IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) V' 4?7 fe 1.0 I.I IM 12.5 2.2 1.8 ^ IIIIM IM ^ V] '> '/ /A Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716)872-4503 ■< m \ ;\ \ ^ m € <^ "^ ?:♦ i \:^ ^% % %^ CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICIVIH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques The institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographicaliy unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checked below. 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These swamps are covered with water in summer, to the depth of several feet, which arises from the melted snow from the higher grounds. The tracks of foxes, wolves, wolverenes, and martens, were very numerous. The people employed in carrying meat, set traps on their way out, and take possession of their captures at their return, for which they receive a sum from the Company, proportioned to the value of the fur. In the evening we crossed the Goose Lako which is a little longer than Swan Lake d afterw ards the River Sepanach, a branch of the Saskatchawan, forming an island extending thirty miles above, and forty below Cumberland House. We •« •'v^;: OF THE POL/^R SEA, 75 tnrnefl to the westward on tl'e Root I'lvvcr. wiiicli enters the Sepanach, and halted ou its banks having made in direct distance not more than twenty miles since the 2'3d. We passed the Shoal Lake on the 25ih) and then marched twelve miles through woods and swamps to a hunting tent of the Indians. It was situated in a grove of 1 rge poplars, and would have been no unpleasant residence, if we could have avoided the smoke. A heavy gale from the westward, with snow, confined us for several days to this tent. On the 30th two Indians ar- rived, one of whom, named the Warrior, was well known at the house. We endea- voured to prevail upon them to set out in quest of moose, which they agreed to do on receiving some rum. Promises were of no avail; the smallest present gratification is preferred to the certainty of ariple reward at another period; an unfailing i:: acation of strong animal passions, and a wp k un- derstanding. On our compliance with their demand they departed. The next day I went to the Warrior's /6 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES **^ ^u tent, distant about eleven miles. The coun- try was materially olianfj^ed, the pine had disappeared, and gentle slopes, with clumps of large poplars, formed some pleasing groups ; willows were scattered over the swam])s. When 1 entered the tent, the Indians sj>read a buffalo robe before the fire, and desired me to sit down. Some were eating, others sleeping, many of them without any covering except the breech cloth and a blanket over the shoulders ; a Btate in which they love to imhdge them- selves, till lumger drives them forth to the chase. Besides the Warrior's family, there was that of another h\mter named Long- fegSy whose bad success in hunting had re- duc*^d him to the necessity of feeding on itioose leather for three weeks, when he was compassionately relieved by the Warrior. I was an unwilling witnesvS of the preparation of my dinner by the Indian women. They cut into pieces a portion of fat meat, using for that purpose a knife and their teeth. It was boiled in a kettle, and served in a platter made of birch-bark, from which, . •* OF THE POLAR SEA. 77 i beiiig clirty, tliey had peeled the Rtirftice. However, Uie flavour of good moose meat will survive any process that it undergoes in their hands, except snionking. Having provided myself with some draw- ing materials, I amused the Indians with a sketch of the interior of the tent and its in- habitants. An old woman, who was rela- ting with great volubility an account of some cpiarrel with the traders at Cumber- land I louse, broke off from her narration when she perceived my design ; supposing perhaps, that I was employing some charm against her; for the Indians have been taught a supernatural dread of particular pictures. One of the young men drew, with a piece of charcoal, a figure resem- bling a frog, on the side of the tent, and by significantly pointing at me, excited peals of merriment from his companions. The caricature waa comic ; but I soon fixed their attention, by producing my pocket compass, and affecting it with a knife. They have great curiosity, which might easily be directed to the attainment of 78 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES useful knowledge. As the dirt .iccumu- lated about these people was visibly of a communicative nature, I removed at night into the open air, where the thermometer fell to 15° below zero, although it was the next day GO*' above it. In the morning the Warrior and his com- panion arrived ; I found that, instead of hunting, they had passed the whole time in a dnmken fit, at a short distance from the tent. In reply to our angry questions, the Warrior held out an empty vessel, as if to demand the payment of a debt, before he entered into any new negociation. Not being inclined to starve his family, we set out for another Indian tent, ten miles to the southward, but we found only the frame, or tent poles, standing when we reached the spot. The men, by digging where the fire place had been, ascertained that the Indians had quitted it the day before ; and as their marches are short, when encumbered with the women and baggage, we sought out their track and followed it. At an abrupt angle of it, which was obscured by trees, 111. I- OF THE POLAR SEA* 70 flic men suddenly disappeftrcd ; and has- tening forward to discover the cause, I per- ceived them both still rolling at the foot of a steep clift', over which they had been dragged while endeavouring to stop the descent of their sledges. The dogs were gazing silently, with the wreck of their har- ness about them, and the sledges deeply buried in the snow. The effects of this accident did not detain us long, and we proceeded afterwards with greater caution. . nie air was warm at noon, and the soli- tary, but sweet notes of the jay, the earliest spring bird, were in every wood. Late in the evening we descried the ravens wheeling in circles round a small grove of poplars, and, according to our expectations, found the Indians encamped there. The men were absent hunting, and re- turned unsuccessful. They had been several days without provisions, and thinking that I could depend upon the continuance of their exertions, I gave them a little rum; the next day they set out, and at midnight 80 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES ..' n they swept by us with their dogs in close pursuit. In the morning we found that a moose had eaten tlie bark of a tree near our fire. The hunters, however, again failed; and they attributed the ex..reme difficulty of approaching the chase, to the calmness of the weather, which enabled it to hear them at a great distance. They concluded as usual, when labouring under any affliction, that they were tor- mented by the evil spirit; and assembled to beat a large tambourine, and sing an address to the Manito or deity, praying for relief, according to the explanation which I received ; but their prayer consisted of only three words, constantly repeated. One of the hunters yet remained abroad; and as the wind rose at noon, we had hopes that he was successful. In the evening he made his app'^arance, and announcing that he had killed a large moose, immediately secured the reward which had been pro- jnised. OF THE POLAR SEA. 81 The tidings were received with apparent indifference, by people whose lives are al- ternate changes from the extremity of want to abundance. But as their countenances seldom betray their emotions, it cannot be determined whether their apathy is real or affected. However, the women prepared their sledges and dogs, with the design of dismembering, and bringing home, the car- cass ; a proceeding to which, in the'r neces- sitous condition, I could have had Of^ither reasonable nor available objections, without giving them a substitute. By much solici- tation I obtained an audience, and offered them our own provisions, on condition of their suspending the work of destruction till the next day. They agreed to the pro- position, and we set out with some Indians for the place where the animal was lying. The night advancing, we were separated by a snow storm, and not being skilful enough to follow tracks which were so speedily filled up, I was bewildered for several hours in the woods, when I met with an Indian, who led me back at such a pace that I was vor . II. G IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) 1.0 I.I 11.25 l^|2B |2.5 |io ■^" Hi^l £ b£ 12.0 12.2 U ii.6 m /), / '/ /A Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. MS80 (716) S73-4S03 % \ y>. ^.^ '<«> 82 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES always in the rear, to his infinite diversion. The Indians are vain of their local know- ledge, which is certainly very wonderful. Our companions had taken out the entrails and young of the moose, which they buried in the snow. The Indians then returned to the tents, and one of my men accompanied them ; he was the person charged with the manage- ment of the trade at the hunting tent; and he observed, that the opportunity of making a bargain with the Indians, while they were drinking, was too advantageous to be lost. It remained for us to prevent the wolves from mangling the moose ; for which pur- pose we wrapped ourselves in blankets between its feet, and placed the hatchets within our reach. The night was stormy, and apprehension kept me long awake ; but finding my companion in so deep a sleep that nothing could have roused him except •the actual gripe of a wolf, I thought it ad- od. Tho ladinj? of tho canooa is always, if ]>ossil)lo, oarriod on shoro at nijijlu, and tiie oanoos takon out of tho wator. Tho fol- iowinjjj ovonii\ir wo roaohod Hoavor Lako, and landod to ropair sonio daniaiijos sus« tiiinod hy tho oanoos. A round stono will displaoo tho lading of a oanoo without doing any injiu'y, but a slight blow against a sharp oornor ])onotratos tho bark. For tho pur- pose of repairing it, a small (piantity of gum or ])itoh, hark and pine roots, are end)arkod, and tho business is so expeditiously ]H^r- formod, that tho speed of tho oanoo anj])ly compensates for every delay. The Sturgeon River is justly called by the Canadians La Riviere XFaligno, from its numerous and dangerous rapids. Against the strength of a rapid it is im])Ossible to oHoct any progress by paddling, and the oanoos are tracked, or if the bank will not aduiii jf it, propelled 16 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES I with poles, in the management of which the Canadians show great dexterity. Their simultaneous motions were strongly con- trasted with the awkward confusion of the inexperienced Englishmen, deafened by the torrent, who sustained the blame of every accident which occurred. At sunset we encamped on an island in Beaver Lake, and at four A.M. the next morning passed the first portage in the Ridge River. Beaver Lake is twelve miles in length, and six in breadth. The Hat limestone country rises into bold rocks on its banks, and at the mouth of the Ridge River the limestone discontinues. The lake is very deep, and has already been noticed for the number and excellence of its fish. The Ridge River is rapid and shallow. We had emerged from the muddy channels through an alluvial soil, and the primitive rocks interrupted our way with frequent portages through the whole route to Isle a la Crosse Lake. At two P.M. we passed the mouth of the Hay River, running from the westward ; and the ridge above its con- OF THE POLAR SEA. 97 fluence takes the name of the Great River, which rises at the height of land called the Frog Portage. The thermometer was this day 100° in the sun, and the heat was extremely op- pressive, from our constant exposure to it. We crossed three portages in the Great River, and encamped at the last; here we met the director of the North-West Com- pany's affairs in the north, Mr. Stuart, on his way to Fort William, in a light canoe. He had left the Athabasca Lake only thir- teen days, and brought letters from Mr. Franklin, who desired that we would endea- vour to collect stores of every kind at Isle a la Crosse, and added a favourable account of the country to the northward of the Slave Lake. On the IGth, at three A.M., we continued our course, the river increasing to the breadth of half a mile, with many rapids between the rocky islands. The banks were luxuriantly clothed with pines, poplars, and bircli trees, of the largest size ; but the different shades of green were undistin- VOL. II. H •♦■ r* 98 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES f? f 1 guishable at a distance, and the glow of autumnal colours was wanting to render the variety beautiful. Having crossed two portages at the dif- ferent extremities of the Island Lake, we ran under sail through two extensive sheets of water, called the Heron and Pelican Lakes ; the former of which is fifteen miles in length, and the latter five ; but its extent to the southward has not been explored. An intricate channel, with four small port- ages, conducted us to the Woody Lake. Its borders were, indeed, walls of pines, hiding the face of steep and high rocks; and we wandered in search of a landing- place till ten P.M., when we were forced to take shelter from an impending storm on a small island, where we wedged our- selves between the trees. But though we secured the canoes, we incurred a personal evil of much greater magnitude in the tor- ments inflicted by the musquitoes, a plague which had grown upon us since our depar- ture from Cumberland House, and which infested us during the whole summer; we I, i OF THE POLAR SEA. 99 found no relief from their attacks by ex- posing ourselves to the utmost violence of the wind and rain. Our last resource was to plunge ourselves in the water, and from this uncomfortable situation we gladly es- caped at day-light, and hoisted our sails. The Woody Lake is thirteen miles in length, and a small grassy channel at its north-western extremity leads to the Frog Portage, the source of the waters descend- ing by Beaver Lake to the Saskatchawan. The distance to the Missinippi, or Churchill River, is only three hundred and eighty yards ; and, as its course crosses ^'he height nearly at right angles to the direction of the Great River, it would be superfluous to compute the elevation at this place. The portage is in latitude 55° 26' 0" N., and longitude 103° 34' 50" W. Its name, ac- cording to Sir Alexander Mackenzie, is derived from the Crees having left sus- pended a stretched frog's skin, in derision of the Northern Indian mode of dressing the beaver. The part of the Missinippi, in which we H 2 r •A -, 100 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES m 91 I embarked, we should have mistaken for a lake, had it not been for the rapidity of the current against which we made our way. At four P.M. we passed a long portage occasioned by a ledge of rocks, three hun- dred yards in length, over which the river falls seven or eight feet. After crossing another portage we encamped. On the 18th we had rain, wind, and thunder, the whole day ; but this weather was much preferable to the heat we had borne hitherto. We passed three portages, and at six P.M. encamped on the north bank. Below the third portage is the mouth of the Rapid River, flowing from a large lake to the southward, on which a post was formerly maintained by the North- West Company. Next morning we found ourselves involved in a confused mass of islands, through the openings of which we could not discern the shore. The guide's knowledge of the river did not extend beyond the last portage, and our perplexity continued till we observed some foam float- ing on the water, and took the direction f^ti" iU««*"*>5i*mf.^ OF THE POLAR SEA. 101 m for a y of the Lir way. portage •ee hun- he river crossing nd, and weather we had portages, le north is the from a which a 3 North- re found mass of hich we J guide's extend rplexity im float- iirection ii from which it came. The noise of a heavy fall at the Mountain Portafe reached our ears at the distance of four miles, and we arrived there at eight A.M. The portage was a difficult ascent over a rocky island^ between which and the main shore were two cataracts, and a third in sight above them, making another portage. We sur- prised a large brown bear, which immedi- ately retreated into the woods. To the northward of the second portage we again found the channels intricate, but the shores being sometimes visible, we ventured to proceed. The character of the country was new, and more interesting than before. The mountainous and strong elevations receded from the banks, and the woods crept through their openings to the valleys behind ; the adventurous pine alone ascend- ing their bases, and braving storms unfelt below. At noon we landed at the Otter Portage, where the river ran with great velocity for half a mile, among large stones. Having carried across the principal part of the 102 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES cargo, the people attempted to track the canoes along the edge of the rapid. With the first they succeeded, but the other, in which were the foreman and steersman, was overset and swept away by the current. An account of this misfortune was speedily conveyed to the upper end of the portage, and the men launched the remaining canoe into the rapid, though wholly unacquainted with the dangers of it. The descent was quickly accomplished, and they perceived the bottom of the lost canoe above water in a little bay, whither it had been whirled by the eddy. One man had reached the bank, but no traces could be found of the fore- man, Louis Saint Jean. We saved the canoe, out of which two guns and a case of preserved meats had been thrown into the rapid.* So early a disaster deeply affected the spirits of the Canadians, and their natural vivacity gave way to melancholy * Mr. Hood himself was the first to leap into the canoe and incite the men to follow him, and shoot the rapid to save the lives of their companions. — Dr. Richardson's Journal, -c-vi'^iRr. OF THE POLAR SEA. 103 ;k the With her, in m, was iirrent. )eedily artage, ; canoe lainted nt was ceived ater in •led by J bank, 3 fore- ed the case of ito the ffected their ncholy into the hoot the s. — Dr. forebodings, while they erected a wooden cross in the rocks near the spot where their companion perished. The loss of this man's services, and the necessity of procuring a guide, determined us to wait for the arrival of the North- West Company's people from Fort Chipew- yan, and we encamped accordingly. The canoe was much shai ered, but as the gun- wales were not broken, we easily repaired it. In the evening a north-west canoe arrived, with two of the partners. They gave us an account of Mr. Franklin's pro- ceedings, and referred us to the brigade following them for a guide. During the 20th it rained heavily, and we passed the day in anxious suspense con- fined to our tents. A black bear came to the bank on the opposite side of the river, and on seeing us glided behind the trees. Late on the 21st Mr. Robertson, of the Hudson's Bay Company, arrived, and fur- nished us with a guide, but desired that he might be exchanged when we met the northern canoes. We took advantage of 104 JOURNEY TO THE SII0RE3 ^i if It I the remainder of the day to cross the next portage, which was t' ^e-fourths of a mile in length. On the 22d we crossed three small port- ages, and encamped at the fourth. At one of them we passed some of the Hudson's Bay Company's canoes, and our application to them was unsuccessful. We began to suspect that Isle a la Crosse was the nearest place at which we might hope for assistance. However, on the morning of the 23d, as we were about to embark, we encountered the last brigades of canoes belonging to both the Companies, and obtained a guide and foreman from them. Thus completely equipped, we entered the Black Bear Island Lake, the navigation of which requires a very experienced pilot. Its length is i„venty-two miles, and its breadth varies from three to five, yet it is so choked with islands, that no channel is to be found through it exceeding a mile in length. At sunset we landed, and encamped on an island, and at six A.M. on the 24th left the lake, and crossed three portages into another, which OF THE POLAR SEA. 105 le next a mile 1 port- At one ndson's ication ?gan to nearest istance. i, as we red the o both de and ipletely Island uires a igth is varies 3d with hrough iiset we and at :e, and which has, probably, several comnnunications with the last, as that by which we passed is too narrow to convey the whole body of the Missinippi. At one of these portages called the Pin PortJige is a rapid, about ten yards in length, with a descent of ten or twelve feet, and beset with rocks. Light canoes sometimes venture down this fatal gulf, to avoid the portage, unappalled by the warn- ing crosses which overhang the brink, the mournful records of former failures. The Hudson's Bay Company's people whom we passed on the 23d, going to the rock house with their furs, were badly pro- vided with food, of which we saw distress- ing proofs at every portage behind them. They had stripped the birch trees of their rind to procure the soft pulpy vessels in contact with the wood, which are sweet, but very insufficient to satisfy a craving ap- petite. The lake to the westward of the Pin Portage, is called Sandfly Lake ; it is seven miles long ; and a wide channel connects it with the Serpent Lake, the extent of which mm lOG JOURNEY TO THE SHORES :■ < f} •I to the southward we could not discern. There is nothing remarkable in this chain of lakes, except their shapes, being rocky basins filled by the waters of the Missinippi, insulating the massy eminences, and mean- dering with almost imperceptible current between them. From the Serpent to the Sandy Lake, it is again confined in a nar- row space by the approach of its winding banks, and on the 26th we were some hours employed in traversing a series of shallow rapids, where it was necessary to lighten the canoes. Having missed the path through the woods, we walked two miles in the water upon sharp stones, from which some of us were incessantly slipping into deep holes, and floundering in vain for footing at the bottom; a scene highly diverting, not- withstanding our fatigue. We were de- tained in Sandy Lake, till one P.M., by a strong gale, when the wind becoming mo- derate we crossed five miles to the mouth of the river, and at four P.M. left the main branch of it, and entered a little rivulet called the Grassy River, running through ■ : t OF THE rOLAR SEA. 107 discern, is chain r rocky ssinippi, I mean- current ; to the 1 a nar- bvinding e hours shallow lighten hrough in the 1 some 0 deep >ting at not- re de- by a g mo- mouth B main rivulet rough an extensive reedy swamp. It is the nest of innumerable ducks, which rear their young, among the long rushes, in security from h'^asts of prey. At sunset we en- camped on the banks of the main branch. At three A.M., June 28th, we embarked in a thick fog occasioned by a fall of the temperature of the air ten degrees below that of the water. Having crossed Knee Lake, which is nine miles in length, and a portage at its western extremity, we entered Primeau Lake, with a strong and favour- able wind, by the aid of which we ran nine- teen miles through it, and encamped at the river's mouth. It is shaped like the barb of an arrow, with the point towards the north, and its greatest breadth is about four miles. During the night, a torrent of rain washed us from our beds, accompanied with the loudest thunder I ever heard. This weather continued during the 29th, and often compelled vis to land, and turn the canoes up, to prevent them from filling. We passed one portage, and the confluence 108 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 1 i , of a river, said to afford, by other rivers beyond a height of land, a shorter but more difficult route to the Athabasca Lake than that which is generally pursued. On the 28th we crossed the last portage, and at ten A.M. enteied the Isle a la Crosse Lake. Its long succession of woody points, both banks stretching towards the south, till their forms were lost in the haze of the horizon, 'vas a grateful prospect to us, after our bewildered and interrupted voyage in the Missinippi. The gale wafted us with unusual speed, and as the lake in- creased in breadth, the waves swelled to a dangerous height. A canoe running before the wind is very liable to burst asunder, when on the top of the wave, so that part of the bottom is out of the water ; for there is nothing to support the weight of its heavy cargo but the bark, and the slight gunwales attached to it. On making known our exigencies to the gentlemen in charge of the Hudson's Bay and North- West Companies' Forts, they made up an assortment '^f stores, amounting ii.. OF THE POLAR SEA. 101) r rivers ut more ke than portage, i\e h. la f woody [irds the the haze spect to errupted e wafted lake in- lled to a g before asunder, lat part for there s heavy lunwales s to the n's Bay Is, they jounting tJ five bales; for four of wliich we were indebted to Mr. Mac Leod of the North- West Company who shared with us the ammunition absolutely required for the sup- port of his post ; receiving in exchange an order for the same quantity upon the cargo which we expected to follow us from York Factory. We had heard from Mr. Stuart that Fort Chipewyan was too much im- poverished to supply the wants of the ex- pedition, and we found Isle h la Crosse in the same condition ; which, indeed, we might have foreseen, from the exhausted state of Cumberland House, but could not have provided against. We never had heard before our departure from York, that the posts in the interior only received annually the stores necessary for the consumption of a single year. It was fortunate for us that Mr. Franklin had desired ten bags of pemmi- can to be sent from the Saskatchawan across the plains to Isle a la Crosse for our use. This resource was untouched, but we could not embark more than five pieces in our own canoes. However, Mr. Mac Leod agreed no JOURNEY TO THE SHORES to send a canoe after us to the Methye Portage, with the pemmican, and we calcu- lated that the diminution of our provision would there enable us to receive it. The Beaver River enters this lake on the S.E. side, and another river which has not been named, on the S.W. Both these rivers are branches of the Missinippi, as it is the only outlet from the lake. The banks ap- peared to be rocky, and the beach in many places sandy, but its waters are yellow and muddy. It produces a variety of fish, among which its white-fish are esteemed the best in the country. The only birds visible at this season, are common to every part of the Missinippi; gulls, ducks, pi- geons, goatsuckers, and the raven ; and geese and swans pay a momentary visit in passsing to the north and returning. There was little in the forts differing from the establishments that we had before seen. The ground on which they are erected is sandy, and favourable to cultiva- tion. Curiosity, however, was satisfied by the first experiment, and utility alone has OF THE POLAR SEA. Ill Metliye e calcu- irovision :e on the i has not se rivers it is the lanks ap- in many jUow and of fish, esteemed ^nly birds to every ucks, pi- en ; and y visit in differing id before |they are cuhiva- isfied by done has been unable to extend it. Isle h la Crosse is frequented by the Crees and Chipewyans. It is not the dread of the Indians, but of one another, that has brought the rival Companies so close together at every trad- ing post ; each party seeking to prevent the other from engaging the affections of the natives, and monopolizing the trade. When- ever a settlement is made by the one, the other immediately follows, without consi- dering the eligibility of the place ; for it may injure its opponent, though it cannot benefit itself, and that advantage which is the first object of all other commercial bodies, becomes but the second with the fur traders. On the evening of the 30th we embarked, and entered a wide channel to the north- ward of the forts, and extending towards the north-west. It gradually decreased in breadth till it became a river, which is the third fork of the Missinippi, and its current being almost insensible, we entered the Clear Lake at ten A.M. on the 1st of July. Of this lake, which is very large, no part is 112 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES known except the south border, but its ex- tent would lead us to conclude, that its evaporation must be supplied by another river to the northward, especially as the small channel that communicates with Buf- falo Lake is motionless. The existence of such a river is asserted by the Indians, and a shorter passage might be found by it across the height of land to Clear Water River, than the portage from the Methye Lake. In Buffalo Lake, the wind was too strong for us to proceed, and we therefore en- camped upon a gravel beach thrown up by the waves. We embarked at three A.M. July 2d, and at four P.M. entered the mouth of the Methye River. The lake is thirty-four miles in length, and fourteen in breadth. It is probably very deep, for we saw no islands on this wide expanse, ex- cept the borders. On the south-west side were two forts, belonging to the Companies, and near them a solitary hill, seven or eifijht hundred feet high. At eight P.M. we en- camped in the Methye River, at the conflu- M OF THE POLAR SEA. 113 ►ut its ex- I, that its )y another lly as the I with Buf- jxistence of ndians, and 3und by it :iear Water the Methye IS too strong berefore en- rown up by three A.M. entered the The lake is fourteen in deep, for we lexpanse, ex- |uth-west side te Companies, leven or eir within, toes into t this re^ rh we em- to hazard our blan- led trunks, 3od. We )ur misery ie stay, jsemble, in irope, but 3r particu- jecies, the le smallest nnot easily imerous in st appear- ys them in nost vora- :aders, the to the fac- hat period, d, which it can extract by penetrating the hide of a buffalo ; and if it is not disturbed, it gorges itself so as to swell its body into a trans- parent globe. The wound does not swell, like that of the African musquito, but it is infinitely more painful ; and when multi- plied an hundred-fold, and continued for so many successive days, it becomes an evil of such magnitude, that cold, famine, and every other concomitant of an inhospitable cli- mate, must yield the pre-eminence to it. It chases the buffalo to the plains, irritating him to madness ; and the rein-deer to the sea-shore, from which they do not return till the scourge has ceased. On the 6th the thermometer was 106° in the sun, and on the 7th 110°. The mus- quitoes sought the shade in the heat of the day. It was some satisfaction to us to see the havoc made among them by a large and beautiful species of dragon-fly, called the musquito hawk, which wheeled through their retreats, swallowing its prey without a momentary diminution of its speed. But the temporary relief that we had hoped for ff^- I I ' ! '' ; J s 118 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES was only an exchange of tormentors : our new assailant, the horse-fly, or bull-dog, ranged in the hottest glare of the sun, and carried oft' a portion of flesh at each attack. Another noxious insect, the smallest, but not the least formidable, was the sand-fly, known in Canada by the name of the hrulot. To such annoyance all travellers must sub- mit, and it would be unworthy to complain of that grievance in the pursuit of know- ledge, which is endured for the sake of profit. This detail of it has only been as an excuse for the scantiness of our observa- tions on the most interesting part of the country through which we passed. The north side of the Methye Portage is in latitude 56° 41' 40" N. and longitude 109° 52' 0" W. It is, by our course, one hundred and twenty -four miles from Isle h la Crosse, and, considered as a branch of the Missinippi, five hundred and ninety-two miles from the Frog Portage. The Clear Water River, passing through the valley described above, evidently rises not far to the eastward. The height, computed by if a OP THE POLAR SEA. no tlie same mode as that of the Echiamamis, by allowing a foot for each mile of distance, and six feet on an average for each fiill and rapid, is two thousand four hundred and sixty seven feet above the level of the sea, admitting it to be nine hundred feet above the Clear Water River. The coun- try, in the line between it and the mouth of Mackenzie's River, is a continual descent, although to the eastward of that line there may be several heights between it and the Arctic Sea. To the eastward, the lands descend to Hudson's Bay ; and to the westward also, till the Athabasca River cuts through it, from whence it ascends to the Rocky Mountains. Daring was the spirit of enterprise that first led Commerce, w'ith her cumbrous train, from the waters of Hudson's Bay to those of the Arctic Sea, across an obstacle to navigation so stupen- dous as this ; and persevering has been the industry which drew riches from a source so remote. On the 8th two men arrived, and in- formed us, that they had brought us our r 120 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES if ' }-i '^i i ten bags of pemmican, from Isle a la Crosse, but that they were found to be rotten. Thus were we unexpectedly de- prived of the most essential of our stores, for we knew Fort Chipewyan to be destitute of provisions, and that Mr. Franklin de- pended upon us for a supply, wJereas enough did not remain for our own use. On the 9 th the canoes and cargoes reached the north side of the portage. Our people had selected two bags of pemmican less mouldy than the rest, which they left on the beach. Its decay was caused by some defect in the mode of mixing it. On the 10th we embarked i^ the Clear Water River, and proceeded down tLj current. The hills, the banks, and bed of the river, were composed of fine yellow sand, with some limestone rocks. The surface soil was alluvial. At eight A.M. we passed a portage on which the limestone rocks were singularly scattered through the woods, bearing the appearance of houses and turrets overgrown with moss. The earth emitted a hollow sound, and the river OF THE POLAR SEA. 121 was (livitled by rocks into narrow crooked channels, every object indicating that some convulsion had disturbed the general order of nature at this place. We had passed a portage above it, and after two long portages below it we encamped. Near the last was a small stream so strongly impregnated with sulphur, as to taint the air to a great distance around it. We saw two brown bears on the hills in the course of the day. At daylight on the 11th we embarked. The hills continued on both sides to the mouth of the river, varying from eight hundred to one thousand feet in height. They declined to the banks in long green slopes, diversified by woody mounds and copses. The pines were not here in thick impenetrable masses, but perched aloft in single groups on the heights, or shrouded by the livelier hues of the poplar and willow. We passed the mouth of the Red Willow River on the south bank, flowing through a deep ravine. It is the continuation of the route by the Pembina, before mentioned. At noon we entered the majestic Athabasca \U2 JOUUNEY TO THE SilORES i I.. J p. * or Elk Uiver. Is ]Unct'*on with the Clear Water River is called the Forks. Its hanks were inaccessihle clifls, apparently of clay and stones, ahont two hundred feet high, and its windings in the south were encircled by high mountains. Its breadth exceeded lialf a mile, and was swelled to a mile in many places by long muddy islands in the middle covered with trees. No more port- jiges interrupted our course, but a swift current hurried us towards the quarter in which our anticipated discoveries were to commence. The passing cliffs returned a loud confusion of echoes to the sprightly canoe song and the dashing paddles ; and the eagles, watching with half-closed eyes on the pine-tops, started from their airy rest, and prepared their drowsy pinions for the flight. About twenty miles from the Forks are some salt pits and plains, said to be very extensive. The height of the banks was reduced to twenty or thirty feet, and the hills ranged themselves at an increased dis- tance from the banks in the same variety as OP THE POLAR SEA. 125 tliose of the Clear Water River. At sunset we encamped on a small sandy island, but the next morninji^ made a speedy retreat to the canoes, tlu? water having nearly over- flown our encampment. We passed two deserted settlements of the fur traders on opposite hanks, at a place called Pierre au Calumet. Beyond it the hills disappeared, and the banks were no longer visible above the trees. The river carries away yearly large portions of soil, which increases its breadth, and diminishes its depth, rendering the water so muddy as to be scarcely drinkable. Whole forests of timber are drifted down the stream, and choke up the channels between the islands at its mouth. We observed the traces of herds of buffa- loes, where they had crossed the river, the trees being trodden down and strewed, as if by a whirlwind. At four P.M. we left the main branch of the Athabasca, entering a small river called the Embarras. It is narrow and muddy, with pines of an enormous size on its banks. Some of them are two hundred feet high, 124 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES and three or four feet in diameter. At nine P.M. we landed and encamped ; but finding ourselves in a nest of musquitoes^ we continued our journey before daybreak, and at eight A.M. emerged into the Atha- basca Lake. A strong wind agitated this sea of fresh water, which, however, we crossed without any accident, and landed on the north side of it, at Fort Chipewyan ; where we had the satisfaction of finding our companions in good health, and of expe- riencing that sympathy in our anxiety on the state of affairs, which was only to be expected from those who were to share our future fortunes. A OF THE POLAR SEA. 125 CHAPTER VII. Departure from Chipewyan — Difficulties of the various Navigations of the River o and Lakes, and of the Port' ages — Slave Lake and Fort Providence — Scarcity of Provisions, and Discontent of the Canadian Voyagers — Difficulties with regard to the Indian Guides — Refusal to proceed — Visit of Observation to the upper part of Copper-Mine River — Return to the Winter- Qtiarters of Fort Enieiyrise, Early on the morning of the 18th July the stores were distributed to the three canoes. Our stock of provision unfortunately did not amount to more than sufficient for one day's consumption, exclusive of two barrels of flour, three cases of preserved meats, some chocolate, arrow-root, and portable soup, which we had brought from England, and intended to reserve for our journey to the coast the next season. Seventy pounds of moose meat and a little barley were all 12G JOURNEY TO THE SHORES that Mr. Smith was gnahled to give us. It was gratifying, however, to perceive that this scarcity of food did not depress the spirits of our Canadian companions, who cheerfully loaded their canoes, and embarked in high glee after they had received the customary dram. At noon we bade fare- well to our kind friend Mr. Smith. The crews commenced a lively paddling song on quitting the shore, which was continued until we had lost sight of the houses. We soon reached the western boundary of the lake, and at two entered the Stony River, one of the discliarges of the Athabasca Lake into the Slave River, and having a favouring current passed swiftly along. This narrow stream is confined between low sw^ampy banks, which support willows, dwarf birch, and alder. At five we passed its conflux with the Peace River. The Slave River, formed by the union of these streams, is about three quarters of a mile wide. We descended this magnificent river with much rapidity, and after passing through several narrow channels, formed -''® I OF THE POLAR SEA. 127 ve VIS. It :eive that jpress the lions, who , embarked ceived the bade fare- Tiith. The ing song on continued ouses. "6 idary of the ;tony River, Athabasca id having a dftly along, ed between )ort willows, ^e we passed River. The lion of these rs of a mile nificent river fter passing inels, formed by an assemblage of islands, crossed a spot where the waters had a violent whirling motion, which, when the river is low, is said to subside into a dangerous rapid ; on the present occasion no other inconvenience was felt than the inability of steering the canoes, which were whirled about in every direction by the eddies, until the current carried them beyond their influence. We encamped at seven on the swampy bank of the river, but had scarcely pitched the tents before we were visited by a terril)le thunder-storm ; the rain fell in torrents, and the violence of the wind caused the river to overflow its banks, so that we were completely flooded. Swarms of musquitoes .s ^ceeded the storm, and their tormenting stings, superadded to other inconveniences, induced us to embark, and, after taking a hasty supper, to pursue our voyage down the stream during the night. At six on the following morning we passed the Rein-Deer Islands, and at ten reached the entrance of the Dog River, where we halted to set the fishing nets. These were 0 128 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES examined in the evening, but to our morti- fication we obtained only four small trout, and were compelled to issue part of our preserved meats for supper. The latitude of the mouth of Dog River was observed 59° 52' 16" N. The nets were taken up at daylight, but they furnished only a solitary pike. We lost no time in embarking, and crossed the crooked channel of the Dog Rapid, when two of the canoes came in such violent contact wHh each other, that the sternmost had its bow broken off. We were fortu- nately near the shore, or the disabled canoe would have sunk. The injury being re- paired in two hours, we again embarked, and having descended another rapid, arrived at the Cassette Portage of four hundred and sixty paces, over which the cargoes and canoes were carried in about twenty-six minutes. We next passed through a narrow channel full of rapids, crossed the portage d'Embarras of seventy yards, and the portage of the Little Rock, of three hundred yards, at which another accident happened to one OF THE POLAR SEA. 129 of the canoes, by the bowman slipping and letting it fall upon a rock, and breaking it in two. Two hours were occupied in sewing the detached pieces together, and covering the seam with pitch ; but this being done, it was as effective as before. After leaving this place we soon came to the next portage, of two hundred and seventy-three paces ; and shortly afterwards to the Mountain Portage, of one hundred and twenty ; which is appropriately named, as the path leads over the summit of a high hill. This ele- vated situation commands a very grand and picturesque view, for some miles along the river, which at this part is about a mile wide. We next crossed a portage of one hun- dred and twenty yards ; and then the Peli- can Portage, of eight hundred paces. Mr. Back took an accurate sketch of the inte- resting scenery which the river presents at this place. After deiicending six miles further, we came to the last portage on the route to Slave Lake, which we crossed, and encamped in its lower end. It is called VOL. II. K r^ 150 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES •* The Porta f^e of the Drowned f'* and it received that name from a melanclioly accident which took place many years ago. Two canoes arrived at the upper end of the portage, in one of which there was an ex- perienced guide. This man, judging from the height of the river, deemed it practicable to shoot the rapid, and determined upon trying it. He accordingly placed himself in the bow of his canoe, having previously agreed, that if the passage was found easy, he shoidd, on reaching the bottom of the rapid, fire a musket, as a signal for the other canoe to follow. The rapid proved dangerous, and called forth all the skill of the guide, and the utmost exertion of his crew, and they narrowly escaped destruc- tion. Just as they were landing, an imfor- tunate fellow, seizing the loaded fowling- piece, fired at a duck which rose at the instant. The guide, anticipating the con- sequences, ran with the utmost haste to the other end of the portage, but he was too late ; the other canoe had pushed off, and he arrived only to witness the fate of his OF THE POLAR SEA. 1.31 ' and it ^lancholy ears ago. nd of the as an ex- ^ing from racticable ned upon 1 himself ircviously und easy, m of the 1 for the d proved le skill of m of his destnic- an mifor- fowling- se at the the con- ste to the 3 was too 1 off, and ite of his comrades. They got alarmed in the middle of the rapid, the canoe was upset, and every man perished. The various rapids we passed this day are produced by an assemblage of islandii and rocky ledges, which obstruct the river, and divide it into many narrow channels. Two of these channels are ^ondered still more difficult by .accumulations of drift timber ; a circumstance which has given a name to one of the portages. The rocks which compose the bed of the river, and the numerous islands, belong to the granite formation. The distance made to-day was thirteen miles. July 21. — We embarked at four A.M. and pursued our course down the river. The rocks cease at the last portage ; and below it the banks are composed of alluvial soil, which is held together by the roots of trees and shrubs that crown their summits. The river is about a mile wide, and the current is greatly diminished. At eight we landed at the mouth of the Salt River, and pitched our tents, intending to remain there K 2 132 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES that and the next day for the purpose of fishing. After breakfast, which made ano- ther inroad on our preserved meats, we proceeded up the river in a light canoe, to visit the salt springs, leaving a party behind to attend the nets. This river is about one hundred yards wide at its mouth. Its waters did not become brackish until we had ascended it seven or eight miles ; but when we had passed several rivulets of fresh water which flowed in, the main stream became very salt, at the same time contracting its width to fifteen or twenty yards. At a distance of twenty- two miles, including the windings of the river, the plains commence. Having pitched the tent at this spot, we set out to visit the principal springs, and had walked about three miles, when the musquitoes compelled vis to give up our project. We did not see the termi- nation of the plains toward the east, but on the north and west they are bounded by an even ridge, about six or seven hundred feet in height. Several salt springs issue from the foot of this ridge, and spread their OF THE POLAR SEA. ]33 waters over the plain, which consists of tenacious clay. During the summer much evaporation takes place, and large heaps of salt are left behind crystallized in the form of cubes. Some beds of grayish compact gypsum were exposed on the sides of the hills. The next morning, after filling some casks with salt for our use during winter, we embarked to return, and had descended the river a few miles, when, turning round a point, we perceived a buffalo plunge into the river before us. Eager to secure so valuable a prize, we instantly opened a fire upon him from four muskets, and in a few minutes he fell, but not before he had re- ceived fourteen balls. The carcass was towed to the bank, and the canoe speedily laden with meat. After this piece of good fortune, we descended the stream merrily, our voyagers chanting their liveliest songs. On arrival at the mouth of the river, we found that our nets had not produced more than enough to supply a scanty meal to the men whom we had left behind, but this was t n \ 134 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES now of little importance, as tlie acquisition of meat we had made would enable us lO proceed without more delay to Slave Lake. The jwisson inconnu, mentioned by Mac- kenzie, is Ibimd here. It is a species of the genus Salmo, and is said by the In- dians to ascend from the Arctic Sea, but being unable to pass the cascade of the Slave River is not found higher than this place. In the evening a violent thunder- storm came on with heavy rain, thermome- ter 70°. At a very early hour on the following morning we embarked, and continued to paddle against a very strong wind and high waves, under the shelter of the bank of the rivers, until two P.M., when having ar- rived at a more exposed part of the stream, the canoes took in so much water that we were obliged to disembark on a small is- land. The river here is from one mile and a quarter to one mile and three quarters wide. Its banks are of moderate height, sandy, and well wooded. July 24, — We made more progress, not- OF TlIK rOLAR SKA. 13.1 W'ithHtnnding the continuance of the wind. The course of the river is very winding;, making in one j)lace a circuit of seven or eight miles roiuid a peninsuhi, which is joined to tlie west hank l)y a narrow istli- mus. Near the foot of tliis elhow, a long island occupies the centre of the river, which it divides into two channels. The lon- gitude was ohtained near to it 113° 25' 3G", and variation 27° 25' 14" N., and the lati- tude ()0° 54' 52" N., about four miles far- ther down. We passed the mouth of a broad channel leading to the north-east, termed La Grande Riviere de Jean, one of the two larr M branches by which the river pours its waters into the Great Slave Lake ; the flooded delta at the mouth of the river is intersected by several smaller channels, through one of which, called the Channel of the Scaffold, we pursued our voyage on the following morning, and by eight A.M. reached the establishment of the North- West Company on Moose-Deer Island. We found letters from Mr. Wentzel, dated Fort Providence, a station on the north side ; )} 136 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES of the lake, which communicated to us that there was an Indian guide waiting for us at tliat post ; but, that the chief and the hunters, who were to accompany the party, had gone to a short distance to hunt, having become impatient at our delay. Soon sfter landing, I visited the Hud- son's Bav Post on the same island, and en- gaged Pierre St. Germain, an interpreter for the Copper Indians. We regretted to find the posts of both the Companies ex- tremely bare of provision ; but as the gen- tlemen in charge had despatched men on the preceding evening to a band of Indians, in search of meat, and they promised to furnish us with whatever should be brought, it was deemed advisable to wait for their return, as the smallest supply was now of importance to us. Advantage was taken of the delay to repair effectually the canoe, which had been broken in the Dog Rapid. On the next evening the men arrived with the meat, and enabled Mr. M'Cleod, of the North-West Company, to furnish us with four hundred pounds of dried provi- OF THE POLAR SEA. 137 sions. Mr. M*Vicar, of the Hudson's Bay Company, also supplied one hundred and fifty pounds. This quantity we considered would be sufficient, until we could join the hunters. We also obtained three fishing- nets, a gun, and a pair of pistols, which were all the stores these posts could furnish, although the gentlemen in charge were much disposed to assist us. Moose-Deer Island is about a mile in diameter, and rises towards the centre about three hundred feet above the lake. Its soil is in general sandy, in some parts swampy. The varieties of the northern berries grow abundantly on it. The North-West Com- pany's Fort is in latitude 61° 11' 8"N,; longitude 113° 51' 37" W., being two hun- dred and sixty statute miles distant from Fort Chipewyan, by the river course. The variation of the compass is 25° 40' 47" E. 'The houses of the two Companies are small, and have a bleak northern aspect. There are vast accumulations of drift wood on the shores of the lake, brought down by the river, which afford plenty of fuel. The in- 138 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES habitants live principally on the fish, which the lake at certain seasons furnishes in great abundance ; of these, the white fish, trout, and poisson inconnu are considered the best. They also procure moose, buffalo, and rein- deer meat occasionally from their hunters ; but these animals are generally found at the distance of several days* walk from the forts. The Indians who trade here are Chipewyans. Beavers, martens, foxes, and musk-rats, are caught in numbers in the vicinity of this great body of water. The musquitoes here were still a serious annoy- ance to us, but less numerous than before. They were in some degree replaced by a small sandfly, whose bite is succeeded by a copious flow of blood, and considerable swelling, but is attended with incomparably less irritation, than the puncture of the musquito. On the 27th of July we embarked at four A.M., and proceeded along tl^e south shore of the lake, through a narrow channel, formed by some islands, beyond the conflu- ence of the principal branch of the Slave OF THE POLAR SEA. 139 River, and as far as Stony Island, where we breakfasted. This island is merely a rock of gneiss, that rises forty or fifty feet above the lake, and is precipitous on the north side. As the day was fine, and the lake smooth, we ventured upon paddling across to the Rein-Deer Islands, which were distant about thirteen miles in a northern direction, instead of pursuing the usual track by keeping further along the south shore which inclines to the eastward from this point. These islands are nume- rous, and consist of granite, rising from one hundred to two hundred feet above the water. They are for the most part naked ; but towards the centres of the larger ones, there is a little soil, and a few groves of pines. At seven in the evening we landed upon one of them and encamped. On the following morning we ran before a strong breeze and a heavy swell for some hours, but at length were obliged to seek shelter on a large island adjoining to Isle a la Cache of Mackenzie, where the following observations we:^e obtained : latitude 61® V . liO JOURNEY TO TII;E SHORTS 50' 18" N., longitude 113° 21' 40" W., and variation 31° 2' 06" E. The wind and swell having subsided in the afterncon, we re-embarked and steered towards the western point of the Big-Island of Mackenzie, and, when four miles distant from it, had forty-two fathoms soundings. Passing between this island and c. promon- ' tory of the main shore, termed Big Cape, we entered into a deep bay, which receives the waters from several rivers that come from the northwa/t ' ; and we immediately perceived a decrease in the temperature of the waters from 59° to 48°o We coasted along the eastern side of the bay, its western shore being always visible, but the canoes were exposed to the hazard of being broken by the numerous sunken rocks, which were scattered in our track. We encamped for the night on a rocky island, and by eight A.M. on the following morning arrived at Fort Providence, which is situated twenty- one miles from the entrance of the bay. The post is exclusively occupied by the North- West Company, the Hudson's Bay OF THE POLAR SEA. Ul Company having no settlement to the north- ward of Great Slave Lake. We found Mr. Wentzel and our interpreter Jean Bap- tiste Adam here, with one of the Indian guides , but the chief of the tribe and his hunters were encamped with their families, some miles from the fort, in a good situa- tion for fishing. Our arrival was announced to him by a fire on the top of a hill, and before night a messenger came to commu- nicate his intention of seeing us next morn- ing. The customary present, of tobacco and some other articles, was immediately fc; nt to him. Mr. Wentzel prepared me for the first conference with the Indians by mentioning all the information they had already given to him. The duties allotted to this gentle- man were, the management of the Indians, the superintendence of the Canadian voy- agers, the obtaining and the general distri- bution of the provision, and the issue of the Other stores. These services he was well qualified to perform, having been ac- customed to execute similar duties during ■ 142 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES . 1 a residence of upwards of twenty years in this country. We also deemed Mr. Wentzel to be a great acquisition to our party, as a check on the interpreters, he being one of the few traders who speak the Chipewyan language. As we were informed that external ap- pearances made lasting impressions on the Indians, we prepared for the interview by decorating ourselves in uniform, and sus- pending a medal round each of our necks. Our tents had been previously pitched and over one of them a silken union flag was hoisted. Soon after noon, on July 30th, several Indian canoes were seen advancing in a regular line, and on their approach, the chief was discovered in the headmost, which was paddled by two men. On landing at the fort, the chief assumed a very grave aspect, and walked up to Mr. Wentzel with a measured and dignified step, looking nei- ther to the right nor to the left, at the per- sons who had assembled on the beach to witness his debarkation, but preserving the same immoveability of countenance until he OF THE POLAR SEA. 143 reached the hall, and was introduced to the officers. When he had smoked his pipe, drank a small portion of spirits and water himself, and issued a glass to each of his companions, who had seated themselves on the floor, he commenced his harangue, by mentioning the circumstances that led to his agreeing to accompany the Expedition, an engagement which he was quite prepared to fulfil. He w^as rejoiced, he said, to see such great chiefs on his lands ; his tribe was poor, but they loved white men, who had been their benefactors ; and he hoped that our visit would be productive of much good to them. The report which pre- ceded our arrival, he said, had caused much grief to him. It was at first rumoured that a great medicine chief accompanied us, who was able to restore the dead to life ; at this he rejoiced; the prospect of again seeing his departed relatives had enlivened his spirits, but his first communication with Mr. Wentzel had removed these vain hopes, and he felt as if his friends had a second time been torn from him. He now wished 144 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES i i to be informed exactly of the nature of our expedition. In reply to this speech, which I under- stood had been prepared for many days, I endeavoured to explain the objects of our mission in a manner best calculated to en- sure his exertions in our service. With this view, I told him that we were sent out by the greatest chief in the world, who was the sovereign also of the trading companies in the country; that he wps the friend of peace, and had the interest of every nation at heart. Having learned that his children in the north were much in want of articles of merchandize, in consequence of the ex- treme length and difficulty of the present route ; he had sent us to search for a pas- sage by the sea, which, if found, would enable large vessels to transport great quantities of goods more easily to their lands. That we had not come for the pur- pose of traffic, but solely to make discove- ries for their benefit, as well as that of every other people. That we had been directed to inquire into the nature of all f OF THE POLAR SEA. 115 the productions of the countries we might pass through, and particularly respecting their inhabitants. That we desired the as- sistance of the Indians in guiding us, and providing us with food; finally, that we were most positively enjoined by the great chief to recommend that hostilities should cease throughout this country; and espe- cially between the Indians and the Esqui- maux, whom he considered his children, in common with other natives; and by way of enforcing the latter point more strongly, I assured him that a forfeiture of all the advantages which might be anticipated from the expedition would be a certain conse- quence if any quarrel arose between his party and the Esquimaux. I also commu- nicated to him that owing to the distance we had travelled, we had now few more stores than was necessary for the use of our own party, a part of these, however, should be forthwith presented to him; on his re- turn, he and his party should be remuner- ated with cloth, ammunition, tobacco, and some useful iron materials, besides having VOL. II. L 146 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES their debts to the North- West Company discharged. The chief, whose name is Akaitcho or Big-foot, replied by a renewal of his assu- rances, that he and his party would attend us to the end of our journey, and that they would do their utmost to provide us with the means of subsistence. He admitted that his tribe had made war upon the Es- quimaux, but said they were now desirous of peace, and unanimous in their opinion as to the necessity of all who accompanied us abstaining from every act of enmity against that nation. He added, how^ever, that the Esquimaux were very treacherous, and therefore recommended that we should ad- vance towards them with caution. The communications which the chief and the guides then gave respecting the route to the Copper-Mine River and its course to the sea, coincided in every material point with the statements which were made by Boileau and Blackmeat at Chipewyan, but they differed in their descriptions of the coast. The information, however, collected OF THE POLAR SEA. 147 from both sources was very vague and un- satisfactory. None of his tribe had been more than three days' march along the sea- coast to the eastward of the river's mouth. As the water was unusually high this season, the Indian guides recommended our going by a shorter route to the Copper- Mine River than that they had first pro- posed to Mr. Wentzel, and they assigned as a reason for the change, that the rein- deer would be sooner found upon this track. They then drew a chart of the pro- posed route on the floor with charcoal, ex- hibiting a chain of twenty-five small lakes extending towr^rds the north, about one half of them connected by a river which flows into Slave Lake near Fort Provi- dence. One of the guides, named Kes- karrah, drew the Copper-Mine River, run- ning through the Upper Lake, in a westerly direction towards the Great Bear Lake, and then northerly to the sea. The other guide drew the river in a straight line to the sea from the above-mentioned place, but, after some dispute, admitted the correctness of L 2 148 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES the first delineation. The latter was elder brother to Akaitcho, and he said tliat he liad accompanied Mr. Ilearne on his journey, and though very young at the time, still remembered many of the circumstances, and particularly the massacre committed by the Indians on the Esquimaux. They pointed out another lake to the southward of the river, about three days' journey distant from it, on which the chief proposed the next winter's establishment should be formed, as the rein-deer would pass there in the autumn and spring. Its waters contained fish, and there was a suf- ficiency of wood for building as well as for the winter's consumption. These were im- portant considerations, and determined me in pursuing the route they now proposed. They could not inform us what time we should take in reaching the lake, until they saw our manner of travelling in the large canoes, but they supposed we might be about twenty days, in which case I entertained the hope that if we could then procure provision we should have time to descend the Copper- OF THE POLAR SEA. 149 Mine River for a considerable distance, if not to the sea itself, and return to the lake before the winter set in. It may here be proper to mention that it had be^n my original plan to descend the Mackenzie's River and to cross the Great Bear Lake, from the eastern side of which, Boileau informed me, there is a communi- cation with the Copper-Mine River by four small lakes and portages; but under our present circumstances, this course could not be followed, because it would remove us too far from the establishments at the Great Slave Lake to receive the supplies of ammunition and some other stores in the winter, which were absolutely necessary for the prosecution of our journey, or to get the Esquimaux interpreter, whom we expected. If I had not deemed these circumstances paramount I should have preferred the route by Bear Lake. Akaitcho and the guides having commu- nicated all the information they possessed on the different points to which our ques- tions had been directed, I placed my medal 150 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES r i r round the neck of the chief, and the officers presented theirs to an elder brother of his and the two guides, communicating to them that these marks of distinction were given as tokens of our friendship and as pledges of the sincerity of our professions. Being conferred in the presence of all the hunters their acquisition was highly gratifying to them, but they studiously avoided any great expression of joy, because such an exposure would have been unbecoming the dignity which the senior Indians assume during a conference. They assured us, however, of their being duly sensible of these tokens of our regard, and that they should be pre- served during their lives with the utmost care. The chief evinced much penetration and intelligence during the whole of this conversation, which gave us a favourable opinion of his intellectual powers. He made many inquiries respecting the Disco- very ships, under the command of Captain Parry, which had be((n mentioned to him, and asked why a passage had not been disco- vered long ago, if one existed. It may be OF THE POLAR SEA. 151 Stated that we gave a faithful explanation to all his inquiries, which policy would have prompted us to do if a love of truth had not; for whenever these northern nations detect a falsehood in the dealings of the traders, they make it an unceasing subject of reproach, and their confidence is irre- coverably lost. We presented to the chief, the two guides, and the seven hunters, who had engaged to accompany us, some cloth, blankets, to- bacco, knives, daggers, besides other useful iron materials, and a gun to each ; also a keg of very weak spirits and water, which they kept until the evening, as they had to try their guns before dark, and make the necessary preparations for commencing the journey on the morrow. They, however, did not leave us so soon, as the chief was desirous of being present with his party at the dance, which was given in the evening to our Canadian voyagers. They were highly entertained by the vivacity and agi- lity displayed by our companions in their singing and dancing, and especially by their 152 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES imitating the gestures of a Canadian, who placed himself in the most ludicrous pos- tures ; and, whenever this was done, the gravity of the chief gave way to violent bmsts of laughter. In return for the grati- fication Akaitcho had enjoyed, he desired his" young men to exhibit the Dog-Rib Indian dance ; and immediately they ranged themselves in a circle, and, keeping their legs widely separated, began to jump simul- taneously sideways ; their bodies were bent, their hands placed on their hips, and they uttered forcibly the interjection tsa at each jump. Devoid as v/ere their attitudes of grace, and their music of harmony, we were much amused by the novelty of the exhibi- tion. In the midst of this scene an untoward accident occurred, which for a time inter- rupted our amusements. The tent in which Dr. Richardson and I lodged, having caught fire from some embers that had been placed in it to expel the musquitoes, was entirely burnt. Hepburn, who was sleeping within it close to some powder, most providentially OF THE POLAR SEA. 153 awoke in time to throw it clear of the flame, and rescue the baggage before any material injury had been received. We dreaded the consequences of this disaster upon the fickle minds of the Indians, and wished it not to be communicated to them. The chief, however, was soon informed of it by one of his people; and expressed his desire that no future misfortune should be concealed from him. We found he was most concerned to hear that the flag had been burnt, but we removed his anxiety on that point by the assurance that it could easily be repaired. We were advised by Mr. Wentzel to recommence the dancing after this event, lest the Indians should imagine, by our putting a stop to it, t) x*- we considered the circumstance as an unfa- vourable commencement of our under- taking. We were, however, deeply im- pressed with a grateful sense of the Divine Providence, in averting the threatened de- struction of our stores, which would have been fatal to every prospect of proceeding forward this season. 154 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES ^■ j; August 1. — This morning the Indians set out, intending to wait for us at the mouth of the Yellow-Knife River. We remained behind to pack our stores in bales of eighty pounds each, an operation which could not be done in the presence of these Indians, as they are in the habit of begging for every thing they see. Our stores consisted of two barrels of gunpowder, one hundred and forty pounds of ball and small shot, four fowling-pieces, a few old trading guns, eight pistols, twenty-four Indian daggers, some packages of knives, chisels, axes, nails, and fastenings for a boat ; a few yards of cloth, some blankets, needles, looking-glasses, and beads ; together with nine fishing-nets, hav- ing meshes of different sizes. Our provision was two casks of fiour, two hundred dried rein-deer tongues, some dried moose-meat, portable soup, and arrow-root, sufficient ya the whole for ten days' consumption, besides two cases of chocolate and two canisters of tea. We engaged another Canadian voyager at this place, and the expedition then con- sisted of twenty-eight persons, including OF THE POLAR SEA. 155 the officers and the wives of three of our voyagers, who were brought for the pur- pose of making shoes and clothes for the men at the winter establishment ; there were also three children, belonging to two of these women.* * The following is the list of the officers and men who composed the expedition on its departure from Fort Providence : John Franklm, Lieutenant of the Royal Navy and Commander. John Kichardson, M. D. -urgeon of the Royal Navy. Mr. George Back, of the Royal Navy, Admiralty Midshipman. Mr. Robert Hood, of the Royal Navy, Admiralty Midshipman. Mr. Frederick Wentzel, Clerk to the North-West Company. John Hepburn, English seaman. Canadian Voyagers. Joseph Peltier, Gabriel Beauparlant, Matthew Felonquin, dit Vincenza Fontano, Credit, Registe Vaillant, Solomon Belanger, Jean Baptiste Parent, Joseph Benoit, Jean Baptiste Belanger, Joseph Gagn6, Jean Baptiste Belleau, )i I I I J 156 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES Our observations place Fort Providence in latitude 62° 17' 19" N., longitude 114° 9' 28" W. ; the variation of the compass is 33° 35' 55" E., and dip of the needle 86° 38' 02". It is distant from Moose-Deer Island sixty-six geographic miles. This is the last establishment of the traders in this direction, but the North- West Company have two to the northward of it on the Mackenzie River. It has been erected for the convenience of the Copper and Dog- Rib Indians, who generally bring such a quantity of rein-deer meat, that the resi- dents are enabled, out of their superabun- dance, to send annually some provision to the fort at Moose-Deer Island. They also occasionally procure moose and buffalo r t# Pierre Dumas, Joseph Forcier, Ignace Perrault, Francois Samandr^. Emanuel Cournoy^e, Michel Teroahaute, an Iroquois. Interpreters. Pierre St. Germain, Jean Baptiste Adam, Chipewyan Bois Bruits. OF THE POLAR SEA. 157 V' idence e 114° pass is le 86° ;-Deer rhis is in this mpany on the ted for L Dog- such a e resi- rabun- 5ion to ey also jufTalo ee, ,e, an 3rul^s. meat, but these animals are not numerous on this side of the lake. Few furs are col- lected. Les poissons inconnus, trout, pike, carp, and white-tish, are very plentiful, and on these the residents principally subsist. Their great supply of fish is procured in the latter part of September and the beginning of October, but there are a few taken daily in the nets during the winter. The sur- rounding country consists almost entirely of coarse-grained granite, frequently enclosing large masses of reddish felspar. These rocks form hills which attain an elevation of three hundred or four hundred feet, about a mile behind the house; their surface is generally naked, but in the valleys between them grow a few spruce, aspen, and birch trees, together with a variety of shrubs and berry-bearing plants. On the afternoon of the 2d of August we commenced our journey, having, in addition to our three canoes, a smaller one to convey the women; we were all in high spiritL, being heartily glad that the time had at length arrived when our course was to be 158 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES W ' I rh i«< ■;m.i I I 1 1 ^''i >t' jl otlu^r Ituiian^ ■ jnteiuled t ^ouu into the intcrio.' . p'jrt.V ^^a« cpiickly •": -mtion after our pv'-'' t' 'nrl v.^ were soon surrounded h\ , !ii < -, seventeen [ndiiin canoes. In Coni}iaiiy witli them W'^ paddk- the river, which is one liundrwi and fifty vanls >vide, and In an hour came r ih . \vere #. '>f one hnn- cd AkrHtc bv .^% ntiTi ■.'.•^..' 01 re ;.a^idlod 'i- .• \\!, ]i \> til ickl ' vve were seventeen I them wc c; luimlrwl Tonr came were ... If Imi- ^ vj •i OF THE POLAR SEA. 161 his friends ; when he thought himself, how- ever, out of reach of oiir observation, he laid aside a good deal of his state, and assisted in the labour ; and, after a few days further acquaintance with us, he did not hesitate to paddle in our presence, or even carry his canoe on the portages. Se- veral of the canoes were managed by women, who proved to be noisy compa- nions, for they quarrelled frequently, and the weakest was generally profuse in her lamentations, which were not at all dimi- nished when the husband attempted to settle the difference by a few blows with his paddle. An observation, near the centre of the lake, gave 114° 13' 39" W., and SS"" 8' 06" E., variation. Leaving the lake, we ascended a very strong rapid, and arrived at a range of three steep cascades, situated in the bend of the river. Here we made a portage of one thousand three hundred yards over a rocky hill, which received the name of the Bow- string Portage, from its shape. We found VOL. II. M i ^i 162 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES ; i If that the Indians had greatly the advantage of us in this operation ; the men carried their small canoes, the women and children the clothes and provisions, and at the end of the portage they were ready to embark ; whilst it was necessary for our people to return four times, before they could trans- port the weighty cargo with which we were burdened. After passing through another expansion of the riT er, and over the Steep Portage of one hundred and fifteen yards, we encamped on a small rocky isle, just large enough to hold our party, and the Indians took possession of an adjoining rock. We were now thirty miles from Fort Providence. As soon as the tents were pitched, the officers and men were divided into watches for the night; a precaution intended to be taken throughout the journey, not merely to prevent our being surprised by strangers, but also to show our companions that we were constantly on our guard. The chief, who suffered nothing to escape his observa- tion, remarked, " that he ^r^hould sleep with- OF THE POLAR SEA. 163 out anxiety among the Esquimaux, for he perceived no enemy could surprise us." After supper we retired to rest, but our sleep was soon interrupted by the Indians joining in loud lamentations over a sick child, whom they supposed to be dying. Dr. Richardson, however, immediately went to the boy, and administered some medicine which relieved his pain, and put a stop to their mourning. The temperatures this dav were at four A.M. 54°, three P.M. 72°, at seven P.M. 65°. On the 4th we crossed a small lake, and passed in succession over the Blue Berry Cascade, and Double Fall Portages, where the river falls over ridges of rocks that completely obstruct the passage for canoes. We came to three strong rapids beyond these barriers, which were surmounted by the aid of the poles and lines, and then to a bend of the river in which the cascades were so freq'^ent, that to avoid them we cprried the canoes into a chain of small lakes. We entered them by a portage of nine hundred and fifty paces, and during m2 i 1 164 JOURNEY TO TL£ SHORES jfrasyv I the afternoon traversed three other lakes, and encamped on the banks of the river at the end of the Yellow-Knife Port- age, of three hundred and fifty paces. This day's work was very laborious to our men. Akaitcho, however, had directed his party to assist them in carrying their burdens on the portages, which they did cheerfully. This morning Mr. Back caught several fish with a fly, a method of fishing entirely new to the Indians ; and they were not more delighted than astonished at his skill and success. The extremes of temperature to- day were 54° and 65°, On August 5 th we continued the ascent of the river, which varied much in breadth, as did the current in rapidity. It flows between high rocky banks, on whicli there is sufficient soil to support pines, birch, and poplars. Five portage '^'ere crossed, then the Rocky Lake, and w; ^ iiished our labours at the end of the sixth portage. The issue of dried meat for breakfast this iiiorning had exhausted all our stock ; and no other provision remained but the portable soups, I I OF THE POLAR SEA. If) J and a few pounds of preserved meat. At the recommendation of Akaitcho, the hunters were furnished with ammunition, and de- sired to go forward as speedily as possible to the part where the rein-deer were ex- pected to be found ; and to return to us with any provision they could procure. He also assured us, that in our advance towards tliem we should come to lakes abounding in fish. Many of the Indians being likewise in distress for food, decided on separating from us, and going on at a quicker pace than we could travel. Akaitcho himself was always furnished with a portion at our meals, as a token of regard which the traders have taught the chiefs to expect, and which we willingly paid. The next morning we crossed a small lake and a portage before we entered the river ; shortly afterwards, the canoes and cargoes were carried a mile along its banks, to avoid three very strong rapids, and over anotlier portage into a narrow lake ; we encamped on an island in the middle of it Rv^\V 1G6 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES J il I i t to set the nets ; but they only yielded a few fish, and we had a very scanty supper, as it was necessary to deal out our provision sparingly. The longitude, 114° 27' 03" W., and variation, 33° Oi" E., were observed. We had the mortification of finding the nets entirely empty next morning, an un- toward circumstance that discouraged our voyagers very much ; and they complained of being unable to support the fatigue to which they were daily exposed, on their present scanty fare. We had seen with regret that the portages were more frequent as we advanced to the northward, and feared that their strength would fail, if pro- vision were not soon obtained. We em- barked at six, proceeded to the head of the lakcr and crossed a portage of two thousand five hundred paces, leading over ridges of sand-hills, which nourished pines of a larger size than we had lately seen. This con- ducted us to Mossy Lake, whence we re- gaii^ed the river, after traversing another portage. The Birch and Poplar Portages next followed, and beyond these we came f t OF THE POLAR SEA. 1G7 to a part where the river takes a great cir- cuit, and its course is interrupted by seve- ral heavy falls. The guide, therefore, ad- vised us to quit it, and proceed through a chain of nine lakes extending to the north- east, which we did, and encamped on Icy Portage, where the nets were set. The bottom of the valley, through which the track across this portage led, was covered with ice four or five feet thick, the remains of a large iceberg, which is annually formed there, by the snow drifting into the valley, and becoming consolidated into ice by the overflowing of some springs that are warm enough to resist the winter's cold. The latitude is 63° 22' 15" N., longitude 114° 15' 30" W. We were alarmed in the night by our fire communicating to the dry moss, which, spreading by the force of a strong wind, encircled the encampment and threatened destruction to our canoes and baggage. The watch immediately aroused all the men, who quickly removed whatever could 168 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES be injured to a distant part, and afterwards succeeded in extinguishing the flame. August 8. — During this day we crossed five portages, passing over a very bad road. The men were quite exhausted with fatigue by five P.M., when we were obhged to en- camp on the borders of the fifth lake, in which the fishing nets were set. We began this evening to issue some portable soup and arrow- root, which our companions re- lished very much ; but this food is too un- substantial to support their vigour under their daily exhausting labour, and we could not furnish them with a sufficient quantity even of this to satisfy their desires. We commenced our labours on the next day in a very wet uncomfortable state, as it had rained through the night until four A.M. The fifth grassy lake was crossed, and four others, with their intervening portages, and we returned to the river by a portage of one thousand four hundred and fifteen paces. The width of the stream here is about one hundred yards, its banks are mo- OF THE POLAR SEA. 1G9 V^i re mo- derately high and scantily covered with wood. We afterwards twice carried the cargoes along its hanks to avoid a very stony rapid, and then crossed the first Carp Portage in longitude 114° 2' 01" W., varia- tion of the compass 32° 30' 40" E., and encamped on the borders of Lower Carp Lake. The chief having told us that this was a good lake for fishing, we determined on halting for a day or two to recruit our men, of whom three were lame, and several others had swelled legs. The chief himself went forward to look after the hunters, and promised to make a fire as a signal if they Had killed any rein-deer. All the Indians had left us in the course of yesterday and to-day to seek these animals, except the guide Feskarrah. August 10. — The nets furnishing only four carp, we embarked for the purpose of searching for a better spot, and encamped again on the shores of the same' lake. The spirits of the men were much revived by seeing some recent traces of rein-deer at 170 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES this place, which circumstance caused cheni to cherish the hope of soon getting a sup- ply of meat from the hunters. They were also gratified by finding abundance of blue berries near the encampment, which made an agreeable and substantial addition to their otherwise scanty fare. We were teased by sand-fiies this evening, although the thermometer did not rise above 45°. The country through which we had tra- velled for some days consists principally of granite, intermixed in some spots with mica- slate, often passing into clay-slate. But the borders of Lower Carp Lake, where the gneiss formation prevails, are composed of hills, having less altitude, fewer precipices, and more rounded summits. The valleys are less fertile, containing a gravelly soil and fewer trees; so that the country has throughout a more barren aspect. August 11. — Having caught sufficient trout, white-fish, and carp, yesterday and this morning, to afford the party two hearty meals, and the men having recovered their fatigue, we proceeded on our journey. OF THE POLAR SEA. 171 crossed the Upper Carp Portage, and em- harked on the lake of that name, where we had the gratification of p r i >c^^^ M " 'h ( / Fa 172 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES The Yellow- Knife River had now dwindled into an insignificant rivulet, and we could not trace it beyond the next lake, except as a mere brook. The latitude of its source 64° r 30" N., longitude 113° 36' W., and its length is one hundred and fifty-six sta- tute miles. Though this river is of suffi- cient breadth and depth for navigating in canoes, yet I conceive its course is too much interrupted by cascades and rapids for its ever being used as a channel for the conveyance of merchandise. Whilst the crews were employed in making a portage over the foot of Prospect Hill, we ascended to the top of it, and as it is the highest ground in the neighbourhood, its summit, which is about five hundred feet above the water, commands an extensive view. Akaitcho, who was here with his family, pointed out to us the smoke of the distant fires which the hunters had made. The prospect is agreeably diversified by an in- termixture of hill and valley, and the ap- pearance of twelve lakes in different direc- tions. On the borders of these lakes a few i OF THE POLAR SEA. 173 dwindled we covdd except as ts source W., and y^-six sta- of suffi- igating in se is too nd rapids el for the Hiilst the a portage ascended le highest 5 summit, above the jw. lis family, le distant ide. The by an in- d the ap- •ent direc- ikes a few thin pine groves occur, but the country in general is destitute of almost every vege- table, except a few berry-bearing shrubs and lichens, and has a very barren aspect. The hills are composed of gneiss, but their acclivities are covered with a coarse gra- velly soil. There are many large loose stones both on their sides and summits, composed of the same materials as the solid rock. We crossed another lake in the evening, encamped and set the nets. The chief made a large fire to announce our situation to the hunters. August 13.— We caught twenty fish this morning, but they were small, and furnished but a scanty breakfast for the party. Whilst this meal was preparing, our Canadian voy- agers, who had been for some days past murmuring at their meagre diet, and striv- ing to get the whole of our little provision to consume at once, broke out into open discontent, and several of them threatened they would not proceed forward, unless more food was given to them. This con- i ■ -V 174 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES duct was the more unpardonable, as they saw we were rapidly approaching the fires of the hunters, and that provision might soon be expected. I, therefore, felt the duty incumbent on me to address them in the strongest manner on the danger of in- subordination, and to assure them of my determination to inflict the heaviest punish- ment on any that should persist in their re- fusal to go on, or in any other way attempt to retard the Expedition. I considered this decisive step necessary, having learned from the gentlemen most intimately acquainted with the character of the Canadian voyagers, that they invariably try how far Jiey can impose upon every new master, and that they will continue to be disobedient and in- tractable if they once gain any ascendency over him. I must admit, however, that the present hardships of our companions were of a kind which few could support without murmuring, and no one could witness with- out a sincere pity for their sufferings. After this discussion we went forward until sunset. In the course of the day we OF THE POLAR SEA. 175 as they the fires m might , felt the \ them in rer of in- m of my 5t pvmish- i their re- ly attempt dered this rned from acquainted i voyagers, • Jiey can , and that 3nt and in- iscendency ?r, that the lions were )rt without tness with- ings. nt forward :he day we crossed seven lakes and as many portages. Just as we had encamped we were delighted to see four of the hunters arrive with the flesh of two rein-deer. This seasonable supply, though only sufficient for this even- ing's and the next day's consumption, in- stantly revived the spirits of our compa- nions, and they immediately forgot all their cares. As we did not, after this period, experience any deficiency of food during this journey, they worked extremely well, and never again reflected upon us, as they had done before, for rashly bringing them into an inhospitable country, where the means of subsistence could not be pro- cured. Several blue fish, resembling the grayling, were caught in a stream which flows out of Hunter's Lake. It is remarkable for the largeness of the dorsal fin and the beauty of its colours. August 14. — Having crossed the Hunter's Portage, we entered the lake of the same name, in latitude 64° C 47 " N., longitude 113° 25' 00" W. ; but soon quitted it by 176 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES desire of the Indian guide, and diverged more to the eastward, that we might get into the hne upon which our hunters had gone. This was the only consideration that could have induced us to remove to a chain of small lakes, connected by long portages. We crossed three of these, and then were obliged to encamp to rest the men. The country is bare of wood except a few dwarf birch bushes, which grow near the borders of the lakes, and here and there a few stunted pines ; and our fuel principally con- sisted of the roots of decayed pines, which we liiad some difficulty to collect in suffi- cient quantity for cooking. When this ma- terial is wanting, the rein-deer lichen and other mosses that grow in profusion on the gravelly acclivities of the hills are used as substitutes. Three more of the hunters arrived with meat this evening, which sup- ply came very opportunely, as our nets were unproductive. At eight P.M., a faint Aurora Borealis appeared to the southward, the night was cold, the wind strong from N.W. OF THE POLAR SEA. 177 liverged ight get :ers had tion that 3 a chain portages, len were m. The BW dwarf ; borders re a few pally con- ,es, which in sviffi- i this ma- chen and on on the •e used as hunters hich sup- our nets \Jl., a faint outhward, rong from We were detained some time in the fol- lowing morning before the fishing nets, which had sunk in the night, could be re- covered. After starting we first crossed the Orkney Lake, then a portage which brought us to Sandy Lake, and here we missed one of our barrels of powder, which the steersman of the canoe then recollected had been left the day before. He and two other men were sent back to search for it, in the small canoe. The rest of the party proceeded to the portage on the north side of the Grizzle- Bear Lake, where the hunters had made a deposit of meat, and there encamped to await their return, which happened at nine P.M., with the powder. We perceived, from the direction of this lake, that consi- derable labour would have been spared if we had continued our course yesterday instead of striking off at the guide's sug- gestion, as the bottom of this lake cannot be far separated from either Hunter's Lake or the one to the westward of it. The chief and all the Indians went off to hunt, accom- VOL. II. N 173 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES r-*l i 1 1' ■VI I It ; I' j)anied by Pierre St. Germain, the inter- preter. They returned at night, bringing some meat, and reported that they had put the carcasses of several rein-deer en each', Tlicse were sent for early next morning, and as the weather was unusually warm, the thermometer at noon being 77°, we remained stationary all day, that the women miglit prepare the meat for keeping, by stripping the flesh from the bones, and drying it in the sun over a slow fire. The hunters were again successful, and by the evening we had collected the carcasses of seventeen deer. As this was a sufficient store to serve us until we arrived at Winter Lake, the chief proposed that he and his himters should proceed to that place and collect some provision against our arrival. He also requested that we would allow him to be absent ten days to provide his family with clothing, as the skin of the rein-deer is unfit for that purpose after the month of September. We could not tefuse to grant such a reasonable request, but caused St. Germain to accompany him, that his absence OF THE POLAR SEA. 179 might not exceed the appointed time. Pre- vious to his departure the chief warned us to be constantly on our guard against the grizzly bears, which he described as being numerous in this vicinity, and very ferocious ; one had been seen this day by an Indian, to which circumstance the lake owes its appellation. We afterwards learned that the only bear in this part of the country is the brown bear, and that this by no means possesses the ferocity which the Indians, with their usual love of exaggeration, ascribe to it. The fierce grizzly bear, which fre- quents the sources of the Missouri, is not found on the barren grounds. The shores of this lake and the neigh- bouring hills are principally composed of sand and gravel ; they are much varied in their outline, and present some picturesque scenery. The following observations were taken here: latitude 64° 15' 17" N., longitude 113° 2' 39" W. ; variation of the compass 36" 50' 47" E. ; and dip of the needle 87° 20' 35". N 2 180 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES On August the 17th, having finished dry- ing the meat, whicli had been retarded by the heavy showers of rain that fell in the morning, we embarked at one P.M., and crossed two lakes and two portages. The last of these was two thousand and sixty-six paces long, and very rugged, so that the men were much fatigued. On the next day we received the flesh of four rein-deer by the small canoe which had been sent for it, and heard that the hunters had killed several more deer on our route. We saw many of these animals as we passed along ; and our companions, delighted with the prospect of having food in abundance, now began to accompany their paddling with singing, which they had discontinued ever since our provisions became scarce. We passed from one small lake to another over four port- ages, then crossed a lake about six miles in diameter, and encamped on its border, where, finding pines, we enjoyed the luxury of a good fire, which we had not done for some days. At ten P. M. the Aurora Borealis appeared very brilliant in an arch OF THE POLAR SEA. 181 across the zenith, from north-west to south- east, which afterwards gave place to a beau- tiful corona borealis. August 19. — After crossing a portage of five hundred and ninety-five paces, a small lake and another portage of two thousand paces, which occupied the crews seven hours, we embarked on a small stream, running towards the north-west, which carried us to the lake, where Akaitcho proposed that we should pass the winter. The officers ascended several of the loftiest hills in the course of the day, prompted by a natural anxiety to examine the spot which was to be their residence for many months. The prospect, however, was not then the most agreeable, as the borders of the lake seemed to be scantily furnished with wood, and that of a kind too small for the purpose* of building. We perceived the smoke of a distant fire which the Indians suppose had been made by some of the Dog-ribbed tribe, who occa- sionally visit this part of the country. Embarking at seven next morning, we ~JR:^ 182 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES I, '1 \ paddled to the western extremity of the lake, and there found a small river, which flows out of it to the S.W. To avoid a strong rapid at its commencement, we made a portage, and then crossed to the north bank of the river, where the Indians recom- mended that the winter establishment should be erected, and we soon found that the situation they had chosen possessed all the advantages we could desire. The trees were numerous, and of a far greater size than we had supposed them to be in a dis- tant view, some of the pines being thirty or forty feet high, and two feet in diameter at the root. We determined on placing the house on the summit of the bank, which commands a beautiful prospect of the sur- rounding country. The view in the front is bounded at the distance of three miles by round-backed hills ; to the eastward and westward lie the Winter and Round-rock Lakes, which are connected by the Winter River, whose banks are well clothed with pines, and ornamented with a profusion of mosses, lichens, and shrubs. , OF THE rOLAR SEA. 183 In the afternoon we read divine service, and offered our thanksgiving to the Almighty for his goodness in having brought us thus far on our journey ; a duty which we never neglected when stationary on the sabbath. The united length of the portages we had crossed, since leaving Fort Providence, is twenty-one statute miles and a half; and as our men had to traverse each portage four times, with a load of one hundred and eighty pounds, and return three times light, they walked in the whole upwards of one hun- dred and fifty miles. The total length of our voyage from Chipewyan is five hundred and fifty-three miles.* A fire was made on the south side of the river, to inform the chief of our arrival, Statute Miles. ♦ Stony and Slave Rivers 260 Slave Lake 107 Yellow-Knife River 156.5 "Barren country between the source of the Yellow-Knife River and Fort Enter- prise 29.5 553 184 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES ^ M il which spreading before a strong wind caught the whole wood, and we were completely enveloped in a cloud of smoke for the three following days. On the next morning our voyagers were divided into two parties:', the one to cut the wood for the butlding of a store-house, and the other to fetch the meat as the hunters procured it. An interpreter was sent with Keskarrah, the guide, to search for the In- dians who had made the fire seen on Saturday, from whom we might obtain some supplies of provision. An Indian was also despatched to Akaitcho, with directions for him to come to this place directly, and bring whatever provision he had, as we were de- sirous of proceeding without delay to the Copper-Mine River. In the evening our men brought in the carcasses of se\ en rein- deer, which two hunters had shot yeiiterday, and the women ccninent^ed drying the meat for our journey. We also obtained a good supply of fish from our nets to-day. A heavy rain on the 23d, prevented the men from working, either at the building, OF THE POLAR SEA. 185 or going for meat ; but on the next day the weather was fine, and they renewed their labour . The thermometer that day did not rise higher than 42°, and it fell to 3\° before midnight. On the morning of the 25th, we were surprised by some early symptoms of the approach of winter; the small pools were frozen over, and a flock of of geese passed to the southward. In the afternoon, however, a fog came on, which afterwards changed into rain, and the ice quickly disappeared. We suffered great anxiety all the next day respecting John Hepburn, who had gone to hunt before sun- rise on the 25th, and had been absent ever since. About four hours after his departure the wind changed, and a dense fog obscured every mark by which his course to the tents could be directed, and we thought it probable he had been wandering in an op- posite direction to our situation, as the two hunters who had been sent to look for him, returned at sunset without having seen him. Akaitcho arrived with his party, and we were greatly disappointed at finding they 186 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES i I had stored up only fifteen rein- deer for us. St. Germain informed us that having heard of the death of the chief's brother-in-law, they had spent several days in bewailing his loss, instead of hunting. We learned also, that the decease of this man had caused another party of the tribe wLo had been sent by Mr. Wentzel to prepare provision for us on the banks of the Copper-Mine River, to remove to the shores of the Great Bear Lake, distant from our proposed route. Mortifying as these circumstances were, they produced less painful sensations than we experienced in the evening, by the refusal of Akaitcho to accompany us in the proposed descent of the Copper-Mine River. When Mr. Wentzel, by my direction, communi- cated to him my intention of proceeding at once on that service, he desired a conference with me upon the subject, which being im- mediately granted, he began, by stating that the very attempt would be rash and dan- gerous, as the weather was cold, the leaves were falling, some geese had passed to the southward, and the winter would shortly OF THE POLAR SEA. 187 3r for us. ng heard T-in-law, bewailing I learned id caused lad been provision )er-Mine he Great ed route. ?s were, ons than e refusal )roposed When unmuni- eding at iference ing ini- ing that id dan- 3 leaves I to the shortly set in ; and that, as he considered the lives of all who went on such a journey would be forfeited, he neither would go himself nor permit his hunters to accompany us. He said there was no wood within eleven days' march, during which time we could not have any fire, as the moss which the Indians use in their summer excursions, would be too wet for burning, in consequence of the recent rains; that we should be forty days in descending the Copper-Mine River, six of which would be expended in getting to its banks, and that we might be blocked up by the ice in the next moon; and during the whole journey the party must experience great suffering for want of food, as the rein- deer had already left the river. He was now reminded that these state- ments were very different from the account he had given, both at Fort Providence and on the route hither; and that up to this moment, we had been encouraged by his conversation to expect that the party might descend the Copper-Mine River, accompa- nied by the Indians. He replied, that at n I. )■ 188 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES the former place he had been unacquainted with our slow mode of travelHng, and that the alteration in his opinion arose from the advance of winter. We now informed him that we were pro- vided with instruments by which we could ascertain the btate of the air and water, and that we did not imagine the winter to be so near as he supposed ; however, we promised to return on discovering the first change in the season. He was also told that all the baggage being left behind, our canoes would now, of course, travel infinitely more expe- ditiously than any thing he had hitherto witnessed. Akaitcho appeared to feel hurt that we should continue to press the matter further, and answered with some warmth: " Well, I have said every thing I can urge to dissuade you from going on this service, on which it seems you wish to sacrifice your own lives as well as the Indians who might attend you ; however, if afler all I have said, you are determined to go, some of my young men shall join the party, because it shall not be said that we permitted you to OF THE POLAR SEA. 189 [juainted and that from the rere pro- we covdd ater, and to be so promised change in It all the 3es would ore expe- hitherto feel hurt he matter warmth : can urge s service, ifice your irho might 1 I have »me of my secause it ed you to die alone after having brought you hither ; but from the moment they embark in the canoes, I and my relatives shall lament them as dead." We could only reply to this forcible ap- peal, by assuring him and the Indians who were seated around him, that we felt the most anxious solicitude for the safety of every individual, and that it was far from our intention to proceed without considering every argument for and against the proposed journey. We next informed him, that it would be very desirab?e to see the river at any rate, that we might give some positive informa- tion about its situation and size, in our next letters to the Great Chief; and that we were very anxious to get on its banks, for the purpose of observing an eclipse of the sun, which we described to him, and said would happen in a few days. He received this communication with more temper than the preceding, though he immediately as- signed as a reason for his declining to go, that " the Indians must now procure a suf- , i 190 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES ficient quantity of deer-skins for winter clothing for themselves, and dresses for the Canadians, who would need them if they had to travel in the winter." Finding him so averse to proceed, and feeling at the same time how essential his continuance with us was, not only to our future success, but even to our existence during the winter, I closed the conversation here, intending to propose to him next morning, some modifi- cation of the plan, which might meet his approbation. Soon after we were gone, however, he informed Mr. Wentzel, with whom he was in the habit of speaking con- fidentially, that as his advice was neglected, his presence was useless, and he should, therefore, return to Fort Providence with his hunters, after he had collected some winter provision for us. Mr. Wentzel hav- ing reported this to me, the night was passed in great anxiety, and after weighing all the arguments that presented themselves to my mind, I came reluctantly to the de- termination of relinquishing the intention of going any distance down the river this sea- OF THE POLAR SEA. 191 winter for the if they ling him r at the tinuance success, e winter, nding to B modifi- meet his re gone, zel, with ing con- leglected, should, jnce with ted some itzel hav- light was weighing lemselves o the de- tention of : this sea- son. I had considered, that could we ascertain what were the impediments to the navigation of the Copper-Mine River, what wood grew on its banks, if fit for boat building, and whether drift timber existed where the country was naked, our opera- tions next season would be much facilitated ; but we had also cherished the hope of reaching the sea this year, for the Indians in their conversations with us, had only spoken of two great rapids as likely to ob- struct us. This was a hope extremely painful to give up ; for, in the event of suc- cess, we should have ascertained whether the sea was clear of ice, and navigable for canoes; have learned the disposition of the Esquimaux ; and might have obtained other information that would have had great in- fluence on our future proceedings. I must confess, however, that my opinion of the probability of our being able to attain so great a desideratum this season had been somewhat altered by the recent changes in the weather, although, had the chief been willing to accompany us with his party, I 192 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES u should have made the attempt; with the intention, however, of returning immedi- ately upon the first decided appearance of winter. On the morning of August 27th, having comnmnicated my sentiments to the officers, on the subject of the conference last even- ing, they all agreed that the descent to the sea this season could not be attempted, without hazarding a complete rupture with the Indians ; but they thought that a party should be sent to ascertain the distance and size of the Copper-mine River. These opinions being in conformity with my own, I determined on despatching Messrs. Back and Hood on that service, in a light canoe, as soon as possible. We witnessed this morning an instance of the versatility of our Indian companions, which gave us much uneasiness, as it re- garded the safety of our faithful attendant Hepburn. When they heard, on their ar- rival last night, of his having been so long absent, they expressed the greatest solici- tude about him, and the whole party imme- OF THE POLAR SEA. 193 ith the [timedi- ance of having officers, St even- it to the :empted, ure with t a party ance and These my own, rs. Back ht canoe, stance of [ipanions, as it re- ttendant their ar- n so long St solici- ty imme- diately volunteered to go in search of him as soon as day-Hght permitted. Their re- solutions, however, seem to have been changed, in consequence of the subsequent conversation we had with the chief, and we found all of them indisposed to proceed on that errand this morning ; and it was only by much entreaty, that three of the hunters and a boy were prevailed upon to go. They fortunately succeeded in their search, and we were infinitely rejoiced to see Hepburn return with them in the afternoon, though nmch jaded by the fatigue he had under- gone. He had got bewildered, as we had conjectured, in the foggy weather on the 25 th, and had been wandering about ever since, except during half an hour that he slept yesterday. He had eaten only a par- tridge and some berries, for his anxiety of mind had deprived him of appetite ; and of a deer which he had shot, he took only the tongue, and the skin to protect himself from the wind and rain. This anxiety, we learned from him, was occasioned by the f*" ' that the party whiph was about to do ccl \ the VOL. II. o 194 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES r-^pper-Mine River, might be detained until h vas found, or that it might have de- parted without him. He did not entertain any dread of the white bears, of whose numbers and ferocious attacks the Indians had been constantly speaking, since we had entered the barren grounds. Our fears for his safety, however, were in a consider- able degree excited by the accounts we had received of these animals. Having made a hearty supper, he retired to rest, slept soundly, and arose next morning in perfect health. On the 28th of August, Akaitcho was informed of our intention to send a party to the river, and of the reasons for doing so, of which he approved, when he found that I had relinquished the idea of going myself, in compliance with the desire which he and the Indians had expressed ; and he imme- diately said two of the hunters should go to provide them with food on the journey, and to serve as guides. During this conversa- tion we gathered from him, for the first time, that there might still be some of his OF THE POLAR SEA. 193 ;d until ive de- itertain ' whose Indians we had XY fears onsider- we had ; made a jt, slept 1 perfect cho was party to loing so, Lind that myself, he and le imme- iild go to •ney, and jonversa- the first ne of his tribe near to the river, from whom tlie party could get provision. Our next ob- ject was to despatch the Indians to their hunting-ground to collect provision for us, and to procure the fat of the deer for our use during the winter, and for making the pemmican we should require in the spring. They were therefore furnished with some ammunition, clothing, and other necessary articles, and directed to take their departure as soon as possible. Akaitcho came into our tent this evening at supper, and made several pertinent in- quiries respecting the eclipse, of which we had spoken last night. He desired to know the effect that would be produced, and the cause of it, which we endeavoured to explain ; and having gained this informa- tion, he sent for several of his companions, that they might also have it repeated to them. They were most astonished at our knowing the time at which this event should happen, and remarked that this knowledge was a striking proof of the superiority of the whites over the Indians. We took o 2 19G JOURNEY TO THE SHORES advantage of this occasion to speak to them respecting the Supreme Being, who ordered all the operations of nature, and to impress on their minds the necessity of paying strict attention to their moral duties, in obedience to his will. They readily assented to all these points, and Akaitcho assured us that both himself and his young men would exert themselves in obtaining provision for us, in return for the interesting communications we had just made to them. Having received a supply of dried meat from the Indian lodges, we were enabled to equip the party for the Copper-Mine River, and at nine A.M. on the 29th Mr. Back and Mr. Hood embarked on that service in a light canoe, with St. Germain, eight Cana- dians, and one Indian. We could not fur- nish them with more than eight days' pro- vision, which, with their blankets, two tents, and a few instruments, composed their lading. Mr. Back, who had charge of the party, was directed to proceed to the river, and if, when he arrived at its banks, the weather should continue to be mild, and the OF THE POLAR SEA. 197 > them rdered npress 5 strict jdience to all us that d exert r us, in cations d meat bled to River, ick and ze in a Cana- ot fur- rs' pro- o tents, their of the a e river, ., the Hks, and the temperature of the water was not lower than 40°, he might embark, and descend the stream for a few days to gain some knowledge of its course, but he was not to go so far as to risk his being able to return to this place in a fortnight with the canoe. But if the weather should be severe, and the temperature of the water below 40°, he was not to embark, but return immediately, and endeavour to ascertain the best track for our goods to be conveyed thither next spring. We had seen that the water decreases rapidly in temperature at this season, and I feared that, if he embarked to descend the river when it was below 40°, the canoe might be frozen in, and the crew have to walk back in very severe weather. As soon as the canoes had started, Akaitcho and the Indians took their depar- ture also, except two of the hunters, who staid behind to kill deer in our neighbour- hood, and old Keskarrah and his family, who remained as our guests. The fishing-nets were this day transferred mmm 198 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES from the river, in which they had been iet since our arrival, to Winter Lake, whither the fish had removed, and tho fishermen built a log-hut on its borders to reside in, that they might attend more closely to their occupation. The month of September commenced with very disagreeable weather. The tempera- ture of the atmosphere ranged between 39° and 3V during the first three days, and that of the water in the river decreased from 49° to 44°. Several rein-deer, and a large flight of white geese, passed to the south- ward. These circumstances led us to fear for the comfort, if not for the safety, of our absent friends. On the 4th of September we commenced building our dwelling-house, liaving cut sufficient wood for the frame of it. In the aflernoon of September the 6th, we removed our tent to the summit of a hill, about three miles distant, for the better observing the eclipse, which was calculated to occur on the next morning. We were prevented, however, from witnessing it by » ; ii OF THE POLAR SEA. 199 ►een set whither jhermen side in, to their ced with empera- reen 39° and that ed from I a large 3 south- 3 to fear f, of our ptember g-house, rame oi the 6th, nit of a e better Iculated Ne were ig it by a heavy snow-storm, and the only observa- tion we could then make was to examine whether the temperature of the atmosphere altered during the eclipse, but we found that both the mercurial and spirit thermo- meters remained steadily at 30° for a quarter of an hour previous to its com- mencement, during its continuance, and for half an hour subsequent to its termination ; we remarked the wind increased very much, and the snow fell in heavier flakes just after the estimated time of its commencement. This boisterous weather continued until three P.M., when the wind abated, and the snow changed to rain. As there was now no immediate occasion for my remaining on the spot, the eclipse being over, and the Indians having removed to their hunting-grounds, Dr. Richardson and I determined on taking a pedestrian excursion to the Copper-Mine River, leav- ing Mr. Wentzel in charge of the men, and to superintend the buildings. On the morn- ing of September the 9th we commenced our journey, under the guidance of old 1 *1» 200 JOUKNEY TO THE SHORES Keskarrah, and accompanied by John Hep- burn and Samandre, who carried our blan- kets» cooking utensils, hatchets, and a small supply of dried meat. Our guide led us from the top of one hill to the top of ano- ther, making as straight a course to the northward as the numerous lakes, with which the country is intersected, would permit. At noon we reached a remarkable hill, with precipitous sides, named by the Copper Indians the Dog-rib Rock, and its latitude, 64° 34' 52" S., was obtained. The canoe-track passes to the eastward of this rock, but we kept to the westward, as being the more direct course. From the time we quitted the banks of Winter River we saw only a few detached clumps of trees ; but after we passed Dog-rib Rock even these disappeared) and we travelled through a naked country* In the course of the after- noon Keskarrah killed a rein-deer, and loaded himself with its head and skin, and out men also carried off a fbw pounds of its flesh for supper ; but their loads were alto- gether too great to permit them to take OF THE POtAR SEA. 201 m Hep- ir blan- a small J led us of ano- to the ;s, with , would larkable by the and its d. The i of this as being time we we saw es; but m these ough a e aftet- er, and cin, and is of its re alto- to take much additional weight. Keskarrah offered to us, as a great treat, the raw marrow from the hind legs of the animal, of which all the party ate except myself, and thought it very good. I was also of the same opinion, when I subsequently conquered my then too fastidious taste. We halted for the night on the borders of a small lake, which washed the base of a ridge of sand-hills, about three hundred feet high, having walked in direct distance sixteen miles. There were four ancient pine-trees here which did not exceed six or seven feet in height, but whose branches spread them- selves out for several yards, and we gladly cropped a few twigs to make a bed and to protect us from the frozen ground, still white from a fall of snow which took place in the afternoon. We were about to cut down one of these trees lor firewood, but our guide solicited us to spare them, and made us understand by signs that they had been long serviceable to his nation, and that we ought to content ourselves with a few of the smaller branches. As soon as we com- 202 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES V' 1 prehended his request we complied with it, and our attendants having, with some trouble, grubbed up a sufficient quantity of the roots of the dwarf birch to make a fire, we were enabled to prepare a comfortable supper of rein-deer's meat, which we des- patched with the appetites which travelling in this country never fails to ensure. We then stretched ourselves out on the pine brush, and, covered by a single blanket, enjoyed a night of sound repose. The small quantity of bed-clothes we carried induced us to sleep without undressing. Old Keskarrah followed a different plan ; he stripped himself to the skin, and having toasted his body for a short time over the embers of the fire, he crept under his deer- skin and rags, previously spread out as^ smoothly as possible, and coiling himself up in a circular form, fell asleep instantly. This custom of undressing to the skin, even when lying in the open air, is common to all the Indian tribes. The thermometer at sunset stood at 29°. Resuming our journey next morning, we !' OF THE POLAR SEA. 20ii with it, 1 some mtity of e a fire, fortable we des- avelling e. We he pine blanket, I. The carried ressing. it plan ; having ►ver the is deer- out BS himself stantly. n, even mon to eter at ng, we pursued a northerly course, but had to make a considerable circuit round the western ends of two lakes, whose eastern extremities were hidden from our view. The march was very uncomfortable, as the wind was cold, and there was a constant fall of snow until noon; our guide, too, persisted in taking us over the summit of every hill that lay in the route, so that we had the full benefit of the breeze. We forded two streams in the afternoon flowing between small lakes, and being wet, did not much relish having to halt w' iist Keskarrah pursued a herd of rein-deer; but there was no alternative, as he set off and followed them without consulting our wishes. The old man loaded himself with the skin and some meat of the animal he killed, in addition to his former burden; but after walking two miles, finding his charge too heavy for his strength, he spread the skin on the rock, and deposited the meat under some stones, intending to pick them up on our return. We put up at sunset on the borders of a ^04 JOltRNEY TO THE SHORES •I large lake, having come twelve miles. A few dwarf birches afforded us but a scanty fire, yet being sheltered from the wind by a sandy bank, we passed the night comfort- ably, though the temperature was 30°. A number of geese passed over us to the southward. We set off early next morning, and marched at a tolerably quick pace. The atmosphere was quite foggy, and our view was limited to a short distance. At noon the sun shone forth for a few minutes, and the latitude 64° 57' 7" was observed. The small streams that we had hitherto crossed run uniformly to the southward. At the end of sixteen miles and a half we encamped amOngst a few dwarf pines, and were much rejoiced at having a good fire, as the night was very stormy and cold. The thermometer fluctuated this day be- tween 31° and SS"". Though the following morning was foggy and rainy, we were not sorry to quit the cold and uncomfortable beds of rock upon which we had slept, and commence our journey at an early hour. After walking about thiree miles, we passed I OF THE POLAR SEA. 205 lies. A a scanty ind by a jomfort- 30^. A to the norning, :k pace, and our ice. At minutes, bserved. hitherto vard. half we les, and od fire, d cold, lay be- llowing rere not brtable pt, and f hour, passed over a steep sandy ridge, and found the course of the rivulets running towards the north and north-west. Our progress was slow in the early part of the morning, and we were detained for two hours on the summit of a hill exposed to a very cold wind, whilst our guide went in an unsuc- cessful pursuit of some rein-deer. After walking a few miles farther the fog cleared away, and Keskarrah pointed out the Cop- per-Mine River at a distance, and we pushed towards it with all the speed we could put forth. At noon we arrived at an arm of Point Lake, an extensive expansion of the river, and observed the latitude 65° 9' 06'' N. We continued our walk along the south end of this arm for about a mile farther, and then halted to breakfast amidst a cluster of pines. Here the longitude, 112° 57' 25 ", was observed. After break- fast we set out and walked along the east side of the arm towards the main body of the lake, leaving Samandre to prepare an encampment amongst the pines against our return. We found the main channel deep, 206 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES its banks high and rocky, and the valleys on its borders interspersed with clusters of spruce- trees. The latter circumstance was a source of much gratification to us. The temperature of its surface water was 41°, that of the air being 43°. Having gained all the information we could collect from our guide and from personal observation, we retraced our steps to the encampment, and on the way back Hepburn and Kes- karrah shot several waveys (anas hyperbo- rea), which afforded us a seasonable supply, our stock of provision being nearly ex- hausted. These birds were feeding in large flocks on the crow-berries, which grew plentifully on the sides of the hills. We reached the encampment after dark, found a comfortable hut prepared for our reception, made an excellent supper, and slept soundly though it snowed hard the whole night. The hills in this neighbourhood are higher than those about Fort Enterprise ; they stand, however, in the same detached manner, without forming connected ranges, valleys sters of ice was i. The vas 41°, gained ct from rvation, ipment, id Kes- }yperho" supply, irly ex- ing in which e hills, dark, for our er, and ard the bd are ^rprise ; jtached I ranges. OF THE POLAR SEA. 207 and the bottom of every valley is occupied, either by a small lake or a stony marsh. On the borders of such of these lakes as communicate with the Copper-Mine River, there are a few groves of spruce trees, ge- nerally growing on accumulations of sand, on the acclivities of the hills. We did not quit the encampment on the morning of 13th September until nine o'clock, in consequence of a constant fall of snow ; but at that hour we set out on our return to Fort Enterprise, and taking a route somewhat different from the one by which we came, kept to the eastward of a chain of lakes. Soon after noon the weather became extremely disagreeable; a cold northerly gale came on, attended by snow and sleet; and the temperature fell very soon from 43° to 34°. The waveys, alarmed at the sudden change, flew over our heads in great numbers to a milder climate. We walked as quickly as possible to get to a place that would furnish some fuel and shelter ; but the fog occasioned us to make frequent halts, from the inability of our 208 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES guide to trace his way. At length we came to a spot which aflbrded us plenty of dwarf birches, but they were so much frozen, and the snow fell so thick, that upwards of two hours were wasted in endeavouring to make a fire; during which time our clothes were freezing upon us. At length our efforts were crowned with success, and after a good supper we laid, or rather sat, down to sleep ; for the nature of the ground obliged us to pass the night in a demi-erect position, with our backs against a bank of earth. The thermometer was 16° at six P.M. After enjoying a more comfortable night's rest than we had expected, we set off at day- break; the thermometer then standing at 18°» The ground was covered with snow, the small lakes were frozen, and the whole scene had a wintry appearance. We got on but slowly at first, owing to an old sprained ancle, which had been very trouble- some to me for the last three days, and was this morning excessively painful. In ford- ing a rivulet, however, the application of cold water gave me immediate relief, and I OF THE POLAR SEA. 209 e came f dwarf en, and of two omake Bs were •ts were a good 3 sleep ; d us to on, with I. The i night's at day- ding at snow, whole Ve got an old rouble- nd was n ford- ion of ', and I walked with ease the remainder of the day. In the afternoon we rejoined our track out- wards and came to the place where Kes- karrah had made \m deposit of provision, which proved a very acceptable supply, as our stock was exhausted. We then crossed some sand hills, and encamped amidst a few small pines, having walked thirteen miles. The comfort of a good fire made us soon insensible to the fatigue we had experienced through the day, in marching over the rugged stones, whose surface was rendered slippery by the frost. The thermometer at seven P.M. stood at 27°. We set off at sun-rise next morning, and our provision being expended, pushed on as fast as we could to Fort Enterprise, where we arrived at eight P.M., almost exhausted by a harassing day's march of twenty-two miles. A substantial supper of rein-deer steaks soon restored our vigour. We had the happiness of meeting our friends Mr. Back and Mr. Hood, who had returned from their excursion on the day succeeding VOL. II. p 210 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES that on which we sat out; and I received from them the following account of their journey. They proceeded up the Winter River to the north end of the Little Marten Lake, and then the guide, being unacquainted with the route by w'^cer to the Copper- Mine River, pre];"o "vM' !-1 I M lllV. irge ; ' ■ • iuiJiiKiiiiCaUejn Hi tiLc direc- tion whfiv the auide doscrilxKi the river ro ill }'Hl rr\ni. t, wi be. They only .sav was too sliall(/U' for the cSkna^K aiKi uci> ISO 'ookinif nu iiifa? irw mv.f'A ?xanunt' 'irec- river to vvhich id -Jso piny-.r : t yam \^n arsu ff\ r^lHT,' If',. f: ■Vi OF THE POLAR SEA. 211 a house on a piece of bark, which he placed over the canoe and the few things that were left, to point out to the Dog-Ribs that they belonged to white people. The party reached the shores of Point Lake, through which the Copper -Mine River runs, on the 1st of September. The next day was too stormy for them to march, but on the 3d, they proceeded along its shores to the westward, round a mountain- ous promontory, and perceiving the course of the lake extending to the W.N.W., they encamped near some pines, and then en- joyed the luxury of a good fire, for the first time since their departure from us. The temperature of the water in the lake was 35®, and of the air 32°, but the latter fell to 20° in the course of that night. As their principal object was to ascertain whether any arm of the lake branched nearer to Fort Enterprise than the part they had fallen upon, to which the transport of our goods could be more easily made next spring, they returned on its borders to the eastward, being satisfied by the appearance of the p 2 212 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES I mountains between south and west, that' no further examination was necessary in that direction; and they continued their march until the 6th at noon, without finding any part of the lake inclining nearer the fort. They therefore encamped to observe the eclipse, which was to take place on the fol- lowing morning ; but a violent snow storm rendering the observation impossible, they commenced their return, and after a com- fortless and laborious march regained their canoe on the 10th, and embarking in it, ar- rived the same evening at the house. Point Lake varied, as far as they traced, from one to three miles in width. Its main course was nearly east and west, but several arms branched off in different directions. I was much pleased with the able manner in which these officers executed the service they had been despatci*ed upon, and was gratified to learn from them that their companions had conducted themselves ex- tremely well, and borne the fatigues of their journey most cheerfully. They scarcely ever had more than sufficient fuel to boil :hat no in that march ig any e fort. ve the he fol- storm e, they I com- d their it, ar- pK^i^^l^ '- . "^ ^!>^-'^- '^^'^^ S- :raced, s main everal ctions. lanner ervice i was their js ex- their arcely boil 1 I .4:^ % ; it ISO ncct . in that ?n"rmed tlteir '-'^ch iijwm^ Hi*,. leiideriag th».' observation inipossiHIf . ... conjmeactd their veturUj aivd altt: . com- fortiess and hiboriou8 ninreli regauH^*! iheiv canoe on -^^ ^v-'n .nd einharkms: in i^ ^r- rived the iiujii' «:vcuuig at the house. Point Lake varied, as far a.s they tract'tl, iVoHi one U) iliree mili^H in width* Its umin vi WHS m-arly ca.st ruwi ; • , . a| arm« f»r««rie}H*d 00" in di> - - ■I. ■vV;'1 'h f«!i*'tKf'f! '^'tl is. tilt. •■ • I journey ttiost chec'rt'tdly. - tver had more than suii;^ * :ir arcely luei ti) boil i,rch Irg ?if?V I com- f! their H main ,t^;ir Ay 'ce boj] ;l.iSiliF f V- I OF THE POLAR SEA. 213 / the kettl'j ; and were generally obliged to lie down in their wet clothes, and conse- quently sufferec^ much from cold. The distance which the parties travelled in their journey to and from Point Lake, may be estimated at one hundred and ten statute miles, which being added to the dis- tances given i. ae preceding pages, amounts to one thousand five hundred and twenty miles that the expedition travelled in 18^0, up to the time of its residence at Fort En- terprise. I: 214 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES CHAPTER VIII. . Trajisactions at Fort Enterprise — Mr. Back's A'arra- tive of his Journey to Chipewyan and Return. September, 1820. — During our little expe- dition to the Copper-Mine River, Mr. Wentzel had made great progress in the erection of our winter-house, having nearly roofed it in. But before proceeding to give an account of a ten month's residence at this place, henceforth designated Fort En- terprise, I may premise, that I shall omit many of the ordinary occurrences of a North American winter, as they have been already detailed in so able and interesting a manner by Ellis,* and confine myself prin- cipally to the circumstances which had an influence on our progress in the ensuing * Voyage to Hudson's Bay in the Dobbs and Cali- fornia. OF THE POLAR SEA. 215 summer. The observations on the mag- netic needle, the temperature of the atmos- phere, the Aurora Borealis, and other me- teorological phenomena, together with the mineralogical and botanical notices, being less interesting to the general reader, are omitted in this edition. The men continued to work diligently at the house, and by the 30th of September had nearly completed it for our reception, when a heavy fall of rain washed the greater part of the mud off the roof. This rain was remarked by the Indians as unusual, after what they had deemed so decided a commencement of winter in the early part of the month. The mean temperature for the month was 33|°, but the thermometer had sunk as low as 16°, and on one occa- sion rose to 53°. Besides the party constantly employed at the house, two men were appointed to fish, and others were occasionally sent for meat, as the hunters procured it. This latter employment, although extremely laborious, was always relished by the Canadians, as 1^ «1G JOURNEY TO THE SHORES they never failed to use a prescriptive right of helping themselves to ti.e fattest and most delicate parts of the deer. Towards the end of the month, the rein-deer began to quit the barren grounds, and came into the vicinity of the house, on their way to the woods ; and the success of the hunters being consequently great, the necessity of sending for the meat considerably retarded the building of the house. In the mean time we resided in our canvass tents, which proved very cold habitations, although we maintained a fire in front of them, and also endeavoured to protect ourselves from the piercing winds by a barricade of pine branches. On the 6th of October, the house being completed, we struck our tents, and re- moved into it. It was merely a log-build- ing, fifty feet long, and twenty-four wide, divided into a hall, three bed rooms, and a kitchen. The walls and roof were plastered with clay, the floors laid with planks rudely squared with the. hatchet, and the windows closed with parchment of deer-skin. The OF THE POLAR SEA. v^e right est and 'owards r began me into way to hunters ssity of 3tarded J mean , which igh we nd also )m the r pine being id re- build- wide, and a 3tered udely idows The 217 clay, which, from the coldness of the wea- ther, required to be tempered before the fire with hot water, froze as it was daubed on, and afterwards cracked in '^h a man- ner as to admit the wind from *■: . quarter ; yet, compared with the tents, o .r new habi- tation appeared comfortable ; and having filled our capacious clay-built chimney with fagots, we spent a cheerful evening before the invigorating blaze. The change was peculiarly beneficial to Dr. Richardson, who, having, in one of his excursions, incautiously laid down on the frozen side of a hill when heated with walking, had caught a severe inflammatory sore throat, which became daily worse whilst we remained in the tents, but began to mend soon after he was ena- bled to confine himself to the more equable warmth of the house. We took up our abode at first on the floor, but our working party, who had shown such skill as house carpenters, soon proved themselves to be, with the same tools, (the hatchet and crooked knife,) excellent cabinet makers, i< Ml 218 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES and daily added a table, chair, or bedstead, to the comforts of our establishment. The crooked knife, generally made of an old file, bent and tempered by heat, serves an Indian or Canadian voyager for plane, chisel, and auger. With it the snow-shoe and cinoe- timbers are fashioned, the deals of their sledges reduced to the requisite thin- ness and polish, and their wooden bowls and spoons hollowed out. Indeed, though not quite so requisite for existence as the hatchet, yet without its aid there would be little comfort in these wilds. On the 7th we were gratified by a sight of the sun, after it had been obscured for twelve days. On this and several follow- ing days the meridian sun melted the light covering of snow or hoar frost on the lichens, which clothe the barren grounds, and ren- dered them so tender as to attract great herds of rein-deer to our neighbourhood. On the morning of the 10th I estimated the numbers I saw during a short walk, at up- wards of two thousaiid. They form into 4 if? OF THE POLAR SEA. 21D Istead, The in old ves an chisel) le and jals of B thin- bowls hough as the nld be [ sight ed for bllow- j light chens, ren- great iood« d the t up- into i herds of different sizes, from ten to a hun- dred, according as their fears or accident induce them to unite or separate. The females, being at this time more lean and active, usually lead the van. The haunches of the males are now covered to the depth of two inches or more with fat, which is beginning to get red and high fla- voured, and is considered a sure indication of the commencement of the rutting season. Their horns, which in the middle of August were yet tender, have now attained their proper size, and are beginning to lose their hairy covering which hangs from them in ragged filaments. The horns of the rein- deer vary, not only with its sex and age, but are otherwise so uncertain in their growth, that they are never alike in any two individuals. The old males shed theirs about the end of December; the females retain them until the disappearance of the snow enables them to frequent the barren grounds, which may be stated to be about the middle or end of May, soon after which period they proceed towards the sea-coast, 220 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES and drop their young. The young males lose their horns about the same time with the females, or a little earlier, some of them as early as April. The hair of the rein- deer falls in July, and is succeeded by a short thick coat of mingled clove, deep red- dish, and yellowish browns ; the belly and under parts of the neck, &c. remaining white. As the winter approaches, the hair becomes longer, and lighter in its colours, and it begins to loosen in May, being then much worn on the sides, from the animal rubbing itself against trees and stones. It becomes grayish and almost white before it is completely shed. The Indians form their robes of the skins procured in autumn, when the hair is short. Towards the spring the larvae of the oestrus attaining a large size, produce so many perforations in the skins, that they are good for nothing. The cicatrices only of these holes are to be seen in August, but a fresh set of ova have in the mean time been deposited.* * ** It is worthy of remark, that in the month of May a very great number of large larvae exist under OF THE POLAR SEA. 221 males le with f them J rein- l by a !p red- ly and laining le hair olours, ^ then animal ?s. It fore it 1 their itumn, spring large in the The 3 seen ive in onth of under i The rein-deer retire from the sea-coast ih July and August, rut in October on the verge of the barren grounds, and shelter themselves in the woods during the winter. They are often induced by a few fine days in winter, to pay a transitory visit to their favourite pastures in the barren country, but their principal movement to the north- ward commences generally in the end of April, when the snow first begins to melt on the sides of the hills ; and early in May, when large patches of the ground are visi- ble, they are on the banks of the Copper- Mine River, The females take the lead in this spring migration, and bring forth their young on the sea-coast, about the end of May or beginning of June. There are cer- the mucous membrane at the root of the tongue, and posterior part of the nares and pharynx. The Indians consider them to belong to the same species with the oestrus, that deposits its ova under the skin : to us the larvae of the former appeared more flattened than those of the latter. Specimens of both kinds, preserved in spirits, were destroyed by the frequent falls they re- ceived on the portages." — Dr. Richardson's Journal, 222 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES tain pots or passes well known to the In- dians, through which the deer invariably pass in their migrations to and from the coast, and it has been observed that they always travel against the wind. The prin- cipal food of the rein-deer in the barren grounds, consists of the cetraria nivalis and cucullatay ceno "yce rangiferina, cornicularia ochriltuca, and other lichens, and they also eat the hay or dry grass which is found in the swamps in autumn. In the woods they feed on the different lichens which hang -Vom the trees. They are accustomed to gnaw their fallen antlers, and are said Iso to devour mice. The weight of a full grown barren-ground deer, exclusive of the offal, varies from ninety to one hundred and thirty pounds. There is, however, a much larger kind found in the woody parts of the country, whose carcase weighs from two hundred to two hundred and forty pounds. This kind never leaves the woods, but its skin is as much perforated by the gad-fly as that of the others ; a presumptive proof that the i OF THE POLAR SEA. 22S ihe In- ariably )m the it they 3 prin- barren lis and cularia ey also und in is they 1 hang Tied to id Iso ground 3 from oimds. r kind untry, red to s kind is as hat of at the smaller species are not driven to the sea-* coast solely by the attacks of that insect. There are a few rein-deer occasionally killed in the spring, whose skins are entire, and these are always fat, whereas the others are lean at that season. This insect likewise infests the red-deer (wawasheesh)y but its ova are not found in the skin of the moose, or buffalo, nor, as we have been informed, of the sheep and goat that inhabit the Rocky Mountains, although the rein-deer found in those parts, (which are of an unusually large kind,) are as much tormented by them as the barren-ground variety. The herds of rein-deer are attended in their migrations by bands of wolves, which destroy a great many of them. The Copper Indians kill the rein-deer in the summer with the gun, or taking advantage of a fa- vourable disposition of the ground, they enclose a herd upon a neck of land, and drive them into a lake, where they fall an easy prey ; but in the rutting season and in the spring, when they are numerous on the skirts of the woods, they catch them in t24i JOURNEY TO THE SHORES snares. The snares are simple nooses, formed in a rope made of twisted sinew, which are placed in the aperture of a slight hedge, constructed of the branches of trees. This hedge is so disposed as to form seve- ral winding compartments, and although it is by no means strong, yet the deer seldom attempt to break through it. The herd is led into the labyrinth by two converging rows of poles, and one is generally caught at each of the openings by the noose placed there. The hunter, too, lying in ambush, stabs some of them with his bayonet as they pass by, and the whole herd frequently be- comes his prey. . Where wood is scarce, a piece of turf turned up answers the purpose of a pole to conduct them towards the snares. The rein-deer has a quick eye, but the hunter, by keeping to leeward and using a little caution, may approach very near ; their apprehensions being much more easily roused by the smell than the sight of any unusual object. Indeed their curiosity often causes them to come close up and wheel OF THE POLAR SEA. 225 ooses, sinew, slight ' trees. seve- ugh it seldom lerd is erging caught placed nbush, as they tly be- arce, a urpose ds the )ut the using a near; B easily of any y often wheel around the hunter; thus affording him a good opportunity of singling out the fattest of the herd, and upon these occasions they often become so confused by the shouts and gestures of their enemy, that they run backwards and forwards with great rapidity, but without the power of making their escape. The Copper Indians find by experience that a white dress attracts them more rea- dily, and they often succeed in bringing them within shot, by kneeling and vibrating the gun from side to side, in imitation of the motion of the deer's horns when he is in the act of rubbing his head against a stone. The Dog-Rib Indians have a mode of killing these animals, which, though simple, is very successful. It was thus described by Mr. Wentzel, who resided long amongst that people. — The hunters go in pairs, the foremost man carrying in one hand the horns and part of the skin of the head of a deer, and in the other a small bundle of twigs, against which he, from time to time, VOL. II. Q 1 t fl ^ !M fm \ Be * ^KR i 226 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES rubs the horns, imitating the gestures pecu- liar to the animal. His comrade follows, treading exactly in his footsteps, and hold- ing the guns of both in a horizontal posi- tion, so that the muzzles project under the arms of him who carries the head. Both hunters have a fillet of white skin round their foreheads, and the foremost has a strip of the same kind round his wrists. They approach the herd by degrees, raising their legs very slowly, but setting them down somewhat suddenly, after the manner of a deer, and always taking care to lift their right or left feet simultaneously. If any of the herd leave off feeding to gaze upon this extraordinary phenomenon, it instantly stops, and the head begins to play its part by licking its shoulders, and performing other necessary movements. In this way the hunters attain the very centre of the herd without exciting suspicion, and have leisure to single out the fattest. The hind- most man then pushes forward his com- rade's gun, the head is dropt, and they both fire nearly at the same instant. The herd . OF THE POLAR SEA. 227 I pecu- oUows, I hold- 1 posi- ler the Both round i a strip They ig their 1 down ler of a ft their f any of e upon istantly its part forming lis way of the d have hind- com- ey both le herd s scampers off, the hunters trot after tliem ; in a short time the poor animals halt to ascertain the cause of their terror, their foes stop at the same instant, and having loaded as they ran, greet the gazers with a second fatal discharge. The consternation of the deer increases, they run to and fro in the utmost confusion, and sometimes a great part of the herd is destroyed within the the space of a few hundred yards. A party who had been sent to Akaitcho returned, bringing three hundred and se- venty pounds of dried meat, and two hun- dred and twenty pounds of suet, together with the unpleasant information, that a still larger quantity of the latter article had been found and carried off, as he supposed, by some Dog-ribs, who had passed that way. The weather becoming daily colder, all the lakes in the neighbourhood of the house were completely, and the river partially, frozen over by the middle of the month. The rein-deer now began to quit us for more southerly and better-sheltered pas- tures. Indeed, their longer residence in Q 2 1 228 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES our neighbourhood would have been of little scr' ice to us, for our ammunition was almost completely expended, though we had dealt it of late with a very sparing hand to the Indians. We had, however, already secured in the store-house the car- cases of one hundred deer, together with one thousand pounds of suet, and some dried meat; and had, moreover, eighty deer stowed up at various distances from the house. The necessity of employing the men to build a house for themselves, before the weather became too severe, obliged us to put the latter en cache, as the voyagers term it, instead of adopting the more safe plan of bringing them to the house. Put- ting a deer ew cache, means merely protect- ing it against the wolves, and still more destructive wolverenes, by heavy loads of w^ood or stones ; the latter animal, however, sometimes digs underneath the pile, and renders the precaution abortive. On the 18th, Mr. Back and Mr. Wentzel set out for Fort Providence, accompanied by Beauparlant, Pclanger, and two Indians, OF THE POLAR SEA. Akaiyazza and Thoolezzch, with their wives, the Little Forehead, and the Smihng Mar- ten. Mr. Back had vohinteercd to go and make the necessary arrangements for trans- porting the stores we expected from Cumber- land House, and to endeavour to obtain some additional supplies from the establishments at Slave Lake. If any accident should have prevented the arrival of our stores, and the establishments at Moose-Deer Island should be unable to supply the deficiency, he was, if he found himself equal to the task, to proceed to Chipewyan. Ammunition was essential to our existence, and a consider- able supply of tobacco was also requisite, not only for the comfort of the Canadians, who use it largely, and had stipulated for it in their engagements, but also as a means of preserving the friendship of the Indians. Blankets, cloth, and iron-work, were scarcely less indispensable to equip our men for the advance next season. Mr. Wentzel accompanied Mr. Back, to assist him in obtaining from the traders, on the score of old friendship, that which they r 230 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES I might be inclined to deny to our necessities. I forwarded by them letters to the Colonial Office and Admiralty, detailing the pro- ceedings of ihe Expedition up to this period. On the 22d we were suprized by a visit from a dog; the poor animal was in low condition, and much fatigued. Our Indians discovered, by marks on his ears, that he belonged to the Dog-ribs. This tribe, un- like the Chipewyans and Copper Indians, had preserved that useful associate of man, although from their frequent intercourse with the latter people, they were not igno- rant of the prediction alluded to in a former page. One of our interpreters was imme- diately despatched, with an Indian, to en- deavour to trace out the Dog-ribs, whom he supposed might be concealed in the neighbourhood, from the dread of the Cop- per Indians ; although we had no doubt of their coming to us, were they aware of our being here. The interpreter, however, re- turned without having discovered any traces of strange Indians; a circumstance which r \ lecessities. le Colonial the pro- ip to this by a visit ^as in low ur Indians s, that he tribe, un- ir Indians, te of man, ntercourse not igno- n a former vas imme- lan, to en- Ds, whom in the the Cop- doubt of e of our ^ever, re- ny traces ce which d 3. c a hj ^' •j P. £ 0 i^Ji iitl u 0 •"J 3 }t''"' *^^'»- r.ionrb -h-- nor, coy;ip]otf?d their iu)u;;c, aad tool iiw.'xx abode in it, Jt was tliirtv-foui »ci-r ^ •• and f^ififbtt'j" vidcd into two apart ui> •. . . it right '!r>e1»"? t^> the oltioers' dw* INih/. ?nd Wrr'mtr On the 26th Akaitcho aou ins party ui - ri' ! iini\tin<^ in tliii neijurhhourhood h.r the wood'i. . injijvu Ui .^suc till ui daii) lau'n. o( j>ru- . from th<' store. 'I'he wAiit of nnnnu- Jiitioii prevented Voni eqnipp: ; ■ n\ to ^ ' i' hfint ; and ^!thoug!i they ape «'Hfi d "^ v>d>s r u M, :-:.A. mSA-Hv; V ..-1 .. • ^ 0) .a I : .'■'"^M' u 0 p $»> %^ OF THE POLAR SEA. 231 led us to conclude, that the dog had strayed from his masters a considerable time before. Towards the end of the month the men completed their house, and took up their abode in it. It was thirty-four feet long and eighteen feet wide ; was divided into two apartments, and was placed at right angles to the officers' dwelling, and facing the store-house; the three buildings form- ing three sides of a quadrangle. On the 26th Akaitcho and his party ar- rived, the hunting in this neighbourhood being terminated for the season, by the deer having retired southward to the shelter of the woods. The arrival of thi6 large party was a serious inconvenience to u' , from our being compelled to issue them daily rates of pro- vision from the store. The want of ammu- nition prevented us from equipping and sending them to the woods to hunt ; and although they are accustomed to subsist themselves for a considerable part of the year by fishing, or snaring the deer, with- out having recourse to fire-arms, yet, on I 232 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES (« the present occasion, they felt Httle incHned to do so, and gave scope to their natural love of ease, as long as our store-house seemed to be well stocked. Nevertheless, as they were conscious of impairing our fu- ture resources, they did not ^ail, occasion- ally, to remind us that it was not their fault, to express an ardent desire to go hunting, and to request a supply of ammunition, al- though they knew that it was not in our power to give ft. The summer birds by this time had en- tirely deserted us, leaving, for our winter companions, the raven, cinereous crow, ptarmigan, and snow-bird. The last of the water-fowl that quitted us w?»s a species of diver, of the same size with the colymbus arcticusy but differing from it in the arrange- ment of the white spots on its plumage, and in having a yellowish white bill. This bird was occasionally caught in our fishing nets. The thermometer during the month of October, at Fort Enterprise, never rose above 37° , or fell below 5°; the mean tem- perature for the month was 23°. rose tem- OF THE POLAR SEA. 233 In the beginning of October a party had been sent to the westward to seach for birch to make snow-shoe frames, and the Indian women were afterwards employed in netting the shoes and preparing leather for winter-clothing to the men. Robes of rein-deer skin were also obtained from the Indians, and issued to the men who were to travel, as they are not only a great deal lighter than blankets, but also much warmer, and altogether better adapted for a winter in this climate. They are, however, unfit for summer use, as the least moisture causes the skin to spoil, and lose its hair. It re- quires the skins of seven deer to make one robe. The finest are made of the skins of young fawns. The fishing, having failed as the weather became more severe, was given up on the 5th. It had procured us about one thou- sand two hundred white fishy from two to three pounds each. There are two other species of Coregoni in Winter Lake, Backus grayling and tie round fish ; and a few trouti pikCf methye, and red carpy were also 234 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES occasionally obtained from the nets. It may be worthy of notice here, that the fish froze as they were taken out of the nets, in a short time became a solid mass of ice, and by a blow or two of the hatchet were easily split open, when the intestines might be removed in one lump. If in this com- pletely frozen state they were thawed before the fire, they recovered their animation. This was particularly the case with the carp, and we had occasion to observe it re- peatedly, as Dr. Richardson occupied him- self in examining the structure of the dif- ferent species of fish, and was, always in the winter, under the necessity of thawing them before he could cut them. We have seen a carp recover so far as to leap about with much vigour, afler it had been frozen for thirty-six hours. From the 12th to the 16th we had fine, and for the season, warm weather ; and the deer, which had not been seen since the 26th of October, reappeared in the neigh- bourhood of the house, to the surprise of the Indians, who attributed their return to OF THE POLAR SEA. 235 m ' the barren grounds to the unusual mildness of the season. On this occasion, by melt- ing some of our pewter cups, we managed to furnish five balls to each of the hunters, but they were all expended unsuccessfully, except by Akaitcho, who killed two deer. By the middle of the month Winter River was firmly frozen over, except the small rapid at its commencement, which remained open all the winter. The ice on the lake was now nearly two feet thick. After the 16th we had a succession of cold, snowy, and windy weather. We had become anxious to hear of the arrival of Mr. Back and his party at Fort Providence. The Indians, who had calculated the period at which a messenger ought to have returned from thence to be already passed, became impatient when it had elapsed, and, with their usual love of evil augury, tormented us by their melancholy forebodings. At one time they conjectured that the whole party had fallen through the ice ; at ano- ther, that they had been way- laid and cut off by the Dog-ribs. In vain did we urge , '' 230 JOUUNEY TO THE SIIOHES the improbability of the former accident, or the peaceable character of the Dog-ribs, so little ill conformity with the latter. " The ice at this season was deceitful," they said, *• and the Dog-ribs, though unwarlike, were treacherous.* These assertions, so often repeated, had some effect upon the spirits of our Canadian voyagers, who seldom weigh any opinion they adopt ; but we per- sisted in treating their fears as chimerical, for had we seemed to listen to them for a moment, it is more than probable that the whole of our Indians would have gone to Fort Providence in search of supplies, and we should have found it extremely difficult to have recovered them. The matter was put to rest by the ap- pearance of Belanger on the morning of the 25d, and the Indians, now running into the opposite extreme, were disposed to give us more credit for our judgment than we deserved. They had had a tedious and fatiguing journey to Fort Providence, and for some days were destitute of provisions. Belanger arrived alone ; he had walked OF THE POLAR SEA. 237 ap- f the the l^e us we and and ions. Iked Constantlv for the last HJx-and-thirty hours, leaving his Indian companions encamped at the last woods, they beinr, unwilling to accompany him across the barren j. rounds during the storm that had prevailed for several days, and blew with unusual violence on the morning of his arrival. His locks were matted with snow, and he was in- crustcd with ice from head to foot, so that we scarcely recognjsed him when he burst in upon us. W* welcomed him with the usual shake of *he uand, but were unable to give him the glass of rum which every voyager receives on his arrival at a trading post. As soon as his packet was thawed, we eagerly opened it to obtain our English letters. The latest were dated on the pre- ceding April. They came by way of Ca- nada, and were brought up in September to Slave Lake by the North-West Com- pany's canoes. We were not so fortimate with regard to our stores ; of ten pieces, or bales oi 90 lbs. weight, which had been sent from York 1 238 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES Factory by Governor Williams, five of the most essential had been left at the Grand Rapid on tlie Saskatchawan, owing, as far as we could judge from the accounts that reached us, to the misconduct of the officer to whom they were intrusted, and who was ordered to convey them to Cumberland House. Being overtaken by some of the North-West Company's canoes, he had insisted on their taking half of his charge, as it was intended for the service of govern- ment. The North-West gentlemen ob- jected, that their canoes had already got a cargo in, and that they had been requested to convey our stores from Cumberland House only, where they had a canoe wait- ing for the purpose. The Hudson's Bay officer upon this deposited our ammunition and tobacco upon the beach, and departed, without any regard to the serious conse- quences that might result to us from the want of them. The Indians, who assembled at the opening of the packet, and sat in silence watching our countenances, were necessarily made acquainted with the non- OF THE POLAR SEA. 2.39 arrival of our stores, and bore the intelli- gence with unexpected tranquillity. We took care, however, in our communications with them, to dwell upon the more agree- able parts of our intelligence, and they seemed to receive particular pleasure on being informed of the arrival of two Esqui- maux interpreters at Slave Lake, on their way to join the party. The circumstance not only quieted their fears of opposition from the Esquimaux on our descent to the sea next season, but also afforded a sub- stantial proof of our influence in being able to bring two people of that nation from such a distance. Akaitcho, who is a man of great penetra- tion and shrewdness, duly appreciated these circumstances; indeed he has often sur- prised us by his correct judgment of the character of individuals amongst the traders or of our own party, although his know- ledge of their opinion was, in most instances, obtained through the imperfect medium of interpretation. He was an attentive ob- server, however, of every action, and stea- uo JOURNEY TO THE SHORES dily compared their conduct with their pre- tensions. By the newspapers we learned the demise of our revered and lamented sovereign George III., and the proclamation of George IV. We concealed this intelligence from the Indians, lest the death of their Great Father might lead them to suppose that we should be unable to fulfil our pro- mises to them. The Indians who had left Fort Providence with Belanger arrived the day after him, and, amongst other intelligence, informed Akaitcho of some reports they had heard to our disadvantage. They stated that Mr. Weeks, the gentleman in charge of Fort Providence, had told them, that so far from oiir being what we represented ourselves to be, the officers of a great King, we were merely a set of dependant wretches, whose only aim was to obtain subsistence for a season in the plentiful country of the Cop- per Indians; that out of charity we had been supplied with a portion of goods by the trading Companies, but that there was OF THE POLAK SEA, 211 not the smallest probability of our being able to reward the Indians when their term of service was completed. Akaitcho, with great good sense, instantly came to have the matter explained, stating, at the same time, that he could not credit it. I then pointed out to him that Mr. Wentzel, with whom they had long been accustomed to trade, had pledged the credit of his Company for the stipulated rewards to the party that accompanied us, and that the trading debts due by Akaitcho and his party had already been remitted, which was of itself a sufficient proof of our influence with the North-West Company. I also reminded Akaitcho, that our having caused the Esquimaux to be brought up at a great expense, was evidence of our future intentions, and informed him that I should write to Mr. Smith, the senior trader in the department on the subject, when I had no doubt that a satisfactory explanation would be given. The Indians retired from the conference apparently satisfied, but this business was in the end productive of muc' mconvenience VOL. II. R 242 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES and proved very detrimental to the progress of the Expedition. In conjunction also with other intelligence conveyed in Mr. Back's letters, respecting the disposition of the traders towards us, particularly a state- ment of Mr. Weeks, that he had been de- sired not to assist us with supplies from his post, it was productive of much present uneasiness to me. On the 28th St. Germain, the interpreter, set out with eight Canadian voyagers and four Indian hunters to bring up our stores from Fort Providence. I wrote by him to Mr. Smith, at Moose Deer Island, and Mr. Keith, at Chipewyan, both of the North- West Company, urging them in the strongest manner to comply with the requisition for stores, which Mr. Back would present. I also informed Mr. Simpson, principal agent in the Athabasca for the Hudson's Bay Company, who had proferred every assist- ance in his power, that we should gladly avail ourselves of the kind intentions ex- pressed in a letter which I had received from him. -.UB-i.-'II' OF THE POLAR SEA. 243 progress on also in Mr. sition of a state- )een dc- from his present erpreter, rers and ir stores Y him to and Mr. North- trongest tion for sent. I »al agent n's Bay y assist- 1 gladly ons ex- received We also sent a number of broken axes to Slave Lake to be repaired. The dog that came to us on the 22d of October, and had become very familiar, followed the party. We were in hopes that it might prove of some use in dragging their loads, but we afterwards learned that on the evening after their departure from the house, they had the cruelty to kill and eat it, although they had no reason to apprehend a scarcity of provision. A dog is considered to be deli- cate eating by the voyagers. The mean temperature of the air for No- vember was — 0°. 7. The greatest heat ob- observed was 25° above, and the least 31° below, zero. On the 1st of December the sky was clear, a slight appearance of stratus only being visible near the horizon; but a kind of snow fell at intervals in the forenoo.i, its particles so minute as to be observed only in the sunshine. Towards noon the snow became more apparent, and the two limbs of a prismatic arch were visible, one on each side of the sun near its place in the heavens, R 2 2U JOURNEY TO THE SHORES the centre being deficient. We have fre- quently observed this descent of minute icy spiculse when the sky appears perfectly clear, anct could even perceive th it its silent but continued action, added to the snowy covering of the ground. Having received one hundred balls jfrom Fort Providence by Belanger, we distributed them amongst the Indians, ii.'orming the leader at the same time, that the residence of so large a party as his at the house, amounting, with women and children, to forty souls, was producing a serious reduc- tion in our stock of provision. He acknow- ledged the justice of the statement, and promised to remove as soon as his party had prepared snow-shoes and sledges for themselves. Under one pretext or other, however, their departure was delayed until the 10th of the month, when they left us, having previously received one of our fish- ing nets, and all the ammunition we pos- sessed. The leader left his aged mother and two female attendants to our care, re- quert 'ng that if she died during his absence OF THE POLAR SEA. 2'i5 fre- e icy fectly silent nowy from buted Of the dence louse, 'n, to educ- cnow- , and party i^s for ther, until ft us, fish- pos- icther fe, re- )sence she might be buried at a distance from the fort, that he night not be reminded of his loss when he visited us. Keskarrah, the guide, also remained be- hind, with his wife and daughter. The old man has become too feeble to hunt, and his time is almost entirely occupied in at- tendance upon his wife, who has been long afflicted with an ulcer on the fact, which lias nearly destroyed her nose. Lately he made an offering to the water spirits, whose wrath he apprehended to be the cause of her malady. It consisted of a knife, a piece of tobacco, and some other trifling articles, which were tied up in a small bvmdle and committed to the rapid with a long prayer. He does not trust en- tirely, however, to the relenting of the spirits for his wife's cure, but come? daily to Dr. Richardson for medicine. Upon one occasion he received the medi- cine from the doctor with such formality, and wrapped it up in his rein-deer robe with such extraordinary carefulness, that it^ excited the involuntary laughter of Mr. 246 JOURNEY TO TWC SHORES n » Hood and myself. The old man smiled in his turn, and as he always seemed proud of the familiar way in which we were accus- tomed to joke with him, we thought no more upon the subject. But he unfortunately mentioned the circumstance to his wife, who imagined in consequence that the drug was not productive of its usual good effects, and they immediately came to the conclusion that some bad medicine had been intention- ally given to them. The distress produced by this idea, was in proportion to their former faith in the potency of the remedy, and the night was spent in singing and groaning. Next morning the whole family were crying in coiiciert, and it was not until the evening of the second day that we suc- ceeded in pacifying them. ITie old woman ■K-<^an to feel better, and her faith in the inedicine was renewed. While speaking of this family, I may re- mark that the daughter, whom we designated Green-stockings from her dress, is consi- dered by her tribe to be a great beauty. Mr. Hood drew an accurate portrait of her, I, : :r^^i[HK^Bk" ^u I ^ ^ i %h& IijU'v •hI ii s ru? litw Uk'h wo w iiot pKuiiKiive of it^: usual good efTectsv • ' they inirfU'dlately came to the condnsjoii that some bad iDediciiK* l)ail hf»en intention- riUy giveji to tlu'»f>. Tlie distress produced by this idtn. 'rrif^ 'in propornoii to their former ihith ,.; i 'vionev *>*' ^!"» !•?"<•'' nr>d '■'if^ night v\ ;•(' 'U u^^uig ;yiu groaiiii-g. Next rrorrung tiu^_^\v}i,)le fantiily ■ tTying' in c<">nr'. • ' . was • ;'*•, iTU'irk thir. ujn tuajt. . ^ , - Oreen-srofk' ihm\ her -orisi- .>»>■• ^ lention- fit? and fill nil V lot '•" tU »v re- ,f her. ^ 0 •a 5 H > ! i OF THE POLAE SEA. U7 although her mother was averse to her sit- ting for it. She was afraid, she said, that lier daughter's likeness would induce the Great Chief who resided in England to send for the original. The young lady, however, was undeterred by any such fear. She has already been an object of contest between her countrymen, and although under sixteen years of age, has belonged succes- sively to two husbands, and would probably have been the v/ife of many more, if her mother had not required her services as a nurse. The weather during this month was the coldest we experienced during our residence in America. The thermometer sunk on one occasion to 57° below zero, and never rose beyond 6° above it; the mean for the month was —29°. 7. During these intense colds, however, the atmosphere was gene- rally calm, and the wood-cutters and others went about their ordinary occupations with- out using any extraordinary precautions, yet without feeling any bad effects. They had their rein-deer shirts on, leathern mittens J I 2iS JOURNEY TO THE SHORES \ f M m lined with blankets, and furred caps; but none of them used any defence for the face, or needed any. Indeed we have already mentioned that the heat is abstracted most rapidly from the body during strong breezes, and most of those who have perished from cold in this country, have fallen a sacrifice to their being overtaken on a lake or other unsheltered place, by a storm of wind. The intense colds were, however, detrimental to us in another way. The trees froze to their very centres and became as hard as stones, and more difficult to cut. Some of the axes were broken daily, and by the end of the month we had only one left that was fit for felling trees. By entrusting it only to one of the party who had been bred a car- penter, and who could use it with dexterity, it was fortunately preserved until the arrival of our men with others from Fort Provi- dence. A thermometer, hung in our bed-room at the distance of sixteen feet from the fire, but exposed to its direct radiation, stood even in the day time occasionally at 15° ^■lil OF THE POLAR SEA. 2i0 below zero, and was observed more tlian once, previous to the kindling of the fire in the morning, to be as low as 10° below zero. On two of these occasions the chro- nometers 2149 and 2151, which during the night lay under Mr. Hood's and Dr. Ri- chardson's pillows, stopped while they were dressing themselves. The rapid at the commencement of the river remained open in the sever :f;* weather, although it was somewhat contracted in width. Its temperature was 32°, as was the surface of the river opposite the house, about a quarter of a mile lower down, tried at a hole • in the ice, through which water was drawn for domestic purposes. The river here was two fathoms and a half deep, and the temperature at its bottom was at least 42° above zero. This fact was ascer- tained by a spirit thermometer ; in which, probably from some irregularity in the tube, a small portion of the coloured liquor usually remained at 42° when the column was made to descend rapidly. In the pre- siM instance the thermometer standing at IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) 1.0 I.I te&IM |2.5 *^ Uii |2.2 1.25 i| U ill 1.6 7] 7, f ^ 4-^ 'VIV'^*' >? '^_^^.> 7 '-P Photographic Sciences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STRKT WEBSTER, N.Y. MSSO (716) •72-4503 ^ 4" lA w 250 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 1'. I M t 47° below zero, with no portion of the fluid in the upper part of the tube, was let down slowly into the water, but drawn cautiously and rapidly vip again, when a red drop afc + 42° indicated that the fluid had risen to that point or above it. At this period the daily visits of the sun were very short, and owing to the obliquity of his rays, afforded us little warmth or light. It is half-past eleven before he peeps over a small ridge of hills opposite to the house, and he sinks itito the horizon at half-past two. On the 28th Mr. Hood, in order to attain an ap- proximation to the quantity of terrestrial refraction, observed the sun's meridian alti- tude when the thermometer stood at 46° below zero, at the imminent hazard of hav- ing his fingers frozen. He found the sextant had changed its error considerably, and that the glasses had lost their parallelism from the contraction of the brass. In measuring the error he perceived that the diameter of the sun's image was considerably short of twice the semi-diameter ; a proof of the uncertainty OF THE POLAR SEA. 251 fluid down iously rop at sen to )d the :t, and Forded If-past [ ridge e sinks 3n the an ap- restrial Ian alti- at 46° of hav- ged its ses had raction ror he e sun's tice the jrtainty of celestial observations made during these intense frosts. The results of this and ano- ther similar observation are given at the bottom of the page.* • ** The observed meridian altitude of 0 upper limb was 2° 52' 51", Temperature of the air -45° 5'. By comparing this altitude, corrected by the mean refraction and parallax, with that deduced from the latitude which was observed in autumn, the increase of refraction is found to be 6' 50", the whole refrac- tion, therefore, for the altitude 2° 52' 51" is 21' 49". Admitting that the refraction increases in the same ratio as that of the atmosphere at a mean state of tem- perature, the horizontal refraction will be 47' 22". But the diameter of the sun, measured immediately after the observation, was only 27' 7", which shows an increase of refraction at the lower limb of 3' 29". The horizontal refraction calculated with this dilFer- ence, and the above-mentioned ratio, is 56' 3", at the temperature - 45° 5'. So that in the parallel 68° 42', where, if there was no refraction, the sun would be invisible for thirty-four days, his upper limb, with the refraction 56' 3", is, in fact, above the horizon at every noon. " The wind was from the westward a moderate breeze, and the air perfectly clear. January 1st, 1821. Observed the meridian altitude of 0 lower limb 2° 35' 20". 0 apparent diameter 29° 20'. For ap- 252 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 1' i\: • I ' M The aurora appeared with more or less brilliancy on twenty eight nights in this parent altitude 2^ 35' 20", the mean refraction is 16' 5" (Mackay's Tables), and the true, found as de- tailed above, is 20' 8" : which increasing in the same ratio as that of the atmosphere, at a mean state of temperature, is 41' 19" at the horizon. But the dif- ference of refraction at the upper and lower lirabs, increasing also in that ratio, gives 55' 16" for the horizontal refraction. Temperature of the air —41°. Wind north, a light breeze, a large halo visible about the sun. January 15th, 1821. — Observed an appa- rent meridian altitude O lower limb 4° 24' 57"* 0 apparent diameter 31' 5". For apparent altitude 4° 24' 57", the mean refrrction is 10' 58" (Mackay's Tables), and the true, found as detailed above, is 14' 39", which, increasing in the same ratio as that of the atmosphere at a mean state of temperature, is 43' 57" at the horizon. But the difference of refrac- tion between the upper and lower limbs, increasing also in that ratio, gives 48' 30" for the horizontal re- fraction. *' Temperature of the air— 35°, a light air frcra the westward, very clear. *' The extreme coldness of the weather rendered these operations difficult and dangerous ; yet I think the observations may be depended upon within 30", as will appear by their approximate results in calculating OF THE rOLAR SEA. 253 or less in this iction is d as de- the same state of the dif- er lirabs, ' for the lir -41°. [)le about an appa- 57"- O altitude Vlackay's ibove, is s that of ature, is refrac- icreasing ontal re- frcm the rendered I think ) 30", as culating month, and we were also gratified by the resplendent beauty of the moon, which for many days together performed its circle romid the heavens, shining with undimi- nished lustre, and scarcely disappearing be- low the horizon during the twenty-four hours. During many nights there was a halo round the moon, although the stars shone brightly, and the atmosphere appeared otherwise clear. The same phenomenon was observed round the candles, even in our bed-rooms ; the diameter of the halo increasing as the observer receded from the light. These halos, both round the moon and candles, occasionally exhibited faintly some of the prismatic colours. As it may be interesting to the reader to know how we passed our time at this sea- son of the year, I shall mention briefly, that a considerable portion of it was occupied in the horizontal refraction ; for it must be considered that an error of 30", in the refraction in altitude, would make a difference of several minutes in the horizontal refraction." — Mr. Hood's Journal, 2.54 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES m writing up our journals. Some newspapers and magazines, that we had received from England with our letters, were read again and again, and commented upon, at our meals; and we often exercised ourselves with conjecturing the changes that might take place in the world before we could hear from it again. The probability of our receiving letters, and the period of their arrival, were calculated to a nicety. We occasionally paid the woodmen a visit, or took a walk for a mile or two on the river. In the evenings we joined the men in the hall, and took a part in their games, which generally continued till a late hour ; in short, we never found the time to hang heavy upon our hands ; and the peculiar occupations of each of the officers afforded them more employment than might at first be supposed. I re-calculated the observa- tions made on our route ; Mr. Hood pro- tracted the charts, and made those draw- ings of birds, plants, and fishes, which can- not appear in this work, but which have been the admiration of every one who has OF THE POLAR SEA. 255 papers I from again at our •selves might could of our [* their . We sit, or river, in the which ir ; in hang eculiar forded at first )serva- d pro- draw- h can- have 10 has seen them. Each of the party sedulously and separately recorded their observations on the aurora ; and Dr. Richardson contrived to obtain, from under the snow, specimens of most of the lichens in the neighbour- hood, and to make himself acquainted with the mineralogy of the surrounding country. The Sabbath was always a day of rest with us ; the woodmen were required to provide for the exigencies of that day on Saturday, and the party were dressed in their best attire. Divine service was regu- larly performed, and the Canadians at- tended, and behaved with great decorum, although they were all Roman Catholics, and but little acquainted with the language in which the prayers were read. I re- gretted much that we had not a French Prayer-Book, but the Lord's Prayer and Creed were always read to them in their own language. Our diet consisted almost entirely of rein-deer meat, varied twice a week by fish, and occasionally by a little flour, but we had no vegetables of any description. On it lr 256 JOURNEY TO Tl SHORES m the Sunday mornings we drank a cup of chocolate, but our greatest luxury was tea (without sugar), of which we regularly par- took twice a-day. ^Vith rein-deer's fat, and strips of cotton shirts, we formed candles ; and HepbiTn acquired considerable skill in the manufacture of soap, from the wood- ashes, fat and salt. The formation of soap was considered as rather a mysterious ope- ration by our Canadians, and, in their hands, was always supposed to fail if a woman approached the kettle in which the ley was boiling. Such are our simple domestic details. On the 30th, two hunters came from the leader, to convey ammunition to him, as soon as our men should bring it from Fort Providence. The men, at this time, coated the walls of the house on the outside, with a thin mixture of clay and water, which formed a crust of ice, that, for some days, proved impervious to the air ; the dryness of the atmosphere, however, was such, that the ice in a short time evaporated, and gave OF THE rOLAR SEA. 257 cup of was tea rly par- fat, and candies ; : skill in e wood- of soap )us ope- r hands, woman ley was lomestic rom the him, as ►m Fort 10 walls a thin )rmed a proved of the hat the d gave admission to the wind as before. It is a general custom at the forts to give this sort of coating to the walls at Christmas time. When it was gone, we attempted to remedy its defect, by heaping up snow against the walls. January 1, 1821. — This morning our men assembled, and greeted us with the customary salutation on the commencement of the new year. That they might enjoy a holyday, they had yesterday collected double the usual quantity of fire-wood, and we anxiously expected the return of the men from Fort Providence, with some ad- ditions to their comforts. We had stronger hope of their arrival before the evening, as we knew that every voyager uses his ut- most endeavour to reach a post upon, or previous to, the jour de Van, that he may partake of the wonted festivities. It forms, as Christmas is said to have done among our forefathers, the theme of their conver- sation for months before and after the pe- riod of its arrival. On the present occasion we could only treat them with a little flour VOL. II. s u t ji/' 1* I |! . Ji58 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES and fat ; these were both considered as great hixuries, but still the feast was de- fective from the want of rum, althoujrh we promised them a little when it should arrive. The early part of January proved mild, the thermometer rose to 20° above zero, and we were surprised by the appearance of a kind of damp fog, approaching very nearly to rain. The Indians expressed their astonishment at this circumstance, and declared the present to be one of the warmest winters they had ever experienced. Some of them reported that it had actually rained in the woody parts of the country. In the latter part of the month, however, the thermometer again descended to — 49°, and the mean temperature for the month proved to be -^15°.6. Owing to the fogs that obscured the sky, the aurora was visi- ble only upon eighteen nights in the month. On the 15 th seven of our men arrived from Fort Providence with two kegs of rum, one barrel of powder, sixty pounds of ball, two rolls of tobacco, and some cloth- OF TlIK POLAR SEA. 259 (lered as was de- loufrh we t should ^cd mild, )ve zero, ipearance ing very xpressed ance, and of the erienced. actually country, lowever, 0 —49°, 1 month the fogs vas visi- ; month. arrived kegs of 3unds of le cloth- ing. They had hoen twenty-one days on their march from Slave Lake, and the la- bour they underwent was sufKciently evinced by their sledge-collars having worn out the shoulders of their coats. Their loads weighed from sixty to ninety pounds each, exclusive of their bedding and provisions, which at starting must have been at least as much more. We were much rejoiced at their arrival, and proceeded forthwith to pierce the spirit cask, and issue to each of the household the portion of rum which had been promised on the first day of the year. The spirits, which were proof, were frozen, but after standing at the fire for some time they flowed out of the consistency of honey. The temperature of the liquid, even in this state, was so low as instantly to convert into ice the moisture which condensed on the surface of the dram-glass. The fingers also adhered to the glass, and would doubtless have been speedily frozen had they been kept in contact with it; yet each of the voyagers swallowed his dram without ex- ^2 M teo joiiiiNr-.Y TO Tin; sih»ui;m poriiMUMnjif thr sli^lHosi inronvf'nii'nco, or oomplainin^; of* (oo(h-{irlu\ \i\v\' {\\v mm IwhI uMinMl, (in Imlinn, who had {UiM>inp!ini<'(l \\\n\\ iVoni I'orf Pro- vidoiuv, inlornuMl uw lIuM (lirv Iwid hro.'U'hiMi tlu» c:\H\i o\\ ihoir way np t\\u\ h\w\\{ two drtVN ill moat, showod how littlo ronli- donoo could ho p\tt \n a (Canadian voyafjjcr whon lood or spirits woro in quostion. Wo had hoot\ indood mado aoipiaintod with thoir oharaotor on thoso points hy tho tradors ; hut wo thought tliat whon thoy saw thoir olHcors living undor oipial if not groator pvivrttioi\s than thoniaolvos, thoy wouhl have hoon promptod hy soino ch'groo of g(MUM*oua fooling to ahstain from thos(* doprodations which, undor ordinary circnmstano(»s, thoy woidd scarcoly have hlushod to ho dotoctocl in. H'iuH», or Indinn, •int Pro- hrOiMi'lird H'wi two r hirncli ![ (o im» ; ;iu>H, (ind (ntiily of mmI wilh ^tv with r conli- v<>yi'iji;('r Ml.' Wo it)) tlioir r;ul(M*8 ; w tluM*r 1(1 Itavp (MUMOUH Mlatioiis s, tlioy lotected OP TIIF, rof.All HFA. iiiW Ah tlu'y wi'rc prcUy wril nwiirr (liiit hucIi n rircnniNtiincr could not lon^ Im* coiici'itlod iVoin OH, oi)(> of tliciii c.'inu* titr next nioni*- in/r with nil (irtfnl ;l)M)lo^^y Cor tlirir condiin. lie Htntrd, thtit an tlicy knew it wmh my in- tention to tiTdt thrill with n (htiin on the ('onniiriK'nnriil <»!' tlu* iirw ycnr, thry hnd h(*l)HMl thcniNclvrs to n miiwiII (|iinntity on thnt dny, tniNtin^ to my ^oodiicHH lor for- ^ivciK'MN; nnd hrin■ 1. J" ■ ■ u 1 ( l-'i- ■1 ; 1=' 1! 1 in commemoration of the months of their arrival there, are Augustus and Junius. Tlie former speaks EngHsh. We now learned that Mr. Back pro- ceeded with Beauparlant to Fort Chipew- yan, on the 2i'th of Decemher, to procure stores, having previously discharged J. Eel- leau from our service at his own request, and according to my directions. 1 was the more induced to comply with this man's desire of leaving us, as he proved to be too weak to perform the duty of bowman, which he had undertaken. Four dogs were brought up by this party, and proved a great relief to our wood- haulers during the remainder of the season. By the arrival of Mr. Wentzel, who is an excellent musician, and assisted us {con amore) in our attempts to amuse the men, we were enabled to gratify the whole esta- "^lishment with an occasional dance. Of this amusement the voyagers were very fond, and not the less so, as it was now and then accompanied by a dram as long as our rum lasted. OF THE POLAR SEA. 263 f their Funiiis. i pro- hipew- ►rocure J. Eel- equest, v^as the man's be too ►wman, party, wood- ;eason. ^ho is s (^con men, 3 esta- Of very w and as our On the 5th of February two Canadians came from Akaitcho for fresh supphcs of ammunition. We were mortified to learn tliat he had received some further unplea- sant reports concerning us from Fort Pro- vidence, and that his faith in our good intentions was somewhat shaken. He ex- pressed himself dissatisfied with the quan- tity of ammunition we had sent him, accused us of an intention of endeavouring to de- grade him in the eyes of his tribe, and informed us that Mr. Weeks had refused to pay some notes for trifling quantities of goods and ammunition that had been given to the hunters who accompanied our men to Slave Lake. Some powder and shot, and a keg of diluted spirits were sent to him, with the strongest assurances of our regard. On the 12th another party of six men was sent to Fort Providence, bring up the remaining stores. St. Germain went to Akaitcho for the purpose of sending two of his hunters to join this party on its route. On comparing the language of our two 264 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES &• ! ' Esquimaux with a copy of St. John's Gos- pel, printed for the use of the Moravian Missionary Settlements on the Labrador coast, it appeared that the Esquimaux who resort to Churchill speak a language essen- tially the samo with those who frequent the Labrador coast. The Red Knives too recognise the expression Teyma^ used by the Esquimaux when they accost strangers in a friendly manner, as similarly pronounced by Augustus, and those of his race who frequent the mouth of the Copper-Mine River. The tribe to which Augustus belongs resides generally a little to the northward of Churchill. In the spring, before the ice quits the shores, th^y kill seal, but during winter they frequent the borders of the large lakes near the coast, where they obtain fish, rein-deer, and musk-oxen. There are eighty-four grown men in the tribe, only seven of whom are aged. Six chiefs have each two wives ; the rest of the men have only one, so that the number of married people may amount to one hundred iL OF THE POLAR SEA. 265 s Gos- oravian ibrador iix who I essen- lent the ^cs too ised by :rangers lounced Lce who er-Mine belongs rthward the ice : during of the re they en. in the d. Six St of the mber of hundred 1 and seventy. He could give me no certain data whereby I might estimate the number of children. Two great chiefs, or Ackhaiyoot^ have complete authority in directing the move- ments of the party, and in distributing pro- visions. The Attoogawnoeuck, or lesser chiefs, are respected principally as senior men. The tribe seldom suffers from want of food, if the chief riioves to the different stations at the proper season. They seem to follow the eastern custom respecting marriage. As soon as a girl is born, the young lad who wishes to have her for a wife goes to her father's tent, and proffers himself. If accepted, a promise is given which is considered binding, and the girl is delivered to her betrothed husband at the proper age. They consider their progenitors to have come from the moon. Augustus has no other idea of a Deity than some confused notions which he has obtained at Churchill. When any of the tribe are dangerously ill, a conjurer is sent for, and the bearer of VOL. II. T k* I <^^rmmfm 2GG JOURNEY TO THE SHORES ':■;! ; ! ■' 1 f i the message carries a suitable present to induce his attendance. Upon hfs arrival he encloses himself in the tent with the sick man, and sings over him for days together without tasting food ; but Augustus, as well as the rest of the uninitiated, are ignorant of the purport of his songs, and of the nature of the Being to whom they are addressed. The conjurers practise a good deal of jugglery in swallowing knives, firing bullets through their bodies, &c. but they are at these times generally secluded from view, and the bystanders believe their assertions, without requiring to be eye- witnesses of the fact. Sixteen men and three women amongst Augustus's tribe are acquainted with the mysteries of the art. The skill of the latter is exerted only on their own sex. Upon the map being spread before Au- gustus, he soon comprehended it, and re- cognized Chesterfield Inlet to be " the opening into which salt waters enter at spring tides, and which receives a river at its upper end." He termed it Kannceuck OF THE POLAR SEA. 267 ;nt to val he e sick gether IS well norant of the ey are a good I, firing at they d from B their e eye- en and •ibe are Ihe art. ►nly on ire Au- land re- * the Inter at Iriver at mnceuck Kleenceuch. He has never been farther north himself than Marble Island, which he distinguishes as being the spot where the large ships were wrecked, alluding to the disastrous termination of Barlow and Knight's Voyage of Discovery.* He says, however, that Esquimaux of three different tribes have traded with his countrymen, and that they described themselves as having come across land from a northern sea. One tribe, who named themselves Ahrvhacknan- helettj he supposes may come from Repulse Bay ; another, designated Ootkooseek-kaling- mosooty or Stone-Kettle Esquimaux, reside more to the westward; and the third, the Kang-orr-mceoot, or White-Goose Esqui- maux, describe themselves as coming from a great distance, and mentioned that a party of Indians had killed several of their tribe on the summer preceding their visit. Upon comparing the dates of this murder with that of the last massacre which the Copper Indians have perpetrated on these harmless and defenceless people, they appear to differ * See Introduction to IlEAnNE's Journey, p. xxiv. J n 268 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES, &C. two years ; but the lapse of time is so inac- curately recorded, that this difference in their accounts is not sufficient to destroy their identity ; besides the Chipewyans, the only other Indians who could possibly have committed the deed have long since ceased to go to war. If this massacre should be the one mentioned by the Copper Indians, the Kang-orr-moeoot must reside near the mouth of the Anatessy, or River of Stran- gers. Mi) END OF VOL. 11. LONDON : FRINTIP BY C. ROWORTH, BEI.L-YARD, TEMPLB-BAR. L BO inac- ence in destroy ans, the )ly have g ceased lould be Indians, near the if Stran- •»