near the centre an :n- sulatedrock about three hundred feet high, having AA a 358 HAZARDOUS PASSAGE the same barren and naked appearance as those on each side. From the projection of the main western shore, which concealed the opening, issued another serpentine rapid and fall ; while to the right there was a strife of surge and rock, the roar of which was heard far and wide. The space occupying the centre firom the first descent to the island was full of sunken rocks of unequal heights, over which the rapid foamed, and boiled, and rushed with impetuous and deadly fury. At that part it was raised into an arch ; while the sides were yawning and cavernous, swallowing huge masses of ice, and then again tossing the splintered fragments high into the air. A more terrific sight could not well be conceived, and the impression which it produced was apparent on the countenances of the men. The portage was over scattered debris of the rocks (of whicii two more with perpendicular and rounded sides formed a kind of wall to the left), and afibrded a rugged and difficult way to a single rock at the foot of the rapid, about a mile distant. The boat was pxnptied of her cargo, but was still too heavy to be carried more than a few yards ; and, whatever the consequence, there was thus no alternative but to try the falls. Every precaution that experience could devise was adopted ; double lines to the bow and stern were held on shore by the most carefiil of the TIIUOUGH THK FALL. 339 men, and M'Kayand Sinclair took their stations at each end of the beat with poles, to keep her fiom dashing against the rocks. It was no common attempt, and excited in me the most lively concern for their safety. Repeatedly did the strength of the current hurl tlie boat within an inch of destruction, and as often did these able and intrepid men ward off' the threatened danger. Still, amongst the many descents, she tlid not escape without some severe shocks, in one of which the remaining keel plate was en- tirely stripped away ; but cool, collected, prompt to understand and obey the muiual signs which each made to the other with the hand — for their voices were inaudible — the gallant fellows finally succeeded in guiding her down in safety to the last fall. There she was taken out of the water, and, with the assistance of Mr. King and myself, was, though with difficulty, carried below it. On our return to the baggage, I gave the men a good glass of grog, with praises which they had well earned ; and all being weary with exertion, we encamped for the night. At 3" SO™ A.M. of the 23d, the people began carrying the pemmican and boxes across, a task which the loose and slippery stones made by no means easy ; and aware that it would take them till noon to complete the work, I gladly availed myself of the opportunity to obtain observations ; A A 4 60 OBSERVATIONS. the result of which was, latitude 65° 54' 18" N., longitude 98° 10' 7" W., variation ^9" 16' £. ; thus showing a diminution of the latter as we made northing : and indeed, the powerful action of some influence was apparent in the increasing sluggishness of the compass, which of late re- quired to be frequently tapped at the sides to make it move. But the most interesting observ- ations were those for dip and intensity, particu- larly with Hansteen*s needle. The former was taken with a vertical compass by Dollond, which wasvery dull and heavy, making few vibra- tions ; and when within 10° or 15° from its last vibration, swagging, and ultimately stopping sud- denly. For the latter a horizontal one was used, which moved remarkably slow, and seemed to hang at the extremity of every oscillation j but still vibrated longer and more steadily than might have been expected after the working of the other. I had now also leisure to ascend the highest of the rocks, which had a smooth table summit of quartz, red felspar, and horneblende, the red predominating at that part, though partially co- vered with a grey and minute yellow lichen. The Esquimaux had here erected a small obelisk of slabs, placed perpendicularly on each other ; and within a few paces of it were two more marks, one consisting of three longitudinal fragments PROSPECT FROM '* ROCK RAPID. it 361 resting against and supporting eacli other, so as to form a triangular pyramid ; the other also of tliree pieces, but so placed as to form three sides of a parallelogram. Tiie use of the last one I could not divine, since it was too large for a fire- place, of which, mdeedj there was no trace, and not secure enough for a cache. Among the loose debris, a cache might have been made safe even from the plundering wolvereens ; but in a situation so exposed there could be no security. I could only conjecture that it might, perhaps, serve as a place of watch and concealment on hunting or other excursions whicli might bring the adventurer witliin reach of an enemy's arrow. These piles, like those farther south, pointed north-east, and not due south to Chesterfield Inlet; which at this point was not more than ninety-four miles from us, and towards which, until the turn at the Rock Rapid (our present encampment), the Thlew-ee-choh seemed to be directly tending. The prospect before us, viewed with a telescope from the command' ng eminence of the rock, extended to an immense distance ; but in no manner aided to clear up the doubt of what would be the ultimate course of the river. For at the utmost limit to the south-cast, mingling with the white haze of the atmosphere, water was distinctly seon ; which, by following the 36^2 THE RAPID CHOKED Ul* WITH J'"E. windings of the valleys, could be traced to about four miles of where we stood, this short intermediate space being occupied by a line of shallow rapids. To the north-east, indeed, in- terrupted glimpses were caught of a serpentine stream leading to some sand-hills; but, made cautious by disappointment, we put little faitli in such appearances. Whilst making these observations, I had not once turned round ; but now doing so with the intention of proceeding on the voyage, I per- ceived, to my amazement, that there was no spray rising from the rapid, and that its deafen- ing roar had subsided into a grinding and hollow noise, which betokened the destruction of what- ever it was which caused it. A phenomenon so utterly at variance with what had existed an hour before made me hasten down, more, however, to look after the boat, than for the satisfaction of any curiosity, as upon consideration I could not but infer that it vvas the ice driven by the wind and current together from Lake Macdougall, that was choking up tlie rapid. And so it proved ; it was the disruption of the main body of the ice, or, as it is called, the last break up of the season, when fine weather may be expected. With this new obstacle there was no immediate contend- ing ; for in such a torrent the boat would have been crushed to atoms. At length, however, MORE RAPIDS. 363 the stream, which rushed with amazing velocity, by 5 P.M. so far cleared itself as to allow of our loading the boat; not, however, without risk from the floating pieces which yet remained beat- ing about in the eddy, and which it required the entire attention of two men to keep off. Scarcely jiad we pushed from the shore, when we were in tlie midst of rapids. Two were run ; but the third was too dangerous to allow the attempt ; consequently again we had to carry all the cargo across a portage of half a mile, wliile the boat so lightened was brought safely down the rapid. The opposite shore was then discovered to be an island, round the western extremity of which another branch of the river cut a broad channel, and joined the one we had selected by a fall often feet. A quarter of a mile below the junction, this extraordinary stream was checked by a slielving ledge of low rocks that turned it to the north, in the direction of the sand-hills which we had seen in the early part of the day. An overcast and stormy night, with much rain, brought in a morning which forbade the attempt to start, as it was impracticable, with such a gale, to keep the lead in the rapid before us j so that there was no choice but to wait until it should calm. In the meantime, M'^Kay was sent to exa- mine the river farther down, and returned about noon with an account of several rapids and a 364. SINCLAIRS FALLS, large fall not far from us, and of having seen some marks on his way. In the afternoon, the journey was resumed ; and having followed the turn to the north, and got down the rapids, we made a portage at Sinclair's Falls ; so named after one of the steersmen, who has been already frequently mentioned, and who was so complete a boatman as to be equal to the duty of tiie bow also, which station indeed he had all along filled. The river was now near a mile broad, full oi' small rocky islands, with falls between each, not unlike the Pelican Fall in the Slave River. The boat was lowered down ; and following the bend, which was bordered by tlie sand-hills, we came to an opening disclosing some distant mountains, towards which it was tiiought our course would lie. Conjecture, however, was useless : even here, we were twice thrown out by the overlapping of low points and by counter currents ; but at last we found a wide channel running to the S. E. At its entrance the fourth cache of pemmican was made j and as it was too late to see the stones in the water, we encamped. July 25th. — The weather was raw and cold, though the wind was southerly, and the ther- mometer 48°. The banks on either side were low, but curiously paved with round stones, probably forced in by ledges of grounded ice. DANGEROUS IIAPIDS. 365 The next reach turned to the northward, and be- came so wide that it might well have been called a lake. Such expansions always occasioned us some perplexity, from the uncertainty and diffi- culty there was in tracing the run of the current. In this instance, however, it was less inconstant than usual, and for a few miles continued nearly in the same course ; when, after gradually con- tracting, it was broken by a mile of heavy and dangerous rapids. The boat was lightened, and every care taken to avoid accidents ; but so over- whelming was the rush and whirl of the water, that she, and consequently those in her, were twice in the most imminent danger of perishino* by being plunged into one of the gulfs formed in the rocks and hollows of the rapid. It was in one of those singular and dangerous spots, which partake of the triple character of a fall, rapid, and eddy in the short space of a few yards, that the crew owed their safety solely to an unintentional disobedience of the steersman's directions. The power of the water so far ex- ceeded whatever had been witnessed in any of the other rivers of the country, that the same precautions successfully used elsewhere were weak and unavailing here. The steersman was endeavouring to clear a /■''! and some sunken rocks on the left, but the man to whom he spoke misunderstood him, and did exactly the reverse j 366 IMMINENT PERIL. and now, seeing the danger, the steersman swept round the boat's stern : instantly it was cauglit by an eddy to the right, which snapping an oar, twirled her irresistibly broad side on ; so that for a moment it seemed uncertain whether the boat and all in her were to be hurled into the hollow of the fall, or dashed stern foremost on the sunken rocks. Something perhaps wiser than chance ordained it otherwise ; for how it happened no account can be given, but so it was that her head swung inshore towards the beach, and thereby gave Sinclair and ethers an opportunity of springing into tl)"^ water, and thus, by their united strength, rescuing her from her perilous situation. Now had the man to whom the first order was given understood and acted upon it, no human power could have saved the crew from being buried in the frightful abyss. Nor yet could any blame be justly attached to the steers- man : he had never been so situated before ; and even in this imminent peril his coolness and self-possession never forsook him. At the awful moment of suspense, when one of the crew with less nerve than his companions began to cry aloud to Heaven for aid, M'^Kay, in a still louder voice, exclaimed, " Is this a time for pray- ing? Pull your starboard oar." *• Heaven helps those who help themselves'* seems to have been the creed of the stout-hearted highlander. DANGEROUS RAPIDS. 367 On the eastern side we noticed some marks, as well as the remains ofan Esquimaux encampment; but nothing which denoted when they had been there. Having made another cache of pemmi- can, at the foot of Escape Rapid, in order to lighten the boat as much as possible, we pur- sued our course ; but had not got more than two miles farther, when a thick fog and pelting rain obscured the view, and obliged us to land for shelter. As soon as it cleared, which was not before the evening, we renewed the attempt ; and were urged by a strong current considerably to the eastward, the river now taking that direction through a range of cliffy sand-hills, in which, on some occasions of more than common ob- struction, its eddies had ycooped out extensive basins. The current, always swift, now rushed on still faster, and soon became a line of heavy rapids, which more than once made me tremble for our poor boat ; for in many parts, not being able to land, we were compelled to pull hard to keep her under command, and thus flew past rocks and other dangers with a velocity that seemed to forebode some desperate termination : happily, however, we escaped ; though only to begin another series. Along the banks of these last lay several dead deer, which had doubtless been drowned in attempting to swim to the op- posite side. At 8 p.m. we arrived near a de- tached mountainous rock dipping to the western 368 SHOOT A iMUSF.-OX. shore of the river, in which quarter the descent, now manifest, as well as the hollow roar, plainly indicated something which at that late hour it was prudent to avoid j and, to say the truth, however habit may in most things produce a sort of callous indifference to danger, I had abundant proof this day that the rule does not always hold good, for the very dlite of my men were begin- ning to evince a cautiousness which was quite new to them ; and the order for encamping was executed with a very significant alacrity. Within a few hundred yards of us, nine white wolves were prowling round a herd of musk- oxen, one of which was shot ; but, being a bull, was too strongly scented to be eaten. As there was no possibility of making a portage, should it be necessary, on the side where we had en- camped, at dayliglV. of the following morning we pulled up stream to cross over, and see if it was more favourable on the other side. The descent broke over a fall five feet deep, opposite to a gloomy chasm in the rock ; but as it did not reach quite to the eastern side, the boat was enabled to pass it, and then ran the Wolf Rapid. Some of the animals whose name it bore seemed to be keeping a brisk look-out for what miglit happen. Several other rapids (for there was no end of them) worked their way between high rocks, which now, for the first time since the river had NOUTIIEIILY BEND OF THE IIIVEU. 3G9 turned so much to the eastward, hiy on that side ; a clrcmriStaiice that I tliought augured well for a uortlieriy bend at no great distance. Ikit what most gratified me was the disa])i)carance of the sand-liills, which I beheld as so many enemies to our cause, that were gradually leading us away to the wrong side of our object. JM}' joy, there- fore, may be imagined at seeing, as we advanced, that my hopes were, after all, likely to be realized • for the late suspicious trending to the eastward, almost in a parallel of latitude, had again created doubts in my mind, and set me s})eculating whe- ther the river might not yet terminate in Wager Bay. Another cache was made, with the addition of a little amnuniition and tobacco. Some more rapids led farther to the north ; and the stream, as may be supposed, after the addition of so many tributPiies, maintained an imposing breadth, being, iu some parts, upwards of a mile. Both' sides were hemmed in by mountains, covered as usual with boulders and large fragments of loose splintery rock, the dark and pmi)lish hue of which relieved the green shelving slopes dotted with herds of musk oxen. A glimpse of the sun at noon gave the latitude 66° G' 24'/ N. ; nearly abreast of a })icturesque and commanding mountain, with steep slopinir sides to the south-west, where cattle were feedino" B L 370 iMOUNT MEADOVVHANK. but to the northward broken into feaiiiil preci- pices and overhanging clifls, inaccessible to tla: foot of man. It was by iiir the most conspicuous eminence we had seen ; and, from some fancied likeness, the people said, *' Here's Hoy Head, — give way, boys, we are not far fi'om the sea." The remark took me in imao,ination to Aiild Reekie ; and I called the hill Mount Meadow- bank, in honour of the learned Lord of that name. After a course of six miles to the south-east, the river again veered northerly, rushing with fearful impetuosity among rocks and large stones, which raised such whirlpools in the rapids as would have ])ut the strength of a canoe in jeopardy. The boafs breadth of beam and steady trim kept her up in such trials ; but, though we escaped the rapid, we uad a narrow chance of being dashed on the beach by the eddy. The low projecting point of rock, against which we had been thus almost thrown and then whirled away from by the receding current, was remarkable for a row of ])iled stones or slabs, placed a few feet apart, which, as we shot the rapid, were at first mistaken for figures gazing at us. On the neighbouring hills and mountains were many more of a similar construction, which, we could easily understand, might serve for marks to guide the natives through the country ; ALTITUDE OF J'lIE IIOCKS. 371 but for what purpose tliis « picquet" mounted guard at the foot of the rapid, was not quite so clear to our comprehensions. To tlie westward the rocks attained consider- able altitude, and, comparatively sj)eaking, had become even mountainous. They v ere desolate, rugged, and barren j but to the eastward there was more vegetation, on a shelvin"- and reo-ular country. More rapids were passed ; and, at 8 p.m., we encamped under the lee of a hicdi rock, partially clad with shrubs and moss, in which the musk oxen and deer had tramped deep tracks. It was opposite to a solitary bank of sand, that formed the western entrance to a small river apparently a favourite resort of geese, which, having frequented it in numberless flocks (luring the moulting season, had left thousands of the finest quills strewed on the sand. Carts might have been laden with them. The morning of the 27th was cloudy and cold ; the thermometer being 40' with a south- west wind. We were on the water by 4. A.-vi., and were gratified to find that the river maintained the same direction, with a breadth varying from three quarters of a mile to a mile, and with a jjorder of granitic mountains on each side. A rapid that was p^ .^sed caused it to deviate a little to the westward; and, on the right bank of a second one, more intricate than r> E G 372 Tin: TRAP lOUMATlON. the first, we observed tlic marks and tiaccs of three circular encampments, tlic inner })orti()iis of which were divided into sections, as if for tlie convenience of difllerent occupants. Near this, the rocks became steeper, if possible more barren, and distin<^uished from tiiose farther soutli by their precipitous sides and chfls facing to the west and north-west. In the afternoon, the stream took a wide sweep ; and at a bay to the westward, half screened by huge rocks, it received anotlicr large tributary, which I named after Lieutenant- Gcneral Sir Thomas Montresor. It was here that the trap formation first exhibited itself, rising ridge over ridge, like a range of long flat stops, with bare and rounded sides, sometimes termi- nating precipitously. Many dipped into the water in a line with a few sandy islands, which sprung, like sugar loaves, from the bosom of tlie stream, and the yellow surfaces of which had an appearance of forced and unnatural gaiet), amidst the gloom of that dark and desolate scenery. The swollen river now rolled on in sullen and deathlike silence, long undisturbed by any thing louder than an occasional bubbling caused by the unevenness of the bottom. But the shores got nearer and nearer, and, for a space, it was quite uncertain in what quarter we should go. M'KAY .S PEAK. S73 There was a rocky liill, so remarkably formed as to have attracted the attention of all of us for some time. The base, which vas equal i>i height to the surrounding mountains, was one enormous mass of round grey rock, surmounted by a large cone of the same substance, which so exactly resembled in outline the crater of a volcano, and was withal so black, that it required no straining of the imagination to conceive it one. At a distance it was taken for an island ; but as we advanced, we found it to be a part of the eastern shore, and were soon made aware that the contracted outlet of the river lay at its foot. On our landing, the steersman volunteered to ascend it, to get, as he termed it, " a good look at the river;" and in consequence we christened it McKay's Peak. From its giddy height the rapid looked as even and smooth as oil ; and in that supposition, having taken the i)recaution to lighten the boat forward, we pushed off; and the next minute were in it. I think I shall never for- get the moment of the first descent down what cannot be more fitly described than as a steep hill. There was not, it is true, a single break in the smoothness of the surface j but with such wild swiftness were we borne along, that it required our extremest efforts, the very tug of life, to keep the boat clear of the gigantic waves below: and we succeeded at last only to be B B 3 37 1< A SPACIOUS LAKE. tossed about in the Charybdis of its almost irresistible whirlpools. Having got out of this trouble, nothing loth, we breat^^.ed more freely again in the wide stream, which now carried us gently forward. Craggy rocks, as before, bordered each side, the western being the more open of the two, with undulating prairies. At the end of six miles, a sandy bluft' from the left seemed to bar the nver ; but, on drawing closer, it proved, as expected, the begin- ning of another rapid ; whicli, however, was more civil than the last, and allowed us to pass with a few good-humoured buffetings to make us free of its waters. When we had fairly entered the mountainous country, and the river had taken a decided turn to the northward, I certainly did not contemplate any other interruption than rapids or falls ; my astonishment will therefore be understood, when, from the foot ^i' the rapids, we emerged into the expanse of a spacious lake, bounded only by the horizon, and stretching away in a direction about N.N.W. For a while the current was felt, and guided us on ; but soon the old difficulty was experienced, and we had again to grope our way towards the river as we might. A cold liead-wind with rain did not aid this operation ; nnd as the evening was already far advanced, we encamped, — after which divine service was read OPEN INTO A BAY. 875 in tlie tent. I liad already been to the summit of a tolerably high hill, but could not descry any land : tiiere was, however, much ice in a N.N.W. bearing; and the space between the western shore and us, whicli might be from five to six miles, was quickly filling up by the drifting masses from the main body. It was, therefore, an important consideration to push on as fast as possible, and secure the passage that was still left ; but whether in eflfecting this the right or the left side should be preferred, was a question that I had some difficulty in solving. The general direction of the last two days would have inclined me to lean to the western shore ; but de])ending on the marks, w^hich were now seen on every height, I chose the other ; and starting at 4 a. m., July 2S., with a chilly north- west wind, and the thermometer at 3S°, we made for an island right ahead, and bearing N.N.E. A short breaking sea and the ice together considerably impeded our progress; but on reach- ing the island, wc oj)ened upon a bay, into which I pulled, with the double j)urposc of finding the river if it were there, or of crcej)ing under a wea- ther shore if it vveie not ', and after a course of about three miles to an island, which formed a strait with the mainland, we had the satisfaction to find that the current was running with us to the eastward. Leaving the lake, therefore, which, as D 13 I- 87<> EXTRICATION a slight token of my sincere regard, I called after my friend Captain Sir John Franklin, whose name will always be associated with this portion of America, we followed the stream, which, as usLial, soon broke into a rapid : this was safely passed; bnt the next, close to it, demanded more caution ; for, from its breadth, which was not less tiian three quarters of a mile, and the white spray which was rising at the vanishing- line, it was clearly not to be ventured on with- out a preliminary examination. And fortunate it was that the precaution was taken ; for there \vas a rapidly inclined descent of twenty feet, divided at the up})er end by two islands, and at the lower end by one, thickly spread with perpendicular slabs set up as marks, three or four feet high, and many even more. The entire space of the rapid was shoal, and encumbered with stones, which threw up a continuous sheet of foam ; but an inner channel along the western bank admitted of the boat's being lowered down quite light with ropes and poles as far as the lower island. Here, however, there was an awkward fall, which it was impossible to lower tlown, — neither was the ground practicable for a launch. The only method, therefore, which remained for extricating her from her present situation, however dangerous the attempt, was to plunge into the breakers outside the island. FIlOxM A PERILOUS POSITION. 377 Prudence, and a proper regard for the safety of my compap'ons, made me hesitate at thi's trying juncture; but at length, placing a just reliance on Providence, and encouraged hy the manifest- ation of that ardour which rendered the men superior to danger, I ordered tlie movement to be made, directing those who —^re to execute it to keep near the outer bank of the island, and if possible to land and lower down. In a frw seconds they were out of sight ; and anxiously, witii Mr. King, I took my station on a hill tiiat commanded the foot of the rapid, as well as the point round wh.ich they were to come. Treble the time elapsed that was requisite to bring them within sight, and still they did not appear. I scoured the river with the telescope, yet saw notiiing but water and rock. In vain we strained our sight, in vain listened for a voice ; nothing was heard or seen but the torrent, which raued and rolled on heedless of ouj- anxiety. At this painful crisis, when apprehension was beginning to prevail over hope, the boat suddenly appeared, seeming to cut her way through the solid land of the lower part of the island, where, as we after- wards learned, there was a very narrow and shoal channel, entirely concealed from us, through which the men had cautiously lifted her. The trouble attending this proceeding had caused the delay which had alarmed usj nor was it until noon 37^"> SLUGGISHNESS OF THE COMl'ASS KEEDLKS. that tlie arrangements were again completed for resuming the journey. I may take occasion to remark here, that ever since leaving Rock Rapid, the compass needles had been getting daily more sluggish ; and at this place, where there "were many rocks in si/u, or lying in fragments on the mossy soil, though I could not find that these directly aflected them, they would hardly traverse at all when at rest ; and mine frequently remained wherever it was placed, without evincing the slightest tendency to recover its ])olarity. How- ever, the constant jerking motion of pulling did so far move them about as to enable me to uct the courses with some approach to exactness, though certainly not so as to be depended upon without the assistance of the chronometers. A fine open reach ahead at first held out the prospect of repaying us for losl time ; but, at the end of three miles, the river became agai?i pent in by almost meeting rocks of con- siderable altitude, the summits of which were crowned with the usual n})right marks, still more numerous even than before. The disap- pearance of the surface line of water, ami successive jets of mist thrown up against the grey rocks, gave unequivocal tokens of a fall ; and, while examining the rapid that led to it, we perceived that, besides the marks on the H o\v. were still ^K, \ ^^^^ ^ II V ]; ii a V fi 8 y a t( e a r; ai ^v li ESQUIMAUX. 879 eastern hill, there were many active and bust- ling figures, either pressing in a close group or running about from place to place, in manifest confusion. These were the Esquimaux, of whom we had so long and ardently wished to get a sight. Some called out to us, and others made signs, warning us, as we thought, to avoid the fall, and cross over to their side of the water : but v;hen our intention of doino; so Aas apparent, the men ran towai'ds us, brand- ishing their spears, uttering loud yells, and, with wild gesticulations, motioning to us not to land. For all this I was quite prepared, know- ing the alarm which they must naturally feel at beholding strangers issuing from a quarter whence hitherto the scourge of merciless war- fare only had visited their tribes. As the boat grounded they formed into a semicircle, about twenty-five paces distant ; and with the same yelling of some unintelligible word, and the alternate elevation and depression of both ex- tended arms, apparently continued in the high- est state of excitement : until, landing alone, and without visible weapon, I walked delibe- rately up to them, and, imitating their own action of throwing up my hands, called out Tima, — peace. In an instant their spears were flung upon the ground; and, putting their hands on their breasts, they also called out .380 ESQUIMAUX. Tima, with miicli more doubtless greatly to the purpose, but to me of course utterly uniii- telligible. However, I interpreted it into I'rieiul- ship J and, on that supposition, I endeavoured to make them comprehend that we were not In- dians, but Kabloonds — Europeans — come to benefit not to injure them ; and as they did not, like their neighbours to the north, go through the ceremony of rubbing noses by way of sa- lutation, I ado})ted the John Bull fashion of shaking each of them heartily by the hand. Then patting their breasts, according to their own manner, I conveyed to them, as well as I could, that the white men and the Esquimaux were very good friends. All this seemed to give great satisfaction, which was certainly not diminisiied by a ])re- sent to each of two new shining buttons. These, some fish-hooks, and other trifles of a like kind, were the only articles which I IkuI brought for this purpose, being strongly o})- posed to the customary donation of knives, hatchets, and other sharp instruments, wiiich may be so easily turned to use against the party presenting them. They expressed much asto- nishment at seeing me constantly refer to a small vocabulary with which jNIr. Lewis, of the Com- pany's service, had been kind enough to provide me ; and were waggish enough to laugh at my patchwork discourse of mispronounced and VISIT TO TIIKIH TENTS. 381 misapplied words, and scarcely more intelligible signs. Whilst we were thus engaged, some old men, half blind, came tottering up with their spears, accom])anied by two equally old women, carrying short and rudely fashioned iron knives, which, like the sword of the redoubted Hudi- bras, would do to toast or strike withal ; but, perceiving the uplifted hands of their friends, the men threw their spears on the ground. ('onceiving that I had now in some degree gained their confidence, though not so entirely but that each held the knife or stiletto-shaped horn grasped in his hand by way of precaution, I sup})ose, against treachery, I directed IVPKay and Sinclair to go and examine the fall, with a view to run it, if possible, and so avoid the making a portage, fearing lest the sight of our baggage might tempt the natives to steal, and so j)iovoke a rupture. They understood at once what we were about ; so, to draw ofi' their attention, I went with them to their tents, which were three in number, one single and two joined together, constructed in the usual manner with j)oles and skins. On our arrival, I was struck with the sight of a sort of circum- vallation of piled stones, precisely similar to those which we had passed, and arranged, as I conjectured, to serve for shields against the missiles of their enemies ; as, besides the bow. 382 F-SQUIMAUX. arrow, and spear, tliesc people make a most effective use of tlie sling. Many dogs, of an inferior size, were basking in the sunshine, and tliousands of fish lay all around split, and ex- posed to dry on the rocks, the roes aj)pearini!^ to be particularly prized. These, which were white fish and small trout, had been caught in the eddy below the fall, and kept alive in pools constructed for the purpose. The women and children, about a dozen in number, came out of the tents to see me ; and the men pointed out their own helpmates and offspring with apparent fondness. Beads were soon distributed to both the women and children, and in return they gave me some trifles of their own rude manufacture. By this time tlie steersman reported the imprac- ticability of getting down the fall, owing to a dan- gerous rock near the centre ; and was instructed, in consequence, to have the baggage carried over the portage, in such a manner that one j)erson should always be with the depot, while ]\Ir. King, who had general directions never to lose siglit of the boat, would superintend the whole. While the crew were thus occupied, I took upon me the part of amusing the Esquimaux, by sketching their likenesses and writing down their nan.js. This gratified them exceedingly; but their merriment knew no bounds when I attempted, what was really no easy task, to ES(iUIMAUX. 383 pronounce wliat I had written. Tiiere niiglit have been about thirty-five altogether ; and, as far as I could make out, they had never seen " Kabloonds " before. They liad a cast of countenance superior to that of such of their nation as I had hitherto seen, indicating less of low cunning tluui is generally stamped on their features ; though, in most other respects, sufficiently resembling them. The men were of the averaijre stature, well knit, and athletic. They were not tattooed, neither did their vanity incommode them with the lip and nose orna- ments of those farther west ; but, had they been disciples of the ancient fathers, who con- sidered " the practice of shaving as a lie against our own faces," they could not have nurtured a more luxuriant growth of beard, or cultivated more flowing mustachoes. In the former they yielded the palm only to that of Master George Killingworth, "which was not only thick, broad, and yellow-coloured, but in length five feet and two inches of assize."* The w^omen were much tattooed about the face and the middle and fourth fingers. The only lady whose portrait was sketched was so flattered at being selected for the distinction, that in her fear lest I should not sufficiently see * Barrow's Cliron. Hist, of Voyages, c. llakluyt. (J81< I'OUTKAIT or AM KSCiUIMAUX WOMAN'. every grace of lier good-tempered coiiiitenaiice, she intently watched my eye ; and, accordini;' to lier notion of the part I was pencilling, ])rotruck'ii it, or tnrned it so as to leave me no excuse for not delineating it in the full proportion of its beauty. Thus, seeing me look at her head, she immedi- ately bent it down ; stared portentously when I sketched her eyes ; pufied out lier cheeks wiien their turn arrived ; and, finally, perceiving tliat 1 was touchin'T in the mouth, opened it to tiie full extent of iier jaws, and thrust out the whole length of her toni^ue. She had six tattooed lines drawn obliquely from the nostrils across each cheek ; eighteen from her mouth across her chin and the lower part of the face ; ten small ones, branching like a larch tree from the corner of each eye ; and eight from the forehead to the centre of the nose between the eyebrows, liiit what was most remarkable in her appearance was the oblique position of the eyes ; the inner portion of which was considerably depressed, Avhilst the other was proportionately elevated. The nostrils were a good deal expanded, and the mouth large. Her hair was jet black, and simj)ly parted in front into two large curls, or rather festoons, which were secured in their places by a fillet of white deer skin twined roun whilst the remainder hung; loose behind d the head, tl le ears, or flowed not ungracefully over her neck and I A .v. UMiaijcc, )iclini;' to I'otriuk'd e for not beauty, inimcdi- when I ^^S W I lull n;• ia n- 'I'tiit* ])vUi T Vv •)■ > •' ; and; .'rconi; J 1* -■) ;3^ ' u iivv nu iji) i'xcu5 I } '_'■ , )■ t^; ' ;.J piopo, tion of its b?';t! i. MOi n<' r'M.ii K'-<'Clvij; f':c»;iri!, opiMied ! t f.' '5 ''■■ USf, out li! ■ t. M • I > 0 c\ ;'''■ n 'v;;'> *.' M i iKf eves ; li ;.(f>i ''.'itclv .'*!i I • . i» > 1. • ir is. i rcMid i m. iH:i\i id t* iiti- I ' 1 U » I :J I KM' |-: v»" n\\ U-.i. Ml n";ii, w < ESQUIMAUX, 385 shoulders. She was the most conspicuous, though they were all of the same family : they were singularly clean in their persons and gar- ments ; and, notwithstanding the linear embel- lishments of their faces, in whose mysterious figures a mathematician might perhaps have found something to solve or perplex, they pos- sessed a sprightliness which gave them favour in the eyes of my crew, who declared "they were a set of bonnie-looking creatures." There was no other peculiarity to distinguish the tribe from those pourtrayed by Parry and Frankhn ; except in one wild-looking man, who having on a pair of musk-ox skin breeches, with all the honours of the shaggy mane outside, reminded me strongly of the fabled satyrs of the olden time. But he was a character even among Esquimaux. They had only five keiyaks or canoes ; and the few implements they possessed were merely such as were indispensable for the procuring of food; viz. knives, spears, and arrows. The blades of the first and the heads of the last were sometimes horn, but oftener rough iron, and had probably been obtained by barter from their eastern neigh- bours ; a conjecture to which I am inclined to attach the more weight from the fact that the models of some of their little presents resembled c c 386 ESQUIMAUX INFORMATION AS TO THE COAST. the Indian daggers disposed of at the Company's posts throughout the country. They knew nothing of any ship having hecii in Regent's Inlet j but after 1 had sketched tlie river near them, one of the most inteUigeiit took the pencil, and at my request drew the coast line from its mouth, which, he said, we would reach on the following day ; and after prolonging it thence a little to the northward, made an extraordinary bend to the southward. On my asking if it were indeed so far south, he took me to the highest rock, from which a range of distant mountains was visible to the east J and first extending his arm towards the sea, nearly north, he drew his body backward m a curved attitude, projecting his hand so as to inti- pate the trending of the land in that direction. Continuing then to make a curve with his hand from west to east, he turned slowly round, repeating very quick, " Tarreoke, tarreoke," — the sea, tlie sea ; and having got to a bearing about E. S. E., he suddenly stopped, accompanying the action with the observation of "Tarreoke naga," &c. ; importing that in that direction there was no sea, but plenty of musk oxen. He was also ac- quainted with Akkoolee, which my readers will perhaps recollect as having been named to JSir E. Parry by tlie Esquimaux in Hecia and Fury Strait, and intimated by a repetition of the same DIFFICULTY OF C03IMUNICATING WITH THEM. 387 movement that his tribe took that course to go thither. From this action, perfectly in keeping with the outHne he had drawn, it was natural to infer the jutting out of some })romontory, from which the shore took a complete turn south of our position ; an intimation which, far from ex- citing surprise, jnly strengthened the opinion which, in common with many others conversant with the subject, I had always entertained of a continuous coast line, probably indented with bays, between Point Turnagain and some part of llegent's Inlet. Had it been the will of Provi- dence that poor Augustus should have been with me, this and numberless other uncertainties would have been definitively set at rest; but where there is no common language for tiie inter- change of ideas, all conclusions must at best be uncertain ; and few men have so much mastery over themselves as not to lean almost unconsci- ously towards a preconceived opinion. Inde- pendently of the difficulty of catching the mean- ing of their quickly uttered sentences, of which the sounds escaped the memory, I was further unfortunate in the dissimilarity of my vocabulary (taken from Sir E. Parry's works) to their dialect ; tiiough this, perhaps, was not greater than might be found in the same distance any where else, as for example between London and some parts of Lancashire, the respective aboriginals of which c c '2 388 FRIENDLINESS OF THE ESQUIMAUX. would be not a little puzzled to find out each other's meaning. However, as regarded the Esquimaux, there could be no mistaking the word '* tarreoke," — the expressive action, — or the delineation, which latter I have preserved. Information was now brought me that tlie crew were quite unequal to the task of convey- ing the boat over the portage, even by launch- ing, our last resource. So, like a prudent general, I at once changed my tactics ; and, taking ad- vantage of the good-humour of our new acquaint- ances, requested them to give us a helping hand. The request was cheerfully complied with, and, with their assistance, we succeeded in carry- ing the boat below the fall ; so that, in reality, I was indebted to them for getting to the sea at all. Altogether, indeed, whether owing to their natural inoftensiveness or to the fewness of their numbers, they were good-natured and friendly. They seemed, moreover, to have some notion of the rights of property ; for one of them having picked up a small piece of pemmican, repeatedly asked my permission before he would eat it. It was late when we got away, and then the breadth and deep bays of the river so puzzled us that we went astray. Having at last, with much trouble, regained the current, we were carried to some mountains on the western shore, where FIRST VIEW OF THE COAST. 389 we encamped, and appointed a watch for the night. By 4 A. M., July 20th, we were afloat ; but the weather was cloudy and cold, with a northerly breeze, and the thermometer at 4U°. At sun- rise a fog began to spread, and soon became so dense that we found ourselves in the midst of several rapids before we were in the least aware of their presence ; and subsequently the breeze freshened, and the fog increased so much, that, unable to see distinctly, we were obliged to lie by until it should clear. In the meantime the sun occasionally broke through the clouds, and enabled me to obtain observations, the results of which were, latitude 67° 7' 3V N., longitude 9i° 39' 4^5'' W. ; and the variation by the sun*s bearing with Rater's compass, the one commonly used, 8° 30' W. * The afternoon permitted us to proceed ; and it was while threading our way between some sand-banks, with a strong current, that we first caught sight of a majestic headland in the extreme distance to the north, which had a coast-like appearance. This important promontory was subsequently honoured by receiving the name of Her Royal Highness the Princess Victoria. The sand-banks also now became broken into cliflfs. * See Appendix. C C 3 390 MOUTH OF THE THLEW-EE-CIIOII. 'which, dvvindhng away on the eastern side to a vanishing point, subsided on the western into low flats, tlic level of which was just broken by half a dozen sandy knolls sparingly tipped with a few blades of dry grass. The banks on this side were cut by several channels leading to tiie left, but shallow, and not navigable. The country on both sides was swampy, and gradually sloped upwards to the distant mountains. This then may be considered as the mouth of theThlew-ee-choh, which, after a violent and tor- tuous course of five hundred and thirty geogra- phical miles, running through an iron-ribbed coun- try without a single tree on the whole line of its banks, expanding into fine large lakes with clear horizons, most embarrassing to the navigator, and broken into falls, cascades, and rapids, to the number of no less than eighty-three in the whole, pours its waters into the Polar Sea in latitude 67° 11'00"N., and longitude 94° 30' 0'' W. ; that is to say, about thirty-seven miles more south than tlie mouth of the Copper Mine River, and nineteen miles more south than that of IJack's River at the lower extremity of Bathurst's Inlet. The rush of the current, opposed by a fresh breeze, and possibly by the tide, raised such high and breaking waves as we put out with an intention of gaining the headland, that the laden boat was unable to resist them, and shij)ped a rfi;ki'?* « ^ ICE TO THE WESTWARD. 391 great deal of water. It became therefore not only prudent but necessary to pull into a bay, which in the map is distini^uished as Cockburn's J3ay, being so named in compliment to the first Chairman of the Arctic Committee, Vice-Ad- miral Sir George Cockburn, to whose valuable exertions in organising the expedition I have already borne testimony. From the sunnnit of an adjacent rock we could discern large quanti- ties of ice to the westward, aj)parently close to the shore, which in that direction extended from twelve to fifteen miles ; but the view beiuLT in- tcrrupted by the jutting out of the headland, its flu'ther direction could not be ascertained. It must have been high water when we landed, which was at 7 p. m. of the day after the last quarter of the moon ; for at about an hour past midnight, the boat, which had been left afloat in a snugly sheltered place, was found high and dry on the beach. A fresh breeze with squalls having con- tinued through the night, it was not practicable to move until 10 a. m. ; and this detention gave me an opportunity of getting sights which placed us in latitude 67° 20' 31'' N., and longitude 91° 28' 14" W. : on this occasion the compass was placed upon the sandy beach, about a quarter of a mile from the nearest rocks, and agreed with two others held in the hand. The appearance of so much ice to the west- c c 1 392 rOINT BACKHOUSE. ward determined me to keep along the high shore where we were ; and liaving rounded Victoria Headland, we passed a picturesque waterfall tumbling from the rocks above, and came to a high craggy point, which I nameil after my friend John Backhouse, Esquire, the able and excellent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. Near this was a tolerably large island, and some others were seen more to the westward. The weather was fine and calm, the tide ebbing; and some seals that quietly gazed at our invasioji of their domain afforded amuse- ment to the men, as they sunk and rose again without causing even a ripple that cor' be dis- cerned. The shores were now becom...^ ^artlier apart ; and as I wished, if possible, to coast on the other side, in order that advantage might be taken of any favourable openings for the passage to Point Turnagain, which, under ordinary cir- cumstances, we had plenty of time to reach, I landed at a mountain, and traced a line of ice from a bay on the western shore to a point di- rectly opposite, which has been called after Rear-Admiral Gage. The haze of the atmo- sphere, however, prevented the distance from being clearly defined ; but it was at all events cheering to behold clear water as far as the eye could penetrate ; and though it was of IRBY AND mangles' BAY. 303 course not desirable to get hampered with tlie western ice, yet I determined to keep it in sight until we shoidd be able to effect a crossing to the main shore beyond it. Some small islands were seen to our left, after which we opened a spacious bay five or six miles deep, and \ery broad (called after Captains Irby and Mangles, the Eastern tra- vellers), which it took us between three and four hours to traverse. At this time there was every reason to anticipate a prosperous issue of our voyage westward within ten days, even though less distances should be made than during the last ten hours ; but as we neared a projecting barren rock, about eight hundred feet high, form- ing the northern point of the bay (and which has been designated Point Beaufort, after the present distinguished hydrographer of the navy), drift ice came round it so suspiciously quick, that we found it prudent to land for the purpose of se- curing the boat from damage by hauling her on the shelving part, where alone it was possible. Eagerly did I clamber up the slippery sides, in the hope of beholding from the height a free and open sea ; but the first glance as I topped the crest was sufficient to chill that hope, and a careful inspection with the telescope produced the unwelcome conviction that our future progress must be worked out by slow and laborious efforts. From the horizon to within two miles of where 391^ REFLECTIONS. I stood glared one solid body of drift ice, con- necting both shores. The shore to the westward was, for a Hkc reason, unapproachable ; and though a stroiii^ southerly gale might disperse the entu-c mass, yet there was no predicting when that would happen, whilst it was certain that a very few days of delay would inevitably be fatal to our object. It was, indeed, a mortifying consider- ation, that after surmounting so many toils and perils on 'hat long and difficult river, we might be thus checked at the very place where, from past experience of the sea to the westward, I least expected such a disaster ; and I could scarcely help entertaining some apprehension, that we mi'jiht be at the southern extremity of a deep inlet, from which a change of wind alone could release us. Doubly, therefore, was I grateful that the primary object of the service had been provi- dentially anticipated. Had it been otherwise, the delay thus occasioned would have been still more mortifying. July 31st. — A fresh breeze from the south- ward sprung up about midnight ; yet a tliin crust of ice was formed on the pools of water about the rocks. At daylight, tlie main body of the ice was found to be closely packed against the western shore, which extended OUR PROGRESS ARRESTED. 39S fifteen or twenty miles abreast of us, and thence bent into a deep bay, trending afterwards to the northward until it bore N. by W. and blended with the icy horizon. The wind had so far acted as to drive the whole mass near a quarter of a mile away from the eastern shore, leaving thereby a clear passage for a length of fourteen miles in a N.E. direction. Beyond this we could not define any land, except a blue bluff, whose base was white with refracted ice, and which bore still farther to the right. It was evident, therefore, that we were «: the narrowest part of the open- ing, where it would be most convenient to cross ; it\ indeed, this were not the only place in which we could safely do so, in an undecked boat, al- ready damaged from the shocks she had received in the falls and rapids ; and, however anxious, as it may well be supposed I was, to achieve as much as possible, I could not but be sensible tiiat to have pursued the lane to the eastward, and, according to the Esquimaux's outline, rounded the bluff to the southward, would only liuvc been to depart more widely fiom our course, and to retrograde instead of advancing. Nor was this all : to have taken that course, amidst the obstacles which surrounded us, might per- liaps have involved us in j)erilous if not in inex- tricable difficulties ; for the westerly gales, which on these shores not unfrequently commence 306 OBSERVATIONS. early in the season, might pack the drift ice to the eastward, so as to render our return in tlie boat utterly impossible. We had therefore nothing for it but to yield to necessity, and wait submissively until nature should remove the barrier which she had placed. About 3 P.M. it was low water, that is, an ebb of about eight inches was observable on the shin- gle, and the taste of the water at that time was brackish and bad. We had reason to know this from the carelessness of my servant, who having been accustomed to fill his kettles for cooking at the river and lakes, thoughtlessly did the same thing here, and consequently spoiled the tea. To beguile the tediousness of the de- tention, I made a regular set of observations, which were very interesting, more especially as regarded Hansteen's needle. It was exceed- ingly difficult to adjust, but remained perfectly in after the set was finished. Its vibrations were even and regular, but very slow ; the interval between each having increased to three minutes and Jive seconds. On the contrary, Dollond's dipping needle. No. 2., moved more freely than I remembered to have seen it. The latitude was 07° 4r 24" N., longitude 95" 2' 16'' W., variation 6° 0' W. j thermometer 72° in the tent. August 1st. — The only perceptible difTerence LAND IN / .^^Y. 397 in the ice this morning was, that it had closed a little to the east : no opening was seen by whi'^h a passage could be made to the other side, until about 10 A.M., when I fancied that with the telescope I could make out a small lane bearin«T- N. W. The boat was immodiately launched; and with sails and oars together we effected our purpose in three hours and a half, having passed on our way an island, to which has been given the name of my companion Mr. King. We landed in a small bay, as we supposed on the main, not far from some old Esquimaux en- campments, indicated by four wells or shafts for the preservation of their meat. A party was immediately despatched to examine the state of the ice in a bay to the westward, while I walked along the rocks to another point with the same view ; but the result of our examinations only confirmed our worst fears, the ice being closely packed as far as the eye could reach. However, this also was drift ice, so that all hope was not shut out, as a westerly wind might and probably would clear a channel inshore; but as there was no immediate prospect of this, the breeze being from the N. E., we unloaded, and hauled the boat upon the beach to save her from being crushed by the pressure of the ice. The dis- tance travelled this day was about twelve miles from shore to shore, and this may be considered 398 OBSERVATIONS. as the narrowest part of the mouth of'tlie estuary. Tiie coast here was mucli lower and slielvinu: than tlie precipitous and bokl one we had left; but we observed the same naked and round- backed rocks as at Point Beaufort ; differing, liowever, in colour, the latter bein|^ composed almost entirely of a light flesh-tinted felspar and splintery quartz, whilst these consisted wholly of a dark grey felspar with minute granular (piartz, and perhaps hornblende. Among the debris on the beach, it was not a little surprising to find fragments of limestone, though no rocks of that formation had yet been passed. The following day brought no change for the better ; for the north-east wind had packed the ice still closer to the shore. As it was therefore impossible to move, I took the oj)portunity of making some further observations on the dip and magnetic intensity, which latter showed a less interval ; an anomaly ascribable perhaps to the difference of situation, as in this instance the stand was placed on a sandy beach, removed sixty or seventy yards from the nearest rocks, whereas on the former it stood on the very base of the rock where we were encamped. It is necessary to remark, however, that the smallest piece of iron deranged the needles, especially llansteen's ; and I have reason to believe that even my brace-buckles caused a material differ- N MONTREAL ISLAND. 399 dice. Towards night some men, wlio had been despatched to the westward, reported that we were not on tlie main shore, but on a large island adjoining to it ; a discovery which they had ac- cidentally made by following two deer until they swam across the narrow channel of separation. Upon this I called the place Montreal Island, in commemoration of the attention we had re- ceived from the public-spirited and hospitable inhabitants of that city; and as well from the ex- istence of an inner passage, as from my own ob- servation of the ice, I began again to entertain a hope that a south-west gale would clear a way for us, though in the direction towards which we were bound there was at present one compact mass before us to the horizon. A tide-pole wliich we set up showed a rise of twelve inches ; the highest being at 11" 40™ a.m., and the lowest at 7" 20™ r.M. There may, however, in this be an error of a few minutes, and it is not impro- bable that the irregularity may have been aug- mented by the vast floating bodies of ice and other accidental causes. August 3d. — Parties were sent out in dif- ferent directions to see if there was any possibi- lity of creeping alongshore among the grounded pieces, but they were all so close that the at- tempt would have been useless. Indeed, under the most favourable circumstances we could only 400 ICE BROKEN UP. have reached a stony point half* a mile distant, against which the ice was thrown up in heaps. The main body was still unbroken, and appa- rently unaltered, except to the eastward, wiiere an E.S.E. wind had opened a partial lane, of which the termination, however, could be easily traced. Our evening was spent in the perform- ance of divine service. The night set in with a gale from S. S. E., ac- companied by heavy rain, two powerful auxilia- ries in our cause ; and most agreeable was it to find in the morning that they had done good service, having crushed and heaped a great deal of ice on the beach. With the continuance of the gale the sea rose, and obliged us to move the boat and baggage farther inland ; but this was done cheerfully, for there was comfort in watching the havoc made by the rolling surf. Already it had reduced a barrier of three hun- dred feet, which effectually blocked up the communication, to a breadth of not more than twenty feet ; and this also was destroyed a little after high water at 1" p.m.* My anxiety forbade me to rest, and I went to the most northerly part of the island, about three miles off, where, taking a station on a rock about two hundred and fifty feet high, near some marks of the Esquimaux, 1 perceived a consider- * New moon. A MUSK-OX KILLED. 401 able alteration in the position of the ice within the last twenty-four hours. It still adhered to both shores, from N. W. by W.. to N. E. | E., the former ridges unfortunately being nearly abreast of our encampment. These were the extremes ; but the main and central portion had opened in the shape of the IccterV, to the width of from ten to twelve miles to the northward and westward; thus encouraging the expectation that it would yet be forced out as soon as the effect was felt to seaward. To divert the attention of the men, who, hav- ing nothing to do, remembered that they would have to ascend the numerous falls and rapids they had come down, and began to magnify the difficulty, and even to talk of the im- practicability of the task, I sent them all after a musk-ox, which I had by chance discovered feeding under the lee of some high rocks, and which was eventually killed. It was a young cow ; and, being devoid of the disagreeable flavour of the older animals, afifbrded us two luxurious meals. Mr. King siiot a red-breasted phalarope, only two of which kind had before been found in a swamp near the Rock Rapid. The island, indeed, was literally covered with plover, black-breasted and brown phalaropes, and a sort of large brown duck with plumage not unlike that of the hen pheasant. These last were D D 4.02 BIRDS ON THE ISLAND. divers, and were at that time busied in tending their young broods, which they defended with great courage against the attacks of a half- terrier dog that swam after them for some time, but was at last fairly beaten oiF. The birds here men- tioned, with black and white snow-birds, boat- swains, gulls, tern, brown cranes, and loons or northern divers, were the only birds which we saw. The temperature of a duck just killed was 108°, and that of the ground, which was gravelly and frozen at twenty two inches below the surface, 37°- August 5th. — The weather was gloomy, with continued rain ; and the gale kept up a heavy surf, which threw several pieces of sea-weed on the beach. I returned to my station on the hill, and was something cheered by seeing a larger space of open water than before, though tiic same white line of ice extended across the ho- rizon from shore to shore at a part where the distance was estimated at five-and-twenty or thirty miles. But the beneficial effect of the wind was more clearly shown in the channel between Montreal Island and the main, which was now perfectly free ; and I waited only for the first moderating of the weather to take advan- tage of it, as every mile, under circumstances like ours, was an acquisition of no trifling im- portance. The moss and a sort of fern that we PKOGRESS WESTWARD OF THE ISLAND. 4()iJ used for firing had become so saturated with the rain that they would not ignite, and we had consequently to forego our greatest comfort, tiie luxury of a warm cup of tea. Pemmican and water, however, served our turn tolerably well, tliough the least indisjjosed to that useful com- pound had long been satiated, and were now content with half the usual allowance. At 10 P.M. there was less wind, and the swell had rather abated ; and although from the aspect of tlie clouds there was reason to expect a renewal' of the gale rather than a calm, it was an occasion not to be lost, and the boat was launched. We pulled round the south-west part of the island, the northern being encumbered with rocks and shoals, which in the event of a sudden squall would have proved troublesome, and even dan- gerous. The tide was flowing, and therefore against us ; and a dense wet fog coming on soon afterwards from the southward, enveloped us at once in cold and darkness. Having passed an extensive opening, which was taken for a bay, and received the name of the Honourable Captain Elliot of the Admiralty, sail was made on the boat ; and by midnight we were opposite our old encampment. At that time not a ])article of ice was visible ahead, and the men, encouraged by so unexpected a sight, put out their utmost strength at the oars to gain a blue streak of land n D *2 404 M«>KAY, ETC. DESPATCHED far away to the north ; but one and all must have been under some optical illusion, for in a quarter of an hour (such is the uncertainty of all human calculations) we were entangled in drift ice, which but too evidently was the ad- vanced guard of the main body. Several at- tempts were made to land, but were rendered abortive by the shoalness of the water ; and it was not until 2" 30™ a.m. that, after working with much trouble and no little risk to the boat between the thick drifting ice, we at length suc- ceeded. The boat was then unloaded, and hauled up above high- water mark. The weather was at this time calm, but gloomy and unsettled; and heavy rain soon followed. Having refreshed the men with a glass of grog, I appointed M^Kay, Sinclair, and Taylor, who were the best walkers, to proceed on foot along the coast as far as they could, leaving it to their discretion whether to absent themselves for a longer time than twenty-four hours, according to the probability that might exist of our getting forward. Besides noticing the state of the ice, they were desired to examine carefully the nature and trending of the western land, on their report of which depended the execution of a plan which had been for some time in contemplation, as a last resource in the event of our progress being shortly arrested. ALONG THE COAST ON FOOT. 405 As the clay advanced, the rain fell in torrents, and of course prevented the fern from burning ; but a more grievous spectacle was the dull white ice drifting again to the southward in mehncholy succession towards the channel through which we had passed ; and, by the occasional gleams of light which broke through the rain-charged at- mosphere, we had the mortification to behold the narrow line of water on which our hopes de- pended gradually transformed into a compact and solid field of ice. The eastern shore was but once distinguishable ; and scarcely more so a point much nearer to us, which has been called after the Honourable Captain Dun'^an, with whom my former friend and companion, the lamented Mr. Hood, had served in his Majesty's ship Liffey. Late at night the exploring party returned, fagged and depressed. They described the land as being low, and so swampy that at each step they sank to the calf of the leg, and were only prevented from going deeper by the frozen earth and ice, which at that depth sustained them. The day had been untiwourable for a distant view; but from a low point fifteen miles off, the coast was observed to trend westerly towards some high blue lands like mountains, where there was an appearance of open water ; but whether of the sea, or of an inland lake, the atmosphere was too hazy to enable them to D D J 406 FL'RTIIKR rUOGRESS. determine. At the point they had counted from thirty co forty old Esquimaux encampments, and many otiiers were seen a little farther off; from whence it may be inferred that the natives re- sort to this place in the winter for the purpose of catching seals. One glimpse only had been caught of the eastern coast, and that showed it set fiist with ice, which was said to be jam- med also against the western beach the whole way of their march. TInee deer had been shot, but could not be cooked for want of dry fuel. August 7tli. — After a heavy fall of rain, the sun broke out, and a fresh S. S. E. wind drove the dark masses of cloud back to their dreary quarters in the north. In a little while, also, it eflfected a separation of the pieces, and a con- sequent general movement in the ice, which now opening a little, gave me reason to hope that we might be able to break ground, and get away at high water. But in consequence of the pressure from without, the ice near the beach had been forced half out of the water; and it cost us incre- dible trouble to move some of the many cumbrous pieces thus partially afloat even a few inches, so as to make a passage for the boat. This task was not achieved before 2 p.m., when the wind being fair, the sails were innnediately hoisted, and on she v/ent at the rate of about five knots an hour. OBSKRVATJON OF THE COAST. 4d7 A conspicuous promontory to tlie eastward, blue from distance, which had been before seen from Point Beaufort, was now named after Captain Bowles, R. N. ; and such was the change that had been wrought, in the short interval of a few hours, that the whole intermediate space was free from impediment, had it suited our purpose to traverse it. Indeed, the celerity with which the ice had disappeared from the part where we were now sailing was so astonisiiing, that the men, who were novices to polar phenomena, looked doubtingly, and repeatedly asked each other if this or that particular place were not the same which but a short time before they had seen blocked up and impassable. From a small rocky island which was passed on the left, we made for a low sandy point, named after Sir J. B. Pechell, Bart., and re- marked that, scanty as was the vegetation in the parts which we had quittd, it was here cnsibly growing less and less, cmsisting now only of scattered tufts, gradually subsiding into sterility. So flat was the western shore that a solitary hillock five or eight feet high was a con- spicuous land-mark ; while the eastern coast, on the contrary, was bold and mountainous, as if defying the rage of hail-storms from the pole. The chain, however, was not of great extent ; for at the end of sixteen miles it terminated in a n I) 4 408 CAPE HAY. bluff, laid down as Hutton Browne Bluff, and a huge projecting cape, distinguished by the name of Cape Hay, after the late Under-Secre- tary for the Colonies, a zealous promoter of the expedition, and of geograpliical researches generally. Tiiis was the northern extreme of the eastern coast, which in so far coincided exactly with the outMne given by the Esqui- maux ; but here we lost all trace of land in that direction, though from our subsequent po- sition it must have been discovered, had it not from thence rounded suddenly off, as I believe it does, to the southward and eastward. Near 8 p. M., after a delightful sail, we overtook our enemy the drift ice ; and getting hampered amongst it, in the attempt to find a passage round a low island a mile or two ahead, the northern extremity of which shut out the view of any other land in that direction, we were com- pelled to make for the shore, which, after consi- derable trouble and some risk of being *' nipped," we succeeded in reaching. On landing, I di- rected my steps to a hillock of sand ten feet higli, about two and a half miles from the beach, and in going was forcibly struck with the desert-like character of the place. It was one irregular plain of sand and stones; and had it not been for a rill of water, the meandering of which relieved the monotony of the sterile scene, one might have POINT OGLE. 409 fancied one's self in one of the parched plains of the East, rather than on the shores of the Arctic Sea. From this hillock, I discerned a deep bay, bearing soi!*h-west, of which the sandy point of our encampment (called after Vice- Admiral Sir Charles Ogle) formed the eastern extremity; while the opposite side terminated in another point bearing W. N. W. The land which encircled the bay was blue and high, and apparently much encumbered with ice, which stretched from side to side, and again northerly as far as the horizon. Still, however, there was a ray of hope, for nar- row streaks of open water chequered the surface, like evening shadows on a bright lake. Rain fell incessantly in the night, and the morning disclosed a dense wet fog, together with the unwelcome sight of closely packed ice against the shore. A little after noon there was a storm, with thunder and lightning; the first I remember to have seen so far north. The steersmen were twice sent to examine the state of the ice as far as Point Ogle (which was now found to be an island or part of the main, according as it was high or low water, being connected at the ebb by a narrow ridge of sand and stones) ; for the wind, having towards evening veered to the north- ward, threatened to carry the outside drift ice into both openings, and thereby effectually pre- vent our moving an inch. To obviate this, it was my intention to have poled through the inshore 410 OUR rUOGUESS OBSTItUCTKD ice as far as the narrowest part of the small isthmus that joined the island to the main, and tlien to have made a portage of boat and cargo to the west side, where, at present, there was a lane of open water, connected with that leading to tiie distant western land ; but the immense size of the pieces, and the firmness with which they were wedged together, rendered the scheme to- tally impracticable. Though the thermometer was at 4'2°, yet, being wet, we were chilly and uncomfortable, and our cheerless condition was greatly aggravatetl by the want of fire. A watcii was set in the night, to enable us to take advan- tage of any movement of the ice which might aid our j)rogress. The steersmen relieved each other also, in going to and f iom the island for the same purpose; but all was in vain: it still remained packed, some even floating southward into the harbour ; and, to add to our wretchedness, the rain scarcely ceased for a moment, and the wea- ther continued raw and cold. This, together with the want of" warm food, excited my a})pre- hensions for the health of the crew, and the rather, as one (M'^Kenzie) had been for some days swollen and bloated so as to be incaj)acitated from performing his regular duty, and, what was at this time of most consequence, from going into the water at all ; hapj)ily, however, no other had as yet complained. I again crossed over to the hillock througii BY MASSES OF ICE. 411 a kind of quicksand, and saw the land a? before, except that a high point was now visible to the south-west, which seemed to mark it as an island. To the north and west, nothing but ice presented itself to the view; but due east, I could distin- guish open water and a small island. South- ward, the drift ice appeared in every quarter; and the wind, which had got a few points to the west- ward, had already driven it close into the shore. To employ the people, they were sent in search of fern or moss for fuel ; but though they went difl'erent ways to the distance of ten miles, their labour was fruitless, for they returned at night without a single particle. At 2 p. M. it began to rain violently, and con- tinued to do so without the slightest cessation until noon the following day (August 10th), when it was succeeded by a fog. Meantime a great part of the ice had disappeared, and the boat was soon laden and pulled to the island; but there being no channel, by which we coidd pro- ceed westerly, owing to the heavy masses wedged against the shore, we made a portage, and launched the boat across. The sand-banks were found to run out several hundred yards, and the ice to seaward, being packed apparently by a westerly current, had forced the lighter pieces on shore; which, together with the shoals, embarrassed us beyond measure : however, by pushing some 412 SEARCH FOR FUEL. few masses aside, and making a zigzag course, we managed to advance a mile; when, beiiif^ again stopped, another effort was made, by causing the people to wade and lift the boat over the shoals, which was successful enough, until, the water being little more than ancle-deep, necessity compelled us to encamp. Other nar- row lanes were sounded for a channel, but witli no serviceable result; and the temperature of the water being only 37*, with a north-west breeze blowing, and ice to the very beach, it cannot be a matter of astonishment, and much less of blame, that even the best men, benumbed in their limbs, and dispirited by the dreary and unpromising prospect before them, broke out for a moment into low murmurings that theirs was a hard and painful duty. The boat was scarcely hauled up, when the fog grew so thick that nothing could be seen beyond a hundred yards : three of the people, however, went to look for fuel, and the remainder assembled in the tent to hear divine service. The place where we encamped, and, indeed, every foot of this sandy soil was covered with small shells resembling cockles and bivalves. Innumerable rills of fresh water ran in opposite directions from the central ridge. About 8 p.m. the rain began to fall again, though without at all clearing the fog, and the wind from north- A PIECE OF DRIFT-WOOD FOUND. 418 west increased to a strong breeze. A shout of "What have you got tliere?" announced the return of the men : the jocular answer of " A piece of the North Pole" immediately brought Mr. King and myself from out the tent ; and we found that they had really picked up a piece of drift-xvood ninejeet long and nine inckes in diame- tevj together with a few sticks of smaller drift- wood and a part of a kieyack. When the large trunk was sawed, I was rather surprised to see it very little sodden with water; a proof tiiat it could not have been exposed for any considerable time to its action. From the peculiar character of the wood, which was pme, of that kind which is re- markable for its freedom from knots, I had no doubt that it had originally grown somewhere in the upper part of the country, about the IVrKenzie ; and of this I was the more compete to judge from my recollection of the drift-wood west of that large river, which it exactly resem- bled. Though we had strong reasons to be grateful for this unlooked-for treasure, as afford- ing us the means of enjoying a hot meal — the first for several days, — yet there were other consider- ations which gave it in my eyes a far greater im- portance. In it I saw what I thought an incon- trovertible proof of the set of a current from the westward along the coast to our left, and that consequently we had arrived at the main line of 4H ROSS ISLAND. the land ; for it is a fact well known to tlie offi. cers of both Sir John Trankhn's expeditions, tliat the absence of drift-wood was always regaiiletl as an infallible sign that we hail gone astray fmin the main, either among islands or in some such opening as Bathurst's Inlet, where, by reason of the set of the current, not a piece of any size was found. August 11th. — A fresh breeze from tlie south-west had encouraged us to hope that thu ice would be blown ofi-shore at high water ; atul bitter, therefore, was our disappoint* icnt at find- ing that, if it moved at all, it was only to become more wedged, and piled up piece upon piece. The weather, however, cleared a little, and, for a few minutes, the sim broke forth ibr tiie first time during five days. We could now make out two islands to the north, the left extremity of which was named alter my intrei)id liiend Captain James Ross j and between it and a blurt' bearing N. N. W., no land, nor any thing but ice, could be seen. To the westward along the shore where we were encamped, all was shoal, and paved with ice. Two islands, however, jutted out towards the southern bluff of the lanil, which there formed a point, and was aj)parently one of the arms embracing a bay. l*rogress, by any contrivance, was altogether impossible ; and this, I must own, began to shake the opinion 1 had all I)iscovi:rii;s rv mr. king. 41, along cherished, that a strong soutli-west gale wonlil clear away the ice, and give us a chance of making at least a few degrees of longitude. Some more drif't-wooil was I'ound by Mr. King, who likewise saw a musk-ox, and the greater part of the vertebne ami ribs oi'a whale lying on the beach. A single joini of one of the vertebraj was also picked up at our encampment. It was high water at 3" 15"' i\ m. j D hist quarter, change. The following morning the ice was so wedged, that for miles it was thrown up into perpendicu- lar pieces, like a vast area of large upright slabs, or a magnificent Stonehenge. At the same time, the pressure from seaward forced acres of it on shore, along the wliole line of coast, so as to preclude all possibility of our stirring in any direction; and this being so, I despatched a party, furnished with a telescope and compass, to get the bearings to the westward, and occupied myself during their absence in obtaining observ- ations for the dip and intensity. In placing the instruments into the meridian, I was struck with the disagreement of the different needles in de- noting the magnetic north. The one then used (I)ollond's) was a light bar needle, and indicated several degrees to the eastward of those which liad cards or anvolhcr wcighl atlached to them. At first I felt inclined to doubt its accuracy ; 416 DISAGREEMENT OF 3IAGNETIC NEEDLES. but, considering its lightness and tlie few times that it had been used as compared with the others, as well as the fineness of the point of the pivot, and observing, moreover, its constancy in returning to zero under various trials, I at last concluded that it must be right, and adjusted the instrument accordingly. With tiie face of the needle to the face of the instrument, it swung more freely east and west than when turned north and south ; for in the latter position it was sometimes sluggish, and jerked as if acted on by two powers, whereas in the former the motion was smooth and easy. When it was reversed the discrepancy was still more apparent, and in one instance it did not make nearly the same number of vibrations. For this strange devia- tion I can assign no accidental cause : on tlii.. occasion, in particular, there was not a particle of iron or any metallic substance within three hun- dred yards of the tent ; for, having remarked on other trials the danger of having so much as a pocket knife near while the observations were in progress, I now, to be still more certain, even removed my chronometers, and took of!" my brace-buckles. Having got the vertical intensity, and then the dip, which agreed better than might have been expected, I tried Hansteen's No. 3. needle for the horizontal force ; but I cannot easily describe the tediousness of arrang- MAGNETIC OBSERVATIONS. 417 ing it in its meridian, which differed much indeed from the other. When it liad at hist settled, I drew it on one side 20° ; but the intervals of ten vibrations were irregular, varying from 3' 50" to 3' 4)5^^ ; and though it stopped at its zero in five minutes afterwards, I found the marked end had moved easterly ()°, and so a})proached nearer to DoUond's. Having waited some time longer, during which it kept stationary, 1 made a fresh set from that zero ; but the result was not more satisfactory than the preceding ; and, finally, in- stead of settling at its last, it returned to its first zero. Had it not been for the variation in this point, i. e. the arc between the two zeros, I should have attributed, and probably with truth, the apparent difference in the interval of vibra- tions to the want of a fixed index or readinu* glass for enabling me to determine the precise moment of the turn of the needle: for so torpid was it, that it seemed actually to stop dead at the extremity of each arc, so as to render it a matter of great nicety for the observer, even when assisted by a good lens, to say when that instant was. In order to decide between the two, a set was next made with the lozenge needle, which showed an entire difference fiom Han- steen's oi'2'2° in marking the north ; coinciding, however, in this respect exactly with Dollond's. The delicate pocket compass, graciously pre- F. E 418 LIFECT UPON TIIL COMl'ASSI.S. sentcd to mc by Her Royal Hii^hness the Priii- cess Victoria, was in tliis iliMiciilty extremuU useful. The intervals of the lozenge needle were, as usual, considerablv shorter than those ot' No. 3., namely, T'JS" ; anil, what was of greater consequence in the present interesting case, they were quite regular in two several trials, and in both the needle returned to its zero without the slightest deviation. One remark I feel it my duty, as an observer, to make, thougii it may possibly be unfounded. On two occasions, that is, at Rock Rapid and here. No. 8. seemed to be aflected, — in the one case by the ac- cidental scra})ing out of a kettle w hile it was swinging, at a distance of one Inindred and fifty yards; and in the second case by the simple scraping out of a keg. Whether the vibration produced thereby in the atmos[)here was the oc- casion of this, I shall not take upon me to deter- mine ; but on all occasions I found it necessary, in order to j)revcnt a swagging motion in tlie needle opposed to the rotatory one, to hold ni\ hand before my mouth, so that my breath might not fall on the instrument. No change occurred in the ice throu<>h()iil the day, nor was there any alteration calculated to diminish the ainioyance of being thus vex- atiously detained at a time when every minute had a compound value j and to oiu- personal REMOTEST DISCOVERIES. 4)9 discomforts was added the want of fire, and almost of fresh water, though the precaution of tilhiii^ our ken;s from tiie scanty cnr/AUix "f tlie sluillow rills but just discernible in the sand had not been forgotten. As it was the first (juartcr of the moon, and just about the chanpje, many an anxious glance was cast at the sky to wind- ward, in hopes of discovering some token of more genial weather ; and at length a gleam of sun- shine broke through the murky clouds, and partly dried our wet and chilly clothes. In our situation even this was counted a blessing, and diffused a cheerfulness which, notwithstanding past disappointments, renewed the h()})c of better times. Jioon, however, the dark clouds began again to gather, and, as the sun dij)ped below the northern ice, all was cold and humid as before. The exploring party returned at 11 p.m., and reported that, with hard labour, they had been able to follow the land for fifteen miles, and had gained a green hill about seventy or eiglity feet high, which, being the most remarkable feature in that flat desert of sand, was named Mount Barrow, after Sir John Barrow, Bart., whose name is inseparably connected witii modern dis- covery in the j)olar regions. From the sununit of this height an innnense opening was seen, fifteen miles wide, whose extreme bearings were iS. W. fifteen, and N.N.W. thirty miles. It was E E i> 420 POINT RICHARDSON. f, ordered on the west by low alluvial land, which stretched out from the foot of a blue range of mountains coming from the south and termi- nating at the extreme distance in a bliitf. Parallel to these on the right, and forming the east side, was the extensive tract of high lantl, of which the north-western angle was opposite the encampment : but the elevation of this latter range gradually decreased as it bent to the north ; and, except in those parts where there were isolated rocks with large stones on them, the space be- yond was so low, that with a telescope a white fog could be plainly descried hanging over a glittering line of ice at the farthest limit of vision to the north. That western extreme I named after my esteemed friend and former companion Dr. liichardson, R. N., many of whose opinions respecting the Thlew-ee-clioh and its conflu- ence with the sea have proved to be singularly correct. The southern point, near Mount Bar- row, was honoured with the name of Admiral Sir Thomas Hardy. A little drift-wood was picked up, but no other kind of fuel could be found, though two deer were seen trotting over the ground, possibly in search of ibod. August 13th. — The morning set in with rain, for which custom had now taught us to look as a thing of course ; but a faint hope was excited by the view of a narrow lane of water, which had A MAIN SEA, OR DEEP OPENING, CONJECTURED. 421 opened — how or from what cause we knew not outside, between the grounded ice and tlie main body; and preparations were aheady making for a start at liigh water, when tlie wind suddenly chopped round from S. E. to N. W., and fixed us once more to the spot. We crept sullenly under our sorry places of shelter, and, without uttering more than a monosyllabic answer to as short a question, prepared to pass, as we best could, the tedium of another restless night. At 5" 30"" p. M., when the tide was at iull, the ice was wedged as before to the shore, and not ten yards of open water could be seen in any di- rection ; thermometer 42°. About () p. m. there was a short lull, tiie ominous stillness of which was soon disturbed by an K. S. K. wind, that shortly increased to a smart gale ; and it is worthy ot remark, that the ice, which had re- mained unmoved by the wind from S., S. W., W., and N. E., now, as if acted on by magic, began to ilrift W. N. W. with great rapidity. I was convinced, therefore, that there must be, in that particular bearing, either a main sea or a very deep opening, to allow the esca})e of so great a portion of the inmiense extent of ice before us; for, had the dispersion contimied at its then rate, a very few hours would have sufficed to clear the channel entirely. Late though it was in the season, this sudden revolution animated E E 3 422 niSMAI. IMJOSPKCT. our drooping spirits, and three or tour anxious Jioiirs were passed in anticipating the possihilitv of yet floating freely on the western main. Hut again the inconst nicy of the l)reeze betrayed us, and, as the rising tide moved the groinuled masses otf the sands, a thieU fog came on, whicli ob- scured earth arid sk\- : and ihi' wind shifted round to N. ^\^, whicli was dead on shore. The niijiit was cold, for the tliermometer sunk l)eh)w tin- freezing point, and ice of iialf an inch thickness was tbrnietl on tlie pools near the beach. A wet fou: ushered in the morning- of the J 1th August, and left ewry object dark and indetir able at eighty or ninety paces chstant. The breeze inci'eased, and was fast packing the seaward body of ice, whicii now came with considerable velocity towards tiie shore, and threatened to leui'then our tedious and most annovinii' detei'- tion. To avoid this, — as to remain where we were couhl lead to no beneficial result, — 1 gave orders for the boat to be taken (piite light be- tween the few open s|)()ts of water inshore, aiul where impediments should occur to be lifted over, so as to return to the island, where she could be launched across, and so carried into the free sj)ace to the eastward of Point Ogle. 'I'his decisi\e step I was the more in- duced to take from having observed of late in- creasing symptoms of uneasiness in my leading RF.TURN TO THE EAST SIDE OF THE ISLAND. i2.3 men witli resj)cct to their return ; whilst, in addi- tion to the other invaUd, the iiealth of Sinclair was also beginning to yield either to the con- tinual exposure to cold ant' wet, or to this com- bined with the want of hot and wholesome fooil. The alacrity displayed by the men, on receiving my directions, une(pii\()cally manifested their feehngs at removing from so dismal a scene ; aiul the exertions put forth in no connnon dilKcidties proved that if. was not less hearty than general. The boat, being ilragged across, was l)rought to the place of oiu- former station of the Otii; atler wiiich the crew went back tour miles for the l)aggagv. The whole was safely conveyed over by (S i>. M., when the water kegs were burnt to make us a kettle of hot cocoa. A fiesh gale from N. W. continued, with little or MO alteration, during the great part of the night; but in the morning (August loth) the wea- ther became calm, and the ice again set in to the southwaril. I went to the hillock once more, and saw one closely packed mass of ilrift ice extend- ing from the beach to the horizon, beyond which there was a briuht vellowish white blink. This was in the direction of the N. X.W. bluff, which 1 have named after my frienil Captain Macono- chie, U. N., of whose zeal and intelligence in the cause of geographical science 1 have elsewhere made mention. To the north were the same two i: r: t 424 CONJECTURES AS TO A N.W. PASSAGE islands that had been previously seen, the eastern extremity of which was called Point Booth, from Mr. (now Sir Felix) Booth, whose muniticent patronajre of arctic discovery is too well known to need any tribute from me : they seemed to be of considerable extent. To the N. E. there were water and ice, and beyond it a dark grey, or what is denominated a water sky ; while from the east to Cape Hay there was an open sea, with a single island, bearing E. by S. and laid down as Ripon Island, out of respect to the Earl of Ripon, under whose auspices and directions it was my good fortune to act. The only barrier between us and the open water was a stream of ice, about five hundred yards wide, which, for the present, was wedged against il;^ shore, and prevented our moving. From these appearances, the fact of the flood tide coming, so far as I could judge, from the westward, the drift-wood, and the whale, there seems good reason for supposing a passage to exist between Point Maconochie and Point James Ross. Whether the north-eastern clear space is connected with and a part of the Western Gulf of Captain Sir John Ross, I can- not undertake to determine ; but I think I am warranted in an opinion that the Esquimaux outline, the sudden termination of Cape Hay, and the clear sea in that particular direction, are AND CHANNEL TO REGENT*S INLET. 425 strong inferences in flivour of the existence of a southern channel to Regent's Inlet. On this sub- ject it may perhaps seem idle now to speculate; but, had I not known of Captain Ross's return, and it had thus been our duty to follow the eastern rather than the western passage, there seemed no obstacle to prevent our doing so. AVe must have been carried nearer to the Vic- tory, and thus, with the permission of Pro- vidence, we should have been enabled, had it been so required, to execute some part of the humane project in which the expedition ori- ginated. I shall not attempt to describe what were my feelings at finding my endeavours baffled in every quarter but the one with which (how- ever interesting as regarded the trending of the land) I had no concern. When the mind has been made up to encounter disasters and re- verses, and has fixed a point as the zero of its scale, however for a time it may be depressed by doubts and difficulties, it will mount up again with the first gleam of hope for the future ; but, in this instance, there was no ex- pedient by which we could overcome the ob- stacles before us: every resource was exhausted, and it was vain to expect that any efforts, how- ever strenuous, could avail against the close- wedged ice, and the constant togs which en- 420 ABANDON JOURNEY TO I'OINT TURN AGAIN. volopcd every tiling in impenetrable obscuiitv. No one of conrse can regret so much as I do that the important and interesting object of ascertainini"' the existence of a ])assai»;e aU)ii": the coast to Point Turnagain was not accom- ])hslied ; but if there be any who think that Jittle was aciiieved, in comi)arison with what was undertaken (though such a notion can iiardly with justice be entertained), let them reflect that even in the ordinary ])ursuits ol' men, with all the appliances of civilized life to boot, the execution is rarely ecpial to the conception ; and then also consider how nuich greater the im})ediments must be in a climate where tiie elements war against all intruders, and confoinul the calculations and set at nouiiht the talents even of such men as Parry and IVanklin. I had for some time cherished the notion oC di- viiling the ])arty, leaving four to j)rotect the boat and property,whilst the remainder,with Mr. King, would have accom])anied me on a land journey towards Point Turnagain ; but this scheme was completely frustrated by the im})racticabilily ol carrying any weidit on a soil in which at every step we sunk hall-leg deep ; destitute of shrubs or moss for fuel, anil almost without water j over \yhich we must have travelled for days to haye made even a few miles of longitude ; and where, tinully, if sickness had overtaken any one, his DETERMINE TO RETURN. 4.27 fate would have been inevitable. Thus circum- stanced, tlicrefbre, and reflecting on the long and dangerous stream, combining all the bad features of the worst rivers in the country, that wc had to retrace, the hazards of the falls and ra])ids, and the slender hope which remained of our attaining even a single mile farther, I felt tliat I had no choice, and, assembling the men, I informed them that the period fixed by his Majesty's Government for my return had arrived ; and that it now only remained to unfurl the British flag, and salute it with three cheers in honour of His Most (Jracious Majestv, \v))il-*^ 'is roval name should be mven to this ])ortion of America, by the appellation of Wil- liam the Fourth's Land. The intimation was received with extreme satisfaction; and the loyal service performed with tlie cheering accom- ])animent of a small allowance fiom our limited reinaini:ig stock of spirits. The latitude of this })lace was ()S° 13' 5"}'' N., longitude, \)\.° .08' V \V., and variation, as well as the sluggishness of the instrument would allow me to determine, l°■l•()'^\'. l-'roin this it appears that we were only four miles south of i' )int Turnagain, nhich consecpiently bore nearly due west from us. 428 CHAP. XII. Exhilarathifr Ltjlucnce of a Huntitig Excursmi, — li,-- mox'al of the Esquimaux. — Leave them a Jiait of Pemmican, — Accident to the Boat. — Inundation of the Counlri). — Discm^ery of Esquimaux. — Jl'isr Man of the Tribe. — Critical Position iti the Rapids. — A Storm. — Adventure of a Lemming. — Eticamp at Mmk-ox Eapid. — Meeting ivith Mr. M'Leod. — Fate of Williamson. — The Yellow Knives. — Encamp on Artillerif Lake, — Reach the Ah-hel-dessi/. — Depart for Motitreal. — The Sauteaux Indians. — Success of a Missionary/ at Sault Ste. Marie. — Return to England. — Conclusion. During tlic niglit tlie ice had parted sufficiently to allow of our reaching open water, and with a fair wind we went about twenty miles south, where, for the second time in nine days, we par- took of a warm meal. Three stars were seen. Rain fell in abundance the whole of the night and following day ; and as it was accompanied by a strong breeze, we were unable to move until 9 P. M. ; when, tempted by a lull, we set DEPRESSKD SPIRITS OF THE CREW. 429 out on the traverse to the eastern shore. We were soon, however, enveloped in a thick fog, which sliortly turned to a heavy rain, and drenched us to the skin. The people exerted themselves to the utmost, and yet we did not reach Point Beaufort until past two in the morning. August 17th. — A N.W. gale set in with such fury, that we were obliged to move the boat from where she had been hauled up to a more safe and sheltered place to leeward, and there also we took refuge ourselves from the heavy squalls and the snow that now poured down in large flakes. In the evening, divine service was read. The succeeding day brought us no better weather; and the surf and waves were much higher. I had long observed a depression of sj)irits in my steersmen, which I had attributed to the novelty of their situation, but I could not account for the gloom which now spread itself as if by infection over the rest ; except, indeed, the artillerymen, whose steady conduct was such as to deserve the highest commendation. The thing itselfwas of little moment now; but as melancholy faces and melancholy weather are not agreeable companions, and thinking that some of the party would be benefited by a freer circulation of blood, I sent them to hunt, with the promise IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // ^ Wk^. (/. f^C C/a !.0 ■^ f M 1- U.U.C I.I 1.25 1.4 5 2.0 1.6 v^ <^ •^^ c% /a yy ■''■? .> <^ >t § ?% Photographic Sciences Corporation 12 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 872-4503 mo 6^ 430 BENEFICIAL TENDENCY OF RECREATION. of a glass of grog to any who should bring hoiiu! something for supper. This ir.fiised some activitv into them; and after an absence of a few hours, they returned cheerful and ruddy with exercise, bringing with them tlu'cc fine hares and a brace of ducks, different from any tliat liad hitherto been seen. In colour, these last resembled the bustard of the country, with black neck and bill, the latter short and more curved than in the ot'.ier kinds ; sepia brown plumage abo;:t the back and wings, with a mixture of bhick- grey, the breast a dull wiiite, and the legs bhick. They had not the least fishy flavour, and, phiin boiled, made us an excellent meal. The N.W. gale gradually abated in the night, and on the 19th we proceeded towards the river, aided ])y a breeze from the east ; and as it in- creased, I beheld with a satisfaction almost pain- ful the admirable qualities of the boat, which, had there been a clear passage, would have taken us in the same gallant style to Point Turnagain. The wind freshened into a gale, and made iis seek shelter and safety under the lee of Victoria Headland. Here the rain fell in torrents; and notwithstandiui? the additional coverinijj of tlie mainsail over the tent, it was im])ossible to keep it out. The storm, in fact, partook more of the character of ;' luuTicane than a common gale, REMOVAL OF THE ESQl'IMAUX. 4,'31 and it was witli difficulty we could keep the tent up at all. August '21. — The wind gave place to a dark- wet fog, so thick that we were barely able to start by creeping along the land towards the mouth of the river ; and after getting frequently 011 shore upon the shoals at its mouth, we entered it in the afternoon amidst heavy rain, which, however, some of the people scarcely noticed in their delight at having fairly left the ice : one, indeed, as soon as the sea was shut out from view, tossed up his caj) for joy. The western range of mountains, cxtenduig to Point Richardson, was honoured bv the name of her Most Gracious Majesty; others which were visible in the c\ening, after Francis Chantrey, Esq. ; and the eastern range was distinguished after her Royal Highness the Dnchess of Kent. The nio-ht was again rainy, and after a long detention we reached the lower fall, where in our descent wc had found the Esquimaux. They had disap- peared, which I nuich regretted, not oidy be- cause my pockets were laden with })rcsents for them, but because I wanted to make some more sketches, and to show them the survey of the coast as far as we had been, and obtain, if pos- sible, some further information. The water in the river had fallen three feet, and thereby afforded a facility for launching the boat over a 432 AGAIN DISCOVER THE ESQUIMAUX. point where the baggage was also carried. Having proceeded four miles farther to a line of heavy rapids, an Esquimaux was seen on the hills ; and shortly after the two tents which we had before visited were discovered, pitched on the eastern bank of a strong rapid, the eddies of which probably furnished an ample supply offish. It was impossible for us to cross without endan- gering the boat, and we commenced making two long portages, while the natives watched us with much composure from the opposite heights, where they were all seated in a line. As we could not attract them to us by any signs, a number of iron hoops were placed on a pile of stones, with various-coloured ribbonds attached to them ; besides twenty-three awls, fifteen fish- hooks, three dozen brass rings, and two pounds of beads. All this was done under their eyes ; they could scarcely fail therefore to understand its friendly import, and that our intention was to benefit them. ?v7-^ only fear was lest such, to them, inestimable wealth should stir up quarrels among them, from any real or fancied inequality in the distribution. We encamped near the next rapid. It blew too hard on the following morning to allow us to move, and we saw the Esquimaux watching us from behind the rocks. About noon, two of them brought their kieyaks to tiie water's edge LEAVE A BAG OF PEMMICAN FOR PRESENT. 1-33 carried. I line of on the hich we :lied on :ldies of ^offish. endan- makinq; "hed us 'leights, As we signs, a pile of ttached en fish. pounds r eyes ; erstand was to ich, to uarrels quality t blew ilow us telling two of s edge opposite to us, with the intention, as we sup- posed, of crossing over ; but having waited until the wind fell without any further attempt on their part to move, I lei't a bag of pemmican on another heap of stones as a further substantial proof of our kind intentions, and finally pushed offj taking the western rapid, which comnumi- cated with Lake Franklin. Its shallowness irave us much trouble, but with the aid of the line the boat was at length hauled up. The sails were immediately set ; and though there was a con- siderable sea in the more exposed i)art of the lake, we scarcely took in a drop of water. The weather became somewhat finer as we advanced through the country, but not altogether free from rain. As we passed a rapid, a white wolf was seen swimming across with somethinii- in its mouth, which was supj)osed to be food for its young. August 25th. —The rain poured down in such torrents, that the little dog woke me by scrambling under my cloak to escape from the water, which was runnincf in a stream throuii-h the tent. The wind being with the ciurent, our oars were of little service, and were relinquished for the line. This of course obliged us to round all the windings and small bays along the banks, and consequently lengthened the distance ; but on the succeeding day, a fine leading wind took F F 434 ACCIDENT TO THE BOAT. took lis to the foot of some rapids, and siibse- (luently to Mount Meadowbank, on whose shelving side many musk-oxen and deer v/ere feeding. In tlie afternoon we ])icked up our cache of ammunition, and by avoiding a wide opening shortened the distance to the next rapids. Tlie tracking along the banks of this 'part, which was steep and covered with large boulders, mixed with smaller round stones, was exceedingly fatiguing from the uncertainty of the footing, the shingly su/face generally sliding away under the pre^«sure of each step, so that the people were constantly falling and hurting them- selves. The lowness of the water too caused the navigation of many parts to be exceedingly intricate, and some which, in descending, the boat had passed over were now quite dry; nevertheless, we made such good progress that at night we encamped below the VV^olf Rapid. The next day was too foggy to allow us to start until 10 A. :\j., when we ascended the rapids ; in one of which the boat struck so severely against a sunken rock, that she was stove under her larboard bow: however, by caulking with oakum and grease we contrived to reach our cache of two bags of pemmican, which had been uncovered, as was supposed, by the wolvereens. By this exposure to the rain a great proportion was too much damaged for consumption, and PURSUE OUR ROUTE. 4.3.5 was carefully covered up again for the benefit of the first niaraiuler, biped or quadruped, that might have the luck to fall upon it. At this spot the boat was cobbled up ; and, again pur- suing the route, we reached Escape lia})id, where we found a piece of the oar whicli had been broken in the descent, and was now Ivin"- by a drowned deer in one of the eddies. The falls were too heavy to haul up, and it was late before we had carried every thing to the south end. A fair wind, however, was not to be lost ; and, after taking up another cache in excellent order, we proceeded as far as Sinclair's Falls, near which some ice yet lingered on the banks, and the grass and moss were still of a brownish hue. The season, indeed, had been generally untoward ; for there was not a single berry, and, what was more surprising, scarcely a mosquito or a sand-fly — a proof that the sunuuer must have been an extraordinary one, and altogether differ- ent from such as fiad been formerly experi- enced. Three or four musk-bulls were seen grazing singly and apart, under the lee of rocks or sand-hills : they were not much scared at our approach ; but, as they were not eatable, we did not molest them. Towards evening, two white wolves trotted past, evidently on the scent of a poor wounded deer that had taken refuge on an island about a mile from them. Having made F F 2 13() INUNDATION OF THE COUNTRY. a portage we reached the Hock Rapid, of wliich we had intended to try the eastern side; hut per- ceivino' that it was certainly the less eligible of the two, we followed the old passage, and by '2 r.iM. were safely in Lake Macdongall. From tlie summit of a rock, 1 saw, with surprise, that the whole country was inundated ; that whicli in July had been dry and green being now con- verted into a wide swamp. It was not without difiiculty and anxiety that we ascended the long and dangerous line of rapids leading to Lake Garry, whose smootli and glassy surface presented a striking contrast to its wintry covering of five weeks ago. A saniUhill that had served the same purpose before was again selected for our encamj)ment, and a more certain evidence of the torrents of rain that must have fallen could not have been afforded, than by the spectacle of whole fields of unbroken moss, which had been swept away in a body from the face of the summit (a height of sixty feet), and was strewed like a carpet along the beach. August 31st. — Having made the traverse to that part wliere the ice had first detained us, we were rather astonished at seeing a number of marks on apoii.t which none of us recollected to have observed when passing it before : accord- ingly, they were examined : and, from their ap- parent freshness, and tiie newly gathered moss DISCOVERY OF ESQUIMAUX. 437 about, it was evident that they could not have been up many days. Tiieic were also numerous tracks of men and dogs on the sand. The weather was rather hazy ; so that, at the moment, objects could not be clearly made out ; but, as we were puPing alongshore, APKenzie thought he espied a deer on the stony summit of a sloping hill, which terminated in a point where many move marks had been erected similar to those lately left. It was, however, soon dis- covered to be an Esquimaux ; and, ])resently, two more of his companions rose up fiom behind some rocks, where they had lain concealed until, as they thought, we were far enough from them to allow them to venture out. Convinced, from their manner, that they would have fled, we did not think it worth wdiilc to return to them, but pursued our course ; and, when we least expected it, just after lifting the boat over a shoal, came suddenly upon twelve tents, surrounded by a swarm of men, women, and children ; the latter of whom began to howl and cry, and fled hastily behind the rocks for protection. The former displayed almost as much uneasiness ; and, each being armed with his spear and sling, hallooed and made intelligible signs, by the impatient waving of one hand, that we should not approach them. Nevertheless, we advanced, making the usual demonstration of friendship by raising up F F S 438 THE WISE MAN OF THE TRIBE. both arms ; but, wlicn wc were abreast of tlieni, they retreated with precipitation to the tents and rocks ; and, having no interpreter to dispel tlieir fears, and unwilling to add to their con- sternation by landing, we pulled slowly on. As soon as they })erceived this, and were satisfied that we had no intention to hurt them, an elderly man ran after us along the rocks, keeping, how- ever, at a respectful distance ; and with loud vo- ciferations, and the same action with the hand as before, still bade us go away. He had not proceeded above a couple of hundred yards, when some of his friends prepared to follow him. This he forbade by the same wave of the hand that was used to us ; and then we perceived, infi- nitely to our amusement, that this was the con- juror, or wise man of the tribe, and that he was at that moment imitating the growHng and mo- tion of a bear, bending himself and walking on his hands and knees, thinking, no doubt, to charm us away. It is difficult to form a correct opinion of the numbers of the party j tiiough about sixty or seventy would probably be near the truth. We saw only four kieyaks ; and I think it probable that they were inhabitants of Wager Bay, or Chesterfield Inlet. September 1st. — Having hauled up the rapid which connects Lake Pelly with Lake Garry, we picKed up our cache at the island j and subse- )' ■■\ CRITICAL POSITION IN TIIi: UAJ'IDS. 430 qiicntly passed another, lialf covered witli old drift willows and quills. A herd of musk-oxen and a few strac^g'ling' deer were quietly feeding on the sand-hills ; and many of the white, brown, and huigliing geese were flying about, and seemed to be collecting for their southerly mi- gration. On the 4th, a hard gale from the X. W. indi- cated the connnencement of the iail weather; and, while we were travelling, many hundreds of geese flew high past us to the south. It was necessary to haul the boat all day ; and we as- cended between sixteen and twenty rapids, which, owing to the shallowness of the water, were very troublesome. Sand-banks and islands appeared in every direction, and so changed was the face of the river that it was not easy to recog- nise it. In the centre of the Hawk Rapid the line broke, and threw us into a very critical situation ; one, indeed, which, with a less ac- tive crew, might have been followed by serious consequences. However, by clinging to the rocks until the damage was I'cpaired, the boat v/as held fast, and prevented from descending again. As we advanced, the shoals and bars greatly impeded our progress ; so that, in an or- dinary season, the navigation would have been impracticable even for a boat entirely light. September 6th. — The morning set in with F F 4' tio A STORM. ..M the promise of a fine day, and a favourable ^vind lieii;litened the expectation that a consider- able distance woidd be made ; but so Httle are atmospheric a})pearances to be de})endcd upon in this tract, that after two hours' saihng the whole sky became darkened, — a mist rose, — and the rain poured, not in dro})s, but in Hnes, as if it fell from so many spouts ; the water, there- fore, was soon above the stern sheets, and we landed to find siielter, and secure our reniai'.- ing provision. The gale soon increased to a storm that brought with it heavy squalls and thunder, and extinguished tlie fire nearly as fast as it was lighted. However, by perseverance, weather cloths, and sundry other expedients, we got it at last fairly kindled — to our great content- ment, for we had shot a fat deer, and were not a little eager to change our accustomed dish of old mouldy pemmican for so savoury a repast, though eaten without salt, or any of those appli- ances which luxury has invented for relieving the insipidity and adding to the relish of plain boiled meat. The storm continued from N. E. all night ; and though the main-sail had been thrown over the tent, it was quite ineffectual to keep out the rain, which ran in streams through both. At midnight there was a partial lull, after which it freshened again, and soon blew more furiously than ever, accompanied ADVENTURK OF A LEMMING. Ill vourai)!c' 'onsiilcr- ittlc are eel upon ling the ie, — and les, as if ', thcre- and we reniai'.. od to a nils and Y as fast /crancc, ents, we :ontcnt- /ere not dish of repast, e appli- elieving )f' plain n N. E. d been ffectual streams partial d soon ipanied with sno'.v, which on the following morning (tht 7th) had covered tlie surface of the hills and ground around us, and given a wintry aspect to the scene. About 10 v. m. the water had risen four feet, when, for the third time, the boat was hauled higher on tlie bank. 80 completely cold and drenched was every thing outside, that a poor little lennning, unable to contend with the floods which had driven it successively fiom all its retreats, crept silently under the tent, and snuggled away in precarious secnrity within a fevv paces of a sleeping terrier. Unconscious of its danger, it licked its fur coat, and tlarted its bright eyes from object to object, as if pleased and surprised with its new quarters ; but soon the pricked cars of the awakened dog announced its fate, and in another instant the poor little stranger was (quivering in his jaws. September 8th. — The morning was gloomy ; but as the wind had fallen, we gladly availed ourselves of the opportunity to get away, though the current was strong, and the weather so thick that it was sometimes diflficult to find the right channel. About 9 the sun broke out, and al- lowed us to dry our wet clothes. Passino- Baillie's River, we ascended the long rapid where the first Esquimaux marks wcie seen, and found the country on either side quite converted into a swamp. Towards evening a N. W. gale W2 ENCAMP AT MUSK-OX IlAl'ID. came on, with sleet and snow, and tlie next morning all the creeks were solidly frozen. The rokl was indeed excessive ; and what with snow, squalls, and mist, we did not make much ])ro- gress. The water had risen considerably, and the mud and sand clifis were worn into innumer- able ravines from the constant drainage of tiie upper lands. It occupied the better part of a day to get j)ast the cascades, and a most laborious and hazardous service it was ; such as assuredly would not have been attempted by any but persons situated as we were. The boat barely withstood the shocks she received, and was obliged to be repaired and caulked to keep her afloat. On Lake iieechy we had abundance of snow, and wind enough to detain us. At some distance from it we saw three hawks attack a wounded goose and a gull, which they seemed pretty certain of killing. On September 15 th we took np our first cache, which had been eaten into by the lemmings, and was partly damaged ; and late in the evening we encamped at the upper end of Musk Ox Raj>id, but saw no fresh traces of Indians. Only six- teen days earlier in the previous season the surroundinii," hills were covered with deer care- lessly feeding in all directions, and every thing hatl the tint of sunnner on it : now, not a solitary deer was seen ; the tea plant had evi- MEETING WITH Mil. .AFLEOD. 443 ilently been frozen, the dwarf birch was almost leafless, the willow was bright yellow, and the whole country was clothed in a livery of sober brown. Five musk-oxen were the only hving creatures about; all others having deserted a place which the year before was teeming with life. A northerly breeze brought on a fog, in the midst of which we crossed Musk Ox Lake, but were unable to see our way afterwards until 11 A.M., when we found ourselves abreast of Icy River, always covered with ice. JSid)se- qucntly we got to the first portage on the Thlew- cc-choh, and on the following day (September 17th) met our friend Mr. M'Leod, who with four men and two Indians had already been several days at Sand Hill Bay. The pleasure of this meeting I shall not attempt to describe. Me had been long expecting us, and had passed, it seems, many anxious hours in watching the distant objects in the direction of our route. After our departure in July he had effected his return to the house with the loss of two do<'s only, and had gone from thence to Fort liesolu- tion, to take possession of the forty bags of ])em- niican, as well as the outfit from York Factory, which had been forwarded by the Company. As he retraced liis way, he had establishetl two 414 FATE OF WILLIAMSON. fisheries* ; and having deposited the goods safe ni store at the Fort, and left a trustworthy man in care of them, he proceeded without loss of time to fulfil my last instructions by coming to the Thlew-ee-choh. It was gratifying to hear that the men under his charge had conducted themselves with j)ro])riety ; but the faiiii hope I had entertained of poor Williamson's being alive was extinguished by the intelligence that his body had been found and interred by jVIr. M'^Leod. The unhappy man was discovered lying on the ground, with a few sticks near him, not far from his fire. He had died, as it seemed, from famine, aided, perhaps, by the despond- ency so observable in his conduct for some months previous to his discharge. The cause of this dejection we were unable to discover ; but so melancholy was he, that in the autumn before the house was built, and when we were all encamped around it, instead of associating with his comrades, he built himself a hut with pine branches, hi which he ate his solitary meal ; and frequently in the stillness of the night, when most others were at rest, this extraordinary man would be found sitting before his dwelling, with his eyes intently fixed on the dying embers of * One fishery was opposite Reindeer Island, and the other near Point Keith, 115 miles from Fort lleliunce. 1 : i FATE OF WILLIAMSON. 445 le goods jstwortliy Iiout loss y coming g to hear ondiicted it hope I sing alive that his by Mr. scovered lear him, i seemed, lespond- or some cause of 'er; hut autumn ^e were ociatino" ut with y meal ; t, when try man ig, wiih ibers of the other his fire. He did little duty of any kind, and was treated with uniform kindness by the whole of the people, who called him Poor David, seeming to regard him as one in deep distress of mind, whom they were bound to pity. As often happens to those who go astray, he was but a short distance from the fishery he had left, and to which, as was coujecti.red from his having followed a track made by some of our men but two days before the ice broke up, he was en- deavouring to return. The weather since our departure had been worse than the Indians ever remembered ; and they had endured in consequence more than usual misery and suffering in the privation of food. Mr. M'^Leod declared that I would not recognise them, unless they had wonderfully recovered since they had fallen in with the deer. The whole of the country north and east of Great Slave Lake had been deluged with rain, and blighted by frost and snow. The same thing seems to have happened last winter, which was unusually mild to the southward, and even in the M'^Kenzie, as compared with what we found it ; whence it may perhaps be inferred that the bays and inlets of the sea coast were superabundantly charged with ic^^ the influence of which on the atmosphere would, of course, vary with the locality. 446 INTENSE COLD. For two days the weather was so stormy, with sleet, snow, and sliarp frost, tliat we could not move. The small lakes became solid enough to bear, and the men were occupied in fetching some meat that the Indians had killed. Sept. 20th was a bitter frosty morning, with snow ; but the wind had abated, and we set forward, leaving Mr. M'^Leod to follow at his leisure, in order that he might hunt the shores of the lake, which he thought could be done advantageously. Having crossed Lake Aylmer without the occurrence of any thing remarkable, we got into Clinton-Colden Lake, and found the hills covered to the depth of two inches with snow ; while the cold was so sharp that the water froze on the oars and the sides of the boat, and even stopped one of the chronometers, (No. 3093, French), which had hitherto been most regular and steady in its rate. Towards evening we got to the first rapid in the little river, and were visited by some Yellow Knives, whom we expected to find thereabout. They congratulated us on our safe return, which, considering the dreadfully bad season, had been scarcely expected. The elderly man who was ill last spring at the Fort, and whose exces- sive stubbornness had drawn upon him the name of Old Obstinate, was lying very ill in his lodge, his troubles being further embit- THE YELLOW-KNIVES. 447 my, with ould not noLigh to fetching ^g, witli we set iv at his e shores be done Ayhner arkable, Lind the les witli hat the of the •meters, :o been owards le little Knives, They wiiich, :1 been 10 was exces- in the ?ry ill embit- tered by the recent loss of one of his sons. The unfortunate custom of destroying all their clothes and property, at whatever cost of time and labour obtained, had been most rigidly observed by the whole family; so that they had no other covering at this bleak season (the thermometer being 24°), than a loose and un- flishioned reindeer skin, thrown carelessly and almost uselessly over the shoulders. Mr. King, with much good feeling, went across the country during the night, accompanied by the interpreter, to see the old man, and administer to his relief. Some of the children also, who were slightly affected with .lingular complaints, were attended to. Having run the rapid, we called at the tents for several parcels of meat which were ready prepared for us ; and I took that opportunity of asking « Old Obstinate,'* who, with the exception of another aged man, was the only person conversant with the coun- try northward, whether, to his knowledge, there was any chance of getting either to Cont-woy-to Lake or Bathurst's Inlet, from any part of the Thlew-ee-clioh ; but he declared himself unable to answer my question farther than this, that there existed small lakes and innumerable streams that ran towards the Thlew-ee-choh, all of which, however, were rapid, and too shoal for anything larger than one of their UH ENCAMP ON ARTILLERY LAKE. hunting canoes. After running another rapid, we collected more meat at a second encamp- ment, to whicli the occupants of the former also, including the old man, had followed us ; and as they all crowded into the tent, I showed them the survey of the river, and particularly pointed out those parts where the greatest numher of animals had been seen, recommending them, in the event of any future failure, to go so far, which I assured them they might do with safety. They answered, " it was good j" but appeared too indifferent to allow me to suppose that they had any idea, at that time at least, of taking ad- vantage of it. They looked, however, with eager curiosity at the length and windings of the river, its numerous falls and extensive lakes ; and their attention was riveted to the slightest word relating to the Esquimaux. A few pre- sents from these last to me were scrutinized with the minutest attention, and they listened in profound silence to my account of their peaceful conduct. At night we encamped at the first pines on the western shore of Artillery Lake. While we were with the Indians in the morning, our dog had hunted and sadly pulled about a poor lemming, half torpid with cold. The first gripe had blinded it, and the little creature was now running about on the ice along the border of the REACH THE AII-riELDESSY. 419 'r rapid, encamp- fbrmer ved us ; showed ;icularjy number g tliem, so flu-, I safety. ppeared lat they ■ing ad- Ii eager of the lakes ; lightest vv pre- tinized istened their nes on lile we Lir dog i poor : gripe is now of the river ; while the dog, as if conscious that it could not escape, kept mouthing and i)laying with it. The sick old Indian was seated by the fire, joining ill the halflsmothered laugii which the sport cre- ated. Hereupon I rose from my seat, and calling the dog away, caught the mouse, warmed it by the fire, and when it had somewhat recovered its strength, laid it gently down at the entrance of a burrow in the sand-bank, into which it soon dis- appeared. I then threw in a piece of fat after it for food. As I anticipated, the Indians were not inattentive to what was passing ; and when I pointed to the infirm old man near them, and said that the helpless shoidd be protected, they understood the meaning of what had been done, and wiUi expressions of satisfaction promised to remember it. The weather still continued squally, with snow ; but the breeze being fair, the foresail was lioisted, and about noon of the ^2ith we aot to the Ah-hel-dessy, where we were greeted by the sight of berries. Some Indians encamped in a bay made signs for us to go to them, which being disregarded, they ran after us to say they had })lenty of meat : however they were directed to bring it to the Fort. The descent of this small but abominable river was a succession of run- ning rapids, making portages, and loweriug down cascades j and much time was occupied in pie- G G i'50 ouji i'uoGiiKss auiiesti:d by Tin: falls. vious examination, without whicli precaution wc dared not stir a yard ; still the rapids in- creased in number and dilHcidtv, until at last •d deep and ])erpendicular fall, (which 1 have named after Capt. Anderson, 11. A.), rnshin