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Lea diagrammea auivanta illuatrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 *^ •■#'■ M,, '^l It ■ta If. * 711 OM .-»jf.- * ■ J O U R N.E Y ^•:v': ■ f» PRINCE OF WALES'S JF^iitT. » f ■'■#. *'-v;.i. > W^W- . »■.-■•%• ~TC — i-rrrr— c""^ — ~T3tr «^r ^ \ - T-W- .-,, -n R -ii^. tn^ '^^: I 'P *^- ,'^'- ,4% ^.."■,:j>^ 'A' yjF] .-t HmjHnmiti nH^u^ \ \ r y^, j^y/fev* • u^ f t ~ o u:,,R.'ig-i:-T '^ . !4 >i< 'I' FROM PRINCE OF WALES'S FORT, IN HUDSON'S BAT, .11 TO THE NORTHERN OCEAN. UNDERTAKEN Sr ORDER OF THE HUDSON'S BAT COMPjINTi^ FOR THE DISCOVERY OP COPPER MINkS, A NORTH WEST PASSAGE, {if<. Intbe Yi$n 1769, 1770, 1771, ^ 1772. BySAMUEL HEARNE. DUBLIN: / PRINTED FOR. P. BYRNE, No. 108, AND J. RICE, No. in, GRAFTON-STREET. 1796. ' •^ MINE lilVfiR. \ij^ya j^/j and J^^a, Mr {/(T/rc/mf (Ji///ie f^. ft /?-6 ■ .': P' IM^ TO SAMUEL WEGG, £fq. Governor^ Sir JAMES WINTER LAKE, Deputy Governor, AND • THE REST OF THE COMMITTEE « OF THE KONOURABiLB HUDSON*$ BAT COMPANT, HONOURABLE SIRS, > AS the following Journey, was undertaken at your Requeil and Expence, I feel it no lefs my Duty than my Inclination to ad- drefs it to you hoping that my humble En- deavours to relate, in a plain and unadorned Style, the various Circumftances and Remarks, a whicK ^f^f^T^ I aiiy 'w 1*^, i I DEDICATION. which occurred during that Journey* wiU meet withyour Approbation.^ . - I am^ with much Efteemand Gratitude* HONOURABLE SIRS, T'our moft obedient, and moft obliged humble Servant* SAMUEL HEARNE. /,.' f: ■*.«■■■:■ PRE FACE. MR. Dai,rtmpx4E, in one of his Pampbletft relating to HudCon's Bay, has been (q ve-* rj particular in his obfervations on my Journey^ as to remark, that 1 have not explained the con- ^rudion of the Quadrant which I had the mi^- iJQrtune to break in my fecond Journey to the North. It was a Hadley's Quadrant, wi(h a bnbble attached to it for an hori«;on, and made by Daniel Scatlif of Wapping, But as no inftrumene on the fame principle could be procured when I was fettiqg out on my laft Journey, an old ^U ton's Quadrant, which had been upwards of thir^ ty years at the Fort, was the only inftrument I cquld then be provided with, in any reipeA pron. per for Qiaking ob(iervations with on the land. Mr. Dalryrrtple alfo. obferves, that 1 onl^ ia^ ferted in my laft Journal to the Company, one obfervation for the latitude, whict^ may be true ;, Mit I had, neverthelefs, feveral others during that journey, particularly at Snow-bird Lake, Thelwey.a;sa-yeth, and Clowey, exclufive of that mentioned in the Journal taken at Conge-catha^ whaQhaga. But when I was on that Journeys^ % 4 ' 994 ' '^V ', vi PREFACE. and for feveral years after, I little thought that 'any remarks made in it would «yp^ have attrsi^i:- 'ed th^ notice of the Public ; if I had, grcatW pains might and tirpuld have been taken to rei2« der it more worthy of their attention than it now is. At that time my ideas and ambition extend- ed no farther than to give my employers fuch an account of my proceedings as might b? fat^sfaft9- ry to them, and - -ver the purpofe which they had in view ; little thinking it would ever come under the infpedion of fo ingenious and indefa- tigable a geographer as Mr. Dairy m pie mull be :jlio'vtd to be. But as the cafe has turned out ptheiwife, I have at my Iqifure hours recopi'd 2l\\ my Journals into one book, and in fome inftan- • .■ ces added to the remarks I had before nia^e ; not fp much for the information of thofe who. are critics in geography, as for theamufement of can- did and indulgent readers, who may perhaps feel ^hemfelves in fome meafure gratified, by having the face of a country brought to their view, which has hitherto been entirely unknown to every European except myfelf. Nor will 1 flat^ ter myfelf, a defcription of the modes of living, manners, and cuftoms of the natives, (which, though long known, have never been defcribed.) be lefs acceptable to the curious. I cannot help obferving, that I fieel myfelf ra- ther hurt at Mr. Dairy mple*s rejefting my latitude ii^ fo peremptory a manner, and in fo great a pro^ ' u portion, PREFACE/ portion, as he has done ; becaufe, l^fore I arriv-» e^at Conge-cathawhachaga, the Sun did not fcfi during tbef whole night : a proo£ that I was th^n tfl the Northward of the Arctic, Circle. I may be silliovi^ed to add, that when I was at th^^ Copper River> on the eighteenth of July, the Sun's decli- nation was but 2 1 ", and yet it was certainly ibme height above the horizon at midnight; how much, as I did not then remark, I will not noTV take upon me to fay ; but it proves that the latitude was confiderably more than Mr* Dalrym*' pie will admit of. His affertion, that no grafs is to be found on the (rocky) coaft of Greenland farther North than the latitude of 6^°^ is no proof there ihould not be any in a much high- ,er latitude in the interior, parts of North America. For, in the firft place, I think it is more than probable,. that the. Copper River enjp- ties itfelf into.a fort of inland Sea, or extenfive Bay, fomewhat like that of Hudfon*s: aad it is well known that po part of the coaft of Hudfon's Straits, nor thofe of I^abradore, at leaft for fomc degrees South of them, any more than the Eaft coaft of Hudfon's Bay, till we arrive near Whale River, have any trees on them ; while the Weft coaft of the Bay in the fame latitudes, is well clothed with timber. Where then is the ground for fuch an aflertion ? Had Mr. Dalrymple conli- dered this circuniftance only, I flatter myielf he would not fo haftily have objecled to woods and grafs being feen in fimilar fituations, thoughin ai much higher latitude. Neither can the reafon- ing vii 1- ^ PREFACE. iiig ijirhkh Mr. Dalrytiiple derives froin the errtMr I <^kttittcd in eftimatiog the diftikit&to Gani^ie^- I&hd Houfe, any Wiy affed the queftidn undir cbnfiderition y becittfe that diftaiAte being chkfly ih longltHiit^, I had iio tneans bf correding it tt^ ah obfervation, which was not the cafe here. I do hot by any means wifii to enter ihtoa dif- pute withy or incur the difpleafure of Mr. Dal^ fythple ; but thinking, as I do, that I have not tneen treated in fo liberal a manner as I ought to have been, he will excufe me for endeavouring to dohvxnce the Public that his objedions are iid ia jgreat tneafure without foundation. And hav« Ing done fo, I fliali quit the difagreeable fubje^ with decljdring, that if any part of the following; ^eets ihould afford amufement to Mr. Dalrym- ^ple, or any other of my readers, it will be the higheft gratification I can receive, and the only Tccompence I defire to obtain for the hardfliips and fatigue which I underwent lA procorii^ the information contained in them. Being well aiTured that feveral learned and cu- rious gentlemen are in pofleffion of manufcript copies of, or extracts from, my Journals, as well as copies of the Charts, I have been induced to make this copy as correA as poffible, and to pub- lifh it; efpecially as I obferve'that fcarcely any two of the publications that contain «^tradls from ^ niy Journals, agree in the dates when I arrived at, or depaned from, particular places. To re6Hfy ^hofe difitgreemtnts I applied to the Governor and Committee PREFACE. Gonmltttte of the Hudfonfs Bay Company, (6t kavc to pemit my ocigiiial journals. This was granted wkh ^he greateil affiibility and politd* tu&i as w^ as a fight of all my (Charts rfilati^sc to this Journey. With this affiftancelluivc beeii enabled to re^ify fome inaccuracies that had, bf tcufting too tni|ch to memory, crept into this co- py; and I now ofier it to the Public under att<* thentic dates and the beft authorities, hoiKevetf widely fome publications may dif&r from it. I have taken the liberty to expunge (bme paflsi« ges which were inferted in the original copy, as being no ways interefting to the Public, and ie« veral dthers have undergone great alterations; ib that, in fi^d, the whole may be faid to be new- modelled, by being blended with a variety of I^emarks and Notes that w«re not inlcrted in the original copy, but which my long relidence in ths country has enabled me to add. The account of the principal quadrupeds and birds that frequent thofe Northern regions in Summer, as well as thofe vfhkh never migrate, though not defcribed in a fcientific manner, may not be entirely unacceptable to the moft fcienti- fic zoologifts ; and to thofe who are unacquaint- ed with the technical terms ufed in zoology, it may perhaps be more ufeful and entertaining, than if I had defcribed them in the moft claffical manner. But I muft not conclude this Preface, without acknowledging, in the moft ample man- ner, theaffiftance I have reccivMAftm Jjifes Ji|p» M be PREFACE* fal of Mr. Pennant's Arctic Zoology; which has enabled me to give feveral of the l^^rds their pro* 1^ nan^ ; * for thole by which they are known in Hudlbn's Bay are purely Indian, and of courie quite unicnown to every European who has not refided in thkt country. To conclude, I cannot fufficiently regret thelois of a confiderable Vocabulary of the Northern. Indian Language, containing fixteen folio pages, which was lent to the late Mr. Hutchins, then Correfponding Secretary to the Company, to copy for Captain Duncan, when he went on dif- coveries to Hudfon's Bay in the year one thou- £md feven I^undred and ninety. But Mr. Hutch- ins dying foon after, the Vocabulary was taken away with the reft of his effedls, and cannot now ^be recovered ; and memory, at this time, will by no means ferve to replace it. CON- CO NT EN %B, I NTRODUCTION. C H A P. I. Page xxi Tranfaftions from my leaving Prince of Wales's Fort on my firft Expedition, till our Arrival there again. ) 7 ' Set ffffrom the Fort ; afrive at Po-co-thee-kif-co ki^ ver, — One of the Northern Indians deferts.~—Crofs Seal River y and walk on the barren grounds,—' Receive wrong information concerning the dijlance of the woods,'— Weather begins to be very cold, provifi- ons all expended and nothing to be got. — Strike to the Weflward, arrive at the woods, and kill three deer, — Set forward in the North Weji quarter, fee the tracks ofmufk-oxen and deer, but killed none, — Very Jhort ofprovifions, — Chfiwchinahaw wants us to return. — Neither he nor his crew contribute to our maintenance* — He influences feveral of the In- dians to defert, — Chawchinahaw and all his crew leave us. — Begin our return to the Factory ; kill a few partridges, thefr/i meal we had had for feveral days,—Villany of one of the home Indians and his wife^ who was a Northern Indian woman^^Arrive at I sii ■K« CONTENTS* ^ Stal River, kill two dar; partridges [pltnty.'^ Meet ajirange Northern Indian, aceompany bim te bit tent, ufa^e received there i'^ my Indians efffffiin killing Jome bemter^'^Proeeed toward borne, anJt eurrhfi eH the Fort* • • Page i CHAP II. Tranfa^ions from our arrival at the Fa^^ory, to my leaving it again, and during the Firft Part of my Second Journey, till I had the mi^for* tune to break the Quadrant* Tranfadions at theFa^ory, — Proceed onmy/econd journey.^-Arrive at Seal Riven — Deerplentiftd for fame time,^'Method of angHng fijh under the ice.'^Set ovrJiJhing'nets,''^Method of fitting nets under the ice. — My guide propofes to flay till the fieefefhould begin tofly, his reafons accepied."»Pitch our tent in the he/i manner.-^Method of pitching a tent in Winten^^FiJh plentiful for forne time ; grow veryfcarce; in great want of provifions.^^Manner of employing my iime.~^My guide killed two deer,—' Move to the place they were lying at ; there kiJlfe' veral more deer, and three beavers. — Soon in want rfprovifions again.'— Many Indians join us from the W0ward,'—We began to move towards the barren ground,— Arrive at She'than-nee, there ft^er great diftrefs for want of prov{fions, — Indians kill two Jwans and three geefe.—'Geefi and other birds of rp^gejtkBtiful.—'LeaveShe'ihan'me, md arrive at V f CONTENTS. §t Birahone»'^One of my companions guns bur/is^ Meifitttttrs bis left band.-''Leave Beralzone^ and gei on the barNn grtund, ettar 'if all woods,'-* Throw away our Jledges and fnm Jhoes.'^'Eacb fttfin takts a load on his baekfiiijfp§rt>f0biU(g*> gttgt."-^EKpofid to many bardfiifs,'>"3nferal days without vi^uals,"-Indians kill three mufi^oxen^ htt fir want of fare are obliged to eat the meat nttw*"-Fine weather returns / make afire ; tffe£ls ^ long fit/ting \ flay a day or two to dry Jbme meat in the SaH.—Proceed to the Northward^ and drrive at Gathawhachaga; there find /ome tents rf Indians, '^ji Northern leader called Keel- Jhies meets us; fend a letter by him to the Cover* norji^Trartfailions at Cathawhaehaga ; leave it^ and proceed to the Northward,-^Meet feveral Indians,-*-^My guide not willing to proceed; his reafms fir it,'^-Many more Indians join -w.— Arrive at Doobaunt Whole River, -^Manner of firrying over rivers in the Northern Indian ca- noes,— -No rivers in thofe parts in a ufeful direSli- onfir the natives,— ^Had nearly Iq/i the quadrantand all the powder,— ^Some refieHions on ourfituotion^ and condud ^ the Indians.'— Find the quadrant andpartofthepowden^'^b/irvefir the latitude. ^-^^adratit hrol^,'—R»filve to rettim again to the Fa^ery, - • Page ii sill CHAP. ^\^ CONTENTS. n CHAP, iii; Tranf^ons f^om the Time the Quadrant wail brbken, till I arrived at tiie Fadkory. Several flrange Indians join us from the Northward* "^They plunder me of all I had j but did not plun- der the Southern Indians.-^My guide plundered,"- We begin our return to the Fa^lory.^^Meet with other Indians^ who join our company, — Colled deer* Jkinsfor clothings but could not get them dreffed*-^ Sttffer much hardflyip from the want of tents and warm clothing, — Mo/i of the Indians leave us, -^Meet with Matonabbee — Some account rfhim, and his behaviour to me and the Southern Indians, --^We remain in his company fome time, — His oh' fervations on my two unfuccefsful attempts, — We leave him, and proceed to a place to which he di- reded us, in order to make fnow-fhoes andjtedges* — Join Matonabbee again, and proceed towards the fa6lory in his company \ — Ammunitionruns jhort,-—^ Myfelfandfour Indians fet offpojifor the Fadory, '•'Much bewildered in afnowjlorm; my dog is fro- zen to death; we lie in a bujh of willows,— 'Pro- ceed on our journey, — Great difficulty in crojfmg a jumble of rocks,'— Arrive at the Fort, Page 47 CHAP. > I CONTENTS, iwr CHAP. IV. Tranfa^ions during our Stay atPrince of Wales's Fort, and the former Part of our third Ezpedi- tion, till' our Arrival at Clowey, where wc built Canoes, in May 1771. Preparations for our departure,— ^Refufe to take any, of the home-guard Indians with me, — Byfo doing* I offend the Governor. — Leave the Fort a third time. — My in/irudions on this expedition*— ^Provi' Jions of all kinds very fear ce. — Arrive at thewoods^ where we kill fame deer,— /Arrive at ffland Lake* •—'Matonabbee taken ill.— 'Some remarks thereon.-—' yoin the remainder of the Indians* families.'— Leave I/land Lake, — Defcription thereof, — Deer plentiful, — Meet a Jirange Indian. — Alter our eourfefram Weji North Wefi to Weji by South,— Crofs Catha- whachaga River, Coffed Lake, Snow-Bird Lake, and Pike Lake.— 'Arrive at a tem ofjirangers, who • are employed infnaring deer in a pound, — Defcrip- tion of a pound. — Method of proceeding.-— -Remarks thereon. — Proceed on our journey.— Meet with fe- ver al parties of Indians ; by one of whom I fent a letter to the Governor at Prince of Wales* s Fort, — Arrive at Thleweya%ayeih. — Employment there. — Proceedto theNorth NorthWefl andNorth, — Arrive at Clowey.'— One of the Indian's wives taken in la- avi CONTENTS. N9rtbim Indians onth^t9Ctq/S9fu. Flige 60 CHAP. V. TranfiiMoni at Clowey, and on our Journey, till our Arrival at the Copper-mine River. Stveraljirangi Indians join us,f^hdians employed in building canoes \ de/cription and ufe of them*"-^ More Indians join us^ to the amount offome bun* dreds, — Leave Clvwey,'^Reteive intelligence that Keeljbieswas near us,'^Two young men difpaiebed for my letters and geods^^^^rrive at Pejhew Lake; crofs part ofit^ and make a large fmok^^^Ona of Matonabbce*s wives elopes ^^-^Some remarks on the natives '^^Keeljhies joins us^ and delivers my letters^ but the goods were all expended'^A Northern In^ dian wijhes to take one (fMatonabbe^s wives from him\ matters compromi/edf but bad like to have proved fatal to my progrefs,-^rofs Pefiiew Lake^ when J make proper arrangements for the remain*, der of my journey,-^ Many Indians join our party ^ in order to make war on the Efquimaux at the Cop-i per River*'-' Preparations madf for that purpofe while at Clowey, "^Proc^d on our journey te the North, — Some remarks on the way.— -Crofs Cogead- Lake on the ice^ — The fun did not fet.— Arrive at €ongecathawhachaga.^Findfeveral Copper Indi- at^s tbere%^Remarks and tranfadions during our CONTIHTS. fi0f m C§iqiMtbmttbmbaia,^FrMHd m tmrjotir* ifBtffalo Lfikt M tbt k^.'^HP numy mufl'tiifu ^^Dtftripiwn cftbtm.'-^tnl ^tbjkm hdmm t» vhw Grixzlt-bear HilL-^Join afirtmp t^ortbern Indian Leader^ called Q*lye^ in eomfany witb/om Copper Indians, --^^ heir behaviour t$ me.'^Arrivt at tbe Copper-mine River, • • Page 95 svtt CHAP, VL IVanfaAions at the Copper-mine River, and till we joined all the Wpmen to the South of Coge<* ad Lake. Some Cppper Indians join us, — Indians fend tbreejpiej^ down tbe river. — Begin myfurvey,'-^Spies return^ and give an account of Jive tents of Efquimaux*^^In^ dians confult tbe befi nutbod tojieal on them in the nightt and kili them while aJieep^-^Crofs the river, ^-Proceedings of tbe bidians as they advance to* wards thif E/quimauK ttnis.^^The Indians begin tbe najfacre whiie tbe poor Ejquinumte are qfleepi and fiay them alL^^Mucb offend at the fight of one young woman killed ehfeto myfeet^^^The behaviour if the Indians on, this occqfion.^^Their brutijh treat* ment of the dead bodies "^Seven more tents feen on tbt oppofitefide of tbe river,*-^fbe Indians haraft i^bm^ M tbey fy to afbofd in ths rivtrforfrfety. '-"Bfibti^ sviii CONTENTS. ^^Behavmr of the Indiam after killing thofe Effui^ piaux,-^rofs ^ the river, and proceed to the tents en thatfide.-'-^Plunder their tents", anddeftroy their utenftls* — Continue my furvey to the river* s mouth, '—Remarks there*'^Set out on my return,'— Arrive at one. ^ the Coppermines. — Remarks on it, — Many attempts made to induce the Copper Indians to carry their own goods to market, -"^Objiacles to it.— Villa- ny and cruelty of Keeljhies tofome of thofe poor In- dians — Leave the Copper-mine, and walk at an amazing rate till we join the women, by the fide of CogeadWhoie,— Much foot foundered, — The appear- ance very alarming, butfoon changes for the better, — Proceed to thefouthward, and join the remainder ofthewbmen and children,'-^Many other Indians arrive with them, • - Page 1 4 j; C H A P. vir. Remarks from the Time the Women joined us till our Arrival at the Athapufcow Lake. Several of the Indiam fick, — Method ufedby the conju- rors to relieve one man, who recovers. ^^Matonabbee and his crew proceed to theSouthWefi. — Mofi of the other Indians feparate, and go their refpeclive ways, — Pafs by White Stone Lake,— Many deer killed merely for their fkins. —-Remarks thereon, and on the deer, refpedingfeafons and places. — Arrive at Point i^ake, — One of the Indians wives being ftck, is left behind CONTENTS* behind Uperijh above'gtvuhd^-rWf^bef very bad^ hut deer plenty, — Stay fame time at Point Lake to drymeai, &c. — ^nfer/eiin^'^Siifetj/Hthtis cuftonu •bferved by my con^anionSi after the^ had killed the M/quimdux at Copper River. — Aviolent^ale tjfwind vuerjets my tent and breaks my quadrant. — ^ome dapper and Dog-ribbed Indians join us^-^Indians propofe to go to the Athapufcow Country to k'dl moo/e.'-'Leave Point Lake, and arrive at the wood *s edge. — Arrive at Anawd Lake,-^Tranfa£lions there'—'Remarkable in/lance of a man being cured ofthepalfey by the conjuror s.-^^Leave AtmwdLake — Arrive at the great Athdpufcow Lake, 189 ^X t ri A p. vtih 'TranTadiohs and Remarks, frbih out Arrival on the Sdutlh Side of the Athapufcow Lake, till our Arrival at PHncc of Wales*s Fort on (jhurchiil River. Crofs the Athapufcow Lake* — Defcription of it and its produ^lons, as far as could be difcovered in Winter, when the fnow was on the ground.-^FiJh found in the lake. — Defcription of the buffalo ;— of the moofe or elk, and the method of dr effing their fkins. — Pind a woman alone that had notfeen a human face for more than feven months. — Her aC' count howjhe came to be in thatfituation ; and her curious method of procuring a iivelihood*-~'Many of b my CONTENTS. wf Indians wreftkd for her.--'Jlrrive at the Great Aihapufctnu River. — Walk along ^hejide of the Ri' ixrforfivtral days^ and thenfirihe off to thi^aft' ward.-'-^Difficidty in getting through the woods in many places. — Meet with fame flrange Northern Indians on their return from the Fort. — Meet more fir anger ty whom my companions plundered^ and from whom they took one of their young women. — Curious manner of life which thofe firangers lead^ and the reafon they gave for roving fo far from their ufual refidence. — Leave the fine level country of the Atha- pufcows, and arrive at the Stony Hills of the Nor- thern Indian Country^ — Meet fomejl range Northern Indiansy one of whom carried a letter for me to Prince of Wales* s Fort, in March one thoufandfeven hundred and feventy-one, and now gave me an an- fwer to it, dated twentieth of June following. — Indians begin preparing wood- work arfd birch-rind for canoes. — The equinoilial gale very fevere.'-— Indian method of running the moofe deer down by fpeed of foot. — Arrival at Theeleyaza River, — See fome firangers <-^The brutality of my compani- ons.— A tremendous gale and fnow-drift. — Meet with more firangers ; — remarks on it. — Leave all the elderly people and children, and proceed dire£lly to the Fort. — Stop to build canoes, and then ad- vance.— Several of the Indians die through hunger, and many others are obliged to decline the journey for want of ammunition.— A violent fiorm and inunda- tion, that forced us to the top of a high hill, where we f offered great dijirefs for more than two days. -Kill (!: 0 N 1 1 N t Si. '^Kili fiver al deer.^^The Indians method ofpfi- firoing iheflejh mthout the ajjijiance of /hU.-^^ei fiveral Indians that were going to Kriapp's Ba^.-— Game of all kinds remarkably plentiful — Arrive at the Fadory, * * Page 247 JLtl C H A P. IX. A ihort Defcription of the Noi^thern Indians, alfo a farther Account of their Coutitry, Manufac- tures, Cuftoms, ^c» An account oftheperfons and tempers of the Northern Indians, -^They pojfefs a great deal of art and cun- ning»-^jire very guilty of fraud tJuhen in their pow- er^ and generally exad mdre for their furrs than any other tribe of Indians. — Always dijfatisfied, yet have their good qualities,— ^The men in general jea- lous of their wives.-^Their marriages. — Girls al- ways betrothed when children, and their reafonsfor it. — Great care and confinement of young girls from the age of eight or nine years. — Divorces com- mm among thofe people. — The women are lefs pro- lific than in warmer countries. — Remarkable piece of fuperflition obferved by the women at particular periods. — Their art in making it an excufe for a temporary feparation from their hufbands on any lit- tle quarrel.^-Reckoned very unclean on thofe occaji* ons.-^The Northern Indians frequently, for the want of firings are obliged to eat their meat raw.--' b 2 Some lEjii CONTENTS. • - Some,^rm^bntceffityi obliged to boil it in vtffiU made of the rind (f the bireb-tree*"^^ nemarhabk dijh among tbo/k p^ople,^^Tl» yotmg animals alwayt cut out (fthfh dams ealen^ and accounted a great deU- cacy, — The parts of generation of all animals eat by the men and boys, — Manner ofpaffing their time^ and method of killing deer in Summer with bows and arrows"^Their tents, dogs, fledges, &c.— • Snow-Jhoes,— Their partiality to domefiic vermin* — Utmq/i extent of the Northern Indian country."-^ Face ^ the country* — Species of fijh. — A peculiar kind ofmofs ufeful for the fupport of man,--^Nor- them Indian method of catching fijh, either with hooks or nets, — Ceremony obferved when two par' ties of thofe people meet. — THverJions in common ufe» — Afmgular diforder which attacks fome (f thofe people, — their fuperjlitibn with refp^Si to the death of their friends, — Ceremony obferved on thofe occafi» ons, — Their ideas ofthefrfl inhabitants of the world. — No formof religion among them, • -Remarks on thai circumftanee. — The extreme mifery to which old age is expofed. — Their opinion of the Aurora BoreaHs, &c. — Some account of Matmahbee, and his fervi- ces to his^comtry, as well as to the Budfon*s Bay company, - - Pag^e 304 CHAP. «> <5R many years it was the opinion of all ranks of people, that the Hudfon's Bay Company were averfe to making difcoveries of every kind; and being content with the profits of their fmall capital, as it was then called, did not want to in- creafe their trade. What might have been the ideas of former members of the Company re« fpe£Hng the firft part of thefe charges I cannot fay, but I am well afllired that they, as well as the prefent members, have always been ready to embrace every plaufible plan for extending the trade. As a proof of this aflertion, I need only mention the vaft flims of money which they have expended at different times in endeavouring ta eilabliih fiflieries, though without fuccefs: and the following Journey, together with the various attempts made by Bean, Chriftopher, Johnfton, and Buncan, to find a North Weft paflage, are recent proofs that the prefent members are as de- firous of making difcoveries, as they are of exend- ihg their trade. That air of myftery, and affeftation of fecrecy, perhaps, which formerly attended fome of the Company's • •• xxviu CUJ3um INTRODUCTION. Company's proceedings in the Bay, might give rife to thofe conjeflures; and the unfounded ^U fertionf and unjuft afperfions of Dobbs, Ellis, Robfon, Dragge, and the American Traveller, the only Authors that have written on Hudfon's 'Bay, and who have all, from motives of intereft or revenge, taken a particular pleafure in arraign- ing the condu£b of the Company, without having any real knowledge of their proceedings, or any experience in their fervice, on which to found their charges, muft have contributed to confirm the public in that opinion. Moft of thofe Writ- ers, however, advance fuch notorious abfurdities, that none except thofe who are already prejudic- ed againft the Company can give them credit*. Robfon, from his fix years refidence in Hud- fon's Bay and in the Company's fervice, mi[';ht naturally have been fuppofed to know fomething of the climate and foil immediately round the Fadories at which he refided ; but the whole of his book is evidently written with prejudice, and didlated by a fpirit of revenge, becaufe his ro- mantic and inconfiftent fchemes were reje^ed by the Company. Befides, it is well known that Robfon was no more than a tool in the hand of Mr. Dobbs. The American Traveller, though a more ele- gant. * Since the above was written, a Mr. UmfreviiJe has publiflied an ac« count of Hadfon's Bay, with the fame ill-nature as the former Authors ; and for no other reafon than that of being difappointed in fucceeding to a command in the Bay, though there was no vacancy for him. INTRODUCTION. nt writer, has ftill lefs claim to ottrindulgence^ his aflertions are a greater tax on our creduU- His faying that he difcovered feveral large mps of the fineft virgin copper*, is fuch a pal- able falfehood that it needs no refutation. No lan, either Englifli or Indian, ever found a bit )f copper in that country to the South of the fe« renty-firft degree of latitude, unlefs it had been iccidentally dropped by fome of the far Northern Indians in their way to the Company's Fa^ory. The natives who range over, rather than in- labit, the large track of land which lies to the forth of Churchill River, having repeatedly )rought famples of copper to the Company's •"aAory, many of our people conjectured that it [was found not far from our fettlements ; and as [the Indians informed them that the mines were »ot very diftant from a large river, it was gene- [rally fuppofed that this river muft empty itfelf in- to Hudfon' s Bay ; as they could by no means think that any fct of people, however, wandering their manner of life might be, coinid ever tra- 'verfe fo large a track of country as to pafs the Northern boundary of that Bay, and particular- ly without the ailiftance of water-carriage. The following Journal, however, will fhew how much thefe people have been miftaken, and prove alfo the improbability of putting their favourite fcheme of mining into practice. The zzi± 7/^V ♦ Amciican Travellers, page 23. f SW 'Vf IKTRODUCTIOK. The acoountA of this grand River, which ib«i#^^{ have turned into a Strait, together with tho fikfU- pies of copper, were brought to the Contpsmy's Fa6lory at Churchill River immediately after its firflt cUablifhment, in the year one tbouCind feveo hundred and fifteen ; and it does nut appear that any attempts were made to discover either the river or mines till the year one tboufand feven hundred and nineteen, when the Cooapany fitted out a fliip, called the Albany Frigate, Captain Qeorge £arlow*, and a iloop, called the Difco* very, • Captain Barlow was Governor at Albany Foit when the French went o*fr laiid from Canada to bcnrge it in the I '704. The Canadians and their Indian guides lurked in the neighbouthood of Albany for feveral days bc« fore they made the attack, and killed many of the cattle that were graz* tnginthe marflics. A faithful Homtr>lndian, who was on a hunting cx^ curflon, difcovering thofe Itrangert, and fuppo^ng them to be enemies, immediately returned to the Fort, and informed the Oovtrnor of the cir* ciimHance, who gave little ctedit to it. However, every meafnre was taken for the defence of the Foit, and orders were given to the Mafterof a floop that lay at fame dillance, to come to the Fort with all polCblc ex- pedition on hearing a gun lited. Accordingly, in t|K middle of the night, or rather in the morning, the Ficnch came before U)e Fort, marched up to the gate, and demanded cn« trance. Mr, Oatlow, who was then on the watch, told them, that the Governor' was aflec p, but he would get the keys immediately. The French hewing this, expe^ed no oppofition, and fTocked up to the gate as clofe as they could (tand. Batlow took the advantage of this opportunity, and iaflcad of opening the gate, only opened two port holes, where two fix- pounders Hood loaded with grape (hot, which were indantly fired. This difch.roie killed great numbers uf the French, find among them the Com* r>iauder, who was an Irillrman. Such an uncxpe£led reception made the remainder retire with great precipitation ; and the Mailer of the floop hearing; the guns, made the b({l of his way up to the Fort; but Tome of the Ficnch who la)^ concealed Vnider the banks of the river killed him, and al) the boat'» crew. The 1 isr T R O D i; C T 1 O N. Cff^^ Caftain David Vaughail. The fole cMA. IffNWid of tiiis expedltioih iM^wcf «r, wtM givflil' to Bftf. James Knight, % man of great exptitiettte 'in the Company's fervictf, irhries in the Bay, and who had made the firft lettlement at Churchill River. Notwichftanding the experi- ence Mr. Knight might have had of the Compa- ny's bufinefs, and his kn6wledge of thofe parts of the Bay where he had refided^ it cannot be fup- pofed he was woU acquainted yAth the nature of the bofinefs in which he then engaged, having nothing to direfl him but the flender and imper- fe£k accounts which he had received from the In- dian, who at that tinn« were Iktie known, and ]ek underftood; l%Qfe difadvantages, added to his advanced age, he being then near eighty, by no means dif- coQxaged this boM adventurer ; who was fo pre- pof&fled of his fiKseefs, and of the great advan- tage »tli The Frrnch retired from this place with reluaancc ; for fome of tlienv weie heard (hooting in the neifhbeurhood of the Fort ten days after tiiey were repulfed ; and one man in particular waliied up aud down the plM- form leading from the gate of the Fott to the Launch foi a whole day. Mr.Fnilarton, who wa* thcnOovboat ; for at a little diftance from the houfe there is now lying a great quantity of oak chips, which have been moft afluredly made by carpenters. Sicknefs and famine occafioned fuch havock among the Engliih, that by the fetting in of the fecond Winter their number was reduced to twen- ty. That Winter (one thoufand feven hundred and twenty) fome of the Efquimaux took up their abode on the oppcfite fide of the harbour to that on \difch the Englifh had built their houfes*, and frequently fupplied them with fuch provifionsas they * I hvit feen the remaios of thqfc houfts feveral times ; they are on the Wed fide of the harbour, and in all probability will be difcetnible for many yeart to come. It •* . .^J: IK t ]fc O D U C T lO N. Xhty bad, which chiefly coniifted of whale's blub* ber and feal's flefh and train oil. ' When the Spring advanced, the Efquimaux went to the continent, and on their vifiting Marble liland again, in the Summer of one thuufand feven hun- dred and twenty-one, they only found five of the Englilh alive, and thofe were in fuch diftrefs for provifions that they eagerly eat the feal's flefli and whale's blubber quite raw, as they purchaf- ea it from the natives. This difordered them fo much, that three of them died in a few days, and the other two, though very weak, made a ihift to bury them. Thofe two furvived many days after the reft, and frequently went to the to{^ of an adjacent rock, and earneftly looked to the South and Eaft, as if in expe^ation olFfome vefTels coming to their reKef. After continuing there a conuderable time together, and nothing appearing in light, they fat down clofe together, and wept bitterly. At length one of the two died, and the other's ftrength was fo far exhauft- ed, that he fell down and died alfo, in attempt- ing to dig a grave for his companion. The fculls 0 2 and It is rather furprifing, that neither Middteton, Ellis, Chriflopfier, Johnfton, not .Garbet, who have all of them been at Mirble I(lar>d, and ibme of them often, ever difcovered this harbour ; particularly the lafl- mentionedgentleman^ vvho actually failed quiteround the iflandin a very fine pleafant day in the Shmmcr of 1 766. But this dilcovery wafsreArv- «d for a Mr. Jofeph Stephens! a man of the leaft merit I ever knew, though he then had the command of a veflel called the Succels, employed in the whalc-fiibery: and in the year r769, had the command of the Charlotte given to him,afine btig of one hundred tons; vrhCa 1 wak|iis mate. zxsvu ■r\? V zxxvui INTRODUCTION. and other large bones of thofe two men are now lying above-ground clofe to the hoiife. The longeft liver was, according to the Efquimaux account, always employed in working of iron into implements for them ; probably he was the armourer, or fmith. Some Northern Indians who came to trade at Prince of Wales's Fort in the Spring of the year one thouiand feven hundred and iizty-eight, brought faurther accounts of the grand river, as it was called, and alfo feveral pieces of copper, as iamples of the produce of the mine near it; which determined Mr. Norton, who was then Governor at Churchill, to reprefent it to the Company as an affair worthy of their attention ; and as he went that year to England, he had an opportunity of laying all the information he had received before the Board, with his opinion there- on, and the plan which he thought moft likely to fucceed in the difcovery of thofe mines. In confequence of Mr. Norton's reprefentations, the Committee refolved to fend an intelligent perfon by land to obferve the longitude and latitude of the river's mouth, to make a chart of the country lu; might walk through, with fuch remarks as occurred to him during the Journey ; when I was pitched on as a proper perfon to conduA the expedition. By the fliip that went to Churchill in the Summer of one thoufand feven hundred and fixty-nine, the Company fent out fome aftro- nomical inftruments, very portable, and fit for fuch INTRODUCTION. fatih ubiervations as they required me to make, and at the tune time requefted me to undertake the Journey, promifing to allow me at my re- turn, a gratuity proportionable to the trouble and fatigue I might undergo in the eispedition*. I did *The conditions offered me on this occafion cannot be better exprefled than in the Company's own words, which I hate tranicrlbed from theic prirate letter to me^dated ajth May 1 769. « From the good opinion we entek-tain of you, and Mr. Norton's recom* *' mendation, we have agreed to raife your wages to £ ftr mimnm <* for two years, and have placed you in our Council at Prince of Wales'c *' Fort ; and we Ihould have been ready to advance you to the commfnd of <* the Charlotte, according to your requeft, if a matter of more immedi* *' ate confequence had not intervened, "Mt. Norton has propofed an inland Journey, far to the North of ** Churchill, to promote an extenfion of our trade, ai well as for the difto* ** very of a North Weft Paflage, Copper Mines, &c.; and as an undertake ** ing ot this nature requires the attention of a pcrfon capable of taking '* an obfervation for determining the longitude and latitude, and alfo di- <* (Unces, and the courfe of rivets and their depths, we have fixed upon ** you (efpecially as it is reprefented to us to be your own inclination) to ** eonduA this Journey, with proper afliftants. ** We therefore hope you will fecond our expeAations in readily perform* *' mg this lervice, and upon your return we flull willingly make you any ** i(cknowledgment fiiitable to your trevible therein. '* We highly ^prove of your going m the Speedwell) to. alEft on the ** whale filhery lad year, ud beartUy wilb you hedth aadfuiccefii in tb« « prefent expetUtion, We tem^ your loving Frieadi^ *< BiBTX Lakx, Dep. Gov. *< John Antbomt Mkkls. ** ROBEKT MbBBT. **Samoxi.Wboo, <* Jambs Wintbb Lakb. *' HKBtlAHBxB,BNS. ** JosBra SruBBBL. •« Jambs Fitz GsikALo.** The Company had no foener peniied my Journals aod Charts, than they ordered a handfome fum to be plamd to the credit of ny account ; #a4 INTRODUCTION. I did not hefitate to comply with the requeft of t,he Gompany, and in the November following, when fome Northern Indians came to trade, Mr. Norton, who was then returned to the command of Prince of W ales*s Fort, engaged fuch of them for my guides as he thought were moil likely to anfwer the purpofe ; but none of them had been at this grand river. I was fitted out with every thing thought necefTary, and with ammunition to ferve two years. I was to be accompanied by two of the Company's fervants, two of the Home- guard^ (Southern) Indians, and a fufEcient num' ber of Northern Indians to . carry and haul my baggage, provide for me, ^c. But for the bet- ter and !n the two firft paragraphs of tlieir letter to m(, dated r2th May 1775, they exprefs themfelves ia the following words ; « Mr. Samuel Hearne, "SIR, " Your letter of the iStli Augiift laft gave us the agrctsbk fJcafiiyetQ ** hear of your fafe return to our FaOorv. Your Journal, and the two " charts ypu fent, fufficiently convinces us of your very judicious re« " marks. <■ We Lave maturely confidered your great afllduity in the various acci- " dents which occurred in your feveral Journies. We hereby return *' you our grateful thanks ; and to manifeft our obligation we have con- *• fented to allow you a gratuity of £ for thofe fervices." As a farther proof of the Company's being perfectly fatisfied with my conduft while on that Tourney, the Committee tmanimoufly appointed me Chief of Prince of Wales's Fort in the Summer of 1775 ; and Mr. Bibyc Lake, who was then Governor, and feveral others of the Comoitfeec, ho- noured fat with a regular correfpondencc as long at tiiey lived. * By the H$>inc«Kiiaf d Indians we are to anderftand certain of the na> tives vt^o 'are immediately employed under the protection of the Compa* ny's (ervaats, rcfide on the plantation, and are employed in hunting for the Faftory. I K T R O D U C T I O N. ter ftating this arrangement, it wiU no«: be im- proper to infert my Inftrudions, which, with fome occafional remarlcs thereon, will throw much light on the following Journal, and be the beft method of provi^ how far thofe orders have been complied with, as well as ihew my reafons for negleding fome parts as unnecefTary, and the impoflibility of putting other parts of them in execution. xli « cc « cc we ** can procure, with a fmall part of their families, ** are to condu^ you, provide for you, and af- " fift you and your companions in every thing *' that lays in their power, having particular or- •• dcrs fo to do. ** adly, whereas you and your companions are *' well fitted-out with every thing we think ne- ceflary, as alfo a fample of light trading goods; thefe you are to difpofe of by way of prefents (and not by way of trade) to fuch hr-oS Indi- *' ans as you may meet with, and to fmoke your " Calimut* of Peace with their leaders, in order ** to eftabliih a friendihip with them. Tou are ** alfo to perfuade them as much as poffible from going to war with each other, to encourage them to exert themfelvcs in .procuring furrs *^ and other articles for trade, and to aflure them *' of good payment for them at the Company's •* Faftory. "It in« formed pait of the Company's fervants, that an extenfiveand numerous, tribe of Indians, called £«arch-e-thinnews, whofe country lies far Weft of any of the Company's or Canadian fettlements, muft have traffic with the Spaniards on the Weft fide of the Continent ; becaufe fome of the Indians who formerly traded to York Port, when at war with thofe people, fre* quently found ftddles, bridles* maikets, and many other artidei, fat their pofl*elGoo, which ivere undoobtcdlf of Spanilh aaadiiAory. I faaff INTRODUCTION. « rdfpeAing a paflage out of Hudfon's Bay * into «< the Weftern Ocean, as hath lately.been repre- «< fented by the American Traveller. The particu- « lars of thofe remarks you are to infert in your *< Journal, to be remitted home to the C'ompany. ** If you ihould want any fupplies of ammuniti- *^ on, or other neceflaries, difpatch fome trufty ** Indians to the Fort with a letter, fpecifying the <* quantity of each article, and appoint a place ** for the faid Indians to meet you again. " When on your return, if at a proper time of ** the year, and you (hould be near any of the ** harbours that are frequented by the brigantine ** Charlotte, or the floop Churchill, during their *' voyage to the Northward, and you ihould chufe ** to return in one of them, you are defired to <' make frequent fmokes as you approach thofe <( harbours, and they will endeavour to receive «( you by making fmokes in anfwer to yours ; *' and as one thoufand feven hundred and feven- ** ty«one will probably be the year in which you '' will return, the Matters of thofe veffels at that period zlvii 1/ «( ve-snd nnmeroui. I hsTc feen feveral Indians who hvre been fo fiir Weft as to crofs the top of that imnenfe chain of mountains which run from North to South of the continent of America. Beyond thofe mountains all rirers tun to the Weft ward. I muft here obftnrc, that ail the Indians I eter heard relate their excutftonsin that country, had invariably got fofar to the South, that they did not experience any Winter, nor the leaft appearance of either froftor fnow, thou^ fometines they h«ve been abfent eighteen moriths, or two years. * As to a paflage through the continent of America by the way of Hud- fon's Bay, it has lb long been exploded, notwithftanding what Mr Ellis has urged in itsfarour, and the place it has found in the Tifionar\ Map of the American Trareller, that any comment on it would be quite unneceflary. My latitiideonlf wHl be a fuffident proof that no fuch paflage bin cxifteoce- I ' « t( xlviii I il T R O D U C T I O N. ** period fliatl have particular orders on that head^ ^ ** It wiU be pleafing to hear by ^tbe firft oppdr* *^ tunity» in what latitude and longitude you meet '< the Leader Matonabbee, and how far he thinks *' it is to the Coppermine River, as alfo the pro- ** bable time it may take before you can return. *' But in cafe any thing fhould prevent the faid ** Leader from joining you, according to expeda- tion, you are then to procure the beft Indians you can for your guides, and either add to, or " diminiih, your number, as you may from time *' to time think mod neceflary for the good of " the expedition. •' So I conclude, wifliing you and your compa- " nions a continuance of health, together with a ** profperous Journey, and a happy return in " fafety. Amen. " MOSES NORTON, Governor. " Dated at Prince of Wales's Fort, Churchill River^ Hudfon^s •• Bay, North America, November 6tb, 1769." Ifbefter and Merriman, mentioned in my In- ftructions, actually accompanied me during my firft fhort attempt; but the Indians knowing them to be but common men, ufed them fo in* differently, particularly in fcarce times, that I was under fome apprehenfions of their being ftarved to death, and 1 thought my felf exceedingly happy when 1 got them fafe back to the FaAory. This extraordinary behaviour of the Indians made mc determine not to take any Europeans with me on my wo laft expeditions. With regard to that part of my Inftruclions which directs me to obfcrve the nature of the foil, the INT R O-D U C TJ O N. tk^ftfodudions thereof, &c» it muft be obferved, tli^t during the whole time of my abfence from the Fort, I was invariably confined to ftony hills and barren plains all the Summer, and before we approached the woods in the Fall of the year, the ground was always covered with fnow to a conii- derable depth ; fo that I never had an opportuni- ty of feeing any of the fmall plants and ihrubs to the Weftward. But from appearances, and the flow and dwarfy growth of the woods, isfc, (ex- cept in the Athapufcow country,) there is un- doubtedly a greater fcarcity of vegetable producti- ons than at the Compr'^iy's moft Northern Settle- ment ; and to the EaC d of the woods, on the barren grounds, wheth^i aills or vallies, there is a total want of herbage except mofs, on which the deer feed ; a few dwarf willows creep among the mofs ; feme wi(h-a-capucca and a little grafs may be feen here and there, but the latter is fcarccly fufficient to ferve the geefe and other birds of paffage during their fhort flay in thofe parts, though they are always in a ftate of migration ex- cept when they arebreeding andina moultingftate. In confequence of my complying with the Com- pany's requeft, and undertaking this Journey, it is natural to fuppofe that every neceflary arrange- ment was made for the eafier keeping of my reck- onia^, ^c* under the many inconveniences I muft be unavoidably obliged to labour in fucli an ex* pedition. I drew a Map on a large fltin of parch- ment, that contained twelve degrees of latitude North, and thirty degrees of longitude Weft, of Churchill Fadlory, and (ketched all the Weft coaft xUx '*! •■"'f I!' I N T R O D O C T I O N. Goaft of the Bay oo it, but kft the interior parts bfaunki to be filled up dumg^ my v^ttmcf . I alfo prepared detached pieoea on a much lar^ fcale for every degree of latitude and longitude contained in the large Map. On thofe detached pieces I pricked off my daily courfes and diftance» and entered all lakes and rivers, ^e» that I met with ; endeavouring, by a ftrid enquiry of the natives, to find out the communication of one ri- ver with another, as alfo their conne^ons with the many lakes with which that country abounds : and when opportunity offered, having corrected them by obfervations, I entered them in the gene- ral Map. Thefc and feveral other nece£^y pre* parations, for the eafier, readier and more cor- redly keeping my Journal and Chart, were aifo adopted ; but as t« myfelf, little was required to be done, as the nature of travelling long journies in thofe countries will never admit of carrying even the moft common article of clothing ; fo that the traveller is obliged to depend on the country he paffes through, for that article, as well as for provifions. Amj:3iunition, ufefiil iron- work, fome tobacco, a few knives, and other in- . difpen&ble articles, make a fufficient load for any one to carry that is going a journey likely to laft twenty months, or two years. As that was the cafe, I only took the ihirt andxlothes I then had on, one fpare coat, a pair of drawers, and as much cloth as would make me two or three pair of In- dian ftockings, which, together with a blanker for bedding, compofed the whole of my ftock of clothing. A JOUR* N. le interior fjottrn^. i longitude e detached (ddi£buioe» that I met uiry of the a of one ri- dions with y abounds: g correded n the gene- €eSkry pre* more cor- , were alfo required to ig journies f carrying [>thing; fo nd on the article, as ifeful iron- 1 other in- >ad for any xly to laft at was the : then had d as much }air of Ino a blanker y ftock of A JOUR. 1/ :^^: :-'^f^^ :?i^S JBATJ¥OJIt^im\A!lJK IWCAhySfMEAKJYM xj-ij 1/ JOURNEY TO THE NORTHERN OCEAK C H A P I. Trahfadioni from my leaving Prince of Wales's Fort on my firft expedition, till our arrival there again. 5^/ eff from the Fort, — Arrive at Po-co-ree-kif-co Ri- verm^ne of the Northern Indians defert, — Crofs Seal River y and walk on the barren grounds,-^ Receive wrong information concerning the dijiance if the woods, — Weather begins to be very cold, pro^ift* ons all expended and nothing to be got, — Strike to the Wejiward^ arrive at the woods^ and kill three deer, — Set forward in the North Weji quarter, fee the tracks of mufk-oxen and deer, but killed none,— ^ Very fhort ofprovifions. — Chawchinahaw wants us to return. — Neither he nor his crew contribute to our maintenance. — He influences feveral of the In^ dians to deferU-^Chawchinabaw and all his crew B leaiit X " ■ elites'*'"-" ■ - - ■* *"- + A'^omtm'Wmst Vsk'w of ilP^iKii^ (cy. of ^V^x.k s's Fojis'ji %.i^^^ gp?r. — ___ - '^M 5^ tfcfc-K^' Ji«p,-..«.-.-"4 v>- rjrs«-w:.ftr',f± ^V:aX.]K S'S FOJlil'iTiu liUTJU) S 0:NSBAYl^miimXl^mni€A}xyS^MEAMJVJE ijjm^^ November. 6tb. Sth. A JOURNEY to THE leave tts*-^Beginour return to thefaSlnry; kill a Jewpartrid^t, ihefirfi meal we had had for fever J days. — Villany if we of the h0ne Indians and his wife^ who was a Northern Indian woman^-^Ar" rive at Seal River ^ Ikillltxjo deer; partridges plenty* — Meet a Jirange Northern Indian^ accompany him to his tent, ufage received there; my Indians qffi/i in killing fame beaver, — Proceed toward home^ and arrive at tlje Fort, HAVING made every neceiTary arrangement for my departure on the fixth of Novem- ber, I took leave of the Governor, and my other friends, at Prince of Wales's Fort, and began my journey, under the falute of feven cannon. The weather at that time being very mild, made it but indifferent hauling*, and all my crew being heavy laden, occafioned us to make but (hort days journeys; however, on thft eighth, we crofied tbs North branch of Fo-co^ree-kif-co River, and that night put up in a fmall tuft of woods, whicb is between it and Seal River. In the night, one of the Northern Indians defert- ed ; and as all. the reft of my crew were heavy laden, I was under the neceflhy of hauling the fledge he had left, which however was not very heavy, as it fcarcely exceeded iixty pounds. The weather ftill continued very fine and plea- £int : we dtreded our courfe to the Weft North Weft, * The colder the weather if, the tafler the flecfges Aide over the fnow. NORTHERN OCEAN. 3 Weft, and euly in the day crofled Seal River. In , ^5^, the courfc of this day's jburney w€ met fcveral ' — v^ Northern Indians^ who were going to the faftory %*ih.| * with furs and venifon ; and as we had not killed any deer from our leaving the Fort, 1 got feveral joints of venifon from thofc ftrangcrs, and gave them a note on the Governor for payment, which feemed perfedly agreeable to all parties. When on the North Weft fide of Seal River, I a(ked Captain Chawchinahaw the diftance, and probable time it would take, before we could reach the main woods ; which he aiTured me would not exceed four or five days journey. This put both me and my companions in good fpirits, and we continued our courfe between the Weft by North and North Weft, in daily expectation of arriving at thofe woods, which we were told would ftirniih us with every thing the country affords. Thefe accounts were fo far from being true, that after we had walked double the time here mentioned, no figns of woods were to be ieen >n the diredion we were then fteering ; but we had frequently feen the looming of woods to th^ South Weft. The cold being now very intenfe, our fmall ftock of Englifh provifions all expended, and not th^ leaft thing to be got on the l^eak hills we had for fome time been walking on, it became neceflary to ftrike more to the Weftward, which we accordingly did, and the next evening arriv- ed at fome fmall patclies of low fcrubby woodSf, B 2 where 19th. 4 A JOURMEt to THE! t^^Q. ^^^1*^ ^6 ^^v th^ tracks of feveral deer, amd ifT^ ^llcd ^ few ptrtridges. Thevdid we had tn* veried for many days before, Ivai in general fo rough and ftony, that pur fledges were daily ^breaking ; and to add td the inconveniencyj the land was fo barren, as not to afford us mate- rials for repairing them : but the few woods we now fell in with, amply fupplied us with necef- faries for thofe repairs; and as we were then enabled each night to pitch proper tents, our lodging was much more comfortable than it had been for many nights before, while we were on the barren grounds, where, in general, we thought ourfelves well off if we could fcrape together as many flirubs as would make a fire ; but it was fcarcely ever in our power to make any other defence againft the weather, than by digging a hole in the fnow down to the mofs, wrapping ourfelves up in our clothing, and lying down in it, with our fledges fet up edgeways to windward. On the twcnty-firft, we did not mdVe ; fb the Indian men went a hunting, and the women cut holes in the ice and caught a few fifli in a fmall lake, by the fide of which we had pitched our tents. At night the men returned with fome venifon, having killed three deer, which was without doubt very acceptable ; but our number being great, and the Indians having fuch enor- mous flomachs, very little was left but fragments after the two or three firft good meals. Having devoured stift. NORTHERN OCEAN 5 devoured the three deer, and given fome necef- ^^^ i (arjr repairs to our fledges and fnow flioes, which ^^^^^ I only took one day, we again proceeded on to- ^'IStb, * ward the North Weft by Weft and Weft North ^ Weft, through low fcrubby pines, intermixed with fome dwarf larch, which is commonly called juniper in Hudfon's Bay. In our road we fre- quently faw the tracks of deer, and many muik* oxen, as they are called there j but none of my companions were fo fortunate as to kill any of them : fo that a few partridges were all we could get to live on, and thofe were fo fcarce, that we feldom could kill as many as would amount to half a bird a day for each man ; which, confidering we had nothing elfe for the twenty»> four hours, was in reality next to nothing. By this time I found that Captain Chawchin- ahaw had not the profperity of the undertaking at heart; he often painted the difficulties in the worft colours, took every method to difhearten me and my European companions, and feveral times hinted his deiire of our returning back to the faftory : but finding I was determined to proceed, he took fuch methods as he thought would be moft likely to anfwer his end; one of which was, that of not adminiftering toward our fupport; fo that we were a confidcrable time without any other fiibfiftence, but what our [two home-guard (Southern) Indians procured, land the Httle that I and the two European men could kill; which was very difproportionatc to our •9tl>. 3eth. 6 A JOURNEY JO THE ij6g. ^^^ wants^ as we bad to provide for feveral wp- *— v*-J men and children who were with us. Chawchinahaw finding that this kind of treat- ment was not likely to complete his defign, and that we were not to be fiarved into compliance, at length influenced feveral of the beft Northern Indians to defert in the night, who took with them feveral bags of my ammunition, fome pieces of iron work, fuch as hatchets, ice chifTels, files &c. as well as feveral other ufeful articles. When I became acquainted with this piece of I villany, I afkcd Chawchinahaw the reafon of fuch behaviour. To which he anfwered, that he knew nothing of the affair : but as that was the cafe, it would not be prudent, he faid, for us to proceed any farther; adding, that he and all the reft of his countrymen were going to ftrike off! another way, in order to join the remainder ofl their wives and families : and after giving us a I fhort account which way to fteer our courfe fori the neareft part of Seal River, which he faid would be out beft way homeward, he and hisl crew delivered me moft of the things which they had in charge, packed up their awls, and fet out toward the South Weft, making the woods ring with their laughter, and left us to con^der ofl our unhappy fituation, near two hundred miles I from Prince of Wales's Fort, all heavily laden, and our ftrength and fpir^ts greatly reduced hy hunger and fatigue. Qur iltuatioQ %t that time, though very alarm* ing, NORTHERN OCEAN. ^ ingi wduld not permit us to fpend muth time tn 1^59. reflecHon ; fo wc loaded our fledges to the beft jj;;;;^ advantage, (but were obliged to throw away j/ ' feme bags of fhot and ball,) and immc^ately fet out on our return. In the courfe of the day's walk we were fortunate enough to kill fcveral partridges, for which we were all very thankful, as it wasthefirft meal we had had for feveral days: indeed, for the five preceding days we had not killed as much as amounted to half a partridge for each man ; and fome days had not a fingle mouthful. While we were is this diftrefs, the Northern Indians were by no means in waht ; foi^ as they always walked foremoft, they had ten times the chance to kill partridges, rabbits, or any other thing which was to be met with, than we had. Betides this advantage, they had great flocks of flour, oatmeal, and other Engliih pro- vifions, which they had embezzled out of my ftock during the early part of the journey ; and as one of my home Indians, called Mackachy, and his wife, who is a Northern Indian woman, al- ways rcforted to the Northern Indians tents, where they got amply fupplied with provifions when neither I nor my men had a fmgle mouthful, I have great reafon to fufpe^ they had a principal hand in the embezzlement: indeed, both the man and his wife were capable of committing any crime, however diabolical. This day we had fine pleafant weather for the December, feafon of the year : we fct out early in the mor- aing. .4 tft. % A JOURNEY TO THE tiBo. ^^^K* "^^ arrived the fame day at Seal Rivera L^^ dong which we continued our ^cpurfe for fe* ''**^'J*' veral days. In our way we killed plenty of par- tridges, and faw many deer; but the weather was fo remarkably ferenp that the Indians only killed two of the latter. By this time game was be- come fo plentiful, that all apprehenfions of ftarv- ing were laid alide ; and though we were heavily laden, and travelled pretty good days journeys, yet as our fpiiits were good, our flrength gradu- ally returned. ^h. In our courfe down Seal River we met a ftran- ger, a Northern Indian, on a hunting excurfion ; and though he had not met with any fuccefs that day, yet he kindly invited us to his tent, (aying he had plenty of veUifon at my fervice ; and told the Southern Indians, that as there were two or three beaver houfes near his tent, be (hould be glad of their afiiftance in taking them, for th^re \vas only one man and three women at the tent;. Though we were :^t that time far from being in want of provifions, yet we accepted his oflfer, and fet off with our new guide for his tent, which, ^y a comparative diilance, he told us, was not above five miles from the pUce where we met him, but we found it to be nearer fifteen ; fo that it was the niiddle of the night before we ar- rived at it. When we drew near the tent, the ufual fignal for the approach of ftrangers was giv- en, by firing a gun or two, which was iiumediater , ';■■ '■ - ■■ ■'■■'■■ ■ ■ ■ ly Dectmbw. NORTHERN OCEAN* 5 lyanfwcrcd by the man at the vziiu: On our 1769. arrival at the door, the good m^n of the houfe ^yf''^ came out, ihook me by the hand, and welcomed us to his tent ; but as it wad too fmall to contain us all, he ordered his women to aflift us in pitching our tent ; and in the mean time invited me and as many of my crew as his little habitation could contain, and regaled us with the bed in the houfe. The pipe went round pretty brilkly, and the con- verfation naturally turned on the treatment we had received from Chawchinahaw and his gang ; which was always anfwered by our hoi); with, ** Ah ! if I had been there, it ihould not have been ^< fo !" when, notwithftanding his hofpitality on the prefent occafion, )ie would moft aifuredly have adted the fame part as the others had done, if he bad been of the party. Haying rcfrefhed ourfelves with a plentiful fup- per, we took leave of our hoft for a while, and retired to our tent ; but not without being made thoroughly fenfible that many things would be expected from me, before I finally left them. Early in the morning, my Indians ailifted us in taking the beaver houfes already mentioned ; but the houfes being fmall, and fome of the beavers efcaping, they only killed fix, all of which were cooked, the fame night, and voracioufly devoured under the denomination of afeaft. I alfo receiv- ed frotn the Indians feveral joints of venifon, to the amount of at leaft two deer ; but notwith- ftanding I was to pay for the whole, I found that l^ackachy and his wife got all the prime parts of the 6tb. ,o A JOURNEY TO THE 1760. the meat; and on my mentioning it to them» V— v-~> there was fo much danfliip among them, that Dectnber. ^^^^ preferred making a prefent of it to Macka- chy, to felling it to me at double the price for which venifon fells in thofe parts: a fyfficient proof of the Angular advantage which a native of this country has over an Engliihman, when at fuch a diftance from the Company's Faftorics as to depend entirely on them for fubiiftence. 9th. Thinking I had made my ftay here long enough, I gave orders to prepare for our departure ; and as I had purchafed plenty of meat for prefent ufe while we were at this tent, fo I iikewife procured fuch a fupply to carry with us, as was likely to laft us to the Fort. «th. Early in the morning we took a final leave of our hoft, and proceeded on our journey home- wards. One of the ftrangers accompanied us, for which at firft I could not fee his motive ; but foon after our arrival at the Factory, I found that the purport of his vifit was to be paid for the meat, . faid to be given gratis to Mackachy while we were at his tent. The weather continued very fine, but extremely cold ; and during this part of my journey nothing material happened, till we . arrived fafe at Prince of Wales's Fort on the ele- venth of December, to my own great mortifica- tino, and to the no fmall furprife of the Governor, who had placed great confidence in the abilities and condud of Chawchinahaw. CHAP. "^ "*<::•' NORTHERN OCEAN. M CHAP. II. 1/ Tranfadions from our arrival at the Fadory, to my leaving it again, and during the firft part of my fecond journey, till I had the misfortune to break the quadrant. Tranfaclions at the FaSlory, — Proceed an my fecond journey, — Arrive at Seal River, ^-'Deer plentiful for fome time. — Method of angling fijh under the ice, — Set our fjhing nets, — Method of fetting nets un- der the ice,-^My guide propojes tofiay till th$ geefe began to fly ; his reafons accepted,— 'Pitch our tent in the befi manner,— Method of pitching a tent in •winter,— 'Fijh plentiful for fome time ; grow very fcarce ; in great want of provifions,— Manner of employing my time,— My guide killed two deer,-— Move to the place they were lying at; there killfe- veral more deer^ and three beavers,— Soon in want ofprovifions again,— Many Indians join us from the Wejlward, — We begin to move towards the barren ground — Arrive at She-than-nee^ and there fuffer great difirefsfor want of provifions, — Indians kill twofwans and three geefe,^—Qeefe and other birds of fajfage plentiful, — Leave She-than-nee, and arrive at Beralzone, — One of my companions guns bur^s, andjhatters his left hand, — Leave Beralzone, and |rf on the barrenground, dear ofallwoods,^~Throw away u A JOURNEY TO THE away our^edges and/now Jhoes,-^Each per/on faket a load on his BSek; my part of the Juggage, — Ex- pofed to many hardJhips,r^Several days without viSluals. — Indians kill three mujk oxen^ but for want of fire are obliged to eat the meat raw* — Fir. weather returns ; make afire; ejfe6ls oflongfafling ; flay a day or two to dryfome meat in the fun. — Pro- ceed to the Northward, and arrive at Caihawhac- haga; there find fome tents of Indians. — A Northern leader called Keelchies meets us ; fend a letter by him to the Governor. — Tranfadions at Cathaw- hachaga ; leave it, and proceed to the Northward. ••^Meet feveral Indians. — My guide not willing to proceed; his Yeafons for it.—^Many more Indians join us, — Arrive at Doobaunt Whoie River. -^Man- ner of ferrying over rivers in the Northern Indian canoes. No rivers in thofe parts in a ufeful diredi- on for the natives. — Had nearly loft the quadrant and all the powder. — ^ome refledions on our fttuation, and thecondud of the Indians. '^Find the quadrant and part of the powder. — Obferve for the latitude, — ^adrant broke. — Refolve to return again to the Fadory. 1770. D U R I N G my abfcnce from Prince of Wales's Fort on my former journey, feveral February, Northern Indians arrived in great diftrefs at the Fadory, and were employed in fliooting partridge cs for the ufe of our people at the Fort. One of thofe Indians called Conne-e-quefe faid, he had been very near to the famous river I was engaged to l^ORTHERN OCEAN. togoihqiieft of. Accordingly Mr. Norton en- gaged him and two x>ther Northern Indians to accompany me on this fecond attempt; but to avoid all incumbrances as much as poilible^ it was thought advifable not tb take any women*, that the Indians might have fewer to provide for. I would not permit any European to go with me, but two of the home guard (Southern) Indian men were to accompany me as before. Indeed the In- dians, both Northern and Southern, paid fo lit. tie attention to Ifbefter and Merriman on my for- mer journey, particularly in times of fcarcity, that I was determined not to take them with me in future ; though the former was very defirous to accompany me again, and was well calculated to encounter the hardihips of fuch an undertak- ing. Merriman was quite fick of fuch excurfions, and fo far from offering his fervice a fecond time, feemed to be very thankful that he was once more arrived in fafety among his friends ; for before he got to the Factory he had contra^ed a mod vio- lent cold. Having come to the above refolutions, and final- ly determined on the number of Indians that were to accompany us, we were again fitted out with a large fupply of ammunition, and arr many other ufeful articles as we could conveniently take with us »3 *Thisvrasa propofal of the Governor's, though he well knew we coald not do without their afli (lance, both for hauling our baggage, as well as drcfllng (kini for clothing, pitching out tent, getting firing, &c. Febraarjr. %2i. J4 A JOURNEY TO THE 1770. ^'» together with a fmall fample of light trading goods, for prefents to the IndiaQs^ 98 before* My inftrudions on this occafion amounted to no more than an order to proceed as faft as po£> iible ; and for my conduct during the journey, I was referred to my former inftrudions of No- vember 6th, 1769. . Every thing being in readinefs for our depar- ture, on the twenty-third of February I began my fecond journey, accompanied by three Northern Indians and two of the home>guard (Southern) In- dians. I took particular care, however, that Mackachy, though an excellent hunter, fhould not be of our party ; as he had proved himfelf, dur- ing my former journey, to be a fly artful villain. The fnow at this time was fo deep on the top of the ranrparts, that few of the cannon were to be feen, other wife the Governor would have la- luted me at my departure, as before ; but as thofe honours could not poflibly be of any ierVice to my expedition, I readily relinquiflied every thing of the kind; and in lieu of it, the Governor, of- ficers, and people, infilled on giving me three dieers. After leaving the Faftory, we continued our courfe in much the fame diredion as in my for- mer journey, tilt we arrived at Seal River ; when, inftead of croiiing it, and walking on the barren grounds as before, we followed the courfe of the riyer, except in two particular places, where the bends tended fp much to the South, that by crofiT- ing NORTHERN OCEAN. >S iDg two necks of land not more than five or fix i ^^o. 1 mUcs wide, we Civcd the walkinir of near twenty ' — y^-* ft «n«»i 1 •• March. miles each time, and rail came to the mam river 8th. [again. The weather had been fo remarkably boifterous and changeable, that we were frequently obliged I to continue two or three nights in the fame place. To make up for this inconveniency, deer were fo plentiful for the firft eight or ten days, that the Indians killed as many as was neceffary ; but we were all fo heavy laden that we could not poilibly take much of the meat with us. This I foon per- ceived to be a great evil, which e:cpofed us to fuch frequent inconveniences, that in cafe of not kill- ing any thing for three or four days together, we [were in great want of provilions; we feldom, however, went to bed entirely fupperlefs till the eighth of March ; when though we had only walk- ed about eight miles that morning, and expended all the remainder of the day in hunting, we could not produce a ilngle thing at night, not even a partridge ! nor had we difcerned the track of any [thing that day, which was likely to afibrd us hopes of better fuccefs in the morning. This beo ting the cafe, we prepared fome hooks and lines Iready to angle for fiih, as our tent was then by the [fide of a lake belonging to Seal River, which feemed by its.fituation to afford fome profped of Jfuccefs. Early in the morning w© took down our tent, ^ [and moved about five miles to the Weft by South, to 1 6 1770. March. 19th. aoth. A JOURNEY TO THE td a part of the lake that feemed more commodi- ous for fifhing than that where ^e had been the night before. As foon as we arrived at this place, feme were immediately employed cutting holes in the ice, while others pitched the tent, got fire< wood, &c. ; after which, for it was early in the morning, thofe who pitched the tent went a hunt- ing, and at night one of them returned with a porcupine, while thofe who were angling caught feveral fine trout, which afforded us a plentiful fupper, and we had fome trifle left for breakfaft. Angling for fifli under the ice in- winter re* quires no other procefs, than cutting round holes in the ice from one to two feet diameter, and let< ting down a baited hook, which is always kept in motion, not only to prevent the water from frecz.| ing fo foon as it would do if fuffered to remain I quite flill, but becaufeit is found at the fame time to be a great means of alluring the fifh to the hole; for it is always obferved that the fiih in thofe parts will take a bait which is in motion, | much fooner than one that is at relt. Early in the morning we again purfued our I angling, and all the forenoon being expended without any fuccefs, we took down our tent and pitched it again about eight miles farther to the Weftward, on the fame lake, where we cut more| holes in the ice for angling, and that night caught feveral fine pike. The next day we moved about five miles to the South Weft, down a fmall riven where we pitched our tent -, and having fet four fiihiog NORTHERN OCEAM. fidiirig nds, in the coiirfe of the day W6 caught ,teany fine fi(h, particularly pike, trout, tittymeg, iiod a coarfe kind of fiih known in Hudfon's Bvf by the name of Methy*. To fet a net under the ice, it is firft necefHtf^ to afcertain its exadt length, by ftretching it out upon the ice near the part propofed for fetting it» This being done, a number of round holes are cut in the ice, at ten or twelve feet dlilance from each other, and as many in number is will be fu^cient to ftretch the net at its full length. A line isthen pafTed under the ice, by means of a long light pole, which is firft introduced at one of the end holes, and, by means of two forked fticks, thi^ pole is eafily conduced, or pafled fronWone hole [to another, under the ice, till it arrives at the laft* I The pole is then taken out, and both ends of the line being properly fecured, is always ready fof lufe. The net ift made faft to one end of the nine by one perfon, and hauled under the ice by [a iecond; a large ftone is tied to each of the lower Icorners, which ferves to keep the net expanded, land prevents it rifingfrorn the bottom with every [waft of the current. The Europeans fettled in Hudfon*s Bay proceed much in the fame manner^ though they in general take much more pains ; but the above method is found quite fufficient by [the Indians. In order to fearch a net thu:» fet, the two end C holes *Thc Methy arc generally caught with a hook; and the beft timefof I that Cpott is in the night ; and if the night be dark, the better. i8 Mkrch. aift. ■ ■■■■ A JOURNEY TO THE holes only are opened ; the line is yeered away by one perfon, and the net hauled from under the ice by another ; after all the fiih are taken out, the net is cafity hauled back to its former fiation, and there fecured as before. As this place feemed likely to afford us a con- ftant fupply of fifh, my guide propofed to ftay here till the geefe began to fly, which in thofe Northern parts is feldom before the middle of May. His reafons for fo doing feemed well founded : ** The weather, he faid, is at this time *' too cold to walk on the barren grounds, and *' the woods from this part lead fo much to the Weftward, that were we to continue travelling in any 'tolerable flicker, our courfe would not " be better than Weft South Weft, which would " only be going out of our way j whereas, if we ** fhould remain here till the weather permit us *' to walk due North, over the barren grounds, *' we fliall then in one month get farther ad- " vanced on our journey, than if we were to continue travelling all the remainder of the winter in the fweep of the woods.*' Thefe reafons appeared to me very judicious, and as the plan feemed likely to be attended with little trouble, it met with my entire approbation. That being the cafe, we took additional pains in building our tent, and made it as commodious as the materials and fituation would admit. To pitch an Indian's tent in winter, it is firft neceffary to fearch for a level piece of dry ground; which cc «( <( « .:: ft s^ KOktHERN OCEAK. «d ti^hicti cannot be afccBtainfed but by thriiftihg %, fiick through the fnow down to the ground, all over the propofed partk When a convenient fpot is found) the fnow is then cleared away in a cir- cular form to the very mofs ; and when it is pro^ pofed to remain more than a night or two in one place, the mofs is alfo cut up and removed, as it is very liable when dry to take fire, and occafion much trouble to the inhabitants. A quantity of poles are then procured, which are generally pro* portioned both in number and length to the fize of the tent cloth, and the number of perfons it is intended to contain. If one of the poles ihould not happen to be forked, two of them arc tied together near the top, then raifed ere(5t, and their buts or lower ends extended as wide as the pro- pofed diameter of the tent ; the other poles are then fet round at equal diftances from each other» and in fuch order, that their lower ends form a complete circle, which gives boundaries to the tent on all (ides : the tent cloth is then faftened to a light pole, which is always raifed up and put round the poles from the weather fide, fo that the two edges that lap over and form the door are always to the leeward. It muff be underftood [that this method is only in ufe when the Indians are moving from place to place every day ; for I when they intend to continue any time in one jplace, they always make the door of their tent to jface the South. The tent cloth is ufually of thin Moofe leather^ C 41 dre&d 1770. tt A JOURNEV TO TffE 1770. Aftffed and made by the Indians, and in (hape it Ht^-H nearly rcfcmbles a fan-mount Jnvjsrted ; fo that when the Urged curve inclofes the bottom of the poles, the fmaller one ts always fufficient to cover the top ; except a hole, which is defigncdly left open' to ferve the double purpofe of chimney and window. The fire is always made on the ground in the center, and the remainder of the floor, or bottom of the tent, is covered all over with fmall bran- ches of the pine tree, which ferve both for feats and beds. A quantity of pine tops and branches are laid round the bottom of the poles on the out- iide, over which the eves of the tent is ftaked down ; a quantity of fnow is then packed over all, which excludes great part of the external air, and contributes greatly to the warmth within. The tent here defcribed is fuch as is made ufe of I by the Southern Indians, and the fame witbi which 1 was furnifhed at the Factory ; for that made ufe of by the Northern Indians is made of '' different materials, and is of a quite different | ihape, as fiiall be defcribed hereafter. The fituation of our tent at this time was tru-l ly pleafant, particularly for a fpring rcfidence;| being on a fmail elevated point, which command* ed an exteniive profpeft over a large lake, thcj fhores of which abounded with wood of diftercnt kinds, fuch as pine, larch, birch, and poplar ; and in many places was beautifully contrafted with s variety of high hills, that fliewed their fnowy fummits NORTHERN OCEAN. 21 March.; fammits above the tailed woods. About two 1770. hundred yards from the tent was a fall, or rapid, v-*nrvy which the fwiftnefs of the current prevents from freezing in the coldeft winters. At the bottom of this fall, which empties itfelf into , the above lake, was a fine fheet of open water near a mile Hn length, and atleaft half a mile in breadth ; by the margin of which we had our fifliing nets fet, all in open view from the tent. The remaining part of this month paffed on without any interruption, or material occurrence, to dillurb our repofe, worth relating : our fifli- ing nets provided us with daily food, and the In- dians had too much philofophy about them to give themfelves much additional trouble ; for during the whole time not one of them offered to look for a partridge, or any thing elfe which could yield a change of diet. As the time may now be fuppoCed to have lain heavy on my hands, it may not be improper to inform the reader how I employed it. In the fir ft Ji place, I embraced every favourable opportunity of obferving the latitude of the place, the mean of which was 58"* 46' 30" North; and the longitude by account was 5'' ^f Weft, from Prince of Wales's Fort. I then correcled my reckoning from my laft obfervation; brought up my jour, nal, and filled up my chart, to the place of our rcfidence. I built alfo fome traps, and caught a few martins j and by way of faving my ammuni- tion, fet fome fnares for partridges. The former IS a a A JOURNEY TO THE 1770. is performed by means of a few logs, fq arranged L^^^ that when the martin attempts" to take away the ^^"'^ bait laid for him, he with very little ftruggle pulls down a fmall poft that fupports the whole weight of the trap ; when, if the animal be not killed by the weight of the logs, he is confined rill he be frozen to death, or killed by the hunter going his rounds. To fnare partridges requires no other procefs than making a few little hedges acrofs a cr<:ek, or a few fliort hedges proje(?lingat right angles from the fide of an ifland of willows, which thofe birds are found to frequent. Several openings muft be left in each hedge, to admit the birds to pafs through, and in each of them a fnare muft be fet; fo that when the partridges are hopping along the edge of the willows to feed, which is their ul'ual cuftom, fome of them foon get into the fnares, where they are confined till they are taken out. I have caught from three to ten partridges in a day by this fimple contrivance ; which requires no farther attendance than going round them night and morning. I have already obferved that nothing material happened to difturb our repofe till the firft of April, when to our great furprife the fifhing nets did not afford us a fingle fifli. Though forne of the preceding days had been pretty fuccefsful, yet my companions, like true Indians, I'eldom went to fleep till they ^v-* cleared the tent of ^vcry article of provifion. As nothing was to be caught \a. NORTHERN OCEAN. caught in the nets, we all went out to angle ; but in this we were equally unfuccefsful, as we could not procure one filh the whole day. This fudden change of circumftances alarmed one of my companions fo much, that he began to think of refuming the ufe of his gun, after having laid it by for near a month. Early in the morning we arofe; when my guide Conne-e-quefe went a hunting, and the reft at- tended the nets and hooks near home ; but all with fuch bad fuccefs, that we could not procure enough in one day to ferve two men for a fupper. This, inftead of awakening the reft of my com- panions, fent them to fleep j and fcarcely any of them had the prudence to look at the fifhing nets, though they were not more than two or three hundred yards from the tent door. My guide, who was a fteady man, and an ex- cellent hunter, having for many years been ac- cuftomed to provide for a large family, feenled by far the moft induftrious of alt my crew ; he clofely purfued his hunting for feveral days, and feldom returned to the tent till after dark, while thofe at the tent paffed moft of their time in finoking and fleeping. Several days paffed without any figns of relief, till the loth, when my guide continued out lon- ger than ordinary, which made us conjefture that he had met with ftrangers, or feen fome deer, or other game, which occafioned his delay. We all therefore lay down to fleep, having had but little refreOi- loth. 24 A JOURNEY TO THf: 1770. refrefhment for the three preceding days, except AprU. itth. a pipe of tobacco and a draught of water ; even partridges had become fo fcarce that not one was to be got ; the heavy thaws had driven them all out towards the barren grounds. About mid- pight, to our great joy, our hunter arrived, and brought with him the blood and fragments of two deer that he had killed. This unexpe^ed fuccefs foon roufed the fleepers, who, in an in- ftant were bufily employed in cooking a large kettle of broth, made with the blood, and fome fat and fcraps of meat fhred fmall, boiled in it. This might be reckoned a dainty difh at any time, but was more particularly (o in our prefent almoft famiOied condition. After partaking of this refreftiment, we refum- edour reft, and early Id the morning fet out in a body for the place where the deer were lyi g. As we intended to make our ftay but (hort, we Jeft our tent ftanding, containing all . jr bag<» gage. On our arrival at the place of deuination, ibme were immediately employed in making a hut or barrocado, with young pine trees ; while one man Ikinned the deer, the remainder went a hunting, and in the afternoon returned to the hut, after having killed two deer. Several days were now fpent in feafting and gluttony; during w'hich the Indians killed five more ueer and three fine beavers ; finding at laft, however, that there was little profped of procuring either more deer or beavers, we deter- mined A: nl. NORTHERN OCEAN, 45 lined to return to our tent, with the remains of lyyo, /hat we had already obtained. The flefh of thel'e deer, though none of the largeft, might with frugaUty have ferved our tmall number, /being only fix"* tor fome time ; }ut my companions, like other Indians, feaded lay and night while it lafted j and were fo indo- lent and unthinking, as not to attend properly to the iifliingnets; fo that many fine fifli, which lad been entangled in the nets, were entirely fpoiled, and in about twelve or fourteen days we [were nearly in as great diftrefs for provifions as ;ver. Durinpj the courfe of our long inaftivity, Saw- rop>o-ki0)ac, commonly called Soffop, my princi- pal Southern Indian, as he was cutting fome )irch for fpoons, diflies, and other necelTary loufehold furniture, had the misfortune to cut ns leg in fuch a manner as to be incapable of talking ; and the other Southern Indian, though much younger man, was lo indolent as not to [be of any fervice to me, except hauling part of )ur luggage, and eating up part of the provifixins [which had been provided by the more induftrious, [part of my companions. On the twenty-fourth, early in the day, a great Jbody of Indians was feen to the South Weft, on the large lake by the fide of which our tent ftood. >n their arrival at our tent we difcovered them [to be the wives and families of the Northern In- dian goofe hunters, who were gone to Prince of Wales's 24th. I '■ Apiii. 29th. 26 A JOURNEY TO THE 1770. Wales's Fort to attend the feafon. They were bound toward the barren ground, there to wait the return of their hufbands and relations from the Fort, after the termination of the goofe* feafon. My guide having for fome days paft determin-. ed to move toward the barren ground, this morning we took down our tent, packed up our I'iggage, and proceeded to the Eaftward ta the fame track we came; but Soffop being fo lame 3 - to be obliged to be hauled on a fledge, I eafily I prevailed on two of the Indians who had joined us on the 24th, and who were purfuingthe famc| road, to perform this fervice for him. After two days good walking in our old track, | we arrived at a part of Seal River called She. than-nee, where we pitched our tent and fet both I our fiftiing-nets, intending to ftay there till the geefe began to fly. Though we had feen feveral fwans and fome geefe flying to the Northward, it | was the thirteenth of May before we could pro- cure any. On that day the Indians killed two I fwans and three geefe. This in fome meafure j alleviated our diftrefi. which at that time was very great ; having haJ no other I^^bfiftence for five or fix days, than a few cranberries, that we | gathered from the dry ridges where the fnow was thawed away in fpots ; for though we fet our fifliing-nets in the beft judged places, and angled at every part that was likely to afford fuccefs, we only caught three fmall fifli during the whole time. May. 13th. , . NORTHERN OCEAN. lime. Many of the Northern Indians, who had joined us on the 24th of April, remained in our rompany for fome time ; and though 1 well :new they had had a plentiful winter, and had then good ttocks of dried meat by them, and /ere alio acquainted with our diftrefs, they ne- (veiP gave me or my Southern companions the jleaft fupply, although they had in fecret amply [provided for our Northern guides. By the nineteenth, the geefe, fwans, ducks, julls, and other birds of pafl'age, were fo plentiful that wc killed every day as many as were fuffici- ;nt for our fupport ; and having flopped a few lays to recruit our fpirits after fo long a faft, on the twenty-third we began once more to pro- ceed toward the barren ground. Soflbp having low perfectly rixovered from his late misfortune, jvery thing feemed to have a favourable appear- mce ; efpecially as my crew had been augmented to twelve perfons, by the addition of one of my [guide's wives, and five others, whom 1 had en- jgaged to affift in carrying our luggage ; and I ^ell knew, from the fcafon of the year, that lauling would foon be at an end for the fura- ler. The thaws having been by this time fo great as to render travelling in the woods almoft imprac- ticable, we continue our courfe to the Eafl on )eal River, about fixteen miles farther, when we Icame to a fmall river, and a firing of lakes con- [neded with it, that tended to the North. The i9tli. 23d. Ki. * •>' V ift. 4th. 5 th. 6th. loth. A JOURNEY TO THE The weather for fome time was remarkably fine and pleafant. Game of all* kinds was ex. ceedingly plentiful, and we continued our courfe to the Northward on the above river and lakes till the firft of June, when we arrived at a place called Beralzone. In our way thither, befide kill, ing more geefe than was neceflary, we (hot t^o deer. One of my companions had now the mif. fortune to fhatter his hand very much by the burfting of a gun ; but as no bones were broken, I bound up the wound, and with the afUftance of fome of Turlington's drops, yellow bafilicon, &c. which I had with me, foon reftored the ufe of his hand; fo that in a very fliort time he feemed to be but of all danger. After flopping a few days at Beralzone, to dry a kittle venifon and a few geefe, we again pro- ceeded to the Northward on the barren ground; for on our leaving this place we foon got clear of all the woods. The fnow was by this time fo foft as to render walking in fnow-flioes very laborious; and though the ground was bare in many places, yet at times, and in particular places, the fnow-drifts were fo deep, that we could not poffibly do with- out them. By the fixth, however, the thaws were fo general, and the fnows fo much melted, that as our fnow-flioes were attended with more trouble than fervice, we all confented to throw them away. Till the tenth, our fledges proved ferviceable, particularly in crolfing lakes and ponds NORTHERN OCEAN. pohdi on the ice ; but that mode of travelling now growing dangerous on account of the great thaws, we determined to throw away our fledg- es, and every one to take a load on his back. This I found to be much harder work than the winter carriage, as my part of the luggage con- fiiled of the following articles, viz. the quadrant and its fiand, a trunk containing books, papers, &c. a land-compafs, and a large bag containing all my wearing apparel ; alfo a hatchet, knives, files, &c. befide feveral fmall articles, intended for prefents to the natives. The aukwardnefs of my load, added to its great weight, which was upward of fixty pounds, and the exceffive heat of the weather, rendered walking the moft labo- rious talk I had ever encountered ; and what conliderably increafed the hardfhip, was the bad- nefs of the road, and the coarfcnefs of our loilg- ing, being, on account of the want of proper tents, expofed to the utmoft feverity of the wea- ther. The tent we had with us was not only too large, and unfit for barren ground fervice, where no poles were to be got, but we had been obliged to cut it up for Ihoes, and each perfon carried his own fliare. Indeed my guide behaved both negligently and ungeneroufly on thisoccafion; as he never made me, or my Southern Indians, acquainted with the nature of pitching tents on the barren ground; which had he done, we could eafily have procured a fet of poles before we left the woods. He took care, however, to procure June. I £;< 30 ' A JOUkNEV to THB 1770. pi'ocui'e a fet for himfelf and his wife ; and when the tent was divided, though he made (hift to get a piece large enough to ferve him for a complete little tent, he never afked me or my Southern Indians to put our heads into it. Bcfide the inconvenience of being expofed to the open air, night and day, in all weathers, we experienced real diftrefs from the want of vidu- als. When provifions were procured, it often happened that we could not make a fire, fo that we were obliged to eat the meat quite raw ; which at firft, in the article of fifli particularly, was as little relifhed by my Southern companions as myfelf. Notwithftanding thefe accumulated and com- plicated hardfhips, we continued in perfed health and good fpirits ; and my guide, though a per- feet niggard of his provifions, efpecially in times of fcarcity, gave us the ftrongeft affurance of foon arriving at a plentiful country, which would not only aflford us a certain fupply of ^ a- vifions, but where we fhould meet with other Indians, who probably would be willing to carry part of our luggage. This news naturally gave us great confolation ; for at that time the weight of our conftant loads was fo great, that when Providence threw any thing in our way, we could not carry above two days provifions with us, which indeed was the chief reafon of our be- ing fo frequently in want. a3d. From the tv^enticth to the twenty. third we walked June NORTHERN OCEAN. 31 walked every day near twenty miles, without ,^-q, any other fubfiftence than a pipe of tobacco, and a drink of water when we pleafed : even par- tridges and gulls, which Come time before were in great plenty, and eafily procured, were now Co fcarce and (hy, that we could rarely get one ; and as to geefe, ducks, &c. they had all flown to the Northward to breed and molt. Early in the morning of the twenty-third, we fet out as ufual, but had not walked above feven or eight miles before we faw three mufk-oxen grazing by the fide of a fm all lake. The Indi- ans immediately went in purfuit of them ; and as feme of them were expert hunters, they foon killed the whole of them. This was no doubt very fortunate ; but, to our great mortification, [before we could get one of them fkinned, fuch a Ifall of rain came on, as to put it quite Out of our {power to make a fire ; which, even in the fineft weather, could only be made of mofs, as we were |near an hundred miles from any woods. This ras poor comfort for people who had not broke their faft for four or five days. Neceflity, how- :ver, has no law ; and having been before initi- ited into the method of eating raw meat, we ;ere the better prepared for this repaft : but this ^as by no means fo well relifhed, either by me- )r the Southern Indians, as either raw venifon or raw fifh had been : for the flefli of the muik-ox |s not only coarfe and tough, but fmells and taftes fo ftrong of mufk as to make it very difa- agreeable IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) fe -^ // A^^-^ .* 1.0 1.1 ^ m m 1*0 — u& lyi i^ u^ Hiotographic Sciences Corporation 23 WIST MAIN STRUT WIUTIR.N.Y. MSM (71«) 172-4503 Joae. 31 A jOtJftNEV TO *Hfe 1770. gree^blti ^hefi raw, though it is tolerable eating when properly cooked. The weather continued fo remarkably bad, accompanied ^ith conftant hea* vy rain, fnow and fleet, and our neceflities were fo great by the time the weather permitted us to snake a fire, that we had nearly eat to the amount of one buffalo quite raw, Notwithilanding 1 muftered up all my philofo- phy on this occafion, yet 1 muft confefs that my fpirits began to fail me. Indeed our other mis> fortunes were greatly aggravated by the incle- mency of the weather, which was not only cold, but fo very wet that for near three days and nights, I had not one dry thread about me. When the fine weather returned, we made a fire, though it was only of mofs, as I have already obferved ) and having got my cloaths dry, all things fetm- ed likely to go on in the old channel, though that was indifferent enough ; but I endeavoured, like a failor after a ilorm, to forget paft misfor- tunes. None of our natural wants, if we except thirft, are fo diftrefiing, or hard to endure, as hunger ; and in wandering fituations, like that which I now experienced, the hardihip is greatly aggra- vated by the uncertainty with refpe^ to its du- ration, and the means moft proper to be uied to remove it, as well as by the labour and fsitigue we muft neceiTarily undergo for that purpofe, and the difappointments which too frequently fruftrate our beft concerted plans and moft ftre- nuous ■•■I'TJ!!' '%M NORTHERN QCBA$<» ^ ^ nuous exertions : it not only enfeebles the bo^f, lii^* but Jeprcffes the f^nrits, in fpite of every, ^ffijrttp^* ' ' ' prevent it. Belides, for want of a£iion» the ftp- mach fo far lofes its digeftive powers, that zhe^ ' long failing it refumes its office with ps^n jand reluctance. During this journey I have rtpo^e- quently experienced the dreadful efie^s of tUs calamity, and more than once been reduced to fo low a ftate by hunger and fatigue, that wh^n Providence threw any thing in my way, my ftOf mach has fcarcely been able to retain ipore thaa two or three ounces, without producing thf moft oppreflive pain. Another difagreeable dr- cumftance of long fading is, the extreme diffi- culty and pain attending the natural evacuations for the firflt time ; and which is fo dreadfulj that of it none but thofe^ho have experienced |c;m have an adequate idea^ To record in detail each day's fare fincethe commeucement of this journey, would be little more than a dull repetition of the fame occur- rences. A fufficient idea of it may be given in a few words, by obferving that it may juftly be faid to have been either all feafting, or all famine : fometimes we had too much, feldomjuft enough, frequently too little, and often none at all. It will be only neceOary to fay that we have faftcd many times two whole days and nights ; twice upwards of three days ; and once, white at She- than-nee, near feven days, during which we taft- cd not a mouthful of any thing, except a few D cran- Jnnt. A JOURNEY TO THE tihetiines a piece of an old, half-rotten deer (kin, Und at others a pair of old ihoes, were facrifieed to alleviate extreme hunger. The reiatibn of ftteh uflcommon hardfhips may perhaps gain lit- tle credit in Europe ; while thofd' who are con- Verfant with the hiftory of Hudfon's Bay, and who are thoroughly acqu^nted with the diftrefs which the natives of the country about it fre- quently endure, may confider them as no more than the common occurrences of an Indian life, in which they are frequently driven to the ne- ccifity of eating one another.* Knowing ■:i* It is the gcneval opiaien of the Southern Indiam, thst when «ny of tl>«ir trit^c ba.ve been driven to the nec«(Ety of eating buin^n flefli, they become Co fond of it, that no perfon is fafe in their company. And though it is well known they are never guilty of making this horrid repad ^t >)!h(;n driven to it by nfceffity, yet thofe wbo have made it are not only Oiunned, but fo univerfally deteiled by all who Know them, that no Indians will tent with them, and they are fre<|ucntly murdered flily. I have feen (everal of thoie poor wretches who, onfertunately for theftr, have come under the above deicription, and though they were perfom inuch edeemed before hunger had driven them to this ^&, wer« after- wards fo univerfally defpifed and negleAed, that a fmile never graced tbeir countenances : d^ep melancholy has been ftated on their browi, while the eye rooft ezpreflively fpoke the diAates of the heart, aad feemed to fay, " Why do you defpife me for my misfortmes ? the peii- *' od is probably not fa(|#iftant, when you may^ be driven to the like ne* •• cefGty !" In the Spring of the year 177^, when I was bnilding Cumberland Houfc^ sather, and fions I have their ward- iii'dothing, be fpared; n deer Ikin, re facrifieed relatidn of aps gain lit- ho are con* *s Bay, and the diftrefs bout it fre- as no more Indian life, a to the ne< knowing iat when tny of [uQ^^n flelh, thef company. And :his horiid repa(t Imade it tre not them, that no [urdered flily. 1 itelyfor theto, :y wrcrCperfoM aA, wer« after* lie never graced )n their brows, the heart, and les f the peii* to the like n^ ng Caraberiand Hoitfc^ NORTHERN OCEJ^N. Knowing that our cbnllant Ibads would ^ot permit us to carry much provifions with us, we agreed to continue a day or two to refrclh our- felves, and to dry a little meat in the fun, as it thereby not only becoities more portable, but is always ready for ufe. On the twenty-fixth, all that remained of the mufk-ox flefli being proper- ly dried and fit for carriage, we began to pro- ceed on our journey Northward, and on the thir- tieth of June arrived at a fmall river, called Ca- thavvhachaga, which empties itfelf into a large: lake called Yath-kyed-whoie, or White Snow Lake. Here we found feveral tents of Northern Indians, who had been fome time employed i^earing deisr in their canoes, as they crofled the above mentioned little river. Here alfo we met D 2 a Nor- Houfe, an Indian, whofe name was Wapoos, came to the Settlement, at a time when fifteen tents of Indians were on the planthtiont; they examine ed him very minutely, and found he had come aconfiderable way by him- fclf, without a gun, or aimmunition. This made many of them conjee* ture he had met with, and killed,' ^me perfon by the way; and tliig wu the more eafily credited, from the care he took to conceal a bag of provifi* ons, wliich he hadbronght with him, in a lofty pine-tree near the houfe. Being a Granger, I inv'ted him in, though I faw he had nothing for trade ; and during that intervievc, fome of the Indian women examined his bag, and gave it as their opinion that the meat it contained was human flelh: in confequenc;, it was not without the interference of fome princi- pal Indians, whofe liberality of ientiment was more extenfive than that in the others, the poor creature faved his life. Many of the men cleaned and loaded their guns; others had their bpws and arrows ready; and even the women took pofTefllon of the hatchet.s to kill this poor inoffenfive wretch, for no ci ime but that of travelling about two hundred miles by, himfclf, unaiCftcd by fire>arms for fupport in his journey* \ a6t]i. 30th. 3 cient number for our fupport, and indeed too frequently killed feveral merely for the tongues', narrow, and fat. After we had been fome time in company with thofe Indians, I found that my guide feemed to helitate about proceeding any farther ; and that he kept pitching his tent backward and forward, from place to place, after the deer, and the rei| of the Indians. On my a&ing him his reafon fot fo doing ; he anfwered, that as the year was too far advanced to admit of our arrival at the Cop- permine River that Summer, he thought it more advifable to pafs the Winter with fome of the Indians then in company, and alleged that there could aa4> July jeth. 4^ A JOURNEY TO THE 1770. ^f it it ufed astea by aU the £uropeaps fettled in that country. f Tbjs river, as well a& all others deftrving that appellation which t ciofled KORTHERN OCEAH. [had recourfe to our canoe, which, though of the I common fizc, was too fmall to carry more than [two perfons ; one of whom always lies down at full length for fear of making the canoe top-hea- vy, and the other fits on his heels and paddles. This method of ferrying over rivers, though tedious, is the moft expeditious way thefe poor people can contrive j for they are fometimes ob- liged to carry their eanoes one hundred and fifty, or two hundred miles, without having occafion i to make ufe of them ; yet at times they cannot do without them ; and were they notyery fmall and portable, it would be impoifible for one man to carry them, which they are often obliged to ! do, not only the difiance above mentioned, but I even the whole Summer. The peribn I engaged at Cathawhachaga to caf- I ry my canoe proving too weak for the talk, ano- ther of my crew was obliged to exchange loads with him, which feemed perfectly agreeable to all parties ; and as we walked but fliort days jour- nies, and deer were very plentiful, all things went on every fmoothly. Nothing material happened till the eighth, when we were near lofing the quadrant and all our powder from the following circumfiance: the fellow who had been releafed from carrying the canoe proving too weak, as hath been 6th. 8th. eroded during this part of my journey, nn to the Eaft and Morth Baft; and both them and %he lakes were perfcAly freOi, and inhabited by fiih $hat are Well ka^wn Utitt to frequent ialt water. E> * 4«» A JOURNEY TO THE >770. Iiceii already obferved, had, after the exchange, V^2!^ nothing to carry but my powder and his own trifles \ the latter were indeed very inconfidera. ■ble, not equal in (iae and weight to a foldier'i knapfack. As I intended to have a little fport with the deer, and knowing his load to be much lighrer than mine, I gave him the quadrant and fiand to carry, which he took without the leaft hefitation, or feeming ilUwill. Having thus ea( j ed myfelf for the prefent of a heavy and cumber. fome part of my load, I fet out, early in the mor* ning with fome of the Indian men ; and after walk* ing about eight or nine miles, faw, from the top of a high hill, a great number of deer feeding in a neighbouring valley ; on which we laid down our loads and erected a flag, as a fignal for the others to pitch their tents there for the night. We then pUiTfued our hunting, which proved very fucceff- ful. At night, however, when we came to the hill where we had left our baggage, I found that only part of the Indians had arrived, and that the maa who had been- entruQed with my powder and quadrant, had let oflf another way, with a fmall party of Indians that had been in our com^ pan y that morning. The evening being far ad- vanced, we were; obliged to defer going in fearch of him till the mornings and as his track could not be ealily difcovercd in the Summer, the South* em Indians, as well as myfelf, were very uneafy, iWing we had loft the powder, which was to pro. vide us with food and raiment the remainder of our T '."■'T'" NORTHERN OCEAN. 43 our journey. The very uncourteous behaviour i^^q, of the Northern Indians then in company, gave ^*^^^ me little hopes of receiving ailiftance from themi. ^ * 1 any longer than I had wherewithal to reward them for their trouble and expence ; for during the , whole time I had been with them, not one of them, had offered to give me the leaft morfel of viduals» without aiking fomething in exchange, which, in general, was three times the value of what they could have got for the fame articles, had they car. ried them to the Fa^ory, though fevcral hundre4 miles diftant. So inconfiderate were thofe people, that wher- ver they met me, they always expected that I ad a great aflbrtment of goods to relieve their eceilities ; as if I had brought the Company's Iwarehoufe with me. Some of them wanted \ ; all wanted ammunition, iron-work, and obacco ; many were folicitous for medicine^ and lothers prefled me for different articles of clothing : but when they found I had nothing to fpare, ex- jcept a few nick-nacks and gewgaws, they made o fcruple of pronouncing me a " poor fervant^^ noways like the Governor at the Factory, who, they faid, they never faw, but he gave them |« fomething ufeful." It is fcarcely poffible to conceive any pe le fo void of common under- ftanding, as to think that the Ible intent of my undertaking this fatiguing journey, was to car- ry a large affortment of ufeful and heavy imple^ ments, to give to all that ftood in need of thenr 5 but ■« i« 9th. A JOURNEY TO THE but many of them would alk mc for. what they wanted with the fame freedom,* and apparently with the fame hopes of fuccefs, as if they had been at one of the Company's FaAories. Others, with an air of more generofity, offered me furs to trade with at the fame flandard as at the Fade ry J without confidering how unlikely it was that I Ihould increafe the enormous weight of my load with articles which could be of no more ufe to me in my prefent fituation than they were to them>| Iclves. This unaccountable behaviour of the Indians I occafioned much ferious reflection on my part ; as it ihowed plainly how little I had to expedif I ihould, by any accident, be reduced to the ne- ceflity of depending upon them for fupport ; fo that, though I laid me down to reft, fleep was a j ftriiiiger tome that night. The following beauti- ful lines of Dr. Young I repeated above an hun- dred times : " Tired Nature's Tweet leftorer, balmy Sleep; . " He, like ihe world, hi» leady vifii pays " Where fortune fmiks; the wretched he forfakes: " Swift on his downy pinions flies from woe, " And lights on lids unfully'd with a tear." Night Thoughts, After paffing the night in this melancholy manner, 1 got up at day-break, and, with the two Southern Indians, fet out in queft of our defer- ter. Many hours elapfed in fruitlefs fearch after him, as we could not difcover a fingle track in the direftion which we were informed he had takes. 1 1 NORTHERNvOCEAN. 45 iohtTuoucht}. Ang^ft. taken. The day beiog almoft fpent without the 1,^70, leafi appearance of fuccefs, I propafed repairing ury^^ to the place where I had delivered the quadrant to him, in hopes of feeing fome track in the mofs that might lead to the way the Indians were gone whom our deferter had accompanied. On our arrival at that place, we found they had ilruck down toward a little river which they had croiT- ed the morning before ; and there, to our great joy, we found the quadrant and the bag of pow- der lying on the top of a high ftone, but not a human being was to be feen. On examining the powder, we found that the bag had been opened, and part of it taken out ; but, notwithftanding our lofs was very coniiderable, we returned with light hearts to the place at which we had been the night before, where we found our baggage fafe, but all the Indians gone : they had, howe- ver, been fo confiderate as to fet up marks to diredl us what courfe to fteer. By the time we had adjufted our bundles, the day was quite fpent; feeing, however, a fmoke, or rather a fire, in the diredion we were ordered to fteer, we bent our way towards it ^ and a little after ten o'clock at night came up with the main body of the Indi- ans; when, after refirefiiing ourfelves with a plentiful fupper, the firft morfel we had tafted that day, we retired to reft, which I at leaft en- joyed with better fuccefs than the preceding night. In the morning of the eleventh we proceeded on to the Weft, and Weft by South j but on the twelfth fxth. T\* ■ ■ '. Aa^iiill'. jfi A JOURNEY TO THE 1 770. twelfth did not move. This gave us an oppcr. I tunity of endeavouring to aCcertain the latitude by a meredian altitude, when we found the place to be in 63** 10' North nearly. It proving rathct cloudy about noon, though exceeding fine weaJ ther, I let the quadrant (land, in order to obtain the latitude more exa£lly by two altitudes ; but, to my great mortification, while I was eating my dinner, a fudden guH of wind blew it down; and as the ground where it flood was very ftoney, the bubble, the fight- vane, and vernier, w6re en- tirely broke to pieces, which rendered the inftru* ment ufelefs. In confequence of this misfortune I refolved to return again to the Fort, though we were then in the latitude of 63" lo' North, and about 10^ 40' Weft longitude from Churchill River. CHAP. NORTHERN OCEAN. 47 CHAP. III. Tranfaclions from the Time the Quadrant was broken, till I arrived at the Fadory. \Several Jirange Indians join us from the Northward,--^ They plundered me of ail I had ; but did not plunder the Southern Indians. — My guide p.lundered.'-We begin our return to the Fa6lory, — Meet with, other Indiansj who join our company, -^Colled deer-fldns for clothing, but could not get them dreJfed.'^Suffer much bardjhip from the want of tents and warm clothing.'— Moji of the Indians leave us.-^Meet 'with Maionabbee. — Some account ofhim,andlss kehavi" our to. me and the Southern indians.-^We remain in his company fame time,— 'His obfervations on my two unfuccefsful attempts. — "We leave him, and proceed to a place to which he direded us, in order to make fnow-Jhoes andfledges, — Join Matonabbee egatn, ' and proceed towards the Fa6lory in his company.-^ Ammunition runs fhort.-^Myfelf and four Indians fet off po^ for the Failory. — Much bewildered in a fnowjlorm ; my dog is frozen to death ; we lie in a bujh of wiilows.'^Proceed on our journey, — Great difficulty in crojftng a jumble of rocks.'—Arrive at the Fort. THE day after I had the misfortune to break lyyo, the quadrant, feveral Indians joined me [from the Northward, fome of whom plundered me Augnft. 4$ A JOURNEY TO THE 1 7 70. ^^ ^^^ ^Y companions of almofl every uleful ar« w-v-^i/ tide we had, among which was my gun ; and r notwithftanding we were then on the point of I returning to the FaAory, yet, as one of my com- panions'guns was a little out of order, the lo{s was likely to be feverely felt ; but it not being in my power to recover it again, we were oblig. ed to reft contented. Nothing can exceed the cool deliberation of thofe villains ; a committee of them entered my tent*. The ringleader feated himfelf on my left. hand. They firft begged me to lend them my ikipertogan f to fill a pipe of tobacco. After fmokirij; two or three pipes, they aiked me for feveral articles which I had not, and among others for a pack of cards; but on my anfwering that 1 had not any of the articles they mentioned, one of them put his hand on my baggage, and aiked if it was mine. Before I could anfwer in the af- firmative, he and the reft of his companions (h in number) had all my treafure fpread on the ground. One took one thing, and another ano« ther, till at laft nothing was left but the empty bag, which they permitted me to keep. At length * This only cooiifted of three walking-fticks fttick intd the ground, and a blanket thrown over them. -f Skipertogao is a fmall bag that contains a flint and (iecl, alfo a pipe and tobacco, as well as touchwood, &c. for making a hre. Some of thefe bags may be called truly elegant ; being richly ornamented with beadi, porcupine-qnills, morfe-hair, &c. a woik always performed by the wo> menj and they are, with much proptiety, greatly- eftecnied by moA^*** ropeans for the neatncfs of their woikmanfbip. NORTHERN OCEAN. kngth, confidering that, though I was going to the Fa£i:ory, I fhould want a knife to cut my vic> tuals, an awl to mend my (hoes, and a needle to mend my other clothing, they readily gave me thefe articles, though not without making me underftand that I ought to look upon it as a great favour. Finding them poflefled of fo much ge* nerofity, I ventured to folicit them for my ra* zors ; but thinking that one would be fufficient to fhave me during my paflfage home, they made no fcruple to keep the other ; luckily they chofe the worft. To complete their generofity, they permitted me to take as much foap as I thought would be fufficient to waih and fhave me during the remainder of my journey to the Fadlory. They were more cautious in plundering the Southern Indians, as the relation of fuch outrages I being committed on them might occafion a war between the two nations; but they had nothing I of that kind to dread from the Engliih. Howe- ; ver, the Northern Indians had addrefs enough to talk my home-guard Indians out of all they had : fo that before we left them, they were as clean fwept as myfelf, excepting their guns, fome zm-i munition, an old hatchet, an ice-chi£el, and a file, [to Iharpen them. It may probably be thought ftrange that my [guide, who was a Northern Indian, fhould per- Imithis countrymen to commit fuch outrages on ithofe under his charge ; but being a man of lit- ||le note, he was fo far from being able to proted 49 Y^th. |0 - A JOURNEY TO THE tjfp, US» tHat he wis obliged to fubmit to nearly the ^^3^ (ainc outrage himfelf. On this^occafion he aflum. ed a great air of generofity j but the fad was, he gave freely vvhat it was not in his power to proteft. Early in the morning of the nineteenth, I fet Out on my return, in company with fcveral Nor. thern Indians, who were bound to the Faifiory I with furrs and other commodities in trade. Thi;; morning the Indian who took my gun, returned it to me, it being of no ufe to him, having no | ammunition. The weather for fome time prov- ed fine, and deer were very plentiful; but as the! above ravagers had materially lightened my load, by taking every thing from me, except the qua- drant, books, &c. this part of my journey was the eafieft and moCk pleafant of any I had experi- enced iince my leaving the Fort. In our way we| frequently met with other Indians, fo that fcarce- ly a day paiTed without our feeing feveral fmokssl made by other ftrangers. Many of thofe we ir.et joined our party, having furrs and other commo| dities for tr*ade. The deer's hair being now of a proper length I for clothing, it was neceflary, according to the cuftom, to procure as many of their Ikins, while in fea(bn, as would make a fuit of warm clothind for the Winter ;' and as each grown perfon re- quires the prime parts of from eight to eleven o( thofe fkins (in proportion to their fizc") to make a complete fuit, it mull naturally be fuppofedthat this ixfk. NORTHERN OCEAN. n this addition to my burthen was very confident i^fp, ble. My load, however cumberfomc and heavy, ~^^ was yet very bearable ; but, after I had carried it •'^Tr feveral weeks, it proved of no fervice j for we had not any women properly belonging to our company, confequently had not any perfon to drcfs them; and fo uncivil were the other Indi- ans, that they would neither exchange them for others of an inferior quality already drefled, nor permit their women to drefs them for us, under pretence that they were always employed in the like duty for thcmfelves and families, which was by no means the cafe ; for many of them had fufficient time to have done every little fervice of that kind that we could have required of theni^ The truth was, they were too well informed of my poverty to do any afts of generofity, as they well knew I had it not then in my power to re* ward them for their trouble. I never faw a fet of people that poifefTed fo little humanity, or that could view the diftrefles of their fellow-creatures with fo little feeling and unconcern ; for though they fecm to have a great affedion for their wives and children, yet they will laugh at and ridicule th^ diftrefs of every other perfon who is not im- mediately related to them. This behaviour of the Indians made our fitua* tion very difagreeable ; for as the fall advanced, . we began to feel the cold very feverely for want of proper clothing. . We fuffered alfo greatly (rom the inclemency of the weather, as we had na E 3 tent \ \ S* . A JOURNEY TO TffE 1 77b. tent to fhelter us. My guide was entirely exempt- i^ta^f «d from all thofe inconvenienced, having procur- ed a good warm fuit of clothing; and, as one of his wives had long before joined our party, he was provided with a tent, arid every other neccf- 15th. fary confident with their manner of living ; but the old fellow was fo far from intercfting himfclf in our behalf, that he had, for fbme time before, entirely withdrawn from our company; and though he then continued to carry the greateft part of our little remains of ammunition, yet he did not contribute in the fmalleft degree towards our fupport. As deer, however, were in great plenty, I felt little or no inconvenience from his neglect in this refpe^t. I^th. Pfovifions ftill continued very plentiful ; which was a fingular piece of good fortune, and the on- ly circumftance which at this time could contri- bute to our happinefs or fafety ; for notwithftand- ing the early feafon of the year, the weather was remarkably bad and feverely cold, at lead it ap- peared fo to us, probably from having no kind of ikin-clothing.' In this forlorn ftate we continued our courfe to the South Eaft ; and, to add to the gloominefs of our fituation, mod of the Northern Indians who had been in our company all the firft part of the fall, were by this time gone a-head, as we could not keep up with them for want of fnow-ftioes. ioth. ^^ ^^^ evening of the twentieth, we were join- ed from the Weftward by a famous Leader, call- ed NORTHERN OCEAN. 51 Stpumbm, ed Matonabbee, mentioned in my inftrtiftions ; 1^70. who, with his followers, or gang, was alfo going ' to Prince of Wales's Fort, with furrs, and other articles for trade. This leader, when a youth, re- iided feveral years at the above Fort, and was not only a perfeA mafler of the Southern Indian lan- guage, but by being frequently with the Compa- ny's fervants^ had acquired feveral words of £ngli(h, and was one of the men who brought the lateft accounts of the Coppermine River; and it was on his information, added to that of one I-dot-le-ezey, (who is (ince dead,) that this expe- dition was f^t on foot. The courteous behaviour of this firanger ftruck me very fenfibly. As foon as he was acquainted with our diftrefSj he got fuch ikins as we had with us dreifed for the Southern Indians, and furnifh- ed me with a good warm fult of otter and other fkins : but, as it was not in his power to provide us with fnow-fhoeS) (being then on the barreft ground,) he diredted us to a little river which he knew, and where there was a fmall range of woods, which, though none of the beft, would, he faid, furnifli us with temporary fnow-flioes and fledges, that might materially affift us during the remaining part of our journey. We fpcnt feve- ral nights in company with this Leader, though we advanced towards the Fort at the rate of ten or twelve miles a day ; and as provifions abound- ed, he made a grand feaft for me in the Southern Indian ftile, where there was plenty of ggod eat- O^ober. ^ A JOURNEY TO THE I970> ^"^' ^"^ ^^^ whole concluded with (inging and i.i■■-* ans in long journics, and of fufficicnt llrcngth for ""* '' leaden (hot or ball, arc not (Irong enough for thin kind of (hot ; and ftrong fowling-pieces would not only be too heavy for the laborious ways of hunting in this country, but their bores being {a much larger, would require more than double Ithe quantity of ammunition that fmall ones do; [which, to Indians at lead, mud be an objed of |no inconfiderablc importance. I kept company with Matonabbee till th^ fwen- totfK Itieth, at which time the deer began to be fo fcarce ■that hardly a fre(h track could be feen; and as Iwe were then but a few days walk from the Fort, Ihe advifed me to proceed on with all fpeed, while le and his companions followed at leifure. Ac- cordingly, on the twenty.firft, I fet out poft. ,,11. lafte, accompanied by one of the home-guard [Southern) Tribe, and three Northern Indians, rhat night we lay on the South fide of Egg River; )ut, long before day-break the next morning, the ireather being fo bad, with a violent gale of wind from the North Weft, and fuch a drift of fnow, that we could not have a bit of fire : and as no ;ood woods were near to afford us fhelter, we agreed to proceed on our way : efpecially as the irind was on our backs, and though the. weather ^as bad near the furface we could frequently fee the moon, and fometimes the ftars, to direft us in )ur courfe. In this fituation we continued walk. ing November. 58 A JOURNEY TO THE 1770. ing the whole day, and it was not till after ten at v^* -"s^ night that we could find the fmalkft tuft of woodd to put up in; for though we well knew we mud have paffed by feveral hummocks of fhrubby woods that might have afforded us fome ihelter, yet the wind blew fo hard, and the fnow drifted fo ex- ceffively thick, thJ^t we could not fee ten yards before us the whole day. Between feven and eight in the evening my dog, a valuable brute, was frozen to death ; fo that his fledge, which was a very heavy one, I was obliged to haul. Between nine and ten at night we arrived at a fmall creek, on which we walked about three quarters of a mile, when we came to a large tuft of tall willows, and two or three fets of old tent-poles. Being much jaded, we determined not to proceed any farther that night ; fo wc went to work, and made the beft defence againft the weather that the fituation of the place and our materials would admit. Our labour confift* cd only in digging a hole in the fnow, and fixing a few deer fkins up to windward of us ; but the moR difficult talk was that of making a fire. When this was once accomplifhed, the old tent poles amply fupplied us with fewel. By the time we had finifhed this bufinefs, the weather began to moderate, and the drift greatly to abate ; fo that the moon and the Aurora Borealis fhone out with great fplendor, and there appeared every fymptom of the return of fine weather. After eating a plentiful fupper of venifon, therefore, of which we had a iufilcient ftock to laft us to the z^d'. NORTHERN OCEAN. the Fort, we laid down and got a little fleep. The next day proving fine and clear, though ex-^ ceflively fliarp, we proceeded on. our journey early in the morning, and at night lay on the South Eaft fide of Seal River. We (hould have made a much longer day*s journey, had we not been greatly embarrafled at fetting out, by a jum- ble of rocks, which we could not avoid without going greatly out of our way. Here I muft ob- ferve, that we were more than fortunate in not attempting to leave the little creek where we had fixed our habitation the preceding night, as the fpot where we lay was not more than two or three miles diftant from this dangerous place ; in which, had we fallen in with it in the night, we muft unavoidably have been bewildered, if we had not all periiQied ; as notwithftanding the ad- vantage of a clear day, and having ufed every poffible precaution, it was with the utmoft diffi- culty that we eroded it without broken limbs. Indeed it would have been next to an impoilibili- ty to have done it in the night. The twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth proved fine clear weather, though exceffivelycold; and in the afternoon of the latter, we arrived at Prince of Wales's Fort, after having been abfent eight months and twenty-two days, on a fruitiefs, or at leaft an unfuccefsful journey. 1/ 24th. ajth. CHAP. 66 A JOURNEY TO THE C H A P. .IV. Tranfadions during our Stay at Prince of Wales's Fort, and the former part of our third Expe. dition» till our Arrival at Clowey, where we builr Canoes, in May 1771. Preparations for our departure. — Refufe to take any of the home-guard Indians with me — By fo doings I offend the Governor. — Leave the Fort a third time, -—Myin/iruclions on this expedition. — Provifions^ all kinds veryfcarce. — Arrive at the woodsy when we kill/ome deer. — Arrive at IJJand Lake. — Ma* ionai)bee taken ill.'—Some remarks thereon. — Join the remainder of the Indians' families. — Leave I/lad Lake. — Defcription thereof. — Deer plentiful,— Meet arrange Indian. — Alter out courfefrom We^ North Wefl to Weji by South. — Crofs Cathawhach- oga River, Coffed Lake, Snow- Bird Lake, andPik Lake.'-^Arrive at a tent of Jlr angers, who are eiw- ployed in fnaring deer in a pound. — Defcription 0] the pound. — Method of proceeding. — Remarks there- on.'-'Proceed on our journey. — Meet withfeveral parties of Indians ; by one of whom Ifent a letter ta the governor at Prince of Wales's Fort. — Arr'm at Thleweyazayeth. — Employment there. — Preceed to the North North Wefl and North. — Arrive at Clowey, — One of the Indian* s wives taken in labour, —Remarks thereon. — Cujioms obferved by the Nor- them Indians on thofe occqfions* ON NOilTHERN OCEAR 6i ON my arrival at the Fort, I informed the Go- 1 770. vernor, of Matonabbce's being fo near. On v^^vx> the twcnty-cighth of November he arrived. Not- '^ITh.^'' withftanding the many difficulties and hardihips which 1 had undergone during my two unfuc- cefsful attempts, I was fo far from being foiicited on this occaiion to undertake a third excurfion, that I willingly offered my fervice j which was readily accepted, as my abilities and approved courage, in perfevering under difficulties, were thought noways inferior to the talk* I then determined to engage Matonabbee to be my guide -, to which he readily confented, and with a freedom of fpeech and corre^nefs of Ian. guage not commonly met with among Indians, not only pointed out the reafons which had bc- cafioned all our misfortunes in my two former attempts, but defcribed the plan he intended to purfue ; which at the fame time that it was high* ly fatisfa£lory to me, did honour to his penetra- tion and judgment ; as it proved him to be a man of extenfive obfervation with refped to times, fea- fons, and places ; and well qualified to explain every thing that could contribute either to facili- tate or retard the eafe 6r progrefs of travelling in thofe dreary parts of the world. Having engaged Matonabbee, therefore, as my guide, I began to make preparations for our de- parture ; but Mr. Norton, the Governor, having been very fully occupied in treding with a large My of Ipdians, it was the feventh of December December. before '^'^' e% A JOURNEY TO THE 1770. l>^^<^i^c I could obtain from him my difpatches. ^"■"J'— J It may not be improper to obfervc, that he again """ ^^' wanted to' force fome of the home-guard Indians | (who were his own relations*) into our company, merely I * Mr. Norton was an Indian ; he was born at Prince. of Wales's Fort, but had been in England nine years, and confideiing the fmail film which was expended on his education, had made fotne progrefs in literature. At his return to Hiidfon's Bay he entered into all the abominable vices of his countrymen. Tie kept for his own ufe five or fix of the fineft Indian girli which he could {dc€i ; and not with (landing his own uncommon propenlity to the fail fex, took every means in his power to prevent any European from having intercourfe with thtf women of the country ; for which pur* pofe he proceeded to the moft ridiculous length. To his own friends and | country he was fo partial, that he fet more value on, and (hewed more te- fpedl to one of their favomite dogs, than he ever did to his iirft odicer. I Among his miferablc and ignorant countrymen he pajTed for a proficient in phyfic, and always hept a box of poifon, to adminifter to thofe who re- 1 fufed him their wives or daughters. With allthefe bad qualities, no man took more pains to inculcate virtue, I norality, and continence on oth rs; always painting, in the moft odious colours, the jealous and revengeful difpofition of the Indians, when any at< tempt was made to violate the chaftity of their wives or daughters. Lec- tures of this kind from a man of eftabli(hed virtue might have had fome eScQ ; but witen they came from one who was known to live in open deS* ance of every law, human and divine, they were always heard with indig- nation, and confidered as the hypocritical cant of a feliilh debauchee, who wi(hedto eogrofs every woman in the country to himfelf. His apartments were not only convenient but elegant, and always crowded with' favourite Indians : at night he locked the doors, and put the keys under his pillow ; fo that in the morning his dining-room was gene- - rally, for the want of necedary conveniencies, worfe than a hog-dye. As he advanced in years his jealoufy increafcd, and he a£iual!y poifoned twoof h.s women becaufe he thought them partial toother objefts more fuitable to their ages. He was a moft notorious fmuggler; but though he put many thoufauds into the pockets of the Captains, he ieldom put a (hilling into his own. An inflammation in his bowels occafioned his death on the 29th of De- cember 1773 ; and though he died in the moft excruciating pain, he retain* ed bis jealoufy to the laft ; for a few minutes before he expired, happen- ing to fe? an olTicer laying hold of the hand of one of his women who was ftandlDg NORTHERN OCEAN, 63 noerely with a view that they might cogrofs all j^yo, the credit of taking caje of mc during the journey : but I had found them of fo little ufe in my two former attempts, that I abfolutely refuled them ; and by fo doing, offended Mr. Norton to fuch a degree, that neither time nor abfencc could ever afterwards eradicate his diilike of me ; fo that at my return he ufed every means in his power to treat mc ill, and to render my life unhappy. However, to deal with candour on this occafion, it mull; be acknowledged to his honour, that what- ever our private animofities might have been, he did not fuffer them to interfere with public bufi- nefs ; and I was fitted out with ammunition, and every other article which Matonabbee thought could be wanted. I was alfo furniflied, as before, with a fmall affortment of light trading goods, as prefents to the far diftant Indians. At laft I fuccee4ed in obtaining my inftru£lioiis» which were as follows .• ^* Orders ^«^ iNSTRUCTioNs/or Afr. Samuel " Hearne, going on his third Expedition to the " North of Churchill River, in queji of a North " Weji Pajfage, Copper Mines, or any other thing ^' that may be ferviceable to the Britifh Nation in general^ cc Handing by the fire, he bellowed ont, in ai loud a voice as his fituatbn would admit, «« God «' d— n you for a b h, if I live I'll knock out your brains." A few minutes after making this elegant apoftrophe, he expired in the greateft agonies that can poflibly be conceived. This I declare to be the real chara€ler and manner of life of the late Mr. Mofcs Norton. I t $4 A JOURNEY TO THE 1770; ** general, or the Hud/on* s Bay Company in par' ** ticuiar; intbe year ly^Q, ♦* Mr. Samuel Hbarne, c« cc <( C( (C 1770. the little attention they paid to thofe repairs, I was led to think that the wapt of food was the chief thing that detained them, as they never ceafcd eating the whole day. Indeed for many days before we had been in great want, and for the laft three days had not tailed a morfe| of any thing, except a pipe of tobacco and a drink of fnow water , and as we walked daily from mcT' ning till night, and were all heavy laden, our ilrength began to fail. I muft confefs that I ne* ver fpent fo dull a Chriftmas ; and when I recol- te^ed the merry feafon which was then palling, and. reflected on t|ie immenfe quantities, and great variety of delicacies which were then ex- pending in every part of Chriftendom, and that with a profulion bordering on wafte, I could not refrain from wifhing myfelf again in Europe, if I it had been only to have had an opportuiuty of alleviating the extreme hunger which I fufiered with the refufe of the table of any one of my ac- quaintance. My Indians, however, ftill kept !n goodfpirits; and as we were then acrofsalltbe barren ground, and faw a few frefli tracks of deer, they began to think that the worft of the road was oyer for that winter, and flattered me with the.expedlation of foon meeting with deer and other game in greater plenty than we had done fincc our departure from the Fort. Early in the morning of the twenty-eighth, we again fet out, and direfted our courfe to the Weftward, aSth. NORTHERN OCEAN. 69 Weftward, through thick ihrubby woods, confift- , mm^^ ing chiefly of ill-fliaped (lunted pines, with fmall v.^v^^ dwarf junipers, intermixed here and there, par- ^^'^""l*?"* ticularly round the margins of ponds and fwamps, with dwarf willow buflies; and among the rocks and fides of the hills were alfo ibme fmall poplars. On the thirtieth, we arrived at the Eaft fide of 3oth. Ifland Lake, where the Indians killed two large buck deer ; but the rutting feafon was fo lately over, that their fleih was only eatable by thofe who could not procure better food. In the even- ing, N^tonabbee was taken very ill ; and from the nature of his complaint, I judged his illnefs to have proceeded from the enormous quantity of meat that he had eat on the twenty-feventh, as he had been indifpofed ever iince that time. Nothing is more ' common with thofe Indians, after they have eat as much at a fitting as would ferve fix moderate men, than to find themfelves out of order ; but not one of them can bear to hear that it is the efied of eating too much : in de- fence of which they fay, that the meaneft of the animal creation knows when hunger it fatisfied, and will leave off accordingly. This, however, is a falfe affertion, advanced knowingly in fup- port of an abfurd argument ; for it is well known by them, as well as all the Southern Indians, that the black bear, who, for fize and the delicacy of its flelh, may juftly be called a refpeclable ani- mal, is fo far from knowing when its hunger is fatisfied. December. ;o A JOURNEY TO THE lyyo, ^tisfied, that, in the Sumintr, when the berries are ripe, it will gorge to fuch a degree, that it fre. quently, and even daily, vomits up great quan- tities of new-fwallowed fruit, before it has un> dergone any change in the ftomach, and im< mediately renews its repaft with as much cager- nefs as before. - Notwithftanding the Northern Indians are at times fo voracious, yet they bear hunger with a degree of fortitude which, as Mr. Ellis juftly ob. ferves of the Southern Indians, <* is much eafier ** to admire, than to imitate." I have more than once feen the Northern Indians, at th^ end of three or four days fafttng, as merry and jocoTe on the fubjeA, as if they had voluntarily impofed it on themfelves ; and would aik each other in the plainest terms, and in the merrieft mood, If they had any inclination for an intrigue with a ftrange woman ? I muft acknowledge that examples of this kind were of infinite fervice to me, as they tended to keep up my fpirits on thofe occafions ^ith a degree of fortitude that would have been impoilible for me to have done had the Indians behaved in a contrary manner, and exprefled any apprehenfion of ilarving. Early in the morning of the thirty-firft, we con- tinued our journey, and walked about fourteen miles to the Weftward on Ifland Lake, where we ^sed our refidence; but Matonabbee was at this time fo ill as to be obliged to be hauled on a fledge the whole day. 'I he next morning, how- ever, 3ift- JinuMTf ift. NORTHERN OCEAN. 71 ever, he fo far recovered ai to be capable of walk- 1771. ing'y when we proceeded on to the Weft and Weft by North, about fixteen miles farther on the fame Lake, till we arrived at two tents, which contained the remainder of the wives and families of my guides, who had been waiting there for the returp of their huibands from the Fort. Here we found only two men, though there were up« ward of twenty women and children ; and as thofe two men had no gun or ammunition, they had no other method of fupporting themfelves and the women, but by catching fifli, and fnaring a few rabbits : the latter were fcarce, but the for* mer were ealily caught in confiderable numbers either with nets or hooks. The fpeciesof fiih generally ca\ight in the nets are tittemeg, pike» and barbie^' and the only forts caught with hooks are trout, pike, burbut, and a fmall fifli, erroneoufly called by the Engliih tench : the Sou- thern Indians called it the toothed tittemeg, and the Northern Indians call it faint eah. They are delicate eating ; being nearly as firm as a perch, and generally very fat. They fcldom exceed a foot in length, and in ihape much referable a gurnard, except that of having a very long broad fin on the back, like a perch, but this fin is not armed with fimiiar fpikes. The fcales are large, and of a footy brown. They are generally moft efteemed when broiled or roafted with the fcales on, of courfe the Ikin is not eaten. As the Captain [Matonabbee] and one man were January A JOURNEY TO THE were indirpofed, we did not move on the fecond of January; but early in the^ morning of the third fet out, and walked about feven miles to the North Weftward, five of which were on the above mentioned Lake ; when the Indians hav. ing killed two deer, we put up for the night. liland Lake (near the center) is in latitude 60^ 45' North, and 102" 25' Weft longitude, from London ; and is, at the part we croiTed, about thirty-five miles wide: but from the North Eaft to the South Weft it is much larger, and entire- ly full of iflands, fo near to each other as to make the whole Lake refemble a jumble of ferv pentine rivers and creeks ; and it is celebrated by by the natives as abounding with great plenty of fine fifli during the beginning of the Winter, At different parts of this Lake moft part of the wives and families of thofe Northern Indians who vifit Prince of Wales's Fort in October and Np. vember generally refide, and wait for their re- turn ) as there is little fear of their being in want of provifions, even without the ailiftance of a gun and ammunition, which is a point of real confequence to them. The Lake is plentifully fuppUed with water from feveral fmall rivulets and creeks which run into it at the South Weft end; and it empties itfelf by means of other fmall rivers which run to the North Kaft, the principal of which is Nemace-a-feepce-a-fifli, or Little Fidi River. Many of the iflands, as well ab the main land round this Lake, abound with dwarf NORTHERN OCEAN. I dwarf woods, chiefly pines; but in fome parts intennixed with larch and fmall birch trees. The land, like all the reft which lies to the North J*"'""^*. , ^ of Seal River, is hilly, and full of rocks; and though none of the hills are high, yet as few of Ithe woods grow on their fummits, they in general |ihew their fnowy heads far above the woods ^hich grow in the vallies, or thole which are fcattered about their iides. After leaving Ifland Lake, we continued our [old courfe between the Weft and North Weft, [and travelled at th^ eafy rate of eight or nine miles day. Provifions of all kinds were fcarce till [the fifteenth, when the Indians killed twelve ieer. This induced us to put up, though early pn the day; and finding great plenty of deer in the neighbourhood of our little encampment, ic ^as agreed by all parties to remain a few days, fa order to dry s^nd pound fome meat to make it lighter for carriage. Having, by the twenty-^econd, provided a fuf- [ficient ftock of provifion, properly prepared, to [carry with us, and repaired our fledges and fnow- loes, we again purfued our courfe in the North IWeft quarter ; and in the afternoon fpoke with a iflranger, an Indian, who had one of Matonabbee's Iwives under his care. He did not remain in our Icompany above an hour, as he only fmoked part jof a few pipes, with his friends j and returned [to his tent, which could not be far difiant from [the place where we lay that night, as the woman and sad. 4^ ;4 A JOURKEY TO THE fj»i, and her two children joined us next morning, <— v*-' before we had taken down our tent and made January, ^.^^jy f^^ moving. Thofe peoplc were the firft Grangers whom we had met fince we left the Fort, though we had travelled feveral hundred | miles ; which is a proof that this part of the coub. try is but thinly inhabited. It is a truth well I known to the natives^ and doubtlefs founded oi\ experience, that there are many very extenfive trads of land in thofe parts, which are incapable of affording fupport to any number of the human race even during the ihort time they are paifiog through them, in the capacity of emigrants, from one place to the other ; much lefs are they capa> ble of affording a conibnt fupport to thofe who I might wiih to make them their fixed refidena at any feafon of the year. It is true, that few rivers or lakes in thofe parts are entirely deftitute of fifii; but the uncertainty of meeting with a fufficient fupply for any conliderable time tog^ | ther, makes the natives very cautious how tk put their whole dependance on that article, as it has too frequently been the means of many bun< dreds, being ftarved to death. 33d. By the twenty-third, deer were ib plentiful that the Indians (ieemed to think that^ unlefe the feafon, contrary to expe^ation and general ex< perience, fliouid prove unfavourable, there would ] be no fear of our being in want of provifiooi during the reft of the Winter, as deer had al- 6th. NORTHERN OCEAN. 75 ways been known to be in great plenty in the di^ , ^ « , ^ region which they intended to walk. <— ^*— J Go the third of February, we continued our '3™*"^*' 1 couric to the Weft by North and Weft North Weft, and were fo near the edge of the woods, I that the barren ground was in fight to the North- I ward. As the woods trended away to the Weft, I we were obliged to alter our courfe to Weft by South, for the fake of keeping among them, as well as the deer. In the courfe of this day's walk we faw feveral ftrangers, fome of whom remained in our company, while othets went on [their refpcdUve ways. On the toh, we crofted the main branch of ICathawhachaga River ; which, at that part, is [about three quarters of a mile broad ; and after [walking three miles farther, came to the fide of ICofted Whoie, or Partridge, Lake ; but the day Ibeing hx fpent, and the weather exceflively cold, [we put up for the night. Early in the morning of the feventh, the wea- [ther being ferene and clear, we fet out, and [crofted the above mentioned Lake; which at [that part is about fourteen miles wide ; but from [the South South Weft to North North Eaft is mch larger. It is impofiible to defcribe the in- tenfenefs of the cold which we experienced this [day; and the difpatch we made in crofting [the lake is almoft incredible, as it was performed [by the grcateft part of my crew in lefs than two |hours J though fome of the women, who were heavy 7th. A JOURNEY TO THE, heavy laden, took a much longer time. Several of the Indians were much frozen, but none of them more difagreeably fo than one of Matonab- bee's wives, whofe thighs and buttocks were in a manner incrufted with frofi ; and when thaw, ed, feveral blifters arofe, nearly as large as (beeps' bladders. The pain the poor woman fuffered on this occalion was greatly aggravated by the laugh- ter and jeering of her companions, who faid that ihe was rightly ferved for belting her clothes fo high. I muft acknowledge that 1 was not in the number of thofe who pitied her, as I thought Hie took too much pains to fhew a clean heel and good leg ; her garters being always in fight, which, though by no means confidered here as bordering on indecency, is by far too airy to withftand the rigorous cold of a fevere winter in a high Northern latitude. I doubt not that the laughter of her companions was excited by iimilar ideas. When we got on the Weft fide of Partridge Lake we continued our courfe for many days to- ward the Weft by South and Weft South Weft; when deer were fo plentiful, and the Indians killed fuch vaft numbers, that notwithftanding we frequently remained three, four, or five days in a place, to eat up the fpoils of our hunting, yet at our departure we frequently left great quantities of good meat behind us, which we €ould neither cat nor carry with us. This con- dudt is the more excufabic among people whofe wandering NORTHERN OCEAN. 77 wandering manner of life and contra£led ideas 17^1. make every thing appear to them as the effeft of \yy^ mere chance. The great uncertainty of their ' '""** ever vifiting this or that part a fecond time, in- I duces them to think there is nothing either wrong or improvident in living on the beft the country will afford, as they are pailing through it from place to place ; and they feem willing that thoCe who come after them fhould take their chance, as they have done. On the twenty- firft, we croffed The»whole-ky- a, ft. ed Whole, or Snowbird Lake, which at that part was about twelve or thirteen miles wide, though from North to South it is much larger. As deer were as plentiful as before, we expended much time in killing and eating them. This Mato- nabbee affured me was the beft way we could em- ploy ourfelves, as the feafon would by no means permit us to proceed in a direct: line for the Cop- per-mine River ; but when the Spring advanced, and the deer began to draw out to the barren | ground, he would then, he faid, proceed in fuch a manner as to leave no room to doubt of our arrival at the Copper-mine River in pro- per time. On the fecond of March, we lay by the fide of March Whooldyah'd Whole or Pike Lake, and not far from Doo-baunt Whole River. On the next day we again began to crofs the above mentioned Lake, but after walking feven miles on it to the Weft South Weft, we arrived at a large tent of Northern 3d. Match. Northern Indlaris, who had befcrt livirigf tlirt* ftdth the begiitiiing of the Winter, jind had fbutid % plentiful fubfilience by catching deef iii a pound. This kind of employment is performed in the fol- lowing manner : Wh^n the Indians defign to impc^uiid de^i", they look out for one of the paths iti which a number of them have trod, and which is^ obfferv. ed to be ftill frequented by thetn. When thdc paths crofs a lake, a wide river, or a barrep plain, they are found to be much the beft for the pur- pofe ; and if the path run through a clufter of woods, capable of affording materials for building the pound, it adds cdnfiderably to the commodi- oufnefs of the fituatioii. The pound is built by inaking a ilrong fence with brulhy trees, without obferving any degree of regularity, and the work is continued to any extent, according to the plea* {bre of the builders. I have feen fome that were not lefs than a mile round, and am informed that there are others ftill more extenfive. The door, or entrante of the pound, is not larger than a com* itibti gite, and the infide is fo crowded with fmall counter-hedges as very muth to refemble a maze; in every opening of which they fet a fnare, made with thongs of parchment deer-lkins well twifted together, which are amaiingly ftrong. One end of the fnare is ufually made f^ft to a growing pole; but if no One of a fufficient fize can be found ncii the place Where the fharc is fet, a loofe pole is fub- ftltuted in its rodnl, which is always of fUch fi^e and NORTHERN OCEAN. iind Ifigth that a deer cannot drag it far before it gets entangled among the other woods, which are all left ftanding except what id found necefla- Tf for making the fence, hedges, &c. The pound being thus prepared, a row of fmall brufliwood is fiuck up in the fnow on each fide the door or entrance ; and thefe hedge-rows are continued along the open part of the lake, river, or plain, where neither (lick nor ftump befides h to be feen, which makes them the more diftindly obferved. Thefe poles, or bruih-wood, are gene- rally placed at the diftance of fifteen or twenty, yards from each other, and ranged in fuch a man« her as to form two fides of a long acute angle, growing gradually wider in proportion to the di^ fiance they extend from the entrance of the pound, which fometimes is not lefs than two or three miles ; while thedeer's path is exa6kly along the middle, between the two rows of bruih-wood^ Indians employed on this fervice always pitch their tent on or near to an eminence that affords a commanding profpeA of the path leading to the pound ; and when they fee any deer going that way, men, women, and children walk along the lake or river-fide under cover of the woods, till they get behind them, then ftep forth to open view, and proceed towards the pound in the form of a crefcent. The poor timorous deer finding themfelves purfued, and at the fame time taking the two rows of brulhy poks to be two ranks of people ftationed to prevent their paifingon either fide. 79 1771. March. 8o A JOURNEY TO THE 1 77 1 . fide, run ftraight forward in the path till they get *"mIS"' '^^^^ ^^^ pound. The Indians then dofc in, and block up the entrance with fome brufhy trees, . that have been cut down and lie at hand for that purpofe. The deer being thus enclofed^ the wo- men and children walk round the pound, to pre* vent them from breaking or jumping over the fence, while the men are employed fpearing fuck as are entangled in the fnares, and (hooting with bows and arrows thofe which remain loofe in the pound. • This method of hunting, if it deferves the name, is fometimes fo fuccefsful, that many fa- milies fubfift by it without having occafion to move their tents above once or twice during the courfe of a whole winter ; and when the Spring advances, both the deer and Indians draw out to the Eaftward, on the ground which is entirely barren, or at lead: what is fo called in thofe parts, as it neither produces trees or (hrubs of any kind, fo that mofs and fome little grafs is all the her- bage which is to be found on it.^ Such an eafy way of procuring a comfortable maintenance in the Winter months, (which is by far the word time of the year,) is wonderfully well adapted to the fupport of the aged and infirm, but is too apt to occafion an habitual indolence in the young and adlive, who frequently fpend a whole Winter in this indolent manner : and as thole parts of the country are almoft deftitute of every animal of the furr kind, it cannot be fuppofed that thofe who .NORTHERN OCEAN. Bt March* . who indulge themfelves in this indolent method 1771. of procuring food can be mafters of any thing for trade; whereas thofe who do not get their live- lihood at fo eafy a rate, generally procure furrs enough during the Winter to purchafe a fu^ci- ent fupply of ammunition, and other European goods, to laft them another year. This is nearly the language of the more induflrious among them, who, of courfe, are of mod importance and value to the Hudfon's Bay Company, as it is from them the furrs are procured which compofe the greateft part of Churchill trade. But in my opi- nion, there cannot eidft a ftronger proof that mankind was not created to enjoy happinefs in this world, than the conduA of the miferable be- ings who inhabit this wretched part of it ; as nofiQ but the aged and infirm, the women and children, a few of the more indolent and unambitious part of them, will fubmit to remain in the parts when? food and clothing are procured in this eafy man- ner, becaufe no animals are produced there whofi? furrs are valuable. And what do the more in- duftrious gain by giving themfelves all this addi- tional trouble ? The real wants of thefe people are few, and cafily fupplied ; a hatchet, an ice* chiflel, a file, and a knife, are all that is required to enable them, with a little induftry, to procure a comfortable livelihood j and thofe who endea- vour to poffcfs more, are always the moft unhap- py, and may, in faft, be faid to be only'ilaves and carriers to the reft, whofe ambition never leads G them 8^ A JOURNEY TO THE , -• I , them to any thing beyond the means of procuring U*tyr«^ fooci and clothing, It is true, the carriers pride themfelves much on the refpcJt which is (hewn to them at the Fa^ory ; to obtain which they frc quently run great rifques of being ftarved to death in their way thither and back ; and all ^hat they qan poflibly get there for the furrs they procure after a year's toil, feldom amounts to more than is Sufficient to yield a bare fubfillence, and a feiy furr^ for the enfuing year's market ', while thofe whon(i they call indolent and mean-fpirited live ge- nerally in a ftate of plenty, without trouble pj rifque; and confequently mull be the moll happy, and^ in truth, the moft independent alfo. ^t mvft be allowed that they are by far the greated phi- lofophers, as they never give themfelves the trou. ble to acquire what they can do well enough with- out. The deer they lull, furnilhcs them m\h food, and a variety of w^rm and comfortable clothing, either with or without ^he hair, accord- iug as the feafpns require j apd it muft be very hard indeed, if chey cannot get furrs enough in( thp courfe of two or three years, to purchafe a h^tch- et, and fuch other edge-tools as are neceflj^ry for their purpofe. Indeed thofe wHo tal^e no con- cern at all about procuring f^rrs, have gener^y an opportunity of providing thenvfelves with all their real wants from their more induftrious countrymen, in exchan|;c for provifions, and rea* 4y-dreffed Ikins for clothing. It is undoubtedly the duty of every one of the Com* NORTHERN OCEAN. Company's fervants to encourage a fpirit of iqdu- flry among the natives, and to ufe every means iii their power to induce them to procure furrs and other commodities for trade, by ailuring them of a' ready purchafe and good payment for every thing they bring to the fa dlory : and I can truly fay, that this has ever been the grand objeA of my attention. But I muft at the fame time confefs, that fuch conduA is by no means for the real be- nefit of the poor Indians; it being well known that thofe who have the leaft intercourfe with th^ Fadories, are by far the happieft. As their whole aim is to procure a comfortable fubfiftence, they take the moft prudent methods to accompliih it( and by always following the lead of the deer, are feldom expofed to the griping band of famine, fo frequently felt by thofe who are called the an* nual traders. It is true, that there are few of the Indians, whofe manner of life I have juft defcrib- ed, but have once in their lives at leaft vifited Prince of Wales's Fort ; and the hardfliips and dangers which moft of them experienced on thofe occaiions, have left fuch a lafting impreflion oni their minds, that nothing can induce them to re- peat their vifits : nor is it, in fadb, the intereft of the company that people of this eafy turn, and who require only as much iron-work at a time as can be purchafed with three or four beaver fkins, and that only once in two or three years, fliould be invited to the Factories; becaufc what they beg and Heal while there, is worthy in the way of G 2 trade n {I 84 A JOURNEY TO THE 1771. trade, three times the quantity of furrs which *j?JJT^ they bring. For this reafon, it is much more for the intereft of the Company that the annual tra- ders (hould buy up all thofe fmall quantities of furrs, and bring them in their own name, thai\ that a parcel of beggars fhould be encouraged to come to the Factory with fcarcely as many furrs as will pay for the victuals they cat while they are on the plantation. I have often heard it obferved, that the Indians who attend the deer-pounds might, in the courfe of a winter, collect a vafl number of pelts, which would well deferve the attention of thofe who are called carriers or traders; but it is a truth, though unknown to thofe fpecUlators, that the deer ikins at that fcafon are not only as thin as a bladder, but are alfo full of warbles, which ren- der them of little or no value. Indeed, were they a more marketable commodity than they really are, the remote fituation of thofe pounds from the Company's Factories, muft for ever be an unfur- mountable barrier to the Indians bringing any of thofe ikins to trade. The fame obfervation may be made of all the other Northern Indians, whofe chief fupport, the whole year round, is vcnifon ; but the want of heavy draught in Winter, and water-carriage in fummer, will not permit them * to bring many deer Ikins to market, not even thofe that are in feafon, and for which there has always been great encouragement given. We flopped only one night in company with the Indians 7th. 8tb, NORTHERN OCEAIiJ. Sj? Indians whom we mtt on Pike Lake, and in the lyyt, morning of the fourth, proceeded to crofs the re-' mainder of that Lake j but, though the weather was fine, and though the Lake w^s not moire than twenty.feven miles broad at the place where wc croHed it, yet the Indians loft fo much time sit play, that it was the feventh befot-e we arrived on the Weft fide of it. During the Whole time wc werecroiling it, each night we found either points of land, or iOands, to put ikp in. Oh the eighth, we lay a little to the Eaft North Eaft of Black Beat Hill, where the Indians killed two deer, which were the firft we had feen for ten days ; biit hav- ing plenty of dried meat and fat with us, we wtfre by no means in want during any part of that time. On the ninth, we proceeded on our courfe to the Weftward, and foon met with as great plenty of deer as we had feen during any part of our journey; which, no doubt, made things go on fmooth and eafy : and as the Spring advanced, the rigour of the winter naturally abated, fo thit at times we had fine pleafant weather overhead, though it was never fo Warm as to occafion any thaw, unlefs in fuch places as lay expofed to the mid-day fun, and were flieltered from all the cold winds. On the nineteenth, as we were continuing our courfe to the Weft and Weft by South, we faw the tracks of feveral ftrangers j and on following the main path, we arrived that night at five tentS of Northern Indians, who had refided there great part 9tb, 19^ u a^th. «jcr. 36th. A JOURNEY TO THE part of the Winter, fnaring deer in the fame man- ner as thofe before mentioned. Indeed, it (Eould feem that this, as well as fome other places, had been frequented more than once en this occaiion; for the .wood that had been cut down for fewel, and other ufes, was almoft incredibte. Before morning, the weather became fo bad, and the fiorm continued to rage with fuch violence, that we did not move for feveral days j and as fome of the Indians we met with at this place were go. Ing to Prince of Wales's Fort in the Summer, ! embraced the opportunity of fending by them a Letter to the Chief at that Fort, agreeably to the te^or of my inftruf^ions. By fumming up my courfes and diftances from my laft obfervation, for the weather at that time would not permit me to obferve, I judged myfelf to be in latitude 61** 30' North, and about 19'' 60' of longitude to the Weft of Churchill River. This, and fome accounts of the ufage I received from the natives, with my opinion of the future fuccefs of the journey, formed the contents of my Letter. On the twenty-third, the weather became fine and moderate, fo we once more purfued our way, and the next day, as well as on the twenty-fixth, faw feveral more tents of Northern Indians, who were employed in the fame manner as thofe we had formerly met ; but fome of them having had bad fuccefs, and being relations or acquaintances *t)fpartof my crew, joined our company, and proceeded with us to the Weftward. Though the NORTHERN OCfeAN. xht dttr did not then ktcp iregahr paths, fo ^td enable the Ihdians to catch them in fiounds, yet they were to be tiiet ^ith in great abundance iii fcattelred herds ; fo that my companions killed as mahy as they pleafed with their giins. We ftlH continued otir (Touirfe to the Weft and Weft by South, and On the eighth of April, air- rivfed at a fmall Lake, called Thelewfey-aza-jreth ; but with what propriety it is fo called 1 cannot difcover, foir the meaning oFThclewey-aza-yeth is Little Fifli Hill: probably fo called fh)m a high hill which ftands on a long point near the Weft end of the lake. On an ifland iii this Lake \trt pitched our tents, and the Indians finding deer very nutiierotis, determined to ftay here fome time, in orictei* to dry and pound meat to take with us ; for they well knew, by the feafon of the year, that thd deer Were then drawing out to the barren ground, andjas the Indians propofed to walk due North on out leaving the Lake, it wad uncertain when we fhould again meet with any more. As feveral Indiahs hid duritig the Win- ter joined our party, our number had now in- creafed to fevcn tents, which in the whole con- tained not lefs than feventy perfons. Agreeably to the Indiahs* propbfals we remain- ed at Thelewey-aza-yeth ten days ; during which time my companions were bufily employed (at their intervals from hunting) in preparing fmall ftaves of birch-wood, about one and a quarter inch fquate, and fcven or eight feet long. Thefe fcrvc April. 8th. 88 A JOURNEY TO THE vjj'U fisrve as tent.poles all the fummer, while on the *^p^ barren ground ; and as the falK advances, are converted inta fnow-flioe frames for Winter ufe, Birchrind, together with timbers and other wood- work for building canoes, were alfo another oh- ytd: of the Indian's attention while at this place ; but as the canoes were not to be fet up till our arrival at Clowey, (which was many miles diilant,) all the wood- work was reduced to its proper fize, for the fake of making it light for carriage. As to myfelf, I had little to do, except to make a few pbfervations for determining the latitude, bringing up my journal, and filling up my chart to the prefent time. I found the latitude of this place 6i° 30' North, and its longitude, by my ac- count, 1 9** Weft of Prince of Wales's Fort. x8th. Having a good ftock of dried provifions, and moft of the neceffary work for canoes all ready, pn the eighteenth wu moved about nine or tea miles to the NortK North Weft, and then came to a tent of Northern Indians who were tenting on the North fide of Thelewey-aza River. From thefe Indians Matonabbee purchafed another wife^ fo that he had now no lefs than feven, moft of whom would for fize have made good grena- diers. He prided himfelf much in the height and ftrength of his wives, and would frequently lay, few women would carry or haul heavier loads; aiid though they had, in general, a very mafcu- line appearance, yet he preferred them to thofe of a more delicate form and moderate ftature. In NORTHERN OCEAN. In 2 country like this, where a partner in exceHiye hard labour is the chief motive for the union, and the fofter endearments of a conjugal life are only confidered as a fecondary objedl, there feems to be great propriety in fuch a choice ; but if all the men were of this way of thinking, what would become of the greater part of the women, who in general are but of low flature, and many of them of a moft delicate make, though not of the ex- adeft proportion, or- moft beautiful mould ? Take them in a body, the women are as deftitute q£ real beauty as any' nation 1 ever faw, though there are fome few of them, when young, who are to- lerable ; but the care . ■ f- mily, added to their conftant hard labour, TuGn make the moft beau- tiful among them look old and wrinkled, even before they are thirty; and feveral of the more ordinary ones at that age are perfect antidotes to love and gallantry. This, however, does not ren- der them lefs dear and valuable to their owners^ which is a lucky circumftance for thofe women, and a certain proof that there is no fuch thing as any rule or ftandard for beauty. Alk a Nor- thern Indian, what is beauty ? he will anfwer, a broad flat face, fmall eyes, high cheek-bones, three cr four broad black lines a-crofs each cheek, a low forehead, a large broad chin, a clumfy hook-nofey a tawny hide, and breafts hanging down to the belt. Thofe beauties are greatly heightened, or at leaft rendered more valuable, when the poflef- for is capable of drefling all kinds of feins, con- verting 83 ^hW^ ifitia into thb difi^fcht f^airts bf tW clbthittjj, ahd iblfc to carry tlg:Kf 6^ tfeh * ftonfeiir Sathm^i', bf haul a ixiiJch ^rfcat^r weight Ih Wih- tb't, Init^hy ind oth6r dtnihtr accompiiihthents, itt k\\ ihit ixt fought aifte^, bir teiEp^^ed, df^ rtbifthern Ihdiah ili^btt)iin. As to their t^tfij^et, it hbriiitte cbtife^uetice \ iPor the tutti havt a #bti. 6ttM JTicUity Ih makihg thd moft ll^'abbbrh cbiti. piy ^ith ks ihtxch ^lacirity ^^ coUld pbffibly be bx. peaM ^oih thbfe bf thi; MXiit^ ahd ihbft Obli^. ihg ttith of nitnd ; fo th^t th« only real difference % the bhc obeys through fear, and the Other com* pfifes ch^fei-fuJiy firbm k \Villihg mind; both know- ill^ that What is ebmmaiided muft be done. They aire, in iFai^, kll kept at a grieat diftahce, and the riink they hold in the bpinibh of the men cannot bcb*tt*ltekt)^flredo^ explained, than by obferv. ih'gtli6tti^hbdbftreatiii|r or fefvihg thcih at iifteids, which would aj)p6ar very huihiliatihg, to ah lltif bp^ah wom^h, though culRom makes it lit Kj^ht 6Ti thbfe Whofe lot it is to bear it. tt is iic c^ty to obferve, that when the men kilt any FaVge b&aft, the wbftifen are always lent to bring it to th'e f^ttt : wh^h it is brbught there, every bpc- ritibh it ttn'd^lrgbi's, tiich as fpliUihg, drying, ]jo\i'n'diin'g, fe. is perib]i*nied by the women. ^^tti Jiiiy thihg is to be {)repared for eating, it J$ tilfc wbihcn Who cook it ; and when it is dotie, thfc Wlv^S aufd datight'ci's of the greatcft Captains in * The ftone here meant is fourteen pounds. ApriL NORTHERN OGBAN. ft in the countiT- are ntVer ferwd, till all the thalefl, i ^'^ t . even thofe who are in the capacity of fervants, Jiave eaten what they think proper ; and in tiiines of icarcity it i» frequently their lot to be left with- out a fingle mcrfet. it is, however, natttnd to think they take the Kbeirty of heljping themfolvcs in fecret ; but this muft be done with great phl- dente, as capital embezzlements of provifions ih fnch times aire looked on as aiflFairs c^ real confd- qaehce, and frequently fubjed: them to a vtty fevere beating. If they are prafbifed by a woliian whofe youth and inattention todomeftic eoncerm cannot pliead iti her favour, they will for ever be a blot in her charider, and ftew men will chufe to have her for a wife. Finding plenty of good birth growfng by tlie fide of Theley-aza Riv6r, we remained there for a few days, in order to coihpiete all the wood-work for the canoes, as well as for every other ufe foir which we could poffibly want it on the barreti ground^ during our Summer's cruife. On the twentieth, Matonabbee fent one of hii brother^, and fome others, a-head, with birch ^rind and wood- work for a cahoe, and gave thejm orders to proceed to a fmail Lake nbar the barren ground called Clowey, where they were diefired to make all poflible hafte in building the c^iide, that it might be ready on our arrival. Having finiflied fuch wood- work as the Indians thought would be* neceffary, and having aug- mented our ftock irf dried meal and fat, the twenty- aotk. gi A JOIJkNEV to THE ' 1771. twenty-firft was appointed for moving; but out y^^^r>^ of the women having been taken in labour, and ^^'^* it being rather an extraordinary cafe, we were detained more than tWo days. The inftant, however, the poor woman was delivered, whick was not until flie had fufiered all the pains ufually •felt on thofe occafions for near fifty-two hours^ the (ignal was made for moving when the poor crea- ture took her infant on hei^ back and fet out with the reft of the company ; and though another perfon had the humanity to haul her fledge for her, (for one day only,) ihe was obliged to car. - ry a confiderable load befide her little charge, and was frequently obliged to wade knee*deep in water and wet fnow. Her very looks, exclufive of her moans, were a fufficient proof of the great pain flie endured, infomuch that although (he was i perfon I greatly difliked, her diftrefs at this time fo overcame my prejudice, that I never felt more for any of her fex in my life ; indeed her iigbs pierced me to the foul, and rendered me very mi- ferable, as it was not in my power to relieve her. When a Northern Indian woman is taken inlii' bour, a fmall tent is ereded for her, at fuch a dif- tance from the other tents that her cries cannot eafily be heard, and the other women and young girls are herconftant vifitants: no male, except children in arms, ever offers to approach her. It is a t:ircumftance perhaps to be lamented, that thefe people neVer attempt to affift each other on thofe occafions, even in the moft critical cafes. This c, wc were Aprilf NORTHERN OCEAN. 93 This is in fomc meafure owing to delicacy, bujt i>i*iu more probably to an opinion they entertain that nature is abundantly fufficient to perform every thing required, without any external help what- ever. When I informed them of the affiftance which European women derive, from the fl^ill and attention of our midwives^, they treated it with tl^e utmod contempt ; ironically obferving, ** that " the many hump-backs, bandy-legs, and other " deformities, fo frequent among the Englifh, ** were undoubtedly owing to the great ikill bf *< the perfons who ailifted in bringing them into ^* the world, and to the extraordinary care of ♦* their qurfes afterward." A Northern Indian won^an after child-birth is reckoned unclean for a month or five weeks; during which time (he always remains in a fmall tent placed at a little diftance from the others, with only a female acquaintance or two; and dur- ing the whole time the father never fees the child. Their reafon for this pradice is, that children when firft born are fometimes not very fightly, having in general large heads, and but little hair, and are, moreover, often difcoloured by the forcq of the labour ; fo that were the father to fee them to fuch great difadvantage, he might probably take a diflike to them, which never afterward could be removed. The names of the children are always given to them by the parents, or fome perfon near of kin. Thofe of the boys are various, and generally de- rived 94 1771. A9^ •Jd. May. 3d. A JOURNEY TO THE rive4 from fome place, feafon, or aoimal ; the names of the girls are chiefly taken from fome part or property of a Martin ; fycl^as, the White Martin, the Black Martin, the Suminer Martin, the Martin's Head, the Afartin's Fqot, the Mar- tin's Heart, the Martin's Tail, &c.* On the twenty 'third, as I hinted above, yre b^ gan tQ move forward, and to fhape oyr courfe nearly North { but the weather was in general fohot, and fb much fnpw had, i^ confluence, beein m^ted, as made it bad wal|dng in fnow. ihoes^ and fuch exceeding heavy hauling, that it was the third of May befpre we could arrive at Clowey, tjjiough the diftance was not above eigh- ty^fiye milfss from Thelewey-a^a-yeth. In our way we crofled part of two (mall l^akes, called Tittameg Lake and' Scartack Lake;i neither of whicl^ are of any note,^ tltough both abound with fine ^I^. # MatoiUib}>ee had eight: wives, and tbey were all called Martinf* CHAP. J^QJlTfiERNf QQBANr n C H A P. V. Traofa^Hoiis at Clowey, and on our Journey-, tUl our Arrival at the Copper*nnine River. Several firange Indians join fts.'-^ Indians employed Imilding canoes j de/criptipi and ufi of thtm.ff— More hdiansjoin us,ioiie amount of fame hundreds, rrrteave Ckwey.-^Reeeive intelligence thai KeeU Jhies was near m.-s^Twayomg men di/patci^edfir- my kiters and goods *r^ Arrive at Feft)ew Lake ; crofs part of it, and make a large fmoke.i*^nerf Matonahbe^s wives elopes^^f^Some remarks on tie naHves,-r-KeelJkies joins us^ fm4 delivers my letters^ hut the goods were all e»pended,>^A Northern hx dian imfhes to take one of Matonabbee^s t^es/rem him; matters comprom^d, but had like to have proved fatal to my progrefs.^^Crofs Pejhem l>ake^ when I make proper arrangements for the remainder ^ my journey, -^-Many Indiamj^ our partyy in^or- der to make war (otthe Efquimaux at the C^per Mi- v^r.'im-Pr^arations made for that purpofe while at Chwey ,'^Pr'Oceed on our journey to the North,-^ Sme remarks on the way*- — Cn)fr Cogead Lake on iheice.-~Thefun did not fit,'-' Arrive at CongC' cathawhachaga^'^RndfeveralCopp^Indi(^s there* TT^emfirks and trqnfa&ions during ourfiayM Con- gecaihawhachaga.'-^Froceed an ourjourney^^-Wea' iber very bad,*-^ Arrive at the Stoney Mountains,-'^ Some (ucount of them^-^Crofs part rfBuffala Lake m 96 A JOURNEY TO THE m the ici^'^Saw many mujk-oxtn* — Defiripthn of ibm»-^Went ,with fome Indians to view GrizzU- bear HUL'^jQin ajirange Forthem Indian Leader ^ caUtd 0*iye, in company with feme Ccpper Indiant, -^Their behaviour to me^-^Arrive at the Copper. mine River, M»y. |i'--'&' 1771, ^X^HE Lake Clowey is not much more than ~ ' X twelve miles broad in the wideft part. A fmall river which runs into it on the Weft fide, is faid by the Indians to join the Athapufcow Lake. On our arrival at Clowey on the third of May, we found that the Captain's brother, and thofe who wer9 ient a-head with him from Theley-aza River, had only got there two days before us ; and, on account of the weather, had not made the leaft progrefs in building the canoe, the plan of which they had taken with them. The fame day we got to Clowey feveral other Indians joined us from different quarters, with intent to build their canoes at the fame place. Some of thofe indians had refided within four or five miles, to the South Eaft of Clowey all the Winter ^ and had pro- cured a plentiful livelihood by fnaring deer, in the manner which has been already defcribed Immediately after our arrival at Clowey, the In* dians began to build their canoes, and embraced every convenient opportunity for that purpofe : but as warm and dry weather only is fit for this bufinefs, which was by no means the cafe at pre« fent, it was the eighteenth df May before the ca- noes Mur. •oth. NORTHERN OCEAN. 97 noei belonging to my party could be completed, lyyi. On the nineteenth we began to proceed on our journey ; but Matonabbee'9 canoe meeting with fome damage, which took near a whole day to repair, we were detained till the twentieth. Thofe veflels, though made of the fame mate^ rials with the canoes of the Southern Indians, dif- fer from them both in ihape and conftrudlion ; they are alfo much fmaller and lighter, and though very flight and Ample in their conftru^ton, are neverthelefs the beft that could poffibly be con- trived for the ufe of thofe poor people, who are frequently obliged to carry them a hundred, and fometimes a hundred and fifty miles at a time, without having occafion to put them into the wa- ter. Indeed, the chief ufe of thefe canoes is to ferry over unfordable rivers ; though fometimes, and at a few places, it muft be acknowledged, that they are of great fervice in killing deer, as they enable the Indians to crofs rivers and the narrow parts of lakes ; they are alfo ufeful in kill- ing fwans, geefe, ducks,&c. in the moulting feafon. Air the tools ufed by an Indian in building his canoe, as well as in making his fnow-fhoes, and, every other kind of wood-work, confift of % hatchet, a knife, a file, and an awl ; in the ufe of which they are fo dextrous, that every thing they make is executed with a neatnefs not to be ex- celled by the moft expert mechanic, alTifted with every tool he could wi{h. In fliape the Northern Indian canoe bears fome H reicm- 9r May. A JOURNEY TO THB reifembhnce to a weaver's (huttle ; being flat-bot- tomed, with ftraigbt upright iides, and ibarp at each end; but the ftern is by far the wideA |Mrt, as there the baggage is generally hid, and occaiionally a fecond perfon, who always lici down at full length in the bottom of the canoe. Ill this nranner they carry one another acrofs ri- vers and the narrow parts of takes in thofe little Vefleb, which feldom exceed twelvtf or thirteen f(^ in length, and are from twenty inches to two feet broid in the wideft part. The head, or fore part, is unneceflarily long, and narrow; and is all covered over with birch>bark, which adds confi- derabl/-tb the weight, without contributing to the burthen of the veflel. !n gener^, thefe Indi- :1ns make u(e of the fingle paddle, though a few have double ones, like the Eiquimaux : the lat- ter, however, are feldom ufed, but by thofe who lie in wait to kill deer as they cr06 rivers and narrow lakes*. During *gee PUte IV^ \vbere Fig:. Areprcfents the botttooiiof the ouioe, Fig.B bting the fareis an end view of a fet of tinibei«, bent and Willed in their proper fliape, and left todr^. Fig- gis the reprefcntation of a complete canoe. Fig. F reprefcnls one of their paddles. Pig. G a fpear with which they kiU deer; and Fig. H, their mock of carrying th« caaoe. ■ The foUowiog references are to the feveral parti of the canoe: Fig. C. I. The ftem. t. The (lern-poft. j. Two forked ftickt fupporting the ftem and Hern-pofl. 4. The gunwales. 5. $mBllirods placed bet«'een tk* tim^ and bir«it>ha .^'i i|i *, ^ ^ 14 I NORTHERN OCEAN. * Baifri^ bur ftay at Clowey wc ^ztt joined by upward of two hundred Indians from different quarters, moft of whom built canoes at this place; but as I was under the protection of a principal man, no one offered to moleft me, nor can I fay they were very clamorous for any thing I had. This was undoubtedly owing to Matonabbee's in- forming them of my true iituation ; which was, that I had not, by any means, fufficient necefla- rics for myfelf, much lefs to give away. The few goods which I had with me were intended to be referved for the Copper and Dogribbed Indians, who never vifit the Company's Faftories. To- bacco was, however, always given away ; for every one of any note, who joined us, expe^ed to be treated with a few pipes, and on fome oc- cations it was fcarcely poflible to get off without prefenting a few inches * to them ; which, with the conftant fupplies which I was^ obliged to fur- nifii my own crew, decreafed that article of my dock fo faff, that notwithftanding I had yet ad- vanced fo fmall a part of my journey, more than one half of my ftore was expended. Gun-pow- der and ihot alfo were articles commonly aiked for by moft of the Indians we met ;. and in gene- ral thefe were dealt round to them with a liberal hand by my guide Matonabbee. I muft, howe- ver, do him thejufticc to acknowledge, that what H 2 he 99. May. i; '*The tobacco'ufed in Hudfbn's Bay if the Brafil tobacco; which tfttwi^- ed into the form of a rope, of near an inch diameter, and then wound into a large roll ; from which it is taken by meafures of lengthy for the nativesi 100 1771. May 2och. aift. A JOURNEY TO THE he diftributed was all his own, which he had pur- chaled at the Fadory ; to my certain knowledge he bartered one hundred and fifty martins' (kins for powder only ; belides a great number of bea- ver, and other furrs, for (hot, ball, iron-work, and tobacco, purpofely to give away among his countrymen ; as he had certainly as many of thefe articles given to him as were, in his opinion, fuffi- cient for our fupport during our journey out and home. Matonabbee's canoe having been repaired, on the twentieth we left Clowey, and proceeded Northward. That morning a fmall gang of (Iran- gers joined u^, who informed my guide, that Cap- tain Keelfhies was within a day's walk to the Southward. Keelfhies was the man by whom! had fent a letter to Prince of Wales's Fort, from Cathawbachaga, in the beginning of July one thoufand feven hundred and feventy ; but not long after that, having the misfortune to break my quadrant, 1 was obliged to return to the Fort a fecond time; and though we faw many fmokes, and fpoke with feveral Indians on my return that year, yet he and I miffed each other on the barren ground, and I had not feen or heard of him lince that time. As Matonabbee was defiious that I fhould re- ceive my letters, and alfo the goods 1 had written for, he difpatched two of his young men to bring them. We continued our journey to the North- ward J and the next day faw feveral large fmokes at NORTHERN OCEAN. loi May. »zd. :?4th. at a great diftancie.to the Eaftward on the barren lyyu ground, which were fuppofed to be made by fome ^^vn.^' parties of Indians bound to Prince of Wales's Fort with furrs and other commodities for trade. On the twenty-fecond and twenty third, we proceeded to the North, at the rate of fourteen or fifteen miles a day ; and in the evening of the lat- ter, got clear of all the woods, and lay on the bar-- ren ground. The fame evening the two young men who were fent for my letters, &c. returned, and told me that Keelihies had promifed to join us in a few days, and deliver the things to me with his own hand. The twenty-fourth proved bad and rainy wea- ther, fo that we only walked about feven miles, when finding a few blafled (lumps of trees, we pitched our tents. It was well we did fo, for to- wards night we had exceffively bad weather, with loud thunder, flrong lightning, and heavy rain, attended with a very hard gale of wind from the South Weft; toward the next morning, howe- ver, the wind veered round to the North Weft, and the weather became intenfely cold and frofly. We walked that day about eight miles to the Northward, when we were obliged to put up, being almoft benumbed with cold. There we found a few dry ftumps, as we had done the day before, which ferved us for fewcl*. The * I have obferved, during my fcveral jovrnles in i.hofc parts, that all the way to the Notth of Seal River the edge of the wood i$ faced with old wi. the red 102 I77I- Mav. 26th. a7tb. 28th. A JOURNEY TO THE The weather on the twcnty-fixth was fo bad, with fnow and thick drifting fleet, that we did not move ; but the next morning proving fine and pleafant, we dried our things, and walked about twelve miles to the Northward ; moft of the way on the ice of a fmall river which runs into Pefliew Lake*. We then faw afmoke to the Southward, which we judged to be made by Keelihies, fo we put up for the night by the fide of the above- mentioned Lake, where I expedled we fliould have waited for his arrival ; but, to my great furprize, on the morrow we again fet forward, and walked twenty-two miles to the Northward on Pefliew Lake, and in the afternoon pitched our tents on an ifland, where, by my defire, the Indians made a large fmoke, and propofed to flay a day or two for Captain Keelfliies. In thered ftumps, and trees which have been blown down b/ the wind. They are modly of the fort which is called here Juniper, but were feldom of any confiderable fize. Thofe blafted trees are found in fome parts to ex. tend to the diftance of twenty miles from the living woods, and detached patches of them are much farther ofT; which is a proof that the cold has been encreafing in thoCt parts for ibme ages. Indeed, fome of the older Northern Indians have aflured me, that they have heard their fathers and grandfathers fay, they remembered the grcateft part of thofe places where the trees are now blafted and dead, in a flouriflting ftate ; and that they were remarkable for abounding with deer. It is a welUknown faft, that many deer are fond of frequenting thofe plains where th« juniper trees abound near barren grounds, particularly in fine weather during the Win- ter ; but in heavy gales of wind they either take (helter in the thick woods, or go out on the open plains. The Indians, who never want a reafon for any thing, fay, chat the deer quit the thin flraggling woods during the high winds, becanfe the nodding of the trees, vthen at a confiderable dif- tance from each other, frightens them ; but in the midft of a thick foreft, the conOant ruftling of the branches lulls them into fecutity, and renders them an eafy prey to a (kilful hunter. * Probably the fame with Partridge Lake in the Map. NORTHERN OCEAN. ."i 103 May. ' In the night,, one of Matonabbee's wives and i^^i. another woman eloped: it was fuppofed they o^^^^ went off to the Eaftward, in order to meet their former hufbands, from whom they had been fometime before taken by force. This affair made more noife and buftle than I could have fuppoT- ed; and Matonatil)ee feenied entirely difconcert. ed, and quite inconfolable for the lofs of his wife. She was certainly by far the handfomeft of all his flock, of a moderate fize, and had a fair complex- ion ; ihe apparently poiTeffed a mild temper, and very engaging manners. In faft, ihe feemed to have every good quality that could be expeded in a Northern Indian woman, and that could render her an agreeable companion to an inhabitant of this part of the world. She had not, however, appeared happy in her late fituation ; and chofe rather to be the fole wife of a fprightly young fellow of no not«, (though very capable of main- taining her,) than to have the feventh or eightli &are of the afiedlion of the greateft man in the country. 1 am forry to mention an incident which happened while we were building the canoes at Clowey, and which by no means does honour to Matonabbee : it is no lefs a crime than that of having aAually ilabbed the hufband of the above- mentioned girl in three places ; and had it not been for timely affiilance, would certainly have murdered him, for no other reafon than becaufe the poor man had fpoken difrefpectfully of him for having taken his wife away by force. The cool deliberation S4 A JOURNEY TO THE delibei^ation with which Matonabbce committed this bloody adion, convinced me it had been a long premeditated defign ; for he no fooner heard of the man's arrival, than he opened one of his wives' bundles, and with the greateft compofure, took out a new long box-handled knife, went in- to the man's tent,*and, withotft any preface what- ever, took him by the collar, and began to exe- cute his horrid defign. The poor man anticipat- ing his danger, fell on his face, and called for af- ilftance ; but before any could be had he receiv- ed three wounds in the back. Fortunately for him, they all happened on the fhoulder-blade, fo that his life was fpared. When Matonabbce re- turned to his tent, after committing this horrid deed, he fat down as compofedly as if nothing had happened, called for water to waih his bloody hands and knife, fmoked his pipe as ufual, feem^ ed to be perfedlly at eafe, and afked if 1 did not think he had done right ? It has ever been the cuftom aihong thofe peo- ple for the men to wreftle for any woman to whom they are attached ; and, of courfe, the ftrongeft party always carries off the prize. A weak man, unlefs he be a good hunter and well-beloved, is feldom permitted to keep a wife that a flronger man thinks worth his notice: for at any time when the wives of thofe ftrong wreftlers are hea- vy-laden either with furrs or provifions, they make no fcruple of tearing any other man's wife from his bofom, and making her bear a part of his NORTHERN OCEAN. his luggage. This cuftom prevails throughout all their tribes, and caufes a great fpirit of emulati- on among their youth, who are upon all occafi- ons, from their childhood, trying their ilrength and (kill in wreftling. This enables them to pro- tect their property, and particularly their wives, from the hands of thofe powerful ravilhers ; fome of whom make almoft a livelihood by taking what they pleafe from the weaker parties, without mak- ing them any return. Indeed, it is reprefented as an a6b of great generoflty, if they condefcend to make an unequal exchange j as, in general, abufe and infult are the only return for the lofs which is fufiained. The way in which they tear the women and other property from one another, though it has the appearance of the greateft brutality, can fcarcely be called fighting. I never knew any of them receive the leaft hurt in thefe rencontres ; the whole bufinefs confifts in hauling each other about by the hair of the head ; they are feldom known either to firike or kick one another. It is not uncommon for one of them to cut off his hair and to greafe his ears, immediately before the conteft begins. This, however, is done private- ly ; and it is fometimes truly laughable, to fee one of the parties flrutting about with an air of great importance, and calling out, "Where is he? " Why does he not come out ?" when the other will bolt out with a clean ihorned head and greaf- ed ears, ru(h on his antagonift, feize, him by the io6 A JOURNEY TO THE the hair, and though perhaps a much weaker man, foon drag him to the ground, while the ftronger is not able to lay hold on him. It is very fre. quent on thofe occafions for each party to have fpies, to watch the other's motions, which puts them more on a footing of equality. For want of hair to pull, they feize each other about the waift, with legs wide extended, and try their ftrength, by endeavouring to vie who can firft thro wthe other down. On thefe wreftling occafions the flanders-by ne. ver attempt to interfere in the conteft ; even one brother offers not to affift another, unlefs it be with advice, which, as it is always delivered openly on the field during the conteft, may, in fad^, be faid to be equally favourable to both pa^ ties. It fometimes happens that oneof the wreft. lers is fuperior in ftrength to the other; and if a woman be the caufe of the conteft, the weaker is < frequently unwilling to yield, notwithftanding he ' Is greatly overpowered. When this happens to be the cafe, the relations and friends, or other bye-ftanders, will fometimes. join to perfuadc the weaker combatant to give up the conteft, left, by continuing it, he ihould get bruifed and hurt, without the leaft probability of being able to pro* teft what he is contending for. I obferved that very few of thofe people were diffatisfied with the wives which had fallen to their lot, for whenever any confiderable number of them were in com- pany, fcarcely a day paffed without fome over- lures being made for contefts of this kind ; and it 'f NORTHERN OCEAN. it was often very unpleafant to me, to fee tlie ob- jeft of the contcft fitting in penfivc filcnce watch- ing her fate, while her hufband and his rival were contending for the prize. I have indeed not only felt pity for thofe poor wretched vidtims, but the utmoft indignation, when I have feen them won, perhaps, by a man whom they mortally hated. On thofe occafions their grief and relu^ance to follow their new lord has been fo great, that the bufinefs has often ended in the greateft brutality ; for, in the ftruggle, I have feen the poor girls ftripped quite naked, and carried by main force to their new lodgings. At other times it was plea« fant enough to fee a fine girl led off the field from a hufband (he difliked, with a tear in one eye afid a finger on the other : for cuftom, or delicacy if you pleafe, has taught them to think it neceffary to whimper a little, let the change be ever fo' much to their inclination. I have throughout this 'account given the women the appellation of girls, which is pretty applicable, as the objedhs of con- teft are generally young,* and without any family: few of the men chufe to be at the trouble of main- taining other people's children, except on particu- lar occafions, which will be taken notice of here- after. Some of the old men, who are famous on ac* count of their fuppofed (kill in conjuration, have , great influence in perfuading the rabble from committing thofe outrages ; but the humanity of thefe fages is feldom known to extend beyond their May. A JOURNEY to THE their own families. In defence of them they will exert their utmoft influence ; but when their own relations are guilty of the fame crime, they fel. dom interfere. This partial condud creates fome fecret, and feveral open enemies ; but the gene- rality of their neighbours are deterred, through fear or fuperftition, from executing their revenge, and even from talking difrefpedlfully of them, un- leis it be behind their backs ; which is a vice of which almoft every Indian in this country, with, out exception, is guilty. Notwithftanding the Northern Indians are fo covetous, and pay fo little regard to private pro- perty as to take every advantage of bodily ftrength tOrob their neighbours, not only of their goods, but of their wives, yet they are, in other refpeds, the mildeft tribe, or nation, that is to be found on the borders of Hudfon's Bay : for let their af- fronts or lofles be ever fo great, they never will feek any other revenge than that of wreftling. ^s for murder, which is fo common among all the tribes of Southern Indians, it is feldom heard of among them. A murderer is ihunned and de. tefted by all the tribe, and is obliged to wander up and down, forlorn and forfaken even by his own relations and former friends. In that refpcA a murderer may truly be compared to Cain, after he had killed his brother Abel. The cool recep. tion he meets with by all who know him, pcca. •lions him to grow melancholy, and he never leaves any place but the whole company fay "There NORTHERN OCEAN. <* There goes the murderer !" The women, it is true, fometimes receive an unlucky blow from their hutbsinds for mifbehaviour, which occafions their death ; but this is thought nothing of : and for one man or woman to kill another out of re> venge, or through jealoufy, or on any other ac- count, is fo extraordinary, that very few are now exifting who have been guilty of it. At the pre- fent moment I know not one, befide Matonabbee, who ever made an attempt of that nature ; and he is, in every other refpedl, a man of fuch uni- verfal good fenfe, and, as an Indian, of fuel) great humanity, that I am at a lofs how to account for his having been guilty of fuch a crime, unlefsit be by his having lived among the Southern Indians fo long, as to become tainted with their blood- thirfty, revengeful, and vindi^ive difpofition. Early in the morning of the twenty>ninth, cap- tain Keellhies joined us. He delivered to me a packet of letters, and a two>quart.keg of French brandy ; but afliired me, that the powder, fhot, tobacco, knives, &c. which he received at the Fort for me, were all expended. He endeavoured to make fome apology for this, by faying, that fome of his relations died in the Winter, and that he had, according to their cuftom, throw all his own things away J after which he was obliged to have recourfe to my ammunition and other goods, to fupport himfelf and a numerous family. The ve- ry aflfefting manner in which he relited this ftory, often crying like a child, was a great proof of hb extreme 109 1771, M«r. ajth. it6 May. A JOURNEY TO THE extreme forrow, which he wifhed to pcrfaade nie srofe from the recolleftion of his having embez- Sited €0 much of my property; but I was of a dif. ferent opinion, and attributed his grief to arife from the remembrance of his deceafed rehtions. Hoirever^ as a fmall recompence for my lois, he prefented we with four ready-drefled moofe-fkins, ^diich was, he faid, the only retribution he could then make. The moofe«(kins, though not the twentieth part of the value of the goods which he had embezzled, were in reality more accepta- ble to me, than the ammunition and the other articles would have been, on account of their great ute as fitoe-leather, which at that time was a very (carce article with us, whereas we had plen- ty of powder and fhot. On the fame day that Keelfhies joined us, an In- dian man, who had been fome time in our com- pany, infified on taking one of Matonabbce's wives from him by force, unlefs he complied with his demands^ which were, that Matonabbee fhould give him a certain luantity of ammuniti- on, forae (Heces of iron-work, a kettle, and feveral other articles ; every one of which, Matonabbee was obKged to deliver, or lofe the woman ; for the other man far excelled him in ilrength. Ma- tonabbee was more exafperated c this occiifion, as the fame man had fold him the woman no lon- ger ago than the nineteenth of the preceding April. Having expended all the goods he then poifefled, however, he was determined to make another NORTHERN OCEAN. another bargain for her ; and as ihe was what may be called a valuable woman in their eftima- tion; that is, one who was not only tolerably per- fonable, but reckoned very ikilful in manufac- turing the different kinds of leather, (kins, and farrs, and at the fame tinie very clever in the per- formance of every other domeftic duty required of the fex in this part of the world; Matonabbee was more unwilling to part with her, efpecially as he had £0 lately fuffered a lofs of the fame kind. This difpute, which was after fome hours de- cided by words and prefects, had like to have proved fatal to my expedition ; for Matonahbee» who at that time thought himfelf as great a man as then lived, took this afiront fo much to heart, eipecially as it was offered in my prefence, that he almod determined not to proceed any farther to- ward the Copper-mine River, and was on the point of ftriking off to the Wefkward, with an intent to join the Athapufcow Indians, and conti- nue with them: he being perfe£By well acquaint- ed with all their leaders, and moft of the princi- pal Indians of that country, from whom, during a former refidence among them of fevcral years, he faid he had met with more civility than he ever did from his own countrymen. As Mato- nabbee fcemed refolutely bent on his defign, I had every rcafon to think that my third expediti- on would prove equally unfuccefeftil with tlie two former. I was not, however, under the leaft apprchcniwn for my own fafety, as he promifcd to ttm ■3i lift «9th. 30th. A JOURNEY TO THE to take me with him, and procure me a palTage to Prince of Wale&'s Fort, with fome of the Atha. pufcow Indians, who at that time annually vifited the Fadory in the way of trade. After waiting till I thought Matonabbee's pailion had a little abated, I ufed every argument of which I was mafter in favour of his proceeding on the journey; afluring him not only of the future efteem of the prefent Governor of Prince of Wales's Fort, but alfo of that of all his fucceflbrs as long as he liv- ed ; and that even the Hudfon's Bay Company themfelves would be ready to acknowledge his affiduity and perfeverance, in condudling a buii- nefs which had fo much the appearance, of prov< ing advantageous to them. After fome conver- fation of this kind, and a good deal of intreaty, he at length confented to proceed, and promifed to make all poilible hafte. Though it was then late in the afternoon, he gave orders for moving, and accordingly we walked about feven miles that night, and put up on another ifland in Pe(h- ew Lake. The preceding afternoon the Indians had killed a few deer ; but our number was then fo great, that eight or ten deer would fcarcely af- ford us all a tafte. Thefe deer were the firft we had feen fince our leaving the neighbourhood of Thelewey.aza-yeth ; fo that we had lived all the time on the dried meat which had been prepared before we left that place in April. The thirtieth proved bad, rainy weather ; we walked, however, about tc^ miles to the North- ward, NORTHERN OCEAN. 113 ward, when we arrived on the North fide of Peih- 1771. cw Lake, and put up. Here Matonabbee imme- Wiw- m' diately^began to make every necenary arrange- • ment for facilitating the executing of our defign; and as he had promifed to m^ke all poffible hafte, he thought it expedient to leave naoft of his wives and all his children in the care of fome Indians, then in our company, who had his orders to pro- ceed to the Northward at their leifure j and who, at a particular place appointed by him, were to wait our return from the Copper-mine River, Having formed this relblution, Matonabbee fe- lefted two of his young wives who had no chil- dren, to accompany us;. and in order to mi^e their loads as light as poffible, it was agreed that we fhould not take more ammunition with us than was really neceffary for our fupport, till we might expe^ again to join thofe Indians and the women and children. The fame meafures were alfo adopted by all the other Indians of my party; particularly thofe who had a plurality of wives. and a number of children. As thefe matters took fome time to adjuft, it 11% was near nine o'dock in the evening of the thir- ty.firft before we could fet out ; and then it was vith much difficulty that Matonabbee could pe^' fuade his other wives from following him, wit fefTed them', and every other good and amiable quality, in the mod emi- BCDt degree. Without the afli^ance of religion, and with no edaqitioB bot whyt flte received ^mong the di0olnte na^vei of her country, (be would have ihone with fuperior luftre in any other country : for, if an engaging peifon, gen* tie manners, aQ eafy freedom, arifing fronf a cpn&io^rnefs of inneeenfe, aii amifible-inodefty, and ao unrivalled delicacy of fentiment, are graces and virtues which render a woman lovely, none ever had greater pretenfions to general efteem and regard : while her benevolence, humanity, and icru« pulous adherence to truth and honefty, would have done honour to the mod enlightened and devout Chriftian. Dutiful, obedient, and afTcAionate to her pireptf ; Ready and faithful to her friends ; grateful and humble to her beneCiiAors; e;^fily forgiving and forgetting injuries; careful not tp olTend any, and courteous and kind to all ; flie was, neverthelep, fuffeied to perifh by the rigours of cold and hun> ger, aroidft her own relations, at a time when the griping hand of famine Xf^i by no means feverely felt by any other qsembcr of their company j and it may truly be (aid that flie fell a martyr to the principles of virtue. This happened in the Winter of the year ijizt after the French had de- flroyed Prince of Wales's F^rt} at which time (he was m the twenty-fe* cond year of her age. Human nature ihuddersat the bare recital of fucit brutality, and reafen flirinks from the talk of accounting for the decrees of Providence on fuch occafions as this; but they are the Arengeft aflurances of a future ftate, ib infinitely fuperior to the prefent, that the ei^oyment of every pleafiire in this world by the moA worthlefs and abandoned wretch, or the moft inno- cent and Virtuous woman perifhing by the moft excruciating of all deathsi Ate maters equally indifferent But, Peace to the aOies, and the virtuous mind. Qi kts wh9 lived in pf«ce with all Bwokiod » Learn*4 U8 A JOURNEY TO THE 1 77 1. '^^ Northern Indian women are in genera) fo v«^«%^ £91 from being like thofe I have above defcribed, ^'^'^'' that it is very uncommon to hear oiF their ever been guilty of incontinency, not even thofe who are confip^d to (be fi^th or ^ven eighth p^rt of a man. It is true, that were I to form my opinion of thofe women from the behaviour of fuch as I have been more particularly acquainted with, I fhould h^ve little reafon to fay much in their favour ; but impartiality will not permit mc to make a few of th(; wqrft chara^ers a ftandard for the general condud of all of them. Indeed it is but reafon^ble to think that travellers and interlopers will be al- ways fervedwith the mod commodious,' though perhaps they pay the beft price for what they have. It JLearnM/rom the heart, unknowing of diigu'f^, Tnith in tier thoughts, and candour io her eyes; Stranger alike to envy and to pride, Good fcnfe her light, and Nature all her guide ; -But now removed from all the ills of life. Here reds the pleafing friend and faithful wife. Waaieb. . Her father w^s, undoubtedly, very blamab}e for b|inging her up in the tender manner vihifh he did. rend^ing her by that n^cans not only inea> pable of bearing the fatigues and hardlhips which the reft of her country' women think little of, but of providing for herielf. This is, indeed, too frequent a praAice among Europeans in that country, who bring up their children in fo indulgent a iqanner, that ^heo they retire, a|id leave their ofTspring behind, they find themfelves fo helplefs^ as to be unable to pro* vide for the few wants to which they are fubjeA. The late. M'* Ferdinand Ji|cobs, many years Chief at York Fort, was the only peribtn whom I ever knew that a^ed in a different manner; though no nun could poffibly be fonder of his children in other refpeAs, yet as there were fome that he could not bring to England, he had them brought up entirely among the lifitives; fo that when he left the country, they fcareely ever felt the lofs^ thoujfh they fegretted the abfence of a food and indulgent parent. NORTHERN OCEAN. It may appear ftrange, that whUe I am extoll- ing the chafHty of the Northern Indian women, I fliould acknowledge that it is a very common cuftom among the men of this country to ex- change a night's lodging with each other's wives. But this is fo far from being confidered as an aA which is criminal, that it is efteemed by them as one of the ftrongeft ties of friendfliip between two families ; and in cafe of the death of either man,' the other confiders himfelf bound to fupport the children of the deceafed. Thofe people are fo far from viewing this engagement as a mere ceremo- ny, like moft of our Chriftian god-fathers and god-mothers, who, notwithfianding their vows are made in the moft folemn manner, and in the prefenceof both God and man, fcarcely ever af- terward remember what they have promifed, that there is not an inftance of a Northern In- dian having once negle^ed the duty which he is fuppofed to have taken upon himfelf to perform. TheSouthern Indians, with i^l their bad qualities, are remarkably humane and c^^aritable to the wi- dows and children of departed friends; and as their (ituation and manner of life enable them to do more ads of charity with lefs trouble than falls to the lot of a Northern Indian, few widows or orphans are ever unprovided for among them. Though the Northern Indian men make no fcru- pie of having two or three fitters for wives at one time, yet they arc very particular in obferving a proper diftance in the confanguinity of thofe they K admit \ I 130 A JOURNEY TO THE 1771. admit to the above-mentioned intercourfe with '—-v-^*' their wives. The Southern Indians are Icfs fcrupulous on thofe occafions $ among them it is not at all uncommon for one brother to make free with another brother's wife or daughter*; but this is held in abhorrence by the Northern Indians. By the time the Indians had killed as many deer as they thought would be fufficient for the fup. port of the women during our abfence, it was the firft of July ; and during this time I had two good obfervations, both by meridional and double * altitudes ; the mean of which determined the la< titude of Congecathawhachaga to be 68^ 46' North ; and its longitude, by account, was 24*^ 2' Weft from Prince of Wales's Fort, or 1 18<^ 15' Weft of the meridian of London. On the fecond, the weather proved very bad, with much fnow and fleet; about nine o'clock at July. I ft. «d. ' '^' Mod of the Southern Indians, n:< well the AthapuTcow and Neheaway tiibe^, are entirely without icruple in this refpeA. It is notorioufly known, that many of them cohabit occafionally with their own mothers, and fre* quently efpoufc their fiders and daughters. I have known feveral of them who, after having lived in that ftate for fome time with their daughters, have given them to their fons, and all parties been perfeAly reconciled to it. In faA, notwithdanding the feverity of the climate, the licentloufnefiof the inhabitintt cannot be exceeded by any of the Eaftem nations, whofe luxurious manner of life, and genial clime. Teem more adapted to excite extraordinary paflions, than the fevere cold of the frigid Zone. h is true, that few of thofe who live under the immediate proteAton of the Englifli ever take either their fiftert or daughters for wives, which ii probably owing to the fear, of incurring their difpleafure ; but it is well known that aAs of incefl too often take place among them, though per. baps not fo frequently as among the foreign Indians. NORTHERN OCEAN. >3» July. 3d. at night, however, it grew more moderate, and 1771. fomewhat clearer, (o that we fet out, and walked about ten miles to the North by Weft, when we lay down to take a little fleep. At our depar- ture from Congecathawhachaga, feveral Indians who had entered the warlift, rather chofe to (lay behind with the womeri ; but their lofs was amp- ly fupplied by Copper Indians, who accompanied us in the double capacity of guides and warriors. On the third the weather was equally bad with that of the preceding day ; we made ihift, howe- ver, to walk ten or eleven miles in the fame di- rection we had done the day before, and at laft were obliged to put up, not being able to fee our way for fnow and thick drift. By putting up, no more is to be underftood than that we got to leeward of a great ftone, or into the crevices of the rocks, where we regaled ourfelves with fuch provifions as we had brought with us, fmoked - our pipes, or went to fleep, till the weather per- mitted us to proceed on our journey. On the fourth, we had rather better weather, though conftant light fnow, which made it very difagreeable under foot. We neverthelefs walk- ed twenty.feven miles to the North Weft, four- teen of which were on what the Indians call the Stony Mountains ; and furely no part of the world better deferves that name. On our firft approaching thefe mountains, they appeared to be a confufed heap of ftoncs, utterly inacceftible to the foot of man : but having fome Copper In- K S di^nsL 4th. 5th!> 4U». A JOURNEY TO THE dians with us who knew the beft road, we made a tolerable ihift to get on, though not without being obliged frequently to Crawl on our hands and knees. Notwithftanding the intricacy of the road, there is a very vifible path the whole way acrois thefe mountains, even in the moft difficult parts : and alfo on the fmooth rocks, and thofe parts which are capable of receiving an imprefli- on, the path is as plain and well-beaten, as any bye foot-path in England. By the (ide of this path there are, in different parts, feveral large, flat, or table ftones, which are covered with ma- ny thoufands of fmall pebbles. Thefe the Cop- per Indians fay have been gradually increafed by paflengers going to and from the mines ; and on its being obferved to us that it was the univerfal cuftom for every one to add a ftone to the heap, each of us took up a fmall done in order to in- crea(b the number, for good luck. ' / Juft as we arrived at the foot of the Stony Mountains, three of the Indians turned back ; fay- ing, that from every appearance, the remainder of the journey feemed likely to be attended with more trouble than would counterbalance the pleafure they could promife themfelves by going to war with the Efquimaux. On the fifth, as the weather ^ i {o bad, with conftant fnow, fleet, and rain, that we could not fee our way, we did not offer to move : but the iiKth proving moderate, and quite fair till toward noon, we fee o.Ut in die morning, and walked about NORTHERN OCEAN. »33 July. about eleven miles to the North Weft; when 1771. perceiving bad weather at hand, we began to look out for ihelter among the rocks, as we had done the four preceding nights, having neither tents nor tentpoles with us. The next morning fifteen more of the Indians deferted ui, being quite fick of the road, and the uncommon bad- nefs of the weather. Indeed, though thefe peo- ple are all inured to hardfhips, yet their com* plaint on the prefent occaiion was not without reafon ; for, from our leaving Congecathawhac- haga we had fcarcely a dry garment of any kind, or any thing to (kreen us from the inclemency of the weather, except rocks and caves ; the beft of which were but damp and unwholefome lodg< ing. In fome the water was conftantly dropping from the rock that formed the roof, which made our place of retreat little better than the open air ; and we had not been able to make one fpark of fire (except what was fufficient to light a pipe) from the time of our leaving the women on the fecond inftant ; it is true, in fome places there was a little mofs, but the conftant fleet and rain made it Co wet, as to render it as impoflible to fet fire to it as it would be to a wet fpunge. We had no fooner entered our places of retreat than we regaled ourfelves with fome raw venifon which the Indians had killed that morning; the fmall ftock of dried provifions we took with us when we left the women being now all expended. agreeably «;th. 134 A JOURNEY TO THE jy«,^ Agreeably to our expeclations, a very fudden v^v^«^ and heavy gale of wind came on from the North July. Weft, attended with fo great a fall of fnow, that the oldeft Indian in company faid, he never faw it exceeded at any time of the year, much lefs in the middle of Summer. The gale was foon over, and by degrees it became a perfed calm : but the flakes of fnow were fo large as to fur- pafs aU credibility, and fell in fuch vaft quan- tities, that though the fhower only lafted nine hours we were in danger of being fmothered in our caves. On the leventh, we had a frefli breeze ?t North Weft, with fome flying fliowers of fmall rain, and at the fame time a conftant warm funihine, which . foon diflblved the greateft part of the new-fallen . fnow. Early in the morning we crawled out of our holes, which were on the North fide of the Stony Mountains, and walked about eighteen or twenty miles to the North Weft by Weft. In our way we croffed part of a large lake on the , ice, which was then far from being broken up. This lake I diftinguiflied by the name of Buffalo, , or MuikOx Lake, from the number of thofe ani- mals that we found grazing on the margin of it; .many of which the Indians killed, but finding them lean, only took fome of the bulls* hides for flioe-foals. At night the bad weather returned, with a ftrong gale of wind at North Eaft, and very cold rain and fleet. This NORTHERN OCEAN. 135 This was the firft time we had feen any of the 1771* nuik-oxen fince we left the Fadtory. It has been ^A"^^ obferved that we faw a great number of them in . my firft unfuccefsful attempt, before I had got an hundred miles from the FaAory ; and indeed I once perceived the tracks of two of thofe animals within nine miles of Prince of Wales's Fort. Great numbers of them alfo were met with in my fecond journey to the North : feveral of which my companions killed, particularly on the feven- teenth of July one thoufand feven hundred and feventy. They are alfo found at times in confi- derable numbers near the fea-coaft of Hudfon's Bay, all the way from Knapp's Bay to Wager Water, but are moft plentiful within the Arctic Circle. In thofe high latitu4es 1 have frequently feen many herds of them in the courfe of a day's walk, and fome of thofe herds did not contain lels than eighty or an hundred head. The num- ber of bulls is very few in proportion to the cows ; for it is rare to fee more than two or three full-grown bulls with the largeft herd : and from the number of the males that are found dead, the Indians are of opinion that they kill each other in contending for the females. In the rutting feafon they are fo jealous of the cows, that they run at either man or beaft who offers to approach them ; and have been obferved to run and bellow even at ravens, and other large birds, which chanced to light near them. They delight in the moft fiony and mountainous parts of the barren ground. v A JOURNEY TO THE , ground, and are feldoin found at any great diftance from the woods. Though they are a beaft of great magnitude, and apparently of a very unwieldy in- a^ive ftrud^Ure, yet they climb the rocks with great eafeand agility, and are nearly as fure- footed as a goat : like it too, they will feed on anything; though they feem fondeft ofgrafs, yet in Winter, when that article cannot be had in fufficient quantity, they will eat mofs, or any other herbage they can find, as alfo the tops of willows and the tender branches of the pine tree. They take the bull in Auguft, and bring forth their young the latter end of May, or beginning 6f Ju::e; and they never have more than one at i time. ' The mu(k-ox, when full grown, is as large as the generality, or at lead as the middling fize, of Englilh black cattle*; but their legs, though large, are not fo long ; nor is their tail longer than that of * Mr. Dragge fays, in his voyage, vol. ii. p. 260, that the mwlk-ox ii lower than a deer, but larger as to belly and quarters; which is very far Ctom the truth ; they are of the fue I hs've here defaibed them, and the Indian always eftimate the fleOi of a fulUgrown cow to be equal in quan< tity to thiee deer. I am forry alfo to bq obliged to contiadiA my friend Mr. Graham, who fays that the fle(h of this animiil is carried on fledges to Prince of Wales's Foit, to the amount of three or four thoqfand pounds an- nually. To the amount of near one thoufand pounds may hare been purchafcd from the natives in fome particular years, but it mote frequent- ly happens that not ao ounce is brought one year out of five. In hd, it is by no means efleemed by the company's fervants, and of courfe no great encouragement is ^ven to introduce it ; burif it had been other wife, their general fituation is fo remote from the fettlement, that it would not be worth the Indians while to liaul it to the Fort. So that in faft, all that has ever been carried to Prince of Wales's Fort, has moft aflliredly been kUled out of a herd that has been accidentally found within a moderate dirtance of the fettlement; perhaps an hundred miles, which U only thought a ftep by an Indian. , NORTHERN OCEAN. of a bear ; and, like the tail of that animal, it al- ways bends downward and inward, fo that it is entirely hid by the long hair of the rump and hind quarters : the hunch on their ihoulders is not large, being little more in proportion than that of a deer : their hair is in fome parts very long, particularly on the belly, fides, and hind quarters; but the longeft hair about them, parti- cularly the bulls, is under the throat, extending from the chin to the lower part of the cheft, be- tween the fore-legs ; it there hangs down like a horfe's mane inverted, and is full as long, which makes the animal have a moft formidable appear- ance. It is of the hair from this part that the Efquimauz make their mulketto wigs, and not from the tail, as is aflerted by Mr. Ellis*: their tails, and the hair which is on them, being too fliort for that purpofe. In Winter they are pro- vided with a thick fine wool, or furr, that grows at tho root of the long hair, and fhields them from the intenfe cold to which they are expofed during that feafon ; but as the Summer advances, this furr loofens from the fkin, and, by frequently rolling themrelves on the ground, it works out to the end of the hair, and in time drops off, leav- ing little for their Summer clothing except the long hair. This feafon is fo fliort in thofe high latitudes, that the new fleece begins to appear, almoft as foon as the old one drops off; fo that by the time the cold becomes fevere, they are again provided with a Winter-drefs. The "37 j3r * Voyage to Hudfon't Bay, p. aja; \ 8tb. A JOURNEY TO THE The flefh of the mu(k-ox noways refembles that of the Weflerji buffalo, but is more like that of the moofcor elk; and the fat is of a clear white, flightly tinged with a light azure. The calves and young heifers are good eating ; but the fleih of the bulls both fmells and taftes fo flrong of mufk, as to render it very dilagreeable: even the knife that cuts the flelh of an old bull will fmell fo ftrong of mulk, that nothing but fcowring the blade quite bright can remove it, and the handle will retain the fcent for a long time. Though no part of a bull is free from this fmell, yet the parts of generation, in particular the urethra, are by far the moft ftrongly impregnated. The urine itfelf muft contain this fcent in a very great de- gree; for the iheaths of the bull's penis are cor- roded with a brown gummy fubflance, which is nearly as high-fcented with mufk as that faid to be produced by the civet cat ; and after having been kept for feveral years, feems not to lofe any of its quality. On the eighth, the weather was fine and mode- rate, though not without fome fhowers of rain. Early in the morning we fet out, and walked eigh- teen miles to the Northward. The Indians kill- ed fome deer ; fo we put up by the fide of a fmall creek, that afforded a few willows, with which we made a fire for the firft time fince our leaving Congecathawhachaga ; confequently it was here that we cooked our firft meal for a whole week. This, as may naturally be fuppofed, was well re- lifhed NORTHERN OCEAN. iifhed by all parties, the Indians as well as myfelf. And as the Sun had, in the courfe of the day, dried our clothing, in fpite oiF the fmall fhowers of rain, we felt ourfelves more comfortable than we had done iince we left the women. The place where we lay that night, is not far from Griz- zled Bear Hill ; which takes its name from the numbers of thofe animals that are frequently known to refort thither for the purpofe of bring- ing forth their young in a cave that is found there. The wonderful defcription which the Copper Indi- ans gave of this place exciting the curioiity of fe- veral of my companions as well as mylelf, we went to view it ; but on our arrival at it found little worth remarking about it, being no more than a high lump of earth, of a loamy quality, of which kind there are feveral others in the fame neighbourhood, all ftanding in the middle of a large marlh, which makes them refemble fo many iflands in a lake. The fides of thefe hills are quite perpendicular; and the height of Grizzled Bear Hill, which is the largeil, is about twenty feet above the level ground that furrounds* it. Their fummits are covered with a thick fod of mofs and long grafs, which in fome places pro- jefts over the edge; and as the fides are conftantly mouldering away, and wafliing down with every (hower of rain during the ihort Summer, they muft in time be levelled with the marfli in which they are.fituated. At prefent thofe iflands, as I call them, are excellent places of retreat for the birds 14© 9th. A JOUltNEY to THE birds which migrate there to breed ; as they can bring forth their young in perfeA fafety from every beaft except the Quequehatch, which, from the iharpnefi of its claws and the amazing ftrength of its legs, is capable of afcending the moft diffi. cult precipices. On the fide of the hill that I went to furvey, there is a large cave which penetrate^ a confidera. ble way into the rock, and may probably have been the work of the bears, as we could difco. ver vifible marks that fome of thofe beads had been there that Spring. This, though deemed very curious by fome of my companions, did not appear fo to me, as it neither engaged my atten^ tion, nor raifed my furprife, half fo much as the fight of the many hills and dry ridges on the Eaft fide of the marfii, which are turned over like ploughed land by thofe animals, in fearching for ground-fquirrels, and perhaps nfiice, which con' ftitute a favourite part of their food. It is fur- prifing to fee the extent of their refearches in ^ueft of thofe animals, and fiill more to view the enormous ftones rolled out of their beds by the bears on thofe occafions. At firft I thought thefe long and deep furrows had been efiefked by light- ning; but the natives afliired me they never knew any thing of the kind happen in thofe parts, and that it was entirely the work of the bears feeldng for their prey. On the ninth, the weather was moderate and cloudy, with fome flying (bowers of rain. Wc fet NORTHERN OCEAN. HI j.it. loth. fet out early in the morning, and walked about ,^^,^ forty miles to the North and North by Eaft. In our way we (aw plenty of deer and muCk:-oxen : feveral of the former the Indians killed, but a fmart ihower of rain coming on. juft a? we were going to put up, made the mofs fo wet as to ren- der it imprafticable to light a fire. The next day proving fine and clear, we fet out in the mor- ning, and walked twenty miles to the North by Weft and North North Weft ; but about noon the weather became ib hot and fultry as to ren- der Dvalking very diiagreeable ; we therefore put up on the top of a hig^ hill, and as the mofs was then dry, lighted a fire, and ihould have made a comfortable meal, and been otherwife tolerably happy, had it not been for the muikettoes, which were uncommonly numerous, and their ftings almoft infufiTerable. The fame day Matonabbee fent feveral Indians a-head, with orders to pro- ceed to the Copper-mine River as faft as pofiible, and acquaint any Indians they might meet, qf our approach. By thofe Indians I alfo fent fome finall prefents, as the fureft means to induce any ftrangers they found, to come to our afiiftance. The eleventh was hot and fultry, like ^he pre- ceding day. In the morning we walked ten or eleven miles to the North Weft, and then met a Northern Indian Leader, called Oule-eye, and his family, who were, in company with feveral Cop- per Indians, killing deer with bows and arrows and fpears, as they crofted a little river, by the fide fitk. l»th. 13th. A JOURNEY TO THE (ide of which we put up, as did alfo the above* mentioned Indians*. That afternoon I fmoked my calumet of peace with thefe Grangers, and found them a quite different fet of people, at leaft in principle, from thofe I had feen at Congeca- thawhachaga : for though they had great plenty of proviiions, they neither offered me nor my companions a mouthful, and would, if they had been permitted, have taken the lad garment from off my back, and robbed me of every article I poffeffed. Even my Northern companions could not help taking notice of fuch unaccountable be- haviour. Nothing but their poverty protected them frdm being plundered by thofe of my crew ; and had any of their women been worth no- tice, they would moft affuredly have been preff- ed into our fervice. The twelfth was fo exceedingly hot and fultry, that we did not move ; but early in the morning of the thirteenth, after n;iy companions had taken what dry proviiions they chofe froni our unfoci- able ftrangers, we fet out, and walked about fif> teen or fixteen miles to the North and North by £a(l, in expe^ation of arriving at the Copper- mine River that day ; but when we had reached the top of a long chain of hills, between which we were told the river ran, we found it to be no more than a branch of it which empties itfelf in- to the main river about forty miles from its in- flux • This river runs nearly North Eaft, and in all probability empties it- felf into the Korthcrn Ocean, not far from the Copper River. "t*--.^ -r,-' NORTHERN OCEAN. »43 flax into the fea. At that time all the Copper tyyi, Indians were difpatched different ways, fo that ^— w^ there was not one in company, who knew the " *' fhorteft cut to the main river. Seeing fome woods to the Weilward, and judging that the current of the rivulet ran that way, we concluded that the main river lay in that diredlion, and was not very remote from our prefent fituation. We therefore direfbed our courfe by the fide of it, when the Indians met with feveral very fine buck deer, which they deftroyed ; and as that part we now traverfed afforded plenty of good fire* wood, we put up, and cooked the mod comforta1;)le meal to which We had fat down for fome months. As fuch favourable opportunities of indulging the appetite happen but feldom, it is a general rule with the Indians which we did not negled^, to ex* ert every art in dreffing our food which the moil refined (kill in Indian cookery has been able to invent, and which confifts chiefly in boiling, broiling, and roafting : but of all the diOies cook- ed by thofe people, a beeatee, as it is called in their language, is certainly the moft delicious, at leaft for a chance, that can be prepared from a deer on- ly, without any other ingredient. It is a kind of haggis, made with the blood, a good quantity of fat flired fmall, fome of the tendered of the flefh, together with the heart and lungs cut, or more commonly torn into fmall iliivers ; all which is put into the domach, and roaded, by being fuf- pended before the fire by a dring. Care mud be taken A JOURNEY TO THE taken that it does not get too much heat at firil, a« the bag would thereby be liable to be burnt, and the content! be let out. When it ii fuffici* ently done, it will emit fteam, in the fame man- ner aa 1 fowl or a joint of meat $ which ia as much as to fay, Come, eat me now: and if it be talcen in time, before the blood and other contents are too much done, it is certainly a moft delicious morfel, even without pepper, fait, or any other feafoning. After regaling ourfelves in the moft plentiful manner, and taking a few hours reft, (for it was almoft impoflible to fleep for the muikettoes,) we once more fet forward, dire£Ung our courfe to the North Weft by Weft; and after walking about nine or ten miles, arrived at that long wifli* ed*for fpot, the Copper-mine River. . . CHAP. NORTHERN OCEAN. «4S CHAP. VI. Tranfadlions at the Copper-mine River, and till we joined all the women to the South of Cogead Lake. Some Copper Indians join us. '^Indians fend three J^iet down the river, ^^Begin myfurvey.-^Spies return^ and give an account of Jive tents of Efquimaux.-^^Irt- dians confuit the heji method tojieal on them in the nighty and kill them while aJleep.^^Crofs the river, •-'Proceedings of the Indians as they advance to- wards the Efquimaux tents, — The Indians begin the viajfacre while the poor Efquimaux are a/leep, and Jlay them all, — Much affe^led at the fight of one young woman killed clofe to my feet, — The behaviour of the Indians on this occafton, — Their brutijh treat- nient of the dead bodies, — Seven more tents feen on the oppofiteftde of the river, — The Indians harafs thenty till they fly to ajhoal in the river for fafety, -—Behaviour of the Indians after killing thofe Efqui- maux.— Crofs the river, and proceed to the tents on that fide, — Plunder their tents, anddeflroy their utenjils,— Continue my furvey to the river* s mouth. -•-Remarks there, — Set out on my return, — Arrive at one of the Coppermincs. — Remarks on it. — Many attempts made to induce the Copper Indians to carry their own goods to market. — Objiacles to it, — Villa^ ny and cruelty of Keelfljies tofome of thofe poor In- dians,— Leave the Copper-mine, and walk at an amazing 146 July. 14th. A JOURNEY TO THE amazing rate till we join the ivomcn^ hy the fiJe of CogeadWboie. -'Much foot-foundered. — The al^pear- ance very alar mingy butfoon changes for the better, '^Proceed to tbefouthward^ and join the remainder of the women and children*— Many other Indians arrive with them* WE had fcarcdy arrived at the Copper-mine River when fcmr Copper Indians joined us, and brought with tlieni two canoes. They had feen all the Indians who werefent from us at various times, except Matonabbce's brotlicr and three others that were firft difpatched from Con< gecathawhachaga. On my arrival here I was not a little furprifed to find the river difTcr fo much from the defcrip- tion which the Indians had given of it at the Fac- tory ; for, inftead of being fo large as to be navi< gable for fliipping, as it had been rcprefented by them, it was at that part fcarcely navigable for an Indian canoe, being no more than one hundred and eighty yards wide, every where full of flioak, and no lefs than three falls were in fight at firfl view. Near the water's edge there is fome wood; but not one tree grows on or near the top of the hiiis between which the river runs. There appears to have been formerly a much greater quantity than there is at prefent *, but the trees feem to have been fet on fire fome year* agOj and, in confe- quence, there is at prefent ten fticks lying on the ground, for one green one which is growing be* iide NORTHKRN OCEAN. M7 fide them. The whole timber appears to have 1771. fircn, even in its greateft profperity, of (b crook- '- -v— iJ cd and dwarfifh u growth a» to render it of little uk for any purpofc but fire- wood. Soon after our arrival at the river-fide, three Indians were fcnt ofTas fpies, in order to fee if any Efquimaux were inhabiting the river-lide between us and the Tea. After walking about three quar- ters of a mile by the fide of the river, we put up, when mofl of the Indians went a hunting, and killed feveral mu(k*oxen and fome deer. They were employed all the remainder of the day and night in fplitting and drying the meat by the fire. As we were not then in want of provifions, and as deer and other animals were fo plentiful, that each day's journey might have provided for it- felf, I was at a lofs to account for this unufal oeco- nomy of my companions ; but was foon inform- ed, that thofe preparations were made with a view to have vidluals enough ready-cooked to ferve us to the river's mouth, without being obliged to kill any in our way, as the report of the guns, and the fmoke of the fires, would be liable to alarm the natives, if any ihould be near at hand, and give them an opportunity of efcaping. Early in the morning of the fifteenth, we fet 15th. out, when 1 immediately began my furvey, which I continued about ten miles down the river, till heavy rain coming on we were obliged to put up; and the place where we lay that night was the end, or edge of the woods, the whole fpace be- L 2 tween ,4a , A JOURNEY TO THE tween it and the fea being entirely barren hills and wide open marflies. In the courfe of this day's furvey, 1 found the river as full of ihoals as the part which 1 had feen before ; and in many places it was fo greatly diminilhed in its width, that in our w?y we paffed by two more capital falls. j6ii,. Early in the morning of the fixteenth, the wea- ther being fine and pleaiant, I again proceed- ed with my furvey, and continued it for ten miles farther down the river ; but ftill found it the fame as before, being every where full of falls and ihoals. At this time (it being about noon) the three men who had been fent as fpies met us on their return, and informed my companions that five tents of Efquimaux were on the well fide of the river. The fituation, they faid, was very convenient for furppzing them ; and, ac- cording to their account, I judged if to be about twelve miles from the place we met the fpies. When the Indians received this intelligence, no farther attendance or attention was paid to my furvey, but their whole thoughts were immedi- ately engaged in planning the beft method of at- tack, and how they might fteal on the poor Ef- quimaux the enfuing night, and kill them all while allcep. To accomplifli this bloody defign more efFe hlowi ; and it if their conitaift cuAonti «vh«n their noTet bleed by any ac^ cident, to Itclc their biood into their months, and fwallow it. Indeed, if we confider the inho^itable part of the globrthcy aie delHned fD inhabit, smd the great diflreflfc* to which they ore frt^ently driven by hunger in confeiinence of it, we" (hall no longer be fiiifirized at'findingtheycan relilh any tliino; in common with the meaneft of the animal creation, but rather admire the wi( mate, and every other drcumdance which may be incident to their refpcc- tive fltuatiuns. It is no lefs true, that thcfe peot.'^f , when I firft knew them, would nof eat «ny of our provifions, fugar, raifins,. figs, oi •;ven bread ; for tliough fome of them would put a bit of !t into their mouths, they foon fpit it out agun with evident marks of diflike ; fo that they bad iwfreater relilh fot our food than we had for theirs. At prelent, however, they will eat any part of our provifions, either frefh or falted ; and fome of them will drink a draft of porter, or a little brandy and water; and they are now fo far civilized, and attached to the Englifli, that I am periuaded any of the company's fcrvants who could habituate themfelves to their diet and man- ner of life, might now live as fecure under their proteAion, as under that of any of the tribes of Indians who border on Hudfon's Bay. They live in a flate of perfect freedom ; no one apparently ckimingthe fupcriority over, or acknowledging the had fubordination to another, ex- cept what is due from children to their parents, or fuch of their kin as take care of them when they are young and incapable of providing for tttem> felvcs. There is, however, rcafon to;think»that, when grown up to man- hood, tliey pay fome attention to the advice of the old men, on acccuat of their cxpeiicncc. 'v-l 17th. A JOtJRNEY TO THE and, in faft, did all the mifchief they poflibly could to diftrefs the poor creatures they could not murder, and who were ftanding on the flioal be- fore mentioned, obliged to be woeful fpedlators of their great, or perhaps irreparable lofs. After the Indifhs had completed this piece of wantonnefs we fat down, and made a good meal of frefh falmon which were as numerous at the place where we now refted, as they were on the Weft fide of the river. When we had finiihed our meal, which was the firft we had enjoyed for many hours, the Indians told me that they were again ready to affift me in making an end of my furvey. It was then about five o'clock in the morning of the ieventeenth, the fea being in fight from the North Weft by Weft to the North Eaft^ about eight miles diftant. I therefore fet inftant- ly about commencing my furvey, and purfued it to the mouth of the rjyer, which I found all the way fo full of (hoals and falls that it was not navi- gable even for a boat, and that it emptied itfelf into the fea over a ridge or bar. The tide was then out ; but I judged from the marks which I faw on the edge of the ice, that it flowed about twelve or fourteen feet, which will only reach a little way within the river's mouth. The tide being out, the water in the river was perfeftly frefti ; bu I am certain of its being the fea, or feme branch of it, by the quantity of whalebone and feal-ikins which the Efquimaux had at their tents, and alfo by the number of feals which I faw NORTHERN OCEAN. faw on the ice. At the mouth of the river, the ki is full of iflands and ihoals, as far as I could fee with the afTiftance of a good pocket telefcope. The ice was not then broke up, but was melted away for about three quarters of a mile from the main fliore, and to a little diflance round, the, iflands and ihoals. By the time I had completed this furvey, it was about one in the morning of the eighteenth ; but in thofe high latitudes, and at this feafon of the year, the Sun is always at a good height above the horizon, fo that we had not only day. light, but fun-fhine the whole night : a thick fog and drizzling rain then came on, and finding that neither the river nor fea were likely to be of any ufe, I did not think it worth while to wait for faii; weather to determine the latitude exadly by an obfervation ; but by the extraordinary care I took in obferving the courfes and diftances when 1 walked from Congecathawhachaga where I had two good obfervations, the latitude may be de- pended upon within twenty miles at the utmoft. For the fake of form however, after having had fome confultation v/ith the Indians, I ere^ed a mark, and took pofTeilion of the coaft, on behalf of the Hudfon's Bay Company. Having finifhed this bufinefs, we fet out on our return, and walked about twelve miles to the South by Eaft, when we flopped and took a little fleep, which was the firft time that any of us had clofed our eyes from the fifteenth inflant, and it M 2 was l6 i8rh. I |64 177' r . A JOURNEY TO THE Was sow iiz 0*eloGk in the morning of the leigh- tfctttb. Mare the Indians killed a muik*ox, but the moft bwng very wet, we could not make a fire, fo that we were obUged to eat the meat raw. which wis intolerable, as it happened to be aa old beaft. Before I proceed farther on my return, it m^ AM be improper to give fome account of the river, and the country adjacent ; its produdions, and the animals which conftantly inhabit thofe drea^ ry regions, as well as thofe that only migrate thi- ther in Summer, in order to breed and rear their youn|^, unmdeftcd by man. That I may do this to better purpofe, it will be neceflary togo bad: to the pHice where I firft came to the mver, which was about forty miles from its mouth. Befide the ftuntcd pines already mentioned, there are fome tufts of dwarf willows ; plenty of Wid^acumpuckey, (as the Englifli call it, and which they ufe as tea); fome jackaiheypuck, which the natives ufe as tobacco ; and a few cran* berry and heathberry bufhes; but not the leaft appearance of any fruit. The woods grow gradually thinner and fmaller as you approach the fea ; and the laft little tuft of pines that I faw is about thirty miles from the mouth of the river, fo that we meet with no- thing between that fpot and the fea-iide but bar- ren hills and marlhes^, The general courfe of the river is about North by Eaft ; but in fome, places it is very crooked, and "«► "■Wt T{f/a4:^jl*a^ mmm EL He I r5i s*» them L CorrER Mine K wrr/ry€^ <^/ " I I Wi't -v ^1 i-i .jaKES=.::(£=3«a <■':- ^nd ■4S NORTHERN CXCEAK »nd its breadth varies (torn twenty yards to four or five hundred. The banks are in general a folid rock, both fides of which correfpotid fo e±a6^ly with each other, as to leave no doubt that the channel of the river has been eaufed by fome ter- rible convulfion of nature ; and the ftream is fup- plied by a variety of little rivulets, that rufli down the fides of the hills, occafioned chiefly by the melting of the (how. Some of the Indians fay, that this river takes its rife from the North Weft fide of Large White Stone Lake, whith is at thb diftance of near three hundred miles on a ftraight line ; but 1 can fcarcely think that is the cafe, unlefs there be many intervening lakes, which are fupplied by the vaft quatitity of water that is colledled in fo great an extent of hilly and moun- tainous country : for Were it btherwifif, I fhould imagine that the hiiiltitud^ of fmall rivers, whibh muft empty themfe^ves into the main flream ih the courft of fo great a diftance, would have form- ed a much deeper and fii'onger current than I dif- covered, and occafioned an annual deluge at the breaking up of the ice in the Spring, of which there wa^ not the leaft appearance, except at Bloo- , dy Fall, where the river was cOntra^ed to the breadth of about twenty yards. It was at the foot of this fall that tnf Indians killed the Efqui- thaux ; Which Was the rfeafon Why I diftimguiihed it by that a|)p^lIation. From this fall, which is ^bout ^ight tniles frotn the fea-fide, there are vbry ftw hills, and thpfe not high. The land between them i«5 1 66 .1. , A JOURNEY TO THE them is a fiiff loam and clay, which, in fomc parts, produces patches of pretty.good grafs, and in others tallifli dwarf willows : at the foot of the hills alfo there is plenty of fine fcurvy^grafs. The Efquimaux at this river are but low in (la- fture, none exceeding the middle iize, and though broad fet, are neither well-made nor flrong bodi- ed. Their complexion is of a dirty copper colour ; fome of the women, however, are more fair and ruddy. Their drefs much refembles that of the Grcenlanders in Davis's Straits, except the wo- men's boots, which are not ftiffened out with whalebone, and the tails of their jackets are not more than a foot long. Their arms and fiftiing-tackle are bows and ar- rows, fpears, lances, darts, &c. which exadly re- femble thofe made ufe of by the Efquiniaux in Hudfon*s Straits, and which have been well de- fcribed by Crantz*; bur, for want of good edge- tools, arc far inferior to them in workmanihip. Their arrows are either (hod with a trianglar piece of black ftone^ like flate, or a piece of copper j but moft commonly the former. The body of their canoes is on the fame con- flruclion as that of the other Efquimaux, and there is no unneccffary prow-projedion beyond the body of the veffel ; thefe, like their arms and other utenfils, are, for the want of better tools, by no means fo neat as thpfe I have feen in Hud- lon'a Bay and Straits. The double-bladed pad- die * See Hift. of Greenland, vcl. i, p. 1 32—156. n NORTHERN OCEAN. die is in univerfal ufe among all the tribes of this people. Their tents are made of parchment deer-lkins in the hair, and are pitched in a circular form, the fame as thofe of the Efquimaux in Hudfon's Bay. Thefe tents are undoubtedly no more than their Summer habitations, for I faw the remains of two miferable hovels, which, from the iituati- on, the ftrudture, and the vaft quantity oR bones, old fhoes, fcraps of ikins, and other rubbifh lying near them, had certainly been fome of their Winter retreats. Thefe houfes were fituated on the South fide of a hill ; one half of them were under-ground, and the upper parts clofely let round with poles, meeting at the top in a conical form, like their fummer-houfcs or tents. Thefe tents when inhabited, had undoubtedly been co- vered with Ikins ; and in Winter entirely over- fpread with the fnow-drift, which muft have great- ly contributed to their warmth. They were fo fmall, that they did not contain more than fix or eight perfons each ; and even that number of any other people would have found them but mifera- ble habitations. Their houfehold furniture chiefly confifts of fione kettles, and wooden troughs of various fizes ; alfo diihes, fcoops, andfpoons, made of the buffalo or muik-ox horns. Their kettles arc formed of a pepper and fait coloured ftone ; and though the texture appears to be very coarfe, and as porous as a drip-ftone, yet they are perfedly tight, 167 1 68 A JOURNEY TO THE 1 77 1. ^^S^^> and wili found a? clear as a china bowf. o^v^nj Some of thofe kettles are fo large as to be capable Ju'x- of containing five or fix gallons ; and though it is impoinble thefe poor people can perforin this arduous work with any other tools than harder ftones, yet they are by far fuperior to any that 1 had ever fee n in HuUfon's B»y; every one of them being ornamented with neat mouldings round the rim, and fome of the large ones with a kind of flute-work at each corner. In (hape they were a long fquare, fomething widefr at the top than bottom, like a knife-tray, and ftrong handles of the folid flone were left at each end to lift them up. Their hatchets are made of a thick lump of cop- per, about five or fix inches long, and from one and a half to two inches fquare; they are bevill- ed away at one end like a mortice-chiffcl. This is la(hed into the end of a piece of wood about twelve or fourteen inches long, in fuch a manner as to act like an adze: in general they are applied to the wood like a chiiTel, and driven in with a heavy club, irtftead of a mallet. Neither the weight of the tool nor the fliarpnefs of the metal will admit of their being handled either as adze or axe, with any degree of fuccefs. The men's bayonets and women's knives are alfo made of copper ; the former are in ftiape like the ace of fpades, with the handle of deers horn a foot long, and the latter exaftly refembic thofe defcribcd by Crantz. Samples of both thefe im- plements July. pleifttfhtsl formerly fent home to Jatnes f'hlsgc- jj^, raid, Efq. then one of the Hudfon's Bay Com- mittee. Among all the fpoils of the twelve tents which my companions plundered, only two fmall pieces of iton Were found ; one of which was about an inch and 2l haff long, and three eighths of ah inch broad, nnade int6 1 woman's knife ; the other was barely an inch long, and a quarter of an inch wide. This laft was rivetted into a piece of ivory, fo as to form a man's knife, known in Hudfon'S Bay by the name of Mokea/og^arjy and is the only in- ilrument ufed by them in fhaping all their wood- work. Thofe people had a fine and numerous breed of dogs, with fliarp ere^ ears, iharp nofes, bufKy tails, &c. exadly like thofe feen among the Ef- ^uimaux in Mudfon's Bay and Straits. They were 2II tethered to f^onei, to prevent them, as I fup- pofe, from eating the filh that were fpread all over the rocks to dry. I do not recolleft that my companions killed or hiirt one of thofe animals ; but after we had left the tents, they often wifh- ed they had taken fome of thofe fine dogs with them. ,- Though the drefs, canoes, utenfils, and many other articles belonging to thefe people, are very fimilar to thofe of Hudfon's Bay, yet there is one cuftom that prevails among them — namely, that of the men having all the hair of their heads pull- ed out by the roots — which pronounces them to be y / / :'y A JOURNEY TO THE be of a different tribe from any hitherto feen ei- ther on the coaft of Labradore, Hudfon's Bay, or Davis's Straits. The women wore their hair at full length, and exa^ly in the fame flile as all the other Efquimaux women do whom I have feen. When at the fea-fide, (at the mouth of the Cop- per River,") befides feeing many feals on the ice, 1 alfo obferved feveral flocks of fea-fowl flying about the ihores ; fuch as, gulls black-heads, loons, old wives, haha-wie's, dunter geefe, ar^ic gulls, and willicks. In the adjacent ponds alfo were fome fwans and geefe in a moulting flate, and in the marflies fome curlews and plover; plenty of hawks-eyes, (/. e. the green plover,) and fome yellow-legs; alfo feveral other fmall birds, that vifit thole Northern parts in the Spring to breed and moult, and which doubtlefs return Southward as the fall advances. My reafon for this conjecture is founded on a certain knowledge that all thofe birds migrate in Hudfon'sBay; and it is but reafonable to think that they are lefs ca- pable of withdanding the rigour of fuch a long and cold Winter as they mud neceflarily experi- ence in a country which is fo many degrees with- in the Arctic Circle, as that is where I now faw them. That the mufk-oxen, deer, bears, wolves, wol- varines, foxes, Alpine hares, white owls, ravens, partridges, ground-fquirrels, common fquirrels, ermins, mice, &c. are the conftant inhabitants of thofe parts, is not to be doubted. In many places, by the ildes of the hills, where the fnow lay to a great '^i 'If NORTHERN OCEAN. {treat depth, the dung of the mv.lk-oxen and deer was lying in fuch long and continued heaps, as clearly to point out that thofc places had been their much-frequented paths during the preced- ing Winter. There were alfo many other limilar appearances on the hills, and other parts, where the (how was entirely thawed away, without any print of a foot being vifible in the moi's; which is a certain proof that thefe long ridges of dung mud have been dropped in the fnow as the beafts were palling and repafling over it in the Winter. There are likewife fimilar proofs that the Alpine hare and the partridge do not rhigrate, but remain there the whole year: the latter we found in conliderable flocks among the tufts of willows which grow near the fea. It is perhaps not generally known, even to the curious, therefore may not be unworthy of obfer- vation, that the dung of the mufk-ox, though fo large an animal, is not larger, and at the fame time i'o near the (liape and colour of that of the Alpine hare, that the difference is not ealily diftinguifh- ed but by the natives, though in general the quan- tity may lead to a difcovery of the animal to which it belongs. I did not fee any birds peculiar to thofe parts, except what the Copper Indians call the " Alarm *' Bird," or Bird of Warning." In fize and co- lour it refembles a Cobadekoock, and is of the owl genus. The name is faid to be well adapted to its qualities j for when it perceives any people, or A JOURNEY TO THE ©T betft, f^ dircfts its way towards theih imme- diately, and after hovering over them fome timey^^ies rbund them in circles, or goes a-head 5rl the fiUtie direftion in which they walk. Thfcy fefpeat thdir vifits frequently ; and if they fee any <3ther moving objefts, fly alternately from one party to the other, hover over them for fome time, arid make a loud fcreaming noife, like the crying <5f i child. In this manner they are faid fome- f imes to follow paflengers a whole day. The Cop- . j5cr Indians putv gr6at confidence in thofe birds, and fay they are frequently apprised by them of the approach of ftrangers, and conduced by them to herds of deef and mufk-oxen ; which, without their afliftance, in all probability, they ne- ver could have found. The Efquimaiii feem not to have imbibed the fame opinion of thofe birds ; for if they had, they fniid have bedii apprized of our approach toward their tents, becaufe ail the time the Indians lay in dmbufli, (before they began the maffacre,) a Jarge flock of thofe bird^ Wer6 tontinually flying about, and hovering alternately over them and the tents, making i, noife fufficient to awaken any man out of the founded fleep. After a fleep of five 6r fix hours \9t bnci riiore fet out, and walked eighteen or nineteen miles to the South South E^ft, Vvhen we arrived at one of the copper mines, which lies, froni the river*s mouth about South Sotitli Eali, diftafit ibout tvfenty.nine ot ihhiy iftiles. This NORTHERN OCEAN. This mine, if it deferve that appellation^ is no more than an entire jumble of rocks and gravel, which has been rent many ways by an earthquake. Through thefe ruins there runs a fmall riv«r; but no part of it, at the time I w;is there, was more than knee>deep. The Indians who were the occafion of my un> >dertaking this journey, reprefented this mine to be fo rich and valuable, that if a fatftory were built at the xiver, a (hip might be ballafted with the oar, inftead of ftone.; and that with the iame eafe and dt^tch as is done with (lones at Churchill River. By their account the hills were entirely I compofed of that metal, all in handy lumps, like \ a heap of pebbles. But their account differed fo I much from the truth, that I and almod all my / companions expended near ;foDr hours in fearch of fome of this metal, with fuch poor fuccefs, that among us all, only one piece of any fize could be found. This, however, was remark- ably good, and weighed above four pounds*. I believe the copper has formerly been in much greater plenty; fur in many places, both on the furface and in the cavities and crevices of the rocks, the ilones are much tinged with ver< digrife. It may not be unworthy the notice of the cu- rious, or undcferving a place in my Journal, to ,;, remark. 1 n -> ♦ This piece of Copper i* now in tlw poflcdion of the IluJion's Bay Company. Jyil A JOURNEY TO THf: temark, that the Indians imagine that every bit of copper they' find refembles fome objecl in na* ture ; but by what I faw of the large piece, and fome fmaller ones which were found by my com- panions, it requires a great (hare of invention to make this out. I found that different people had different ideas on the fubje^b, for the large piece of copper above mentioned had not been found long before it had twenty different names. One faying that it refemblcd this animal, and another that it reprefented a particular part of another ; at lafl it was generally allowed to refemble an Alpine hare couchant : for my part, I muft con- fefs that I could not fee it had ti * leafl refem- blance to any thing to which th' *• mpared it. It would be endlefs to enumerate the different parts of a deer, and other animals, which the Indians fay the beft pieces of copper refemble : it may therefore be fufficient to fay, that the largefl pieces, with the feweft branches and the leafl drofs, are the befl for their ufe; as by the help of fire, and two flones, they can beat it out to any ihape they wifh. Before Churchill River was fettled by the Hud- fon's Bay Company, which was not more than fifty years previous to this journey being under- taken, the Northern Indians had no other me- tal but copper among them, except a fmall quan- tity of iron-work, which a party of them who vifited York Fort about the year one thoufand feven hundred and thirteen, or one thoufand fe- ven NORTHERN OCEAN. ^75 ven hundred and fourteen, purchafed ; and a few 1771. pieces of old iron found at Churchill River, which y?J"*-' had undoubtedly been left there by Captain Monk. This being the cafe, numbers of them from all quarters ufed every Summer to refort to thefe hills in fearch of copper; of which they made hatchets, ice-chiflels, bayonets, knives, awls, ar- row-heads, &c.* The many paths that had been beaten by the Indians on thefe occafionF, and which are yet, in many places, very perfe^b, efpecially on the dry ridges and hills, is furpriiing; in the vallies and marfliy grounds, however, they are moftly grown over with herbage, fo as not to be difcerned. The Copper Indians fet a great value on their native metal even to this day ; and prefer it to iron, for almoft every ufe except that of a hatch- et, * There is a (Irange tradition among thole people, that the firft perfun M>ho difcovered thofe mines was a woman, and that (he conducted them to the place for feveral years ; but as (he was the only woman in company, fome of the men took fuch libetties with her as made her tow revenge oa them ; and (he is faid to have been a great conjurer. Accordingly when the men had loaded themfclves with copper, and were going to return, (h« refufed to accompany them, and faid (he would fit on the mine till (he funk into the ground, and that the copper (hould Hnk with her. The next year, when the men went for more copper, they found her funk up to the waifl, though (lill alive and the quantity of copper much decreafed; and on their repeating their vifit the year following, (he had quite difappeared, and all the piincipal part of the mine with her ; fo that after that period nothing remained on the furface but a few fmall pieces, and thofe were fcattered at a confiderable dlHance from each other. Before that period they fay the copper lay on the furface in fuch large heaps, that the Indi- ans had nothing to do but turn it over, and pick fuch pieces as would beft fuit the different ufcs for which they intended it. 17^ A JOURNEY r^ rut Qt» a knife, and an awl : for thefe three necdfTiiry impUments, copper makes but a very poor fub. iii(Ut^. When they exchange copper for iron- work with our trading Northern Indians, which i$ but ieldom, the ftaodard is an Ice'ChifTel of copper for an ice-chiflel of iron, or an ice.chiJQ[el and a few arrow-heads of copper, for a half-worn hatchet ; but when they barter furrs with onr In- dians, the eflabliflied rule is to give ten times the price for every thing they purchaie that is given for them at the Company's Fadory. Thus, a hatchet that is bought at the Factory for one beaver-ikin, or one cat-^n, or three ordinary martins' ikins, is fold to thofe people at the ad- vanced price of one thoufandj^^r cgnL; they aifo pay in proportion, for knives, and every other fmalier piece of iron-work. For a fmall brafs kettle of two pounds, or two pounds and a half weight, they pay fixty martins, or twenty beaver in other kinds of furrs*. If the kettles are not bruifedy or ill-ufed in any other refpeft, the Nor- thern * What is meant by Beaver in other kind of furrs >nu(^ be underftood as follows : For the eafier trading with the Indians, as well as for the more correftly keeping their accounts, the Hiidfon's Bay Company have made a full-giown beaver-(kin the ftandard by which they rate ail other furrs, ac- cording to their rcfpe^ltlve values. Thus in feveral fpecies of fiiirs, one Ikin ii valtvfd at therate of four beaver (kins; fome at three, and o'hcrs at two ; whereas tliofe of an inferior quality are tather at one ; and thofe of ftill lof» value confidered fo inferior to that of a beaver, that from fi;: to twenty of their ikins arc only valued at equal to one beaver flcin in the way of trade> and do not fetch one-fourth of the price at the London mar- ket. Tn this manner the itim ''Made Beaver" is to be underllood. I NORTHERN OCEAN. them traders have the confcience at times to ex- act fomething more. It is at this extravagant price that all the Copper and Dog-ribbed Indians, -who traffic with our yearly traders, fupply them- felves with iron-work, &c. From thofe two tribes our Northern Indians ufed formerly to purchafe moft of the furrs they brought to the Company*s Factory ; for their own country produced very few of thofe articles, and being, at that time, at war with the Southern Indians, they were prevented from penetrating far enough backwards to meet with many ani- mals of the furr kind ; fo that deerikins, and fuch furrs as they could extort from the Copper and Dog^ribbed Indians, compofed the whole of their trade; which, on an average of many years, and indeed till very lately, feldom or ever exceed- ed fix thoufand Made Beaver per annum. At prefent happy it is for them, and greatly to the advantrge of the Company, that they are in perfed peace, and live in friendlhip with their Southern neighbours. The good efFeft of this harmony is already fo vifible, that within a few years the trade from that quarter has increafed many thoufands of Made Beaver annually ; fome years even to the amount of eleven thoufand Ikins*. Befides the advantage ariling to the N Company • Since this Journal was written, the Nwithern Indians, by annually vi- fiting their Southein friends, the Athapufcow Indians, have contraAed the fmaU- , lyB A JOURNEY TO THE ,.«,. Company from this increafe, the poor Northern Indians reap innumerable benefits from a fine and plentiful country, with the produce of which they annually load themielves for trade, with- out giving the lead offence to the proper inha- bitants. Several attempts have been made to induce the Copper and Dog-ribbed Indians to vifit the Com- pany's Fort at Churchill River, and for that pur- pofe many prefents have been fent, but they never were attended with any fuccefs. And though Ihfiall-poa, which has carried oiC nine-teathi of them, and partknlarly thofe people who compofed the trade at Churchill Fa£lory. The few itirvlvors follow the example of their Soathern neighbours, and all trade with the Canadians, who are fettled in the heart of the Athapufcow country : fb that a very few years has proved my (hort-fightednefs, and that it would have been much more to the advantage of the Company, as well as hate prevented the depopuiatbn of the Northern Indian country, if they had ftill remained at war with the Southern ttibes, and never at- tempted to better their fituation. At the iame time, it is impofCble to fay what increafe of trade might not, in time, have arifen from a conAant and regular traffic with the diffeient tribes of Copper and Dog-ribbed In* dians. But having been totally negleAed for feveral years, they have now fntik. into their oiiginal barbarifm and extreme indigence; and a war has vnfued between the two tribes, for the fake' of a few remnants of iron« worl( which was left among them ; and the Dog*ribbed Indians were Co numerous, and To Aiccefsful, as to deiiroy almoft the whole race of the Cop> per Indians. While I was writing this Note, I was informed by fome Northern Indi> ans, that the few which remain of the Copper tribe have found their way to one of the Canadian houfes in the Athapufcow Indians country, where they get fupplied with every thing at lefs, or about half the price they were formerly obliged to give; fo that the few furviving Northern Indians, as well as the Hudfon's Bay Company, have now lo(l every fliadow of any fu- ture trade from that quarter, unlefs the Company will eftablKh a fettle- meat with the Athapufcow country, andunderfcU the Canadians. NORTHERN OCEAN. 1.79 though feveral of the Copper Indians h^ve vifited \yyi. Churchill, in the capacity of fervants to the Nor- '■"'T^p^ thern Indians, and were generally fent back load- ed with prerent9 for their countrymen, yet the Northern Indians always plundered them of the whol4 foon after they left the Fort. This kind of treatment, added to the many inconveniendes that attend fo long a jc .rney, are great qbi^aclesi in their way ; otherwife it would be as poiljble for them to bring their own goods to market, as for the Northern Indians to go fo far to purchale them on their own account, and haye the fame; diftance to bring them as the iirft proprietors would have had. But it is a political fcheme of our Northern traders to prevent fuch an intercourfe, as it would greatly le|Ien their coiifequence and emolument. Su perdition, indeed, will, in all pro- bability, be a lafting barrier againft thofe people ever having a fettled communication with our Faftory ; as few of them chufe to travel in coun- tries fo remote from their own, under a pretence that the change of air and provifions (though ex- actly the fame to which they are accufiomed) are highly prejudicial to their health ; and that no^ one out of three of thofe who have undertaken the journey, have ever lived to return. The firft of thefe reafons is evidently no more than grofs fuperftition ; and though the latter is but too true, it has always been owing to the treache- ry and cruelty of the Northern Indians, who took them under their proteAion. N 2 It J i^l f . 180 A JOURNEY TO THE It is but a few years fince, that Captain KeeU ihies, who is frequently mentioned in this Jour- nal, took twelve of thefe people under his charge, all heavy laden with the moft voluable furrs; and long before they arrived at the Fort, he and the reft of his crew had got all the furrs from them, 'in payment for provilions for their fup- port, and obliged them to carry the furrs on their account. On their arrival at Prince of Wales's Fort, Keelfliies laid claim to great merit for having brought thofe ftrangers, fo richly laden, to the Factory, and afliired the Governor that he might, in future, expeA a great increafe in trade from that quarter, through his intereft and alfiduity. One of the ftrangers was dubbed with the name of Captain, and treated accordingly, while at the Fort ; that is, he was drefled out in the beft man- ner ; and at his departure, both himfelf and all his countrymen were loaded with prefents, in hopes that they would not only repeat the vifit themfelves, but by difplaying fo much generofity, many of their countrymen would be induced to accompany them. There fcems to be great propriety in the con- duel of the Governor* on this occafiion ; but how- ever well-intended, it had quite the contrary ef- fect, for Keel (hies and the reft of his execrable gang, hot content with fharing all the furrs thofe poor people had carried to the Fort, determined to • Mr. Mofes Norton. NORTHERN OCEAN. i8i to get alfo all the European goods that had been 1 77 1 . given 10 them by the Governor. As neither ^^""^ Keelfhies nor any of his gang had the courage to kill the Copper Indians, they concerted a deep- laid fcheme for their deftruAion ; which was to leave them on an ifland. With this view, when they got to the propofed fpot, the Northern Indi- ans took care to have all the baggage belonging to the Copper Indians ferried acrofs to the main, and having ftripped them of fuch parts of their clothing as they thought worthy their notice, went off with all the canoes, leaving them all behind on the ifland, where they perifiied for want. When I was on my journey to the Fort in June one thoufand feven hundred and feventy- two, I faw the bones of thofe poor people, and had the foregoing account from my guide Mato- nab^e; but it was not made known to the Go- vernor for fome years afterward, for fear of pre- judicing him againft Keelfhies. A fimilar circumftance had nearly happened to a Copper Indian who accompanied me to the Fort in one thoufand feven hundred and feventy-two : after we were all ferried acrofs Seal River, and the poor man's bundle of furrs on the South-iide, he was left alone on the oppoiite ihore; and no one except Matonabbee would go over for him. The wind at that time blew fo hard, that Mato- nabbee ftripped himfelf quite naked, to be ready for fwimming in cafe the canoe (hould overfet ; but he foon brought the Copper Indian fafe over, to 2li, A JOURNEY TO THE to the ho (Inall tnortification of thb wr^ch who had the charge of him, and who would gladly have poflefied the bundle of furrs at the eftpenct of the poor mati'o life. When t^e Northern Indians returned folr thfc Fajitory that year, the above Copper Indian put himfelf under the protection of Matonabbee, who accompanied him as far North an the latitude 64®, where they faw fome Copper Indians, among whom was the young man's father, into who(^ hands Matonabbee delivere«j him in good health, tvith all his goods iafe, and in good order. Soon after we had left the Copper-mine^ there came on a thick fog with rain, and at intervals heavy fliowcrs of fnow. This kind of weather continued for fome days; and at times it was fo thick, that we were obliged to ftop for fex'^eral iioors together, as we were unable to (ee our way, and thft road was remarkably rocky and intricate. At thrice o*dock in the morning of the twenty- fccond, Matonabbee*s brother and one of the Copper Indians, who had been firft difpatched a- liead from Congccathawhachaga, overtook us. During their abfence they had not difcovered ^ny Indians who could have been fervieeable to thly expedition. They had, however, been at the Copper River, and feeing fome marks fet up thtte to direft them to return, they had made ihfe t^ dF their way, and had not flept from the time r ■4 ch who I gladly 'ftpeact fofc- rhte an put fr, wh6 fttitude among Whoft health, * there tervals father it was fe\'teral &e our y and ^ehty-, . F the led a- k us. i^crtd )le to Jn at :t up nade 1 the time %i ney. lliat day w? walked forty-two miles ^ and in our way paiTed Buffalo Lake : at night, we put up about the middle of the Stony Moun. tains. The weather was exceflively hot and fultry. On the twenty-third, the weather continued much the fame as on the preceding dav. Karly in the morning we fet uut, and walked forty^five miles the firll day, during which the Indians kiU^ ed feveral fine fat buck deer. About one o'clock in the morning of the twen- ty-fourth, we (lopped and took a little refrefli- ment, as we had alio done about noon the pre- ceding day ^ but the Indians had been fo long from their wives and families, that they promii^ ed not to fleep till they faw them, efpecially as we were then in fight of the hills of Congecatha- whachaga, where we had left the laft of them. After refting about an hour, we proceeded on our way, and at fix in the morning arrived at Congecatha whachaga ; when, to our great difap- pointment, we found that all our women had got fet acrofs the river before the Copper Indians left that pax t ; fo that when we arrived, not an In- dian was to be found, except an old man and his family, who had arrived ia our abience, and was 24th. July. ^ 184 A JOURNEY TO THE lyyi, was waiting at the croiTing-place with fome furrs for Matonabbee, who was fo nearly related to the old man as to be his fon-in-law, having one of his daughters for a wife. The old man had another with him, who was alfo offered to the great man, but not accepted. Our ftay at this place may be faid to have been of very fliort duration ; for on feeing a large fmoke to the Southward, we immediately crofled the river, and walked towards it, when we found that the women had indeed been there fome days before, but were gone ; and at their departure had fet themofs on fire, which was then burning, and occafioned the fmoke we had feen. By this time the afternoon was far advanced; we purfued, however, our courfc in the direction which the women took, for their track we could eafily dif- cover in the mofs. We had not gone far, before we faw another fmoke at a great diftance, for which we fhaped our courfe ; and, notwithftand- ing we redoubled our pace, it was eleven o'clock at night before we reached it ; when, to our great mortification, we found it to be the place where the women had ilept the night before; having in the morning, at their departure, fet fire to the mofs which was then burning. The Indians, finding that their wives were fo near as to be within one of their ordinary day's walk, which feldom exceeded ten or twelve miles, determined not to reft till they had joined them. Accordingly ajth. ' 1^ NORTHERN OCEAN. Accordingly we purfued our courfe, and about two o'clock in the morning of the twenty- fifth, come up with fome of the women, who bad then pitched their tents by the fide of Coge- ad Lake. From our leaving the Copper-mine River to thi§ time we had travelled fo hard, and taken fo little reft by the way, that my feet and legs had fwell- ed confid<*rably, and I iiad become quite ftiff at the ankle?, hi this fituation I had fo little pow* er to direct my feet when walking, that I fre- quently knocked them atj^ain^ the ftones with fuch force, as not only t iar and diforder them, but my legs alfo ; and tLe nails of my toes were bruifed to fuch ? ilr^^ree, that irveral of them fef- tered and dropped oE 1 o add to thi<9 mifliap, the Ikin was entirely chafed off from the tops of both my feet, and between every toe ; fo that the fand and gravel, which I could by no means ex- clude, irritated the raw parts fo much, that for a whole day before we arrived at the women's tents, I left the print of my feet in blood almoft at ev(?~y ftep I took. Several of the Indians be- gan to complain that their feet alfo were fore ; but, on examination, not one of them was the twentieth part in fo bad a ftate as uiine. This being the firft time I had been in fuch a fituation, or feen anybody foot-fourdered, I was much alarmed, and under great apprehenfions for the confequences. Though I was but little fatigued n JuL 186 A JOURNEY TO THE j..^ fatigued in body, yet the excruciating pain I fuf. c^nNJ fcred when walking, had fuch an effcft on my fpirits, that if the Indians had continued to travel two or three days longer at that unmerciful rate, I muft unavoidably have been left behind ; for my feet were in many places quite honey>comb- ed, by the dirt and gravel eating into the raw flefh. As foon as we arrived at the women's tents, the firft thing I did, was to wafh and clean my feet in warm water ; then I bathed the fwelled parts with fpirits of wine, and drefled thofe that were raw with Turner's cerate ; foon after which I be- took myfelf to reft. As we did not move on the following day, I perceived that the fwelling abated, and the raw parts of my feet were not quite fo much inflamed. This change for the better gave me the ftrongeft afliirance that reft was the principal thing wanted to effecl a fpeedy and complete cure of my painful though in reali- ty very fimple diforder, (foot-foundering,) which I had before coniidered to be an afiair of the greateft coniequence. Reft, however, though cflential to my fpeedy recovery, could not at this time be procured ; for as the Indians were deiirous of joining the remain<* der of their wives and families as foon as poftible, they would not ftop even a fingle day ', fo that on the twenty.feventh we again began to move; and though they moved at the rate of eight or nine a7th. NORTHERN OCEAN. nine inilei a day, it wa) with the utmoft dliScul. ty that I Gould fbllow thedi. Indeed the ^veather proved remarkably fine and jpleafant^ and the ground was in general pretty dry^ and free from ftones; which contributed greatly to noy eafe in walking, and enabled me te keep up with the natives. On the thirty.firft of July, we arrived at the place where the wives and families of my compa- nions had been ordered to wait our return from the Copper-mine River. Here we found feveral tents of Indians ; but thofe belonging to Mato- nabbee, and fome others of my crew, had not ar- rived. We faw, however, a large fmoke to the Eaftward, which was fuppofed had been made by them, as no other Indians were expeded from that quarter. Accordingly, the next morning, Matonabbee fent fome of his young men in queil of them, and on the fifth, they all joined us ; when, contrary to expe(5tation, a great number of other Indians were with them ; in all, to the amount of more than forty tents. Among thofe Indians, was the man who Matonabbee dabbed when we were at Clowey. With the greateft fub- miilion he led his wife to Matonabbee's tent, fet her down by his fide, and retired, without faying a word. Matonabbee took no notice of her, though ihe was bathed in tears ; and by degrees, after reclining herfelf on her elbow for fome time, ihe lay down, and, fobbing, iu^,fee'd dinne,fee'd dinne! 31 (t Auguft. lit. jth. i88 A JOURNEY TO THE 1 77 1. ^'^^^ • ^hich is, My hufband, my huiband ! On y^^'^nu which Matonabbee told her, that if {he had re- Auguft. fp^^eti him 2s fuch, flie would not have run away from him; and that Ihe was at liberty to go where (he pleafed. On which flie got up, with feeming reluctance, though moft afluredly with a light heart, and returned to her former hufband's tent. i ? ? CHAP. ' I id I On had re. n away to go with with a fband's A P. NORTHERN OCEAN. CHAP. VII. Remarks from the Time the Women joined us till our Arrival at the Athapufcow Lake. Several of the Indians Jick,-^ Method u/ed by the conju- rors to relieve one man^ who recovers. — Matonabbee and his crew proceed to the South Weji, — Mo/i of the other Indians feparate, and go their refpeclive ways* -'Pafs by White Stone Lake, — Many deer killed merely for their Jkins, — Remarks thereon^ and on the deer, refpeElingfeafons and places, — Arrive at Point Lake, — One of the Indians wives being fick, is left behind to perijh above-ground, — Weather very had^ but deer plenty* — Stay fome time at Point Lake to dry meat, &c. — Winter fet in,'-^SuperJiitious cuftoms obferved by my companions, after they had killed the Efquimaux at Copper River, — A violent gale of wind overfets my tent and breaks my quadrant. — Some Copper and Dog-ribbed Indians join us, — Indians propofe to go to the Athapufcow Country to kill moofe,'^Leave Point Lake, and arrive at the wood's edge,— ^Arrive of Anawd Lake. — Tranfa6lions there — Remarkable inftance of a man being cured ofthepalfey by the conjurors,— ^Leave Anawd Lake — Arrive at the great Athapufcow Lake, 189 s EVERAL of the Indians being very ill, the I77l conjurers, who are always the dodors, and ^_ -_- pretend to perform great cures, began to try their ■'^''*"^' (kill 19» A JOURNl^V TO THE J-- j^ (kill to cflfcft their recovery. Here it is neceffarjr v,,^*^^^ to remark, that they ufe no medicine either for Auguft. internal or external complaints, but perform all their cuFe9 by charms. In ordinary cafes, fuck* ing the part affcifted, blowing, and finging to it; haughing, fpitting, and at the fame time uttering a heap of unintelligible jargon, compofe the whole procefs of cure. For fome inward complaints ; fuch as, griping in the inteftines, difficulty of making water, t^c it is very common to fee thofe jugglers blowing into the anus^ or into the parts adjacent, till their eyes are almoft darting out of their heads : and this operation is per- formed indifferently on all, without regard either to age or fex. The accumulation of fo large a quantity of wind is at times apt to occadon fome extraordinary emotions, which are not eaiily fupprefled by a fick perfon ; and as there is no vent for it but by the channel through which it was conveyed thither, it fometimes occafions an odd fcene between the do(iilor and his patient; which 1 once wantonly called an engagement, but for which I was afterward exceedingly forry, as it highly offended feveral of the Indians j par- ticularly the juggler and the fick perfon, both of whom were men I much efteemed, and, except in that moment of levity^ it had ever been no lefs my inclination than my intereft to ftiew them every refpe(5l that my fituation would admit. ^^* I have often admired the great pains thefe jug- glers take to deceive their credulous countrymen, while NORTHERN OCEAN. while at the fame time they are indefatigably in- duftrious and perfevering in their efforts to relieve them. Being naturally not very delicate, they frequently continue their windy procefs fo long, that I have more than once feen the doctor quit his patient with his face and bread in a very dif- agreeable condition. However laughable this may appear to an European, cuflom makes it ve- ry indecent, in their opinion, to turn any thing of the kind to ridicule. When a friend for whom they have a particular regard is, as they fuppofe, dangerouily ill, beiide the above methods, they have recourfe to another very extraordinary piece of fuperftition ; which is no lefs than that of pretending to fwallow hatchets, ice-chiflels, broad bayonets, knives, and the like ; out of a fuperftitious notion that un- dertaking fuch defperate feats will have fome in- fluence in appealing death, and procure a refpite for their patient. On fuch extraordinary occafions a conjuring- houfe is eredted, by driving the ends of four long fmall fticks, or poles, into the ground at ri^l^t angles, fo as to form a fquare of four, five, fix, or feven feet, as may be required. The tops of the poles are tied together, and all is clofe cover- ed with a tent-cloth or other Ikin, exaftly in the ihape of a fmall fquare tent, except that there is no vacancy left at the top to admit the light. In the middle o^ ti.is houfe, or tent, the patient is laid, and is fooa Joliowed by the conjurer, or conjurers* :^i 192 A JOURNEY TO THE 1771. conjurers. Sometimes five or fix of them glvi* ^-"^^JlJI^JJ^ their joint-afiiftancc ; but before they enter, they ftrip themfelvcs quite naked, and as foon as they get into the houfe, the door being well clofcd, they kneel round the fick perfon or perfons, and begin to fuck and blow at the parts eflecled, and tlicn in a very fhort fpacc of time fing and talk as if converfing with familiar fpirits^ which they fay appear to them in the fliape of dificrcnt beads and birds of prey. When they have had fufilcient conference with thofc neceflary agents, orfliadows, as they term them, they a(k for the hatchet, bay- I onet, or the like, which is always prepared by another perfi)n, with a long firing faftened to it ! . by the haft, for the convenience of hauling it up again after they have fwallowed it ; for they very wifely admit this to be a very neceflary pre- caution, as hard and compa^b bodies, fuch as iron and fteel, would be very difficult to digeft, even I by the men who are enabled to fwallow them. Befides, as thofc tools arc in themfelvcs very ufe- ful, and not always to be procured, it would be very ungenerous in the conjurers to digefl them, when it is known that barely fwallowing them and hauling thcnv up again is fully fufilcient to anfwer every purpofc that is cxpeded from them. At the time when the forty and odd tents of Indians joined us, one man was fo dangeroufly ill, that it was thought neceflfary the conjurers (hould ufe fome of thofc wonderful experiments for his rccovcryj one of them therefore immediately, con- lented t:. NORTHERN OCEAN. fcntcd to fwallow a broad bayonet. According^, a conjuring-houfe uas crcded in the manner above defcribcd, into which the patient wan con- veyed, and he was foon followed by the conjurer, who, after a long; preparatory dircourfe, and the neccifary conference with his familiar ijpirits, or ihadows, as they call them, advanced to tlied(3or and siked for the bayonet, which was then ready preparod, by having a ftring faftened to it, and a ihort piece of wood tied to the other end of tlie ftring, to prevent hiin from fwallowing it. I could not help obfcrving that the length of the bit of wood was not more than the breadth of the bayonet : however, as it anfwered the intend- ed purpoitc, it did equally well as if it had been as long as a handfpikc. Though 1 am not fo credulous as to believe that the conjurer abfolutcly fwallowed the bayonet, yet 1 mull acknowledge that in the twinkling of an eye he conveyed it to — God knows where ; and the fmall piece of wood, or one exactly like it, was confined clofe to his teeth. He then pa- raded backward and forward before the conjur- ing-houfe for a ihort time, when he feigned to be greatly difordered in his (lomach and bowels; and, after making many wry faces, and groaning molt hideoudy, he put his body into ieveral di- ftorted attitudes, very fuitable to theoccafion. He then returned to the door of the conjuring-houfe, and after making many Arong efforts to vomit, by the help of the ftring he at length, and after tugging at it fome time, produced the bayonet, O which 6th. \l u ■ I 3 9tft. A JOURNEY TO THE which apparently he hauled out of his mouth, to the no fmall furprize of all prefent. He then looked round with an air of exultation, and ilrutting into the conjuring-houfe, where he re- newed his incantations, and continued them with- out intermiffion twenty-four hours. Though I was not clofe to his elbow when he performed the above feat, yet 1 thought myfcif near enough (^and 1 can afTure my readers I was all attention) to have dete^ed him. Indeed I muft confefs that it appeared to me to be a very nice piece of deception, efpecially as it was performed by a man quite naked. Not long after this flight-of-hand work was over, fome of the Indians alked me what I thought of it ; to which I anfwered, that I was too far off to fee it fo plain as I could wifh; which in- deed was no more than the ftricteft truth, be- caufe I was not near enough to detc^ the decep- tion. The fick man, however, foon recovered ; and in a few days afterwards we left that place and proceeded to the South Weft. ' On the ninth of Auguft, we once more purfued our journey, and continued our courfe ic the South Weft quarter, generally walking about fe- ven or eight miles a day. All the Indians, how- ever, who had been in our company, except twelve tents, ftruck off different ways. As to myfelf, having had feveral days reft, my feet were ; completely healed, though the ikin remained very tender for fome time. . . !; : . From 1 NORTHERN OCEAN. From the nineteenth to the twenty-fifth, we walked by the fide of Thaye-chuck-gyed Whoie, or Large Whiteftone Lake, which is about forty i miles long from the North Eaft to the South Weft, but of very unequal breadth. A river from the North Weft fide of this lake is faid to run in a Terpentine manner a long way to the Weft ward; and then tending to the Northward, compofes the main branch of the Copper-mine River, as has been already mentioned ; which may or may not be true. It is certain, however, that there are many rivulets, which empty themfelves into this lake from the South Eaft ; but as they are all fmall ftreams, they may probably be no more than what is fufficient to fupply the conftant de- creafe occafioned by the exhalations, which, dur- ing the fliort Summer, fo high a Northern lati- tude always affords. Deer were very plentiful the whole way; the Indians killed great numbers of them daily, mere- ly for the fake of their Ikins ; and at this time of the year their pelts arc in good feafon, and the hair of a proper length for clothing. The great deftrudtion which is made of the deer in thofe parts at this feafon of the year on- ly, is almoft incredible ; and as they are never known to have more than one young one at a time, it is wonderful they do not become fcarce : but fo far is this from being the cafe, that the old- eft Northern Indian in all their tribe will affirm that the deer are as plentiful now as they ever have O 2 . been; Auguft." A JOURNEY TO THE been ; and though they are remarkably (carce fome years near Churchill river, yet it is faid, and with great probability of truth, that they are more plentiful in other parts of the country than they were formerly. The fcarcity or abundance of thefe animals in different places at the fame feafon is caufed, in a great meafure, by the winds which prevail for fome time before; for the deer are fuppofed by the natives to walk always in the dire6lion from which the wind blows, except when they migrate from Eaft ta Weft, or from Weft to £aft, in fearch of the oppofite fex, for the purpofe of propagating their fpecies. It requires the prime part of the fkins of from eight to ten deer to make a complete fuit of warm clothing for a grown perfon during the Winter ; all of which fhould, if poffible, be killed in the month of Auguft, or early in September j for af- ter that time the hair is too long, and at the fame time fo loofe in the pelt, that it will drop off with the flighteft injury. Befide thefe fkins, which muft be in the hair, each perfon requires feveral others to be drefTed into leather, for ftockings and (hoes, and light Summer clothing ; feveral more are alfo wanted in a parchment ftate, to make clewla as they call It, or thongs to make netting for their fnow-flioes, fnares for deer, fewing for their fledges, and, in fad, for every other ufe where ftrings or lines of any kind are required: fo that each perfon, on an average, expends, in the courfe of a year, upwards ' of NORTHERN OCEAN. of twenty deer (kins in clothing and other dome- ilic ufes, exclufive of tent cloths, bags, and niany other things which it is impolTible to remember, and unneceflfary to enumerate. All (kins for the above-mentioned purpofes are, if poilible, procured between the beginning of Auguft and the middle of Odober ; for when the rutting feafon is over, and the Winter fets in, the deerwfkins are not only very thin, but in ge- neral full of worms and warbles ; which render them of little ufe, unlefs it be to cut into fine thongs, of which they make fifliing-nets, and nets for the heels and toes of their fnow-flioes. In- deed the chief ufe that is made of them in Win- ter is for the purpofe of food; and really when the hair is properly taken off, and all the warbles are fqueezed out, if they are well-boiled, they are far from being difagreeable. The Indians, how- ever, never could perfuade me to eat the warbles, of which fome of them are remarkably fond, par- ticularly the children. They are always eaten raw and alive, out of the fkin; and are faid, by thofe who like them, to be as fine as goofeberries. But the very idea of eating fuch things, exclufive of their appearance, (many of them being as large as the firft joint of the little finger,) was quite fufficient to give me an unalterable difguft to fuch a repaft ; and when I acknowledge that the warbles out of the deers backs, and the do- meftic lice, were the only two things 1 ever faw my companions eat, of which I could not, or did not^ A JOURNEY TO THE not partake, I ti uft I fhall not be reckoned ovct" delicate in my appetite. The month of October is the rutting fcafon with the deer in thofc parts, and after the time of their courtfhip is over, the bucks feparatc from the docs; the former proceed to the VVclhvard, to take ilielter in the woods during the Winter, :^nd tiie latter keep out in the barren ground the whole year. This, though a general rule, is not without fome exceptions ; for I have frequently feen many does in the woods, though they bor^ no proportion to the number of bucks. This rule, therefore, only ftands good refpecting the deer to the North of Churchill River ; for the deer to the Southward live promifcuoufly among the woods, as well as in the plains, and along the banks of rivers, lakes, i^(. the whole year. The old buck's horns arc very large, with ma- ny branches, and always drop off in the month of November, which is about the time they begin to approach the woods. This is undoubtedly vvitciy ordered by Providence, the better to ena- ble them to cfcape from their enemies through the woods ; other wife they would become an ca- fy prey to wolves and other beafls, and be liable to get entangled among the trees, even in rang- ing about in fearch of food. The fame opinion may probably be admitted of the Southern deer, which always refidc among the woods ; but the Northern deer, though by far the fmallcft in this rquntry, have much the largeft horns, and the branches are lb long, and at the fame time ipread led ovci^- fcafon c time of uc from clhvarcl, Winter, und the is not jqucntly »ey borpinion n deer, >ut the in this id the Spread NORTHERN OCEAN. ib ^de, as to make them more liable to be en- tangled among the under-woods, than any other fpecies of deer that I have noticed. The young bucks in thofe parts do not fhed their horns fo foon as the old ones : I have frequently iecn them killed at or near Chriftmas, and could difcover no appearance of their horns being loofe. The does do not fiied their horns till the Summer ; fo that when the buck's horns are ready to dropoff, the horns of the does are all hairy, and fcarcely come to their full growth. The deer in thofe parts are generally in motion from Eaft to Weft, or from Weft to Eaft, accord- ing to the f^afon, or the prevailing winds j and that is the principal reafon why the Northern In- dians are always ihifting their ftation. From November till May, the bucks continue to the Weft ward, among the woods, when their horns begin to fprout ; after which they proceed on to the Eaftward, to the barren grounds ; and the does that have been on the barren ground all the Winter, are taught by inftindb to advance to the Weftward to meet them, in order to propagate their fpecies. Immediately after the rutting fea- fon is over, they feparate, as hath been mention- ed above. The old vulgar faying, fo generally received among the lower clafs of people in Eng- land, concerning the bucks Ihedding their yards, or more properly the glands of the penis, yearly, whether it be true in England or not, is certainly not true in any of the countries bordering on Rudfoii'^ 199 <*■ j^uguH. id6 A JOURNEY TO THE 1771. Hudfon's Bay. A long refidence among the In- dians has enabled me to confirm this after tion with great confidence, as I have feen deer killed every day throughout the year ; and when I have mentioned this circumftancc to the Indians, eith»:r Northern or Southern, they always affurcd me that they never obferved any fuch fymptoms. With equal truth I can afiert, and that from c^cular demonftration, that the animal which is called the Alpine Hare in Hud(bn*s Bay, adually undergoes fomething (imiiar to that which is vul- garly afcribed to the Englifli deer. I have feen and handled feverat of them, who had been kill- cd juft after they had coupled in the Spring, with the penifes hanging out, dried up, and ihri- velled, like the navel-ftring of young animsls j and on examination I always found a paflagc through them for the urine to pafs. 1 have thought proper to give this remark a place in my Journal, becaufe, in all probability, it is not gene- rally known, even to thofe gentlemen who have made natura hiftory their chief ftudy ; and if their refearches are of any real utility to mankind, it is furely to be regretted that Providence Ihould have placed the greateft part of them too remote from want to be obliged to travel for ocular proofs of what they afTert in their publica- tions ; they are therefore wifely content to ftay at home, and enjoy the blefljngs with which they arc endowed, rcHing fatisfied to collect fuch in- fDrnuUion for their own amufement, and the gr^ti. # ;;:;ii^ NORTHERN OCEAN. 201 gratification of the public, as thofc who are ne-r i^yi. ceffitated to be travellers arc able or willing to k^ty^sj give them. It is true, and I am ferry it is fo, -^"suft. that I come under the latter defcription ; but hope I have not, or (hall not, in the courfe of this Journal, advance any thing that will not ftand the ted of experiment, and the IkiU of the moft competent judges. After leaving White Stone Lake, we continued our courfe in the South Weft quarter, feldorn walking more than twelve miles a day, and fre- quently not half that diilance. On the third of September, we arrived at a ggpfcmber. fmall river belonging to Point Lake, but the wea- ^d- ther at this time proved fo boifterous, and there was fo much rain, fnow, and froft, alternately, that we were obliged to wait feveral days before we could crofs it in our canoes; and the water was too deep, and the current too rapid, to *t- ^^ tempt fording it. During this interruption, however, our time was not entirely loft, as deer were fo plentiful that the Indians killed numbers of them, as well for the fake of their (kins, as for their flefli, which was at prefent in excellent order, and the (kins in proper feafon fot the fun- dry ufes for which they are deftined. In the afternoon of the feventh, the weather became fine and moderate, when we all were ferried acrofs the river ; and the next morning ihaped our courfe to the South Weft, by the fide of point Lake. After three days journey, which only nh. 8th. 'i ■ i S( picpiber. 202 A JOURNEY TO THE • 1771. only confided of about eighteen miles, we came to a few fmall fcrubby woods, which were the firft that we had fecn from the twenty-fifth of May, except thofe we had perceived at the Cop- per-mine River. One of the Indian's wives, who for fome time had been in a confumption, had for a few days paft become fo weak as to be incapable of travel- ling, which, among thofe people, is the moft de- plorable ftatc to which a human being can pofli- bly be brought. Whether flie had been given over by the doctors, or that it was for want of friends among them, I cannot tell, but certain it is, that no expedients were taken for her recove- ry ; fo that, without much ceremony, flie was • left unaflifted, to pcrifli above-ground. Though this was the firft inftance of the kind I had feen, it is the common, and indeed the con- ilant practice of thofe Indians ; for when a grown perfon is fo ill, efpecially in the Summer, as not to be able to walk, and too heavy to be carried, they fay it is better to leave one who is paft reco- very, tlian for the whole family to fit down by them and ftarve to death; well knowing that they cannot be of any fervice to the afflicted. On thole occafions, ihereforc, the Friends or relations of the lick generally leave them fome victuals and wa- ter ; and, if the fituation of the place will afford it, a little firing. When thole articles arc provided, the perfon to be left is acquainted . with the road which the others intend to go ; and NORTHERN OCEAN. 203 and then, after covering them well up with deer i-^^,, Ikins, ^c, they take their leave, and walk away ^"■"•r^ « September. crying. Sometimes perfons thus left, recover; and come up with their friends, or wander about till they meet with other Indians, whom they accom- pany till they again join their relations. Inftan- ces of this kind are feldom known. The poor woman above mentioned, however, came up with us three feveral times after having been left in the manner defcribed. At length, poor crea- ture ! fhe dropt behind, and no one attempted to go back in fearch of her. A cuftom apparently fo unnatural is perhaps not to be found among any other of the human race : if properly confidered, however, it may with juftice be afcribed to neceflity and felf-pre- fervation, rather than to the want .of humanity and focial feeling, which ought to be the charac teriftic of men, as the nobleO: part of the creati- on. Neceflity, added to national cuflom, contri- butes principally to make fcenes of this kind Icfs fliocking to thofc people, than they mull appear to the more civilized part of mankind. During the early part of September, the wea- ther was in general cold, with much fleet and fnow ; which leemed to promife that the Winter would fet in early. Deer at this time being very plentiful, and the few woods we met with afford- ing tent-poles and firing, the Indians propofed to remain where we were fome time, in order to drefs y 28lll, 50th. t04 A JOURNEY TO THE i»Hi^ drefs fluns, and provide our Winter clothing; Sa.rv-^ ulfo to make rnow-flioes and temporary fledgejj, tpt'.m er. ^^ ^^jj ^^ ^^ prepare a large quantity of dried meat and fat to carry with i)5 ; for by the ac- counts of the Indians, they have always experi- enced a great fcarcity of deer, and every other Jtind of game, in the diredion they propofed we Ihould go when we left Point Lake. Toward the middle of the month, the weather became quite mild and open, and continued fo tiU the end of it -, but there was fo much con- ilant and incefifant rain, that it rotted mod of our tents. On the twenty-eighth, ho\vever, the v'ind fettled in the North Weft quarter, when the wea- ther grew fo cold, that by the thirtieth all the ponds, lakes, and other ftanding waters, were frozen over fo hard that we were enabled to crpfs them on the ice withoyt danger. Among the various fuperllitioDS cuftoms of thofe people, it is worth remarking, and ought to have been mentioned it its proper place, that immediately after my companions had killed the jEfquimaux at the Copper River, they confidered themfelves in a ftate of uncleannefs, which induc- ed them to praclife fome very curious and un^ ufual ceremonies. In the firft place, all who were abfoluiely concerned in the murder were prohibitrd from cooking any kind of victuals, either for themfelves or others. As luckily there were two in company who had not fhed blood, they were cjii ployed always as cooks till we join- ed 205 :Iothing ; fledgejj, of dried the ac- s experi- ry other )ofed we weather inued fo uch con- ft of our :he\vind the wea- 1 all the ^s, were 1 to crofs loms of d ought :e, that lied the 1 fide red I induc- nd unr II who n' were iclua'.s, y there blood, rejoin- ed NORTHERN OCEAN. cd the women. This circurtiftance < for their hufbands, which confifted of bracelets for the wrifts, and a band for the forehead, compof- ed of porcupine quills and moofe-hair, curioufly wrought on leather. The cuftom of painting the mouth and -part of the cheeks before each meal, and drinking and fmoking out of their own utenfils, was ftriftly and invariable obferved, till the Winter began to fet in ; and during the whole of that time they would never kifs any of their wives or children. They refrained alfo from eating many parts of the deer and other animals, particularly the head, entrails, \ September. !i| ao6 A JOURNEY TO THE lyyi, entrails, and blood ; and during their unclean- nefs, their victuals were never fodden in water, but dried in the fun, eaten quite raw, or broil- cdj'^hen a fire fit for the purpofe could be pro- cured. When the time arrived that was to put an end to thefe ceremonies, the men, without a femah being prefent, made a fire at fome diftance from the tents, into which they threw all their orna- ments, pipe-dems, and difhes, which were foon confumed to afhes ; after which a feaft was pre- pared, confifting of fuch articles as they had long been prohibited from eating ; and when all was over, each man was at liberty to eat, drink, and fmoke as he pleafed ; and alfo to kifs his wives and children at difcretion, which they feemed to do with more raptures than I had ever known them do it either before or fince. Oclober came in very roughly, attended with heavy falls of fnow, and much drift. On the fixth at night, a heavy gale of wind from the North Weft put us in great diforder ; for though the few woods we pafled had furnifhed us with tent-poles and fewel, yet they did not afford us the leaft (helter whatever. The wind blew with fuch violence, tliat in fpite of all our endeavours, it overfet feveral of the tents, and mine, among the reft, Iharcd the difafter, which I cannot fuffi- ciently lament, as the but-ends of the weather tent-poles fell on the quadrant, and though it was in a ftrong wainfcot cafe, two of the bubbles, the " ' index, Oaob'.r. 6th. NORTHERN OCEAN. index, and fcveral other parts were bi'oken, which rendered it entirely ufelefs. I'his being the cafe, I did not think it worth carriage, but broke it to pieces, and gave the brafs-work to the Indi- ans, who cut it into fmall lumps, and made ufe of itinftead ofball. On the twenty-third of OAober, fevcral Cop. per and a few Dog-ribbed Indians came to our tents laden with furrs which they fold to fomc of my crew for fuch iron-work as they had to give in exchange. This vifit, I afterwards found, was by appointment of the Copper Indians whom wc had feen at Congecathawhachaga, and who^ in their way to us, had met the Dog ribbed Indi- ans, who were alfo glad of fo favourable an op*, portunity of purchafing fome of thofe valuable articles, though at a very extravagant price : for one of the Indians in my company, though not properly of my party, got no leis than forty beaver iklns, and (ixty martins, for one piece o£ iron which he had flole when he was lad at the Fort*. One of thofe ftrangers had about forty beaver fkins, with which he intended to pay Matonab- bee an old debt j but one of the other Indians feized ajd. ♦ The piece of iron above mentiored was the coulter of anew-fafli.Ion^ plough, invented by Captain John Fowler, late Governor at Churchill River, with which he had a large piece of ground ploughed, and after- wards fowed with oats : but the part being nothing but a hot burning fand, lilie the Spanifh lines at Gibraltar, the fuccefs may eafily be guclT. €d } whkh was, that it did not produce a fjngle giain: ab% A JOURNEY TO THE ,^^,, Ibiaed the whole, notwithflanding he knew it to )fT^ be in faA Matonabbce's property. This trcat- tnent, together with many other infults, which he had received during my abode with him , made him renew his old refolution of leaving his own country, and going to refide with the Athapuf- cuw Indians. As the mod interefting part of my journey was now over, I did not think it ncceflary to interfere in lus private affairs ; and therefore did not en- deavour to influence him either one way or the other: out of complaifance, therefore rather than any thing elie, I told him, that I thought fuch behaviour very uncourteous, e^ecially in a man of his rank and digp ity. As to the reafon of his determination, I did not think it worth while to enquire into it ; but, by his difcourie with the other Indians, I foon underftood that they all in- tended to make an excurlion into the country of the Athapufcow Indians, in order to kill moofe and beaver. The former of thofe animals are ne- ver found in the Northern Indian territories; and the latter are fo fcarce in thofe Northern parts, that during the whole Winter of one thou- fand feven hundred and feventy, I did not fee more than two beaver houles. Martins are alfo fcarce in thofe parts ; for during the above peri- od, I do not think that more than fix or eight were killed by all the Indians in my company. This exceedingly imall number, among fo many people. Il(^iwji;i37t"gi NORTHERN OCEAN. people, may with great truth be attributed to the indolence of the Indians, and the wandering life which they lead, rather than to the great fcarcity of the martins. It is true, that our moving fo frequently from place to place, did at times make it not an- object worth while to build traps ; but had they taken the advantage of all favourable opportunities, and been pofTeifed of half the in- duftry of the Company's fervants in the Eay, they might with great eafe have caught as many hundreds, if not fome thoufands ; and when we coniider the extent of ground which we walked over in that time, fuch a number would nut have been any proof of the martins being very plen- tiful. Except a few martins ; wolves, quiquehatches, foxes, and' otters, are the chief furrs to be met with in thofe parts, and few of the Northern In- dians chufe to kill either the wolf or the quique- hatch, under a notion that they are fomething more than common animals. Indeed, I have known fome of them fo bigotted to this opinion, that having by chance killed a quiquehatch by a gun which had been let for a fox, they had left it where it was killed, and would not take off its Ikin. Notwithftanding this filly notion, which is too frequently to be obfervcd among thofe people, it generally happens that there are fome in every gang who are lefs Icrupulous, fo that none of thofe furrs are ever left to rot ; and even, thofe who make a point of not killing the ani- Odtuber. » ma!s 1771 oaobcr. 30th. 210 A JOURNRY TO THE mals themfelves, arc ready to receive their ikinfl from other Indians, and carry them to the Fort for trade. By t!? J thirtieth of Oclober, all our clothing, fnowflioes, and temporary fledges, being com- °'iiT. *'* pleted, we once more began to prepare fbr mgy- ing ; and on the following day fet out, and walk- ed five or fix miles to the Southward. From the firft to the fifth of November we walked on the ice of a large lake, which, though very confiderable both in length and breadth, is not diftinguifhed by any general name ; on which account I gave it the name of No Name Lake. On the South fide of this lake we found ibme wood, which was very acceptable, being the firft that we had feen fince we left Point Lake. 3th. No Name Lake is about fifty miles long from North to South, and, according to the account of the Indians, is thirty-five miles wide from Eitit to Weft. It is faid to abound with fine fifh; but the weather at the time we croffed it was fo cold, as to render it impoflible to fit on the ice any length of time to angle. A few exceedingly fine trout, and feme very large pike, however, were caught by my companions. When we arrived on the South fide of the above lake, we fliaped our courfe to the South Weft ; and though the weather was in general very cold, yet as we every night found tufts of wood. NORTHERN OCEAN. an wood, in which we could pitch our tents, we 1771. were enabled to make a better defence againft the g^J^JJ^ weather, than we had had it in our power to do for fome time paft. On the tenth of November, we arrived at the «o»*>' edge of the main woods j at which time the Indians began to make proper fledges, fome fnow- flioes, i5fc. after which we proceeded again to the South Weft. But deer and all other kinds c me were fo fcarce the whole way, that, ex- cept a few partridges, nothing was lulled by any in company: we had, neverthelels, plenty of the provifion which had been prepared at Point Lake. On the twentieth of the fame month, we ar- aoth. rived at Anaw'd Whole, or the Indian Lake. In our way we crofled part of Methy Lake, and walked near eighty miles on a fmall river belong- ing to it, which empties itfelf into the Great Athapufcow Lake*. While we were walking on the above little river, the Indians fet fifliing- nets under the ice every night ; but their labour was attended with fo little fuccefs, that all they caught ferved only Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716)872-4503 s\ KORTttEfeN OCEAN. iij weirefb nlim^fotis in t^e i^t' trbes, aiid to taine, lyjx, that I have known a^ Indian kill near twenty o^ ^^'^^ them in a day with his bdttr and arrows. The Nbirtherh Indians cill this fpecies of the {)artfidge l)ay; and though their flefh is generally very black and bitter, occafioned by their feeding on the briiih of the fir tree, yet they make a variety, or change of diet, afid are thought exceedingly good, particularly by the natives, whb, though capable of living fo hard, and at tiities eating vef ry ungrateful food, are neverthelefs as fond o^ variety as any people whom I ever faw ; and wilt go as greft lengths, according to their circumfian- ces, to gratify their palates, as the greatcft epi- cure in England. As a proof of this aflertion, i have frequently known Matonabbee, and others who could afltbrd it, for the fake of variety only, fend fome of their young men to kill a few par- tridges at the expence of more ammunition than would have killed deer fuMcient to have main- tained their families many days ; v^hereas the par- tridges were always eaten up at one meal : and to hdghten the luxury on thefe <)ccaiiOns, the |!)ar- ^ridges are boiled in a kettle of fheer ht, which it inuft ht allowed renders them beyond all defcrip- tion finer flavoured than when boiled in water of ^mmon broth. I have alfo eat deer>ikins boil- ed in fat, which were exceedingly good. As during our ftay at Anaw'd Lake feveral of fhe Indians, were lickly, the doAors undertook t6 adminifl^r relief; particularly to Otk6 man, who had ii4 A JOURNEY TO THE 1 77 1. ^^^ ^cn hauled on a fledge by his brother for ^.^^'x^ two months. His diforder was the dead palfey* Nowmber. ^jj.^jj affcftcdone ade, from the grown of hit head to the fole of his foot* ^efides this dreadful diforder, he had fome inward <;omplai cprding to their rude niethod, a refemblance of the Iky. Without entering into a long detail of the pre- parations for this feat, I (hall at once proceed to obferve, that after the conjurer had held the ne- ceflary conference with his invifible fpirits, or fhadows, he aiked if I was prefent; for he had heard of my faying that I did not fee him fwal- low the bayonet fair : and on being anfwered in the affirmative, he defired me to come nearer | pn whiph th^ mob made a lane for me to pafs, and NoTember. NORTHERN OCEAN. 215 and I advanced clofe to him, and foimd l^tn I'jni, fianding at the conjuring-houfe door as naked as he was born. rfniivr When the piece of board was delivered to \i\m^ he propofed at firftonly to (hove one-third of it down his throat, and then walls round the com- pany afterward to ihove down another ttiird^ and fo proceed till he had fwallowed the whojie, except a fmali piece of the end, which was jefc be- hind to haul it up again. When he put it tp„h|s mouth it apparently flipped down his throat lik^ lightning, and only left about three inches Hick- ing without his lips; after walking backwards and forwards three times, he hauled it up jigain, and ran into the cohjuring-houfe with great pi^Q- cipitation. This he did to all appearance ^ith great eafe and compofure ; and notwithHanding I was all attention on the occaiion, 1 could npt detect the deceit ; and as to the reality of ic$ be- ing a piece of wood that he pretended to fwal- low, there is not the leaft reafon to doubt of it, for I had it in my hand, both before and immedi- ately after tlie ceremony. i^iW To prevent a variety of opinions on this?occa< iion, and to leflen the apparent magnitude of the miracle, as well as to give fome colour to my fccpticifm, which might otherwife perhaps app^r ridiculous, it is neceffary to obferve, that this feat was performed in a dark and exceflively cold night ; and although there was a large fire ^t fome diftance, which refl^dted a good light, yet there; "'^'i^T" 4^6 A JOURNEY TO THE ^^ ly^i. thtrb was grott room for collufion : for though ^^ -* the eonjurer himfelf wa« quite nak^d, thwewerc fevcral of his fraternity well-clothed, who attend- ed him very clofe during the time of his attempt- ing to lwa)k)W the board, as well as at the time of his hauling it up again. For thefe reaibns it is neceflary alfo to obferve, that On the day preceding the performance of this piece of deception, in one of my hunting excur- iions, I accidentally came acrofs the conjurer as he was fitting under a buih, feveral miles from the tents, where he was bufily employed (haping a piece of wood exactly like that part which (luck out of his mouth after he had pretended to fwal- low the remainder of the piece. Thf much, and not expe£tiQ| that any barm could poflibly arife from it, I drew a rougli (ketch of two human figures on a piece of paper, in the atti- tude of wreftling : in the hand of one of them, I drew the figure of a bay- onct pointing to the brea(|^of the other. This i» me, fdd I to Matonab- bee, pointing to the figure which was holding the bayonet; and the other^ is your enemy^ Oppofite to thofe figures I drew a pine-tree, over which I placed a large human eye, and out of the tree projeAed a human hand. This paper 1 gave to Matonabbee, with inftra£tk>ns to make it as public* ly known as polllble. Sure enough, the following year, when he came in to trade, he informed me that the man was dead, though at that time he was not lefs than three hundred miles from Prince of Wales's Foit. He afliired me that the man was in perfect health when he heard of my defign againft him; but aimoft immediately afterwards became quite gloomy, and refufing allkind of funenance, in a very few days died. After this I vi»i frequently aj^ilied to on the iame account, both by Matonabbee and other leading Indians, but never thought proper to comply with their requeds; by which means I not only preferved the credit I gained ontho firft attempt, liut always kept tliem in awe, and in fome degree of refpe£b and obedience to me. In fa£l, ftrange as it may appear, it is almod abfo-. lutely neceflary that the chiefs at this place (houid profcfs fomethinga little fupernatural, to be able to deal with thofe people. The circnm- ftance here recorded is a faA well known to Mr. William Jefferfon, who fucceeded me at Churchill FaAor>', as well as to all the officers and many of the common men who were at Prince of Wales's Fort atiher time. December, ift. 322 A JOURNEY TO THE i^y I. timet a threat of this kind ciufes the death of a ^jjjjjj^ whole family ; and that without any blood being (hed, or the leaft apparent moleftation being bf- fered to any of the parties. Having dried at many fiih and fifli-roes as we could conveniently take with us, we once more packed up our ftores, and, on the firft day of De- cember, fet out, and continued our courfe to the South Weft, leaving Anaw'd Lake on the South Weft. Several of the Indians being out of order, we made but fhort days journies. From the firft to the thirteenth, we walked along a courfe of fmall lakes, joined to each other by fmall rivers, or creeks, that have communica<> tion with Anaw'd Lake. In our way we caught daily a few fiih by ang- ling, and faw many beaver houfes; but thefe were generally in fo difficult a fituation, and had fo many ftones in the compofition of them, that the Indians lulled but few, and that at a great expence of labour and tools. On the thirteenth, one of the Indians killed two deer, which were the firft that we had feen fince the twentieth of OAobcr. So that during a period of near two months, we had lived on the dried meat that we had prepared at Point Lake, and a few fiih ; of which the latter was not very confiderable in quantity, except what was caught at Anaw'd Lake. It is true, we alfo caught a few rabbits, and at times the wood-partridges were fo 13th. NORTHERN OCEAN fo plentiful, thsit the Indians killed confiderable numbers of then) with their bows and arrows; but the number of mouths was fo great, that all which was caught from our leaving Point Lake, though if enumerated, they might appear very confiderable, would not have afforded us all a bare fubfiftence; for though 1 and fome others experienced no real want, yet there were many in our company who could fcarcely be faid to live, and would not have exifted at all, had it not been for the dry meat we had with us. When we left the above*mentioncd lakes we ihaped a courfe more to the Southward, and on the twenty-fourth, arrived at the North iide of the great Athapufcow Lake. In our way we (aw many Indian deer, and beaver were very plenti- ful, many of which the Indians killed ; but the days were fo fhort, that the Sun only took a cir- cuit of a few points of the compafs above the ho- rizon, and did not, at its greateft altitude, rife, half-way up the trees. The brilliancy of the Aurora Borealisy however, and of the Stars, ev^n without the affiftance of the Moon, made feme amends for that defidency ; for it was frequent- ly fo light all night, that I could fee to read a ve- ry fmall print. The Indians make to difference betweer light and day when they are hunting of beaver; but thofe nofiurnal lights are always found iniufiicient for the purpofe of bunting deer or moofc. I do December. a4th. V3iKfefW-''ri'?v,t December 224 A JOURNEY TO THE 1771. I clo not remember to have met with any tra- vellers into high Northern latitudes, who remark- ed their having heard the Northern Lights make any noife in the air as they vary their colours or poiition ; which may probably be owing to the want of perfed iilence at the time they made their obfervations on thofe meteors. I can poiitively afErm, that in ftill nights I have frequently heard them make a ruftling and crackling noife, like the waving of a large flag in a freih gale of wind. This is not peculiar to the place of which I am now writing, as I have heard the (ame noife very plain at Churchill River » and in all probability it is only for want of attention that it has not been heard in every part of the Northern hemif- phere where they have been known to ihine with any confiderable degree of luftre. It is, how- ever, very probable that thefe lights are fome- timcs much nearer the earth than they are at others, according to the ftate of the atmofphere, and this may have a great effed on the found : but the truth or falfehood of this conjecture I leave to the determinations of thofe who are bet- ter (killed in natural philofophy than I can pretend to be. Indian deer (the only fpecies found in thofe parts, except the moofe) are fo much larger than thofe which frequent the barren grounds to the North of Churchill River, that a fmall doe is equal in iize to a Northern buck. The hair of the NORTHERN OCEAN. 225 the former is of a fandy red during the Winter; 1 77 1. and their horns, though much ftronger, are not v^«^w>' fo long and branchy as are thofe of the latter ^^"'"'^*'- kind. Neither is the fiefli of thofe deer fo much efteemed by the Northern Indians, as that of the fmaller kind, which inhabit the more Eaftern and Northern parts of the country. Indeed, it muft be allowed to be much coarfer, and of a different flavour ; inafmuch as the large Lincolnfliire mut- ton differs from graf^ lamb. I mud acknowledge, however, that I always thought it very good. This is that fpecies of deer which are found fo plentiful near York {"ort and Severn River. They are alfo at times found ift confiderable numbers near Churchill River ; and I have feen them kill- ed as far North, near the Tea-fide, as Seal River : But the fmall Northern Indian deer are feldom known to crofs Churchill River, except in fome very extraordinary cold feafons, and when the Northern winds have prevailed much in the pre- ceding fall ; for thofe vilits are always made in the Winter. But though I own that the flefh of the large Southern deer is very good, I muft at the fame time confefs that the flefh of the fmall Northern deer, whether buck or doe, in their pro- per feafon, is by far more delicious and the fineft I have ever eaten, either in this country or any other ; and is of that peculiar quality, that it ne- ver cloys. I can affirm this from my own expe- rience ; for, after living on it entirely, as it may be faid, for twelve or eighteen months fucceffive- 226 December. A JOURNEY TO THE ly, I fcarcely ever wiihed for a change of food ; though when fifli or fowl came in my way, it was very agreeable. The beaver being fo plentiful, the attention of my companions was chiefly engaged on them, as they not only furniflied delicious food, but their ikins proved a valuable acquiiition, being a prin- cipal article of trade, as well as a ferviceable one for clothing, ^c. The fituation of the beaver-houfes is various. Where the beavers are numerous they are found to inhabit lakes, ponds, and rivers, as well as thofe narrow creeks which conned the numerous lakes with which this country abounds ; but the two latter are generally chofen by them when the depth of water and other circumftances are fuit- able, as they have then the advantage of a current to convey wood and other neceiTaries to their ha- bitations, and becaufe, in general, they are more difficult to be taken, than thofe that are built in (landing water. There is no one particular part of a lake, pond, river, or creek, of which the beavers make choice for building their houfes on, in preference to another; for they fometimes build on points, fomctimes in the hollow of a bay, and often on fmall iflands j they always chufe, however, thofe parts that have fuch a depth of water as will refifl: the froft in Winter, and prevent it from freezing to the bottom. The beaver that build their houfes in fmall ri- vers NORTHERN OCEAN. 227 vers or creeks, in which the water is liable to be 1771. drained off when the back fupplies are dried up 5r^*C*^ by the froft, are wonderfully taught by inftindt to provide againft that evil, by making a dam quite acrofs the river, at a convenient diftance from their houfes. This I look upon as the moft curious piece of workmanihip that is performed by the beaver ; not fo much for the neatnefs of the work, as for its firength and real fervice; and at the fame time it difcovers fuch a degree of fagacity and foreiight in the animal, of ap- proaching evils, as is little inferior to that of the human fpecies, and is certainly peculiar to thofe animals. The beaver-dams differ in fhape according to the nature of the place in which they are built. If the water in the river or creek have but little motion, the dam is almoft firaight ; but when the current is more rapid, it is always made with a confiderable curve, convex toward the (Iream. The materials made uCe of in thofe dams are drift-wood, green willows, birch, and poplars, if they can be got ; alio mud and flones, intermixed in fuch a manner as muft evidently contribute to the ftrength of the dam ; but in thefe dams there is no other order or method obferved, ex- cept that of the work being carried on with a regular fwcep, and all the parts being made of equal ftrength. In places which have been long frequented by beaver undifturbed, their dams, by frequent re- Q^ 2 pairing, 228 A JOURNEY TO THE 1771. pairing, become a folid bank, capable of refifting '"o^^^iUb^. ^ great force both of water and ice; and as the wiltow, poplar, and birch generally take root and fhoot up, they by degrees form a kind of re- gular-planted hedge, which I have feen in fome places fo tall, that birds have built their nefts among the branches. Though the beaver which build their houfes in lakes and other ftanding waters, may enjoy a fuffi- cient quantity of their favourite element with- out the ailiftance of a dam, the trouble of getting wood and other neceifaries to their habitations without the help of a current, muft in fome mea- fure counterbalance the other advantages which are reaped from fuch a fituation ; for it muft be obferved, that the beaver which build in rivers and creeks, always cut their wood above their houfes, fo that the current, with little trouble, conveys it to the place required. The beaver-houfes are built of the fame mate- rials as their dams, and are always proportioned in fize to the number of inhabitants, which feldom exceed four old, and fix or eight young ones; ♦ though, by chance, I have feen above double that number. Thefe houfes, though not altogether unwor- thy of admiration, fall very ihort of the general defcription given of them ; for inftead of order or regulation being obferved in rearing them, they are of a much ruder ftructure than their dams. Thofe NORTHERN OCEAN. Thofe wko have undertaken to deib Ihc the infiide of beaver.houfes, as having feveral apart- ments appropriated to various ufes ; fiich as eat- ing, fleeping, ftore-houfes for proviiloas, and one for their natural occafions, ^c, muft have been very little acquainted with the fubjed ; or, which is ftill worfe, guilty of attempting to impofe on the credulous, by reprefenting the greateft faUe- hoods as real facls. Many years confiant refi- dence among the Indians, during which 1 had an opportunity of feeing feveral hundreds of thofe houfes, has enabled me to affirm that every thing of the kind is entirely void of truth ; for, not- withftanding the fagacity of thofe animals, it has never been obferved that they aim at any othei* conveniencies in their houfes, than to have a dry place to lie on ; and there they ufually eat their visuals, which they occaiionally take out of the water. It frequently happens, that fome of the large houfes are found to have one or more partitions, if they deferve that appellation ; but that is no more than a part of the main building, left by the fagacity of the beaver to fupport the roof. On fuch occaiions it is common for thofe different apartments, as fome are pleafed to call them, to have no communication with each other but by water ; £b that in fact they may be called double or treble houfes, rather than different apartments of the fame houfe. I have feen a large beaver- houfe built in a fmall ifland, that had near a dozen apart- Dcccmber. 23© December. A JOURNEY TO THE apartments under one roof: and, two or three of thefe only excepted, none of them had any communication with each other but by water^ As there were beaver enough to inhabit each apart- ment, it is more tha.i probable that each family knew its own, and always entered at their own door, without having any farther connexion with their neighbours than a friendly intercourfe ; and to join their united labours in erediing their feparate habitations, and building their dams where required. It is difficult to fay whether their intereft on other occafions was anyways re- ciprocal. The Indians of my party killed twelve old beaver, and twenty-five young and half-grown ones out of the houfe above mentioned ; and on examination found that feveral had efcaped their vigilance, and could not be taken but at the ex- pence of more trouble than would be fufficient to take double the number in a lefs difficult fituation*. Travellers who aflfert that the beaver have two doors to their boufes, one on the land- fide, and the other next the water, feem to be lefs acquaint- ed with thofe animals than others who aflign them an elegant fuite of apartments. Such a proceed- ing would be quite contrary to their manner of life, and at the fame time would render their houfes of no ufe, either to protedl them from their enemies. * The difHcuIty here alluded to, was the numherlert vaults the beaver had in the fides of the pood, and the immcnfe thickncfs of the houfe in fome parts. NORTHERN OCEAN. 231 enemies, or guard them againft the extreme cold 177,. in Winter. «— /— » The quiquehatches, or wolvereens, are great ''*^*^°' "* enemies to the beaver ; and if there were a paflage into their houfes on the land-fide, would not leave one of them alive wherever they came. I cannot refrain from fmiling, when I read the accounts of different Authors who have written on the oeconomy of thofe animals, as there feems to be aconteft between them, who ihall moft ex- ceed in fiftion. But the Compiler of the Won. ders of Nature and Art feems, in my opinion, to have fucceeded beft in this refped ; as he has not only coileded all the fidiions into which other writers on the fubjedl: have run, but has fo great- iy improved on them, that little remains to be added to his account of the beaver, be(ide a voca- bulary of their language, a code of their laws, and a iketch of their religion, to make it the moft complete natural hiilory of that animal which can poffibly be offered to the public. There cannot be a greater impofition, or indeed a groffer infult, on common underftanding, than the wifti to make us believe the ftories of fome of the works afcribed to the beaver ; and though it is not to be fuppofed that the compiler of a gene- ral work can be intimately acquainted with every fubjeft of which it may be neceffary to treat, yet a very moderate (hare of underftanding is furely fufficient to guard him againft giving credit to fuch 332 A JOURNEY TO THE jny,. fuch mirvellous tiles, however fmoothly they ' — V-— ' may be told, or however boldly they may be af- ferted, by the romancing traveller. To deny that the beaver is poffefled of a very confiderable degree of fagacity, would be as ah. furd in me, as it is in tbofe Authors who think they cannot allow them too much.- 1 fliall willing- ly grant them their full fliare ; but it is impof- fible for any one to conceive how, or by what means, a beaver, whofe full height when fiand* ing ere£t does not exceed two feet and a half, or three feet at moft, and whofe fore-paws are not much larger than a half-crown piece, can "drive (lakes as thick as a man's leg into the ground three or four feet deep." Their *' wattling thofe (lakes with twigs,** is equally abfurd ; ** and their **plaiftcring the infide of their houfes with a compofition of mud and (Iraw, and fwimming with mud and (lones on their tails," are dill more incredible. The form and iize of the animal, notwithftanding all its fagacity, will not admit of its performing fuch feats ; and it would be as impodible for a beaver to ufe its tail as a trowel, except on the furface of the ground on which it walks, as it would have been for Sir James Thornhill to have painted the dome of St. Paul's cathedral without the afliftance of fcaffold- ing. The joints of their tail will not admit of their turning it over their backs on any occafion whatever, as it has a natural inclination to bend downwards j and it is not without fomc confide- rable C( cc cc cc iC NORTHERN OCEAN. 233 rable exertion that they can keep it from trailing _^ ^ on the ground. This being the cafe, they cannot v,^v>^ fit ered like a fquirrel, which is their common ^"=^'^^"' pofiure : particularly when eating, or when they arc cleaning themfelves, as a cai or fquirrel does, without having their iiaiii bent forward between their legs ; and which may not improperly be call- ed their trencher. So far arc the beaver from driving (lakes into the ground when building their houfes, that they lay moft of the wood croirwife, and nearly hori- zontal, and without any other order than that of leaving a hollow or cavity in the middle ; when any unneceflary branches projeft inward, they cut them off with their teeth, and throw them in among the reft, to prevent the mud from falling through the roof. It is a miftaken notion, that the wood-work is firft completed and then plai- ftered ; for the whole of their houfes, as well as their dams, are from the foundation one mafs of wood and mud, mixed with ftones, if they can be procured. The mud is always taken from the edge of the bank, or the bottom of the creek or pond, near the door of the houfe ; and though their fore-paws are fo fmall, yet it is held clofe up between them, under their throat, that they carry both mud and ftones ; while they always drag the wood with their teeth. All their work is executed in the night ; and they are fo expeditious in completing it, that in the courfe of one night I have known them to have December. A JOURNEY TO THE have coIle£^ed as much mud at their houfes as to have amounted to Come thoufands of their little handfuls; and when any mixture of grafs or ftraw has appeared in it, it has been, mod affuredly, mere chance, owing to the nature of the ground from which they had taken it. As to their de- iignedly making a compofition for that purpofe, it is entirely void of truth. It is a great piece of policy in thofe animals, to cover, or plaifter, as it is ufually called, the out- fide of their houfes every fall with frefh mud, and as late as poilible in the Autumn, even when the froft becomes pretty fevere ; as by this means it foon freezes as hard as a ftone, and prevents their common enemy, the quiquehatch, from dif- turbing them during the Winter. And as they are frequently feen to walk over their work, and fometimes to give a flap with their tail, particular, ly when plunging into the water, this has, with« out doubt, given rife to the vulgar opinion that they ufe their tails as a trowel, with which they plaifter their houfes ; whereas that flapping of the tail is no more than a cuftom, which they always preferve, even when they become tame and do- meftic, and more particularly fo when they are ftartled. Their food chiefly confifts of a large root, fomething refembling a cabbage-ftalk, which grows at the bottom of the lakes and rivers. They eat alfo the bark of trees, particularly that of the poplar, birch, and willow ; but the ice pre- NORTHERN OCEAN. 235 "preventing them from getting to the land in Win- j ^^ i, tcr, they have not any barks to feed upon during < — v*-» that feafon, except that of fuch flicks as they cut '^""' *'" down in Summer, and throw into the water op- pofite the doors of their houfes ; and as they ge- nerally eat a great deal, the roots above mention- ed conftitute a chief part of their food during the Winter. In fummer they vary their diet, by eating various kinds of herbage, and fuch berries as grow near their haunts during that feafon. When the ice breaks up in the fpring, the bea- ver always leave their houfes, and rove about the whole Summer, probably in fearch of a more commodious fituation ; but in cafe of not fuc- ceeding in their endeavours, they return again to their old habitations a little before the fall of the leaf, and lay in their Winter ftock of woods. They feldom begin to repair the houfes till the froft commences, and never finifli the outer-coat till the cold is pretty fevere, as hath been already mentioned. When they ihift their habitations, or when the increafe of their number renders it neceflary to make fome addition to their houfes, or to erecb new ones, they begin felling the wood for thefe purpofes early in the Summer, but feldom begin to build till the middle or latter end of Auguft, and never complete their houfes till the cold wea- ther be fet in. Not- December. A JOURNEY TO THE Notwithftanding what hai been (o repeatedly reported of thofe animals aifembling in great bo- dies, and jointly ereding large towns, citiei, and commonwealths, as they have fometimes been called, I am confident, from many circumftances, that even where the greateft numbers of beaver are fituated in the neighbourhood of each other, their labours are not carried on jointly in the erection of their diflferent habitations, nor have they any reciprocal intereft, except it be fuch as live immediately under the fame roof ; and then it extends no farther than to build or keep a dam which is common to feveral houfes. In fuch ca- fes it is natural to think that every one who re- ceiver benefit from fuch dams, (houid afiift in erect- ing it, being fenfible of its utility to all. Perfons who attempt to take beaver in Winter (hould be thoroughly acquainted with their man- ner of life, otherwife they will have endlefs trou- ble to eflfed their purpofe, and probably with- out fuccefs in the end; becaufc they have always a number of holes in the banks, which ferve them as places of retreat when any injury is offered to their houfes ; and in general it is in thofe holes that they are taken. When the beaver which are fituated in a fmall river or creek are to be taken, the Indians fome- times find it neceilary to fcake the river acrofs, to prevent them from paffing ; after which, they endeavour to find out all their holes or places of retreat in the banks. This requires much prac- tice NORTHERN OCEAN. tice and experience to accomplifli, and is perform- ed in the following manner: Eirrry man ^etng fiimifhed with an iee-chifel, laChes it to the end of a fmall ftaff about four or five feet long ; he then walks along the edge of the banks, and keeps knocking his chifels againft the ice. Thofe who are well acquainted with that kind of work well know by the found of the ice when they are oppofite to any of the beaver' holes or vaults. As foon as they fiifpeft any, they cut a hole through the ice big enough to admit an old bea- ver ; and in this manner proceed till they have found out all their places of retreat, or at lead as many of them as poflible. While the principal men are thus employed, fome of the underftrap- pers, and the women, are bufy in breaking open the houfe, which at times is no eafy taik ; for I have frequently known thefe houfes to be five and fix feet thick ; and one in particular, was more than eight feet thick on the crown. When the beaver find that their habitations are invaded, they fly to their holes in the banks for fhelter ; and on being perceived by the Indians, which is eafily done, by attending to the motion of the wa- ter, they block up the entrance with ilakes of wood, and then haul the beaver out of its hole, cither by hand, if they can reach it, or with a large hook made for that purpofe, which is faften- cd to the end of a long ftick. In this kind of hunting, every man has the fole right to all the beaver caught by him in the holes or December. December, A JOURNEY TO THt or vaults ; and as this is a conftant ruk, each per- fon takes care to mark fuch as he difcovers, by flicking up the branch of a tree, or feme other diilinguilhing poft, by which he may know them. All that are caught in the houfe alfo are the pro- perty of the perfon who finds it. The fame regulations are obfervcd, and the fame procefs ufed in taking beaver that are found in lakes and other (landing waters, except it be that of ilaking the lake acrofs, which would be both unneceflary and impoffible. Taking beaver- houles in thefe fituations is generally attended with lefs trouble and more fuccefs than in the former. The beaver is an animal which cannot keep under water long at a time ; fo that when their houfes are broke open, and all their places of re- treat difcovered, they have but one choice left, as it may be called, either to be taken in their houf- es or their vaults: in general they prefer the lat- ter ; for where there is one beaver caught in the houfe, many thoufands are taken in their vaults in the banks. Sometimes they are caught in nets, and in the Summer very frequently in traps. In Winter they are very fat and delicious j but the trouble of rearing their young, the thinnefs of their hair, and their conflantly roving from place to place, with the trouble they have in providing againft the approach of Winter, generally keep them very poor during the fummcr feafon, at which time their flefli is but indifierent eating, and NORTFJERN OCEAN. C39 1771. and their (kins of fo little value, that the Indians generally finge them, even to the amount of ma- 0^^5,01^61 ny thoufands in one Summer. They have from two to five young, at a time. Mr. Dobbs, in his Account of Hudfon's Bay, enumerates no lefs than eight different kinds of beaver ; but it muH: be underftood that they are all of one kind and fpecies; his diftindions arife wholly from the different feafons of the year in whicl 1 they are killed, and the different ufes to which their fkins; are applied which is the fole reafon that they vary fo much in value. Jofeph Lefranc, or Mr. Dobbs for him, fays, that a good hunter can kill fix hundred beaver in one feafon, and can only carry one hundred to market. If that was really the cafe in Lefranc's time, the canoes mtift have been much fmaller than they are at prefent ; for it is well known that the generality of the canoes which have vifit- ed the Company's Faftories for the laft forty or fifty years, are capable of carrying three hundred beaver-fkins with great eafe, exclufive of the Indi- ans luggage, provifions, tsfc. If ever a particular Indian killed fix hundred beaver in one Winter, (which is rather to be doubted,) it is more than probable that many in his company did not kill twenty, and pel haps feme none at all, fo that by diftributing them among thof- who had bad fuccefs, and others who had no abilities for that kind of hunting, there would 840 A JOtJRNEV TO THE 1771. would be no ncceflity of leaving them to r6t, or ' ^~^ for Hnging them in the fire, as related by the Author. During my rcfidence among the Indi- ans I have known fome individuals kill more beaver, and other heavy fiirrs, in the courfe of a Winter, than their wives could manage ; but the overplus was never wantonly deftroyed, but al- ways given to their relations, or to thofc who had been lefs fuccefsful ; fo that the whole of the great hunters labours were always brought to the Faftory. It is indeed too frequently a cuilom among the Southern Indians to finge many ot- ters, as well as beaver ; but this is feldom done, except in Summer, when their fkins are of fo lit- tle value as to be fcarcely worth the duty ; on which account it has been always thought im- politic to encourage the natives to kill fuch valu- able animals at a time when their fkins are not in feafon. The white beaver, mentioned by Lefranc, are fo rare, that inftead of being " blown upon by the Company's Factors," as he afferts, I rather doubt whether one-tenth of them ever faw one during the time of their reildence in this country. In the courfe of twenty years experience in the countries about Hudfon's Bay, though I travel- led fix hundred miles to the Weft of the fea-coaft, I never faw but one white beaver- Ikin, and it had many reddifh and brown hairs along the ridge of the back, and the fides and belly were of a glofly filvery NORTHERN OCEAN. 241. D;ceii)bi.r. ' filvery white. It was deemed by the Indians a 1771. great curioiity j and I offered three times the ufual price for a few of them, if they could be got; but in the courfe of ten years that I remained there afterwards, I could not procure another ; which is a convincing proof there isnofuch thing as a breed of that kind, and that a variation from the ufual colour is very rare. Black beaver, and that of a beautiful glofs, are not uncommon : perhaps they are more plentiful at Churchill than at any other Factory in the Bay ; but it is rare to get more than twelve or fifteen of their Ikins in the courfe of one year's trade. Lefranc, as an Indian, mud have known better than to have informed Mr. Dobbs that the bea- ver have from ten to fifteen young at a time j or if he did, he muft have deceived him wUfuliy ; for the Indians, by killing them in ail fiiagcs of geftation, have abundant opportunities of afcer- taining the ufual number of their offspring. I have fcen fome hundreds of them killed at the feafons favourable for thofe obfisrvations, and never could difcover more than fix young in one female, and that only in two inflances ; for the ufual number, as I have before oblcived, is from two to five. Befides this unerring method of afcertaining the real number of young which any animal has at a time, there is another rule to go by, with R refJ3ecl December. A JOURNEY TO THE refpcct to the beaver, which experience has prov- ed to the Indians never to vary or deceive them, that is by difTeclion ; for on examining the womb of a beaver, even at a time when not with young, there is always found a hardifli round knob for every young (he had at the laft litter. This is a circumftance I have been particularly careful to examine, and can affirm it to be true, from real experience. Moil ( f the accounts, nay I may fay all the accounts now extant, refpe£Hng the beaver, are taken from the authority of the French who have refided in Canada ; but thofe accounts differ fo much from the real ftate and oeconomy of all the beaver to the North of that place, as to leave great room to fufpedt the truth of them altoge- ther. In the firft place, the affertion that they have two doors to their houfes, one on the land- fide, and the other next the water, is, as I have before obfcrved, quite contrary to fadl and com- mon fenfe, as it would render their houfes of no ufe to them, either as places of fhelter from the inclemency of the extreme cold in Winter, or as a retreat from their common enemy the quique- hatch. The only thing that could have made M. Du. Pratz, and other French writers, conjec- ture that fuch a thing did exifl, muft have been from having feen feme old beaver houfes which had been taken by the Indians ; for they are al- ways obliged to make a hole in one fide of the houfc NORTHERN OCEAN. 243 houfe before they can drive them out ; and it is 1771. more than probable that in fo mild a climate as — >^-*-' UvCcmber. Canada, the Indians do generally make thofe holes on the land-fide*, which without doubt gave rile to the fuggeftion. In refpecl to the beaver dunging in their houfes, as fome perfons aifert, it is quite wrong as they always plunge into the water to do it. I am the better enabled to make this aiTertion, from hav- ing kept feveral of them till they became fo do- medicated as to anfwer to their name, and follow thofe to whom they were accuftomcd, in the fame manner as a dog would do ; and they were as much pleafed at being fondled, as any animal I ever faw. I had a houfe built for them, and a fmall piece of water before the door, into which they always plunged when they wanted to eafe nature; and their dung being of light a fubftance, immediately rifes and floats on the furface, then feparates and fubfides to the bottom. When the Winter fets in fo as to freeze the water folid, they ftill continue their cuftom of coming out of their houfe, and dunging and making water on the ice ; and when the weather was fo cold that I was obliged to take them into my houie, R 2 they ♦ The Northern Indians think that the fagacity oftlir beaver dlrefts them to make that part of their hcafe which fionts the Notth much thicker than any other part, witli a view of defending thenifclves ftoni the cold winds which generally blow from that quaiter tlusing the Win- ter; and for thib tcafon the Northern Indians generally tueaJk u^t^j that fide of the bcavcr-houi'cs which cxadlly front the South. December. 244 A JOURNEY TO THE lyyi, they always went into a large tub of water which 1 fet for that purpofe : fo that they made not the leaft dirt, though they were kept in my own lit- ting-room, where they were the conftant compa- nions of the Indian women and children, and were fo fond of their company, that when the Indians were abfent for any conliderable time, the beaver difcovered great iigns of uneafineft, and on their return (hewed equal marks of plea- fure, by fondling on them, crawling into their laps, laying on their backs, fitting ered like a fquirrel, and behaving to them like children who fee their parents but feldom. In general, during the Winter they lived on the fame food as the women did, and were remarkably fond of rice ;Lnd plum-pudding : they would eat partridges and freih venifon very freely, but I never tried them with fiih, though I have heard they will at times prey on them. In fad, there are few of the granivorous animals that may not be brought to be carnivorous. It is well known that our do- medic poultry will eat animal food : thoufands of geefe that come to London market are fattened on tallow-craps ; and our horfes in liudfon's Bay would not only eat all kinds of animal food, but alfo drink free'y of the vvalh, or pot-liquor, in- tended for the hogs. And we arc allured by the moft authentic Authors, that in Iceland, not only black cattle, but alfo the (hecp, are almoft entire- ly fed on fifh and lillibones during the Winter feafon. NORTHERN OCEAN. 245 feafon. Even in the liles of Orkney, and that in 1771. Summer, the fheep attend the ebbing of the tide ^*-^^ as regular as the Efquimaux curlew, and go down to the ihore which the tide has left, to feed on the fea-weed. This, however, is through necef- fity, for even the famous Ifland of Pomona* will not afford them an exiftence above highwater- mark. With refpeA to the inferior, or flave-beaver, of which fome Authors fpeak, it is, in my opinion, very difficult for thofe who are bed acquainted with the oeconomy of this animal to determine whether there are any that deferve that appellati- on or not. It fometimes happens, that a beaver is caught, which has but a very indifferent coat, and which has broad patches on the back, and flioulders almoft wholly without hair. This is the only foundation for afferting that there is an inferior, or ilave-beavcr, among them. And when one of the above defcription is taken, it is perhaps too haftily inferred that the hair is worn off from thofe parts by carrying heavy loads : whereas it is moft probable that it is caufed by a diforder that attacks them fomewhat fimilar to the mange ; for were that falling off of the hair occafioned by performing extra labour, it is na- tural to think that inftances of it would be more frequent than they are j as it is rare to fee one of them * This being the largeft of the Orkney Iflands, is called by the Inhabi- tants the Main Land, December. 245 A JOURNEY TO THE 1 77 1 . them in the courfe of feven or ten years. I hav« feen a whole houfe of thofe animals that had no- thing on the furface of their bodies but the fine foft down ; all the long hairs having molted off. This and every other deviation from the general run is undoubtedly owing to fome particular dif- ordcr. CHAP. NORTHERN OCEAN. 347 CHAP. VIII. Tranfa^^ions and Remarks from our Arrival on the South Side of the Athapufcow Lake, till our Arrival at Prince of Wales's Fort on Churchill River. Crofs the Athapufcow Lake.-^Defcripiton of it and its productions, as far as could be difcovered in Winter, when the fnow was on the ground, Fijh found in the lake, — Defcription of the buffalo ;-i- ofthe moofe or elk, and the method ofdreffing their fkins. — Find a woman alone that had not fern a human face for more than feven monttjs, — Her ac- count howjhe came to be in thatfituation ; and her curious method of procuring a livelihood.-^Many of my Indians wrefiledfor her.—-Arri*ue at the Great Athapufcow Riven-^Walk along thejide of the Ri» verforfeveral days, and thenjlrike off to the Eaji" ward, — Difficulty in getting through the woods in many places, — Meet with fome Ji range Northern Indians on their return from the Fort, — Meet more Jir angers, whom my companions plundered, and from whom they took one of their young women, — Curious manner of life which thofe Jlrangers lead, and the reafon they gave for roving fo far from their ufual reftdence, — Leave the fine level country of the At ha- pufcows, and arrive at the Stony Hills of the Nor- thern Indian Country, — Meet fome firange Northern Indians, one of whom carried a letter for me to Prince 448 A JOURNEY TO THE Prince of Wales* s Fort, in March one ihoufand feven hundred and feventy-one, and now gave me an an- fwcr to ity dated twentieth of June following.-^ Indians begin preparing wood- work and birch rind for canoes, — The cquinoWal gale 'oery fsvere. — Indian method of running the moofe deer down by fpced of foot.- — Arrival at "Theelcyaza River. — See fame flrang€rs.-"The bruudity of my compani- ons.— A tremendous gale and fmic-drift. — Meet with more flrangers ; — remarks on it. — Leave all the elderly people and children, and proceed diredly to the Fort, — Stop to build canoes, and then ad- vance.— Several of the Indians die through hunger, and many others are obliged to decline thej.urneyfor . want of ammunition. — A violent fiorm and inunda- tion, that forced us to the top of a high hill, where we fuffcrcd great dijlrefs for more than two days, — Kill feverai deer. — The Indians met hoa of pre- fcrving theflcjh without the ajji/lance of fait. — See feverai Indians that were going to Knapp^s Bay. — Game of all kinds remarkably plentiful. — Arrive at the Fa6lory, 1772. A F^ I^R expending fomedays in hunting bea- * — -'— ' JLm- ver, we proceeded to crofs the Athapuf- COW Lake ; but as we had loft much time in bunting deer and beaver, which were very plen- tiful on (oine of the iflands, it was the ninth of j^ January before we arrived on the South fide. This lake from the bell information which I could get from the natives, is about one hundred and L -J.fZTil'Xjf.':,^ ■'■,* .N^' 'P 'n^- 4 .i^"- lA .- ---■■■■A: , V ■ ■ j^""^- ■'^r^^sr f ^'^--••^ ,,». )k .;atir MM. ...^«t..a.. j*,..,r--—" ■"-■•■'^•'•'•"''«*^w." .;.,_..,«,,.«.«—,.„. .*«..wHW*-*-»^' -- .MWW»T^-«»'»>»'-IRlAlW»«„. -'-■•xi^iirjVJ-w. Mm % r f(i>^r :i^A]o: , W Sam^'Mejuinie^i.jj^ . i •.,.. Ja ls* NORTHERN OCEAN. and twezfty leagues long from Eaft to Weft, and twenty wide from North to South. The point where we croiTed it is faid to be the narroweft.' J*"**^ It is full of iilands $ moft of which are clothed with fine tall poplars, birch, and pines, and are w^1l flocked with Indian deer. On fome of the large iilands we alfo found feveral beaver ; but this muft be underftood only of fuch iilands as had large ponds in them ; for not one beaver, houfe was to be feen on the margin of any of them. The lake is fiored with great quantities of very fine fiih ; particularly between the iflands, which in fome parts are fo clofe to each other as lo form very narrow channels, like little rivers, in which I found (when angling for filh) a confiderable current fetting to the Eaflward. The fifh that are common in this lake, as well as in moil of the other lakes in this country, are pike, trout, perch, barbie, tittameg, and methy ; the two lail are names given by the natives to two fpecies of fiih which are found only in this country. Befides thefe, we alfo caughtiianother kind of fiih, which is faid by the Northern Indi- ^ ans to be peculiar to this lake ; at leail none of the fame kind have been met with in any other. The body of this fiih much refembles a pike in (hape ; but the fcales, which are very large and lliff, are of a beautifully bright filver colour : the mouth is large, and fituatc J like that of a pike ; but when open, much refembles that of a fturgeon; and **i| January, 250 A JOURNEY TO THE 177a. And though not provided with any teeth, takes a bait as ravenoufly as a pike or a trout. The fizes we caught were from two feet long to four feet. Their flefli, though delicately white, is very foft, and has fo rank a tafte, that many of the Indians, except they are in abfolutc want, will not eat it. The northern Indians cail this fiih Shees. The trout in this lake are of the largeft (ize I ever faw : feme that ^ere caught by my companions could not, I think, be lefs than thirty-five or forty pounds weight. Pike are alfo of an incredible iize in this extenfive water ; here they are feldom molefted, and have multitudes of fmaller fi(h to prey upon. If I fay that I have feen fome of thefe fifh that were upwards of forty pounds weight, I am fure I do not exceed the truth. Immediately on our arrival on the South fide of the Athapufcow Lake, the fcene was agreeably altered, from an entire jumble of rocks and hills, for fuch is all. the land on the North fide, to a fine level country, in which there was not a hill to be feen, or a ftone to be found : fo that fuch of my Companions as had not brafs kettles, load, ed their fledges with ftones from fome of the laft iflands, to boil their victuals with in their birch- rind kettles, which will not admit of being expof- cd to the -fire. They therefore heat ftones and drop them into the water in the kettle to make it' boil. Bufialo, moofe, and beaver were very plentiful; and we could difcover, in many parts through '^•^ which NORTHERN OCEAN. which we pafled, the tracks of martins, foxes, quiquehacches, and other animals of the furr kind ; fo that they were by no means fcarce : but my companions never gave themfelves the leaft trou- ble to catch any of the three laft mentioned ani- mals ; for thebuffiilo, moofe, and beaver engaged all their attention ; perhaps principally fo on ac- count of the excellency of their fleih ; whereas the fleih of the fox and quiquehatch are never eaten by thofe people, except when they are in January. the greateft diftrefs, and then merely to fave life, their reafons for this (hall be given in a fubfequent part of my Journal. The buffalo in thofe parts, I think, are in gene- ral much larger than the Englifli black cattle ; particularly the bulls, which, though they may not in reality be taller than the largeft fize of the Englifli oxen, yet to me always appeared to be much larger. In fa^, they are fo heavy, that when fix or eight Indians are in company at the ikinning of a large bull, they never attempt to turn it over while entire, but when the upper fide is fkinned, they cut off the leg and fhoulder, rip up the belly, takeout all the inteilines, cut off the head, and make it as light as pofSble, before they turn it to (kin the under fide. The fkin is in fome places of an incredible thicknefs, par- ticularly about the neck, where it often exceeds an inch. The horns are fhort, black, and almoft flraight, but very thick at the roots or bafe. The w ♦♦ January. A JOURNEY TO THE The head of an old bull is of a great fize and weight indeed : fome which I have feen were fo large, that I could not without difficulty lift them from the ground*; but the heads of the cows are much fmaller. Their tails are, in general, about a foot long, though fome appear to be exclufive of the long brufh of hair at the end, longer. The hair on the tails of the bulls is generally of a fine gloffy black ; but the brufh at the end of the cows* tails is always of a rufty brown, probably owing to being (lained with their urine. " The hair of the body is foft and curled, fome- what approaching to wool ; it is generally of a fandy brown, and of an equal length and thick- nefs all over the body: l)ut on the head and neck it is much longer than it is on any other part. The Indians, after reducing all the parts of the ikin to an equal thicknefs by fcraping, drefs them in the hair for clothing ; when they are light, Ibfc, warm, and durable. They alfo drefs fome of thofe fkips into leather without the hair, of which they make tents and ihoes ; but the grain IS • It is remarked by Mr. Catefty, in his defcription of this animal, that no man can lift one of their beads. Thofe I faw in the Athapnfcow coun- try are fuch as I ha*e defcribed ; and I am afliired by the Company's fer- tants, as well as the Indians who live near Hudfon's Houfe, that the buf- falos there are much fmaller ; (o that the fpecics Mr. Catefby faw, or wrote of, mull have been much larger, or have had very large head.s ; for it is well known that a man of any tolerable flrength can lift two and a half, or three hundred pounds weight. I think that the heads of his bufTalos are too heavy for the bodies, as the bodies of thofe I faw in the Athapur^ow country appear to have been of equal weight with his. ' '!)(*[* '*! V'™'^^)^»r.- NORTHERN OCEAN. is remarkably open and fpungy, by no means equal in goodnefs to that of the (kin of the moofe : nor am I certain that the curriers or tanners in Europe could manufacture thefe (kins in fuch a manner as to render them of any confiderable value ; for, to appearance, they are of the fame quality which the fkins of the mufk-ox, which are held in fo little eftimation in England, that when a number of them was fent home from Churchill Fadory, the Company iiTued out orders the year following, that unlefs they could be pur- chafed from the Indians at the rate of four fkins for one beaver, they would not anfwer the expence of fending home ; a great proof of their being of very little value. The bufialos chiefly delight in wide open plains, which in thofe parts produce very long coarfe grafs, or rather a kind of fmall flags and rufhes, upon which they.feed ; but when purfued they always take to the woods. They are of fuch an amazing flrength, that when they fly through the woods from a purfuer, they frequent- ly brufli down trees as thick as a man's arm ; and be the fnow ever fo deep, fuch is their flrength and agility that they are enaWed to plunge through it fafter than the fwiftefl Indian can run in fnow-flioes. To this I have been an eye-wit- nefs many times, and once had the vanity to think that I could have kept pace with them ; but though I was at that time celebrated for being particularly fleet of foot in fnowftioes, 1 foon found ^5j a54 1772. January. A JOURNEY TO THE found that I was no match for the buf&los, not- -* withftanding they were then plunging through fuch deep fnow, that their bellies made a trench in it as large as if man/ heavy facks had been hauled through it. Of all the large beafts in thofe parts the buffalo is eafieft to kill, and the moofe are the moft difficult ; neither are the deer very eafy to come at, except in windy weather: indeed it requires much pradice, and a great deal of pa- tience, to fl^y any of them, as they will by no means fuffer, a direct approach, unlefs the hunter be entirely flieltered by woods or willows. The flcfli of the buffalo is exceedingly good eating ; and fo eniirely free from any difagreeable fmell or tafte, that it refembles beef as nearly as poilible : the fleih of the cows, when fome time gone with calf, is eileemed the fineft ; and the young calves, cut out of their bellies, are reckoned a great deli- cacy indeed. The hunch on their backs, or more properly on their fhoulders, is not a large fleihy lump, as fome fuppofe, but is occalioned by the bones that form the withers being continued to a greater length than in moft other animals. The flefh which furrounds this part being fo equal- ly intermixed with fat and lean, is reckoned among the niccft bits. The weight, however, is by no means equal to what has been commonly reported. The tongue is alfo very delicate ; and what is moft extraordinary, when the beafts are in the pooreft ftate, which happens regularly at certain feafons, their tongues are then very fat and NORTHERN OCEAN. ^55 and fine ; fome fay, fatter than when they are in 1772. the bcft order ; the truth of which, I will not ^■^■v**- laauaty. confirm. They are fo efteemed here, however, that many of them are brought down to the Company's Faftory at York as prefents, and are eileemed a great luxury, probably for no other reafon but that they are far-fetched; for they are by no means fo large, and I think them not fo fine, as a neat's tongue in England. The moofe deer is alfo a large beaft, often ex* ceeding the largefthorfe both in height and bulk; but the length of the legs, the bulk of the body, the ihortnefs of the neck, and the uncommon length of the head and ears, without any appear- ance of a tail, make them have a very aukward appearance. The males far exceed the females in fize, and difier from them in colour. The hair of the male, which is long, hollow, and foft, like that of a deer, is at the points nearly black, but a little way under the furface it is of an a(h- colour, and at the roots perfedly white. The hair of the female is of a fandy brown, and in fome parte, particularly under the throat, the belly, and the flank, is nearly white at the fur. face, and moft delicately fo at the root. Their legs are fo long, and their necks fo (hort, that they cannot graze on level ground like other animals, but are obliged to brouze on the tops oi large plants and the leaves of trees during the Summer ; and in Winter they always feed on the tops of willows, and the fmall branches of the birch. A JOURNf Y TO THE birch-tree; on which account they are never found during that feafon but in fuch places as can afford them a plentiful fupply of their favourite food : and though they have no fore-teeth in the upper-jaw, yet I have often feen willows and fmall birch-trees cropped by them, in the fame manner as if they had been cut by a gardener's (beers, though fome of them were not fmaller than com- mon pipe-ftems ; they feem particularly partial to the red willow. In Summer they are generally found to fre- quent the banks of rivers and lakes, probably with no other view than to have the benefit of getting into the water, to avoid the innumerable multitudes of muikettos and other flies that pefter them exceedingly during that feafon. There is alfo a variety of water-plants, of whi^h the moofe are very fond, and which are adapted to their neceffities in a peculiar manner during the Sum- mer feafon, as they can eafily brouze on them when nearly emerged in water, to avoid the tor- ment of the flies. The head of the moofe is, as I have obferved, remarkably long and large, not very unlike that of a horfe ; but the nofe and noftrils are at leaft twice as large. The ears are about a foot long, and large; and they always Hand ere(fl. Their faculty of hearing is fuppofed to be more acute than either their light or fcent ; which makes it very difficult to kill them, cfpecially as the Indians in thofe parts have no other method of NORTHERN OCEAN. fiS7 J*9mr. of doing it but by creeping after them, among the , ^^ 2. trees and buihes, till they gei: within gun-ihot ; taking care always to keep to leeward of the moofe, for fear of being overheard. In Summer^ when they frequent the margins of rivers and lakes, they are often killed by the Indians in the water, while they are croffing rivers, or fwim. ming from the main to iflands, ^c* When purfu. ed in this manner, they are the moft inofienilye of all animals, never making any refiftance ; and the young ones are fo fimple, that I remember to have feen an Indian paddle his canoe up to odb of them, and take it by the poll without theleaft oppofition : the poor harmlefs animal feeming at the fame time as contented along fide the canoe, as if fwimming by the fide of its dam, and look- ing up in our faces with the fame fearleC> inno- cence that a houfe-lamb would, making ufe of its fore-foot almoft every inftant to clear its eyes of mufkettoes, which at that time were remarkably numerous. I have alfo feen women and boys kill the old moofe in this fituation, by knocking them on the ncaJ with a hatchet ; and in the Summer of one thoufand feven hundred and feventy«-five, when I was on my paffage from Cumberland Houfe to York Fort, two boys killed a fine buck moofe in the water, by forcing a fi;ick up its fundament ; for they had neither gun, bow, nor arrows with them. The common deer arc far inore dj^ngerous to approach in canoes, as they kick up their hind S leg9 A JOURNEY TO THE legs with fuch violence as to endanger any birch- rind canoe that comes within their reach ; for which reafon all the Indians who kill deer upon the water are provided with a long (lick that will reach far beyond the head of the canoe. The moofe are alfo the eafieil to tame and do- mefticate of any of the deer kind. I have repeat- ediy feen them at Churchill as tame as iheep*, and even more fo ; for they would follow their keeper any diftance from home, and at his call return with him, without the lead trouble, or ever offering to deviate fiom the pathf. The flefli of the moofe is very good, though the grain is bt\f coarfe, and it is much tougher than any other kind of venifon. The nofe is mod ex- cellent, as is alfo the tongue, though by no means fo fat and delicate as that of the common deer. It is perhaps worth remarking, that the livers of the • The moofe formerly fent to his Majefty was fri m that pl|ice. A young male was alfo put on board thefliip, bur it liied on the ,iaflage, otherwifcit is probable they might have propagated in thtscouulry. ■f Since the above wa» wjittcn, the fame luiian that brought all the above-mentioned young moofe to the Faflory luJ, in the year 1777, two othei5, fo tame, that when on his paflTagc to Piincc of Wales's Fort in a canoe, the moofe always fol!'«wcd him i^long the bank of the river; and at night, or on any other occafion when the Indains landed, the young moolc generally came and fondled on them, in the fame manner as the mofl do- medic animal would have done, and never offered to ftray from the tents. Unfortunately, in crofling a deep bay in one of the lakes, (on a fine day,) all the Indians that weie not interefted in the fafc-landing of thole engag- ing creatures, paddled from point to point ; and the man thai owned them, not caring to go fotar abont by himfelf, accompanied the others, in hopes they would follow him round asufual; but at nighc the young moofe did not arrive ; and as the howling of fome wolves was heard in that quartet', it was fuppofed they had been devoured by them, as they wcic never af- terward fccn. ne and do- i\e repeat- as flieep*, )llow their at his call Touble, or NORTHERN OCEAN. the moofe are never found, not even at any time of the year; and, Hke the other deer, they have no gall. The fat of the interlines is hard, like fuet ; but all the external fat is foft, like that of a bread of mutton, and when put into a bladder, is as 6ne as marrow. In this they differ from all the other fpecies of deer, of which the external fat is as hard as that of the kidnies. The moofe in all their actions and attitudes ap- pear very uncouth, and when difturbed, never run, only make a kind of trot, which the length of their legs enables them to do with great fwift- nefs, and apparently with much eafe ; but were the country they inhabit free from under-wood, and dry under-foot, fo that horfemen and dogs might follow them, they would become an eafy prey, as they are both tender-footed and ihoru winded : But of this more hereafter*. The Ikins of the moofe, when dreflfed by the natives, make excellent tent-covers and (hoe-lea- ther ; and in faft every other part of their cloth- ing. Thefe, like the ikins of the bufi'alo, are of very unequal thicknefs. Some of the Indian wo- men, who are acquainted with the manufadure of them, will, by means of fcraping, render them as even as a piece of thick cloth, and when well dreffed they are very foft ; but not being drelT- S 2 cd ♦Mr. Du Praf z, in bis Ucfcription of this animal, fays, it is never found faitlier Noith than Cape Breton and Nova Scotia: but I have ften them in great numbers in the Athapufcow Country, which cannot be much fhoit of 60*' North latitude. A JOURNEY TO THE cd in oil, they always grow hard after being wet, unlets great care be taken to keep rubbing them aH the time they arc drying. The fame may be faid of all the Indian-drefTcd leather, except that of the wewalkifh, which will wafli as well as ihammoy-leather, and always prefer ve its foftnefs. The female moofe never have any horns, but the males have them of a prodigious (ize and weight, and very different in ihape from thofe of the common deer. The extremity of each horn is palmated to the fize of a common ihovel, from which a few fhort branches flioot out ; and the fhzh of the horn is frequently as large as a com- mon man's wrift. They fhed them annually like the common deen The horns of the moofe are frequently found to exceed fixty pounds weight ; and their texture, though of a large fize and of fuch rapid growth, is much harder than any other fpecies of deer-horns in thofe parts. Though the flefh of the moofe is efteemed by moft Indians both for its flavour and fubftance, yet the Northern Indians of my crew did not reckon either it or the flefli of the buflalo fub- ihintial food. This I fhould think entirely pro* ceedcd from prejudice, efpecially with refpeft to the moofe ; but the flefli of the bufialo, though fo fine to the eye, and pleafing to the tafte, is fo light and eafy of digeftion, as not to be deemed fubflantial food by any Indian in this country, cither Northern or Southern. The moofe have from one to three young at a time, and generally bring '*'*y'Na^' NORTHERN OCEAN. tU bring them forth in the latter end of April, or lyy^, beeinninir of May. ^T"*^**" o o / January* Soon after our arrival no the South-fide of Athapufcow Lake, Matonabbee propo&d conti- ^ nuing our courfe in the South Weft quarter, in hopes of meeting fome of the Athapufcow Indi* ans ) becaufe 1 wiflied, if poflible, to purcfaafe a tent, and other ready-drefled (kins from them ; as a fupply of thofe articles would at this time have been of material fervice to us, being in great want both of tents and (hoe-leather : and though my companions were daily killing either moofeor bu£Falo, the weather was fo exceflively cold9 as to render drefling their ikins not only' very trouble- fome, but almoft impradicable, efpecially to the generality of the Northern Indians, who are not well acquainted with the manufa^ure of that kind of leather. To drefs thofe (kins according to the Indian method, a lather is made of the brains and fome of the fofteft fat or marrow of the animal, iq which the fkin is well foaked, when it is taken out, and not only dried by the heat of a fire, but hung up in the fmoke for feveral days ; it is then taken down, and well foaked and waflied in warm water, till the grain of the (kin is perfectly open, and has imbibed a fufficient quantity of water, after which it is taken out and wrung as dry as poflible, and then dried by the heat of a (low fire; care being taken to rub and firetch it as long as any moifture remains in the (kin. By this Ample method. ft63 January. nth. A JOURNEY TO THE method, and by fcraping them afterwards, fome of the moofe fkins are made very delicate both to the eye and the touch. On the eleventh of January, as fome of my companions were hunting, they (aw the track of a ftrange fnow-flioe, which they followed ; and at a coniiderable dillance came to a little hut, where they difcovered a young woman fitting alone. As they found that Ihe underftood their language, they brought her with them to the tents. On examination, (he proved to be one of the Weftern Dogribbcd Indians, who had been taken prifoner by the Athapufcow Indians in the Summer of one thoufand feven hundred and fevcnly ; and in the following Summer, when the Indians that took her prifoner were near this part, fhe had eloped from them, with an intent to return to her own country j but the diftance being fo great, and hav- ing after fhe was taken prifoner, been carried in a canoe the whole way, the turnings and wind- ings of the rivers and lakes were fo numerous, that flie forgot the track ; fo (lie built the hut in which we found her, to protcft her from the wea- ther during the Winter, and here (he had refided from the (irft fetting in of the fall. From her account of the moons paft (ince her elopement, it appeared that (he had been near fe- ven months without feeing a human face ; during all which time fhe had fupported herfelf very well by fna^fng partridges, rabbits, and fquir- rels ; (he had alfo killed two or three beaver, and fome porcupines. That flic did not feem to have been NORTHERN OCEAN. 4,63 been in want is evident, as ihe had a fmall ftock 1772. of provifions by her when flie was difcovered ; V'^J^"-' and was in good health and condition, and I think one of the finell women, of a real In- dian, that I have feen in any part of North America. The methods praf^ifed by this poor creature to procure a livelihood were truly admirable, and are great proofs that neceffity is the real mother of invention. When the few deer-finews that ihe had an opportunity of taking with her were all expended in making fnares, and fewing her . clothing, ihe had nothing to fupply their place but the iinews of the rabbits legs and feet; thefe ihe twifted together for that purpofe with great dexterity and fuccefs. The rabbits, ^c. which ihe caught in thofe fnares, not only furniihed her with a comfortable fubfiftence, but of the ikins file made a fuit of neat and warm clothing for the Winter. It is fcarcely poflible to conceive that a perfon in her forlorn iituation could be fo compofed as to be capable of contriving or exe- cuting any thing that was not abfolutely necef- lary to her exiftence ; but there were fufficient proofs that die had extended her care much far- ther, as all her clothing, belide being calculated for real fervice, (hewed great tafte, and exhibit- ed no little variety of ornament. The materials, though rude, were very curioufly wrought, and {0 judiciouily placed, as to make the whole of her Jiiiuary. A JOURNRY TO THE her gairb have a very pleafing, though rather ro- mantic appearance. Her leifure hours from hunting had been cm- ployed in twilling the inner rind or bark of wil- lows into fmall lines, like net-twine, of which fhe had fome hundred fathoms by her ; with this fhe intended to make a fiihing>net as foon as the Spring advanced. It is of the inner bark of willows, twifted in this manner, that the Dog- ribbed Indians make their fiihing-nets ; and they are much perferable to thofe made by the Nor- thern Indians*. Five or fix inches of an iron hoop, made into a knife, and the fhank of an arrow- head of iron, which ferved htyr as an awl, were all the metals this poor woman had with her when (he elop- ed ; and with thefe implements (he had made hcrfelf complete fnow-ihoes, and feveral other ufe- ful articles. Her method of making a fire was equally fin- gular and curious, having no other materials for that purpofe than two hard fulphurous ftones. Thefe, by long friction and hard knocking, pro- duced a few fparks, which at length communi- cated to fome touchwood ^ but as this method was ♦ The Northern Indians make their fiftjing-nets with finall thongs cut from raw decr-lkins; which when dry appear very good, but after being ibaked in Water fome time, grow fo foft and flippcry, that uhen large fifh Orike the ntt, the hitches arc very apt to flip and let them cfcape. Be- fide this inconvenienre, they are very liable to rot. unlcfs they be frc- tl«ent!y taken out of the water and intd. * NORTHERN OCEAN. ' ^6$ was attended with great trouble, and not always iyy2. with fuccefs, Ihc did not fuffer her fire to go out v— *v>^.J all the Winter. Hence we may conclude that (he • ^' had no idea of producing fire by fridion, in the manner pradifed by the Efquimaux, and many other uncivilized nations ; becaufe if ihe had, the above-mentioned precaution would have beenun« neceflary. The fingularity of the circumftance, the come* linefs of her perfon, and her approved accomplifli. ments, occaiioned a ftrong conteft between feve* ral of the Indians of my party, who Ihould have her for a wife ; and the poor girl was adlually won and lor \\: wreftling by near half a fcore dif- ferent men i*r iame evening. My guide, Mato- nabbee who at that time had no lefs than feven wives, all women grown, befides a young girl of eleven or twelve years old, would have put in for the prize alfo, had not one of his wives made him afliamed of it, by telling him that he had al- ready more wives than he could properly attend. This piece of fatire, however true, proved fa- tal to the poor girl who dared to make fo open a declaration ; for the great man, Matonabbee, who would willingly have been thought equal to eight or ten men in every refped, took it as fuch an affront, that he fell on her with both hands and feet, and bruifed her to fuch a degree, that after lingering fome time {he died. When the Athapufcow Indians took the above Pogribbed Indian woman prifoner, they accord- ing 266 A JOURNEY TO THE ing to the univerfal cuftom of thole favages, fur- prifed her and her party in the night, and killed every foul in the tent, except herfelf and three other young women. Among thofe wliom they killed, were her father, motiier, and hufband. Her young child, four or five months old, flxe concealed in a bundle of clothing, and took with her undifcovered in the night ; but when Ihe ar- rived at the place where the Athapufcow Indians had left their wives, (which was not far diftant,) they began to examine her bundle, and finding the child, one of the women took it from her, and killed it on the fpot. This laft piece of barbarity gave her fuch a difguft to thofe Indians, that notwithftanding the man who took care of her treated h'jr in every refpcct as his wife, and was, ihc faid, remarkably kind to, and even fond of her ; fo far was flie from being able to reconcile herfelf to any of the tribe, that fhe rather chofe to expofe herfelf to mifery and want, than live in eafe and affluence among perfons who had fo cruelly murdered her infant*. The poor woman's relation of this ihocking * It is too common a cafe with moft of the tribes of Southern Indiana for the women to defiie their hiifbands or friends, when going to war ; to bring them a flave, that they may have the plcafure of killing it ; and fome of theic inhuman women will accompany thtir hiifrands, and mur- der the women and children as fait as their huibands do the men. When I wa» at Cumberland Houfc, (an i:iland fettlcmcnt that I efta- blilhcd for the Hudfon's Bay Company in the year 1774,) I was particu- larly acquainted with a very young lady of this extraordinary tuin ; who, v\l,icn I dtfftcd fome Indians that wcic going to war to bring mc a young flave. NORTHERN OCEAN. ihocking ftory, which flic delivered in a very af- fefting manner, only excited laughter among the favages of my party. In a converfation with this woman foon after- ward, flie told us, that her country lies fo far to the Weftward, that flie had never feen iron, or any other kind of metal, till fhe was taken prifo- ner. All of her tribe, fhe obferved, made their hatchets and ice-chifels of deer's horns, and their knives of ftones and bones ; that their arrows were fhod with a kind of flate, bones, and deer's horns ; and the inftruments which they employ- ed to make their wood-work were nothing but beaver's teeth. Though they had frequently heard of the ufeful materials which the nations or tribes to the Eaft of them were fupplied with from the Englifli, fo far were they from drawing nearer, to be in the way of trading for iron- work, ^r. that they were obliged to retreat far- ther back, to avoid the Athapufcow Indians, who made furprifing flaughter among them, both in Winter and Summer, On the fixteenth, as we were continuing our courfe i6lh. flave, which I intcnJed to have brought upas a, domeftic, Mifs was equally dcfiious that one might be broughc to her, for the cruel purpofe of mur- deiing it. It is fcarccly poffible to exprefs my a(loni(hmcnt, sn hearing inch an extraordinary reque(t made by a young creature fcarcely fixteen years old ; however, as foon as I recovered from my furprife, I ordered her to leave the fcttlement, which (he did, with thofe who were going to walr; and it is therefore probable Ihe might not be difappointed in het leque^. The next year I was ordered to the command of Prince of Wales's Fott, and therefore never faw her afterward. 'W!!i^ft^^^mm^ 26S A JOURNEY TO THE 1772. courfe in the South Weft quarter, wc arrived it K,^ ^-^ the grand Athapufcow River, which at that jauuary. ^^^^ jg about two miles wide, and empties itfclf into the great lake of the fame name we had fo lately crofled, and which has been already de- fcribed. The woods about this river, particularly the pines and poplars, are the talleft and (louteft I have feen in any part of North America. The birch alfo grows to a confiderable fize, and fome fpecies of the willow are like wife tall : but none of them have any trunk, like thofe in England. , The bank of the river in moft parts is very high, and in fome places not lefs than a hundred feet above the ordinary furface of the water. As the foil is of sTloamy quality, it is very fubje£l to moulder or wafii away by heavy rains, even dur- ing the fhort Summer allotted to this part of the globe. The breaking up of the ice in the Spring is annually attended with a great deluge, when, I am told, it is not uncommon to fee whole points of land waihed away by the inundations; and as the wood grows clofe to the edge of the banks, vaft quantities of it are hurried down the dream by the irrefiftible force of the water and ice, and conveyed into the great lake already mentioned ; on the ihores and iilands of which, there lies the greatcft quantity of drift wood I ever faw. Some of this wood is large enough to make mails for the largeft ihips that are built. The banks of the river in general are fo deep as to be inacceflible to either NORTHER!^ OCEAN. 26^ cither man or bcaft, except in fome flacks^ or 1772. gulleys, that have been wore down by heavy ^^j^vjj;*' rains, backwaters, or deluges; and even thofe flacks are, for the moft part, very difficult to af- ccnd, on account of the number of large trcea which lie in the way. There are feveral low iflands in this river, which are much frequented by the moofe, for the fake of the fine willows they produce, which furnilh them with a plentiful fupply of their favourite food during the Winter. Some of thofe iflands are alfo frequently by a number of rabbits ; but as larger game could be procured in great plenty, thofe fmall animals were not deemed worthy our notice at prefent. Befide the grand river already mentioned, there are feveral others of lefs note, which empty them- fclves into the great Athapufcow Lake : There are alfo feveral fmall rivers and creeks on the ^ North Eaft fide of the Lake that carry off the Su- perfluous waters, fome of which, after a variety of windings through the barren grounds to the North of Churchill River, are loft in themarflies and low grounds, while others, by means of ma- ny fmall channels and rivulets, are difcharged into other rivers and lakes, and at laft, doubtlefs^ find their way into Hudfon's Bay. Thefe rivers, though numberlefs, are all fo full of flioals and Hones, as not to be navigable for an Indian canoe to any confiderable diftance ; and if they were, it would be of little or no ufe to the natives, as none of January. -270 A JOURNEY TO THE 1772. of them lead within feveral hundred miles of Churchill River. Agreeably to Matonabbee's propofal, we con- tinued our courfe up the Athapufcow River for many days, and though we pafled feveral parts which we well knew to have been the former Winter-haunts of the Athapufcow Indians, yet we could not fee the leaft trace of any of them hav- ing been there that feafon. In rhe preceding Summer, when they were in thofe parts, they had fet fire to the woods ; and though many months had elapfed from that time till our arrival there, and notwithftanding the fnow was then very deep, the mofs was dill burning in many places, which at firft deceived us very much, as we took it for the fmoke of ilrange tents ; but after going much out of our way, and fearching very diligent- ly, we could not difcover the leaft track of a (Iranger. Thus difappointed in our expedations of meet- ing the Southern Indians, it was refolved (in Council, as it may be called) to expend as much time in hunting buflalo, nioofe, and beaver as we could, fo that we might be able to reach Prince of Wales's Fort a little before the ufual time of the fhips arrival from England. Accordingly, af- ter having walked upwards of forty miles by the fide of Athapufcow River, on the twenty-feventh of January we ftruck off to the Eaftward, and left the River at that part where it begins to tend due South. In 29th. NORTHERN OCEAN. In confequcnce of this determination of the In- dians, we continued our courfe tu the Kail ward; but as game of all kinds was very plentiful, we made but (hort days journies, and often remained two or three days in one place, to eat up the fpoils or produce of the chace. The woods through which we were to pafs were in many pla- ces fo thick, that it was neceHary to cut a path before the women could pafs with their fledges ; and in other places fo much of the woods had for- merly been fet on fire and burnt, that we were frequently obliged to walk farther than we other- wife ihould have done, before we could find green brufli enough to floor our tents. From the fifteenth to the twenty-fourth of Fc- February. bruary, we walked along a fmall river that emp- 'i^*^— a^tb ties itfelf into the Lake Clowey, near the part where we built canoes in May one thoufand T^ven hundred and feventy-one. This little river is that which we mentioned in the former part of this Journal, as having communication with the Atha- pufcow Lake : but, from appearances, it is of no confequence whence it takes its rife, or where it empties itfelf, as one half of it is nearly dry three- fourths of the year. The intervening ponds, however, having fufficient depth of water, are, we may fuppofe, favourable fituations for beaver, as many of their houfes are to be found in thofe parts. On the twenty.fourth, a ftrange Northern. In- 24111. dian leader, called Thlcw-fa-nell-ie, and feveral of his A JOURNEY TO THE his followers, joined us from the Eaftward. This leader prefented Matonabbee and myfelf with a foot of tobacco each, and a two-quart keg of brandy, which he intended as a prefent for the Southern Indians ; but being informed by r v companions, that there was not the leaft proba- bility of meeting any, he did not think it worth any farther carriage. The tobacco was indeed ve- ry acceptable, as our ftock of that article had been expended fome time. Having been fo long with- out tailing fpirituous liquors, I \irould not partake of the brandy, but left it entirely to the Indians, to whom, as they were numerous, it was fcarce- ly a tafte for each. Few of the Northern Indians are fond ^f fpirits, efpecially thofe who keep at a diftance from the Fort : fome who are near, and \rho ufually (hoot geefe for us in the Spring, will drink it at free coft as faft as the Southern Indi- ans, but few of them are ever fo imprudent as to buy it. The little river lately mentioned, as well as the adjacent lakes and ponds, being well-flocked with beaver, and the land abounding with moofe and buffalo, we were induced to make but flow pro- grefs in our journey. Many days were fpent in hunting, fcafting, and drying a large quantity of flefli to take with us, particularly that of the buf- falo ; for my companions knew by experience, that a few days walk to the Eaftward of our pre- fent fituarion would bring us to a part where we ihotrld not fee any of thofe animals. ^ * The t NORTHERN OCEAN. The ftrangers who had joined us on the twcn- ty.fourth informed U3, that all were well at Prince of Wales's Fort when they left it laft ; which, ac- cording to their account of the Moons pail Unce, mull have been about the fifth of November one thoufand feven hundred and feventy-one. Thef^ ftrangers only remained in our company one night before the Leader and part of his crew left us, and proceeded on their journey to the North Weftward ; but a few of them having procured fome furrs in the early part of the "Winter, join- ed our party, with an intent to accompany us to the Fadtory. Having a good flock of dried meat,' fat, ^c, prepared in the befl manner for carjiage, on the twenty-eighth we fliaped our courfe in the South Eaft quarter, and proceeded at a much greater rate than we had lately done, as little or no time was now loft in hunting. The next day we faw the tracks of fome ftrangers ; and though I did not perceive any of them myfelf, fome of my companions were at the trouble of fearching for them, and finding them to be poor inoifenfive people, plundered them not only of the few furrs which they had, but took alfo one of their young women from them. Every additional aft of violence committed by my companions on the poor and diflrefled, ferv- cd to increafe my indignation and diflike ; this laft aft, however, difpieafed me more than all their former adlions, becaufe it was committed X on af3 1772. Fcbiturjr. 28th. Fcbiuaiy. a74 A JOURNEY TO THE 1772. on a fet of liarmlefs creatures, whofe general man- ner of life renders them the moft fecludcd from fociety of any of the human race. Matonabbee afTured me, that for more than a generation pall one family only, as if may be call- ed, (and to which the young men belonged who were plundered by my companions,) have taken up their Winter abode in thofe woods, which are fituated fo far on the barren ground as to be quite out of the track of any other Indians. From the beft accounts that I could coUeft, the latitude of this place mud be about 63^", or 63^ at lead ; the longitude is very uncertain. From my own experience 1 can affirm, that it is fome hundj^eds of miles both from the Tea* fide and the main woods to the Weftward. Few of the trad- ing Northern Indians have vifited this place; but thofe who have, gjivc a pleafing defcription of it, all agreeing that it is fituated on the banks of a river which has communication with fereral fine lakes. As the current fets to the North £aft- ward, it empties itfelf, in all probability, into fome part of Hudfon's Bay ; and, from the lati- tude, no part feems more likely for this commu- nication, than Baker's Lake, at the head of Che- ilierfield's inlet. This, however, is mere conjec- ture ; nor is it of any confequence, as navigation on any of the rivers in thofe parts is not only im- pra^icable, but would be alfo unprofitable, as they do not lead into a country that produces any thing NORTHERN OCEAN. thing for trade, or that contains any inhabitants worth vifiiing. The accounts given of this place, aiid the man- ner of life of its inhabitants, would, if related at full length, fill a volume: let it fuffice to obferve, that the rituation is faid to be remarkably favou- rable for every kind of game that the barren ground produces at the different feafons of the year} but the continuance of the game with them is in general uncertain, except that of fifli and partridges. That being the cafe, the few who compofe this little commonwealth, are, by long cuflom and the conflant example of their forefathers, poffefTed of a provident turn of mind, with a degree of frugality unknown to every other tribe of Indians in this country except the Efquimaux. Deer is faid to vifit this part of the country in aftonifhing numbers, both in Spring and Autumn, of which circumftances the inhabitant aviiil themfelves, by killing and drying as much of their flefli as pofTible, particularly in the fall of the year ; fo that they feldoni are in want Ci a good Winter's ftock. Geefe, ducks, and fwans vifit here in great plenty during their migrations both in th'^ Spring and Fall, and by much art, joined to an inl'ur- mountablc patience, are caught in conliderabie numbers in fnares*, and, without doubt, make T 2 a very • To fnarc fwans^ gcefc, or ducks, Ifl the water, it requites no oth? , procefs 275 177a. Febriuff. 376 A JOURNEY TO THE 1772. ^ very pleafing change in the food. It is alfo re. ^^^^ ported, (though I confefs 1 doubt the truth of it,) that procef* that to make a number of hedges, or {ences, project into the water, at right angles, from the bank» of a river, lake, or pond ; for it is obferv' cd that thoie birds generally fwim near the margin, for the benefit of feed* leg on the graTs, &c. Thofe fences are continued for fome diflance from the Ihore^and feparated two or three yards from each other, To that open- ings are left fuflicicntly large to let the birds fwim through. In each of 'thofc openings a fnare is hung and faOened to a (lake, which the bird, -when intaugled, cannot drag from the bottom ; and to prevent the fnare from being wafted out of its proper place by the wind, it is fecurcd to the (lakes which form the opening, with tender giafs, which is eafily broken. This method, though it has the appearance of being very Ample, is ne- verthelefs attended with much trouble, particulaily when we coniidet the rmallnefs of their canoes, and the great inconveniency they labour under in performing works of this kind in the water. Many of the flakes ufed on thofeJBccaiions are of a confiderable length and fize, and the fmall bran- ches which form- the principal part of vhe hedges, . re not arranged witli* out niuch caution, for tear of overfettingthe canoes, particularly where the .water is deep, as it is in fome of the lakes; and in many of the rivers the current is very fwift, which renders this bufinefs equally troublefome. When the lakes and rivers ate (hallow, the natives are frequently at the pains to make fences from (hore to (hoie. To ihare thoile birds in thtii nt-fls rctiuiics a confiderable degree of art and, as the natives fay, a great dealof ckanlinefs; for they have obferved, f har when fnaies have been fet by tliele whole hands were not clean, the birds would nor go into the neO. Even the goofe, though Co fimple a bird, is notorioufly known to foifake her eggs, if they were breathed on by the Indians.^ The fmaller fpecies of birds v;hich make thtir neft on the ground, are by no means Co delicate, of courfe lefs care is neccllaiy to fnare them. It has been obferved that all birds which build in the ground go into their nelV at one paiticuUr fr-le, and out of it on the oppofite. The Indians, tho. loughly convinced of this, always fct the fnaies on the fide on which the bird enters ihc neft; and if care be taktn in fetting them, feldom failof feizing their ohje£l. For fmall birds, fuch as laiks, and many others of equal fize, the Indians only ufe two or three hairs out of their head ; but for larger birds, particularly fwans, geefe, ^d ducks, they make fnaresof deer'finews, twided like packthread, and occafronally of a fmall thong cut ftom a p.'\r:hment deer«(kin. It is alfo re. truth of it,) that ed into the water, ; for it is obferv- he benefit of feed* snie diAance from ther, fo that open- DUgh. In each of e, which the bird, prevent the fnare it is fecurcd to the i, which is eafily very fimple, is ne- en we con(idet tiie they labour under r of the (lakes uled and the fmall btan> not arranged witli> ticularly where thr y of the rivers thr |ually troublefom;, frequently at the r able degree of art hey have obferved, ere not clean, the r known to fotfake the ground, are by are them. It his go into their ne(V The Indians, tho« fide on which the rem, fisldom failof nd many others of f their head; but icy make fnares of a fmall thong cut NORTHERN OCEAN. that a remarkable 4>ccies of partridges as large as Engliih fowls, are found in that part of the country only. Thofc, as well as the common partidges, it is faid, are killed in confiderable numbers, with fnares, as well as with bows and arrows. The river and lakes near the little foreft where the family above mentioned had fixed their abode, abound with fine fifli, particularly trout and bar. ble, which are eafily caught ; the former with hooks, and the latter in nets. In fact, I have not feen or heard of any part of this country which feems to poflefs half the advantages requifite for a conftant refidence, that are afcribed to this little fpot. The defcendcnts, however, of the prefent inhabitants muft in time evacuate it for want of wood, which is of fo flow a growth in thofe re- gions, that what is ufed in one year, exclufive of what is cut down and carried away by the EC- quimaux, muil coft many years to replace. It may probably be thought ftrange that any part of a community, apparently fo commodiou- ily fituated, and happy within themfelves, ihould be found at fo great a difiance from the reft of their tribe, and indeed nothing but neceflity could pofiibly have urged them to undertake a journey of fo many hundred miles as they have done ; but no fituation is without its inconvC' niences, and as their woods contain no birch- trees of fu£cient fize, or perhaps none of any fize, ■f 178 - A JOURNEY TO THE 1772. fizc, this party had come fo far to the Weftward "lebruaT^ to procuFc Wrch-rind for making two canoes, and fome of the fungus that grows on the outfide of the birch-tree, which is ufed by all the Indians in thofe parts for tinder. There arc two forts of thefe fungufes which grow on the birch-trees » one is hard, the ufeful part of which much re- fembles rhubarb ; the other is foft and fmooth like velvet on the outfide, and when laid on hot aflies for fome time, and well beaten between two ftones, is fomething like fpunk. The former is called by the Northern Indians Jolt-thee, and is known all over the country bordering on Hud- fon's Bay by the name of Pefogan*, it being fo called by the Southern Indians. The latter is only • The Indians, both Northern and 8outhern, have found bf experience, that by boiling the pefogan in water for a confidctable time, the texture is fomuch improved, that .vhen thoroughly dried, fome parts of it will be pearly as foft as fpungc. Some of thofc fungufes are as large as a man's head ; the outfide, which is veiy hard and b ..^k, and much indented with deep cracks, being of no ut>, is always chopped off with a hatcher. Befides the two foits of touchwood already mentioned, there is another kind of it in thofe patts, that I think is inhnitely preferable to either. This is found in old decayed poplars, and lies ii; flakes of various fizes and ti.icknefs; fome is not thick- er than (hamoy leather, others arc as thick as a(hoe-fole. This, like the fungus of the birch-tree, i* always moift when taken from the tree, but when dry, it is very fo't and flexible, and takes fire readily from the fpark of a fteel ; hut it is much improved by being kept dry in a bag that has contained gunpovder. It is rather furprizing that the Indians, whofe mode of liTc I hne been defcribing, have never acquiicd the method of making firs by fiittion, like the Efquimanx. It is alfo equally fiirptizing they do not make ufe nf the fkin-canoe<. Probably dcer-(kins cannot be Itiani^fa^ured to withftand the water ; for ir is well known that the Efqui- riaux ufe always feaUfkins for that purpofe, though they are in the habit ♦f killing great numbers of deer. e Weftward canoes, and e outfide of e Indians in Bvo forts of birch -trees » h much re- ind fmooth hid on hot etween two e former is hec, and is g on Hud- NORTHERN OCEAN. only ufed by the Nort^:^/n tribes, and is called by them Clalte-ad-dee. By the firft of March we began to leave the fine level country of the Athapufcows, and again to approach the ftony mountains or hills whiclji bound the Nortberi) Indian country. Moofe and beaver ftill continued to be plentiful; but no buf- faloes could foe feen after the twenty-ninth of Fe* bruary. As we were continuing our courfe to the £a£): South Eaft, on the fourteenth we difcovered the tracks of more ftrangers, and the next day came up with them. Among thofe Indians was the man who had carried a letter for me in March one thoufand feven hundred and feventy-one, to the Chief at Prince of Wales's Fort, and to which he had brought an anfwer, dated the twenty- firft of June. When this Indian received the letter from me, it was very uncertain what route we fliould take in our return from the Copper River, and, in all probability, he himfelf had nqt then determined on what fpot he would pafs the prefent winter ; confequently our meeting each other was merely accidental. Thefe Indians having obtained a few furrs in the courfe of the Winter, joined our party, which now confided of twenty tents, containing in the whole about two hundred perfons ; and indeed our company had not been much lefs during the yrhoft winter. From M^rcb. I ft. Mtk. ago A JOURNEY TO THE Prom the ftrangcrs who laft joined us we re- ceived fome ready-dreffed moofe-fkins for tenting and fhoe-leather ; alfo ibme other Ikins for cloth- ing, for all of which the Chief at the Factory was to pay on our arrival. I cannot fufficiently lament the lofs of my qua- drant, as the want of it muft render the courle of my journey from Point Lake, where it was broken, very uncertain ; and my watch ilopping while I was at the Athapufcow Lake, has contri. buted greatly to the misfortune, as I am now de- prived of every means of eftimating the diftanccs which we walked with any degree of accuracy, particularly in thick weather, when the Sun could not be feen. jgjj,^ The Indians were employed at all convenient times in f>rocuring birch-rind and making wood work ready for building canoes ; aUo in prepar- ing fmall ftaffs of birch -wood, to take with them on the barren ground, to lerve as tent-poles all the Summer ; and which, as hath been already obferved, they convert into fnow-(hoe frames when the Winter fets in. Here it may be proper to obferve, that none of thofe incidental avoca- tions interfere with, or retard the Indians in their journey ; for they always talae-4:he advantage of every opportunity which offers, as they pals along, and when they fee a tree fit for their purpofe, cut it down, and either flrip off the bark, if that be what they want, orfplit the trunk in pieces; and us we re- NORTHERN OCEAN. and after hewing it roughly with their hatchet, carry it to the tent, where in the evenings, or in the morning before they fet out, they reduce it with their knives to the (hape and fize which is required. Provifions being plentiful, and the weather fine, we advanced a little each day ; and on the nineteenth took up our lodgings by the lide of Wholdyeah-chuck'd Whoie, or Large Pike Lake. In our way we croiTed another fmall lake, where we caught fome trout by angling, and killed a few deer and one moofe. On the twentieth we croifed Large Pike Lake, which at that part was not more than (even miles wide ; but from North North Weft to the South South Eaft is much longer. The next day we arrived at Bedodid Lake, which in general is not more than three miles wide, and in feveral places much lefs ;, but it is upward of forty miles long, which gives it the appearance of a river. It is faid by the Indians to be (hut up on all fides, and entirely furrounded with high land, which pro- duces vaft quantity of fir trees, but none of them grow to a great height in thofe parts: their branches, however, fpread wider than thofe of firs of three times their height and thicknefs do in Europe; fo that they refemble an apple>tree in ihape, more than any fpecies of the pine. They feem rich in tar, as the wood of them will burn like a candle, and emit as ftrong a fmell, and as much black fmoke, as the iUves of an old tar- barrel^ March. 19th. 20th. ""'•"mmmm March. 98s A JOURNEY TO THE 1772 . barrel ; for which reafon no Indians chufe to burn it in their tents, or even out of doors, for the purpofe of cooking their vidtuah. The thaw3 began now to be very coniiderable, and the under- woods were fo thick in thefc parts as to render travelling through 'them 'cry diffi- cult J we therefore took the advantage of walk- ing on the ice of the above-mentioned Lake, which lay nearly in the direction of our courfe ; but after proceeding about twenty-two miles on it, the Lake turned more toward the North, on which account we were obliged to leave it, (Irik- ing off to the Eaftward ; and after walking four- teen miles farther, we arrived at Noo-ihetht Whole, or the HilMfland Lake, fo called from a very high ifland which (lands in it. Trom the twenty-eighth to the thirty-firft of March, we had fo hard a gale of wind from the South, as to render walking on lakes or open plains quite impoHlble, and the violence with which the trees were blown down made walk- ing in the woods fomewhat dangerous ; but though feveral had narrow efcapes, no accident happened. From the middle to the latter end of March, and in the beginning of April, though the thaw was not general, yet in the middle of the day it was very confiderable : it commonly froze hard in the nights ; and the young men took the ad- vantage of the mornings, when the fnow was hard crufted over, and ran down many raoofe; for 3»a. ApiU. I ft. NORTHERN OCEAN. for in thofe fituations a man with a good pair of fnow-flioes will fcarcely make any impreflion on the fnow, while the moofc, and even the deer, will break through it at every ftep up to the bel- ly. Notwithftanding this, however, it is very feldpm that the Indians attempt to run deer down. The moofc are fo tender-footed, and fo ihort- windcd, that a good runner will generally tire them in lefs than a day, and very frequently in fix or eight hours ; though I have known fome of the Indians continue the chace for two days, before they could come up with, and kill the game. On thofe occafions the Indians, in gene- ral, only take with them a knife or bayonet, and a tittle bag containing a fet of fire>tackle, and are as lightly clothed as poflible ; fome of them will carry a bow and two or three arrows, but I ne- ver knew any of them take a gun unlefs fuch as had been blown or burfted, and the barrels cut quite fhort, which, when reduced to the leaft poffiblc fize to be capable of doing any fervice, muft be too great a weight for a man to run with in his hand for fo many hours together. When the poor moofe are incapable of making farther fpeed, they (land and keep their purfuers at bay with their head and fore-feet ; in the ufe ot which they are very dexterous, efpecially the latter; fo that the Indians who have neither a bow nor arrows, nor a fhort gun, with them, are ge- nerally obliged to lafli their knives or bayonets to the end of a long (lick, and flab the moofe at a diftance. •fth. A JOURNEY TO THE a diftaxice. For want of this neceflary precauti. on, feme of the boys and fool-hardy young men, who have attempted to rufh in upon them, have frequently received fuch unlucky blows from their forc-feet, as to render their recover very doubtful. The flefli of the moofe, thus killed, is far from being well-taded, and I fliould think mud be very unwholefome, from beii^g over-heated; as by running fo many hours together, the animal muft have been in a violent fever } the flelh be- ing fofc and clammy, mud have a very difa- greeable tafte, neither refembling fifli, flefli^ nor fcwl*. The Southern Indians ufe dogs for this kind of huiuing, which makes it ealier and more expe- ditious -, but the Northern tribes having no dogs trained to that exerciOsy are under the neceility of doing it themfelves. On the feventh we crofled a part of Thee-lee* aza River: at which time the fmall Northern deer were remarkably plentiful, but the moofe began to be very fcarce, at none were ]$:illed after the third. ^w • On ♦ Though I was a fyr'ift njnncr in thofe days, I tiCTcr accompanied the Indians in one of Hofc chaces, but have heard many of them fay, that after a long one, the moofe, when kiiled, did not produce more than a quart of blood, the remainder being all fettled in the flefh ; which, in that (late, muft be ten times worfe tafled, than the fpieen or milt of a bacon bog. NORTHERN OCEAN. 285 i4tb. On the twelfth, we faw feveral fwans flying ijja, to the Northward ; they were the firft birds of pafiage we had feen that Spring, except a few fnow-birds, which always precede the migrating birds, and confcquently are with much propriety called the harbingers of Spring. The fwans aU fo precede all the other fpecies of water-fowl, and migrate fo early in the ieaibn, that they find no open water but at the falls of rivers, where they are readily met, and fometimes ihot, in coniide- rable numbers. On the fourteenth, we arrived at another part <;f Thee*lee-aza River, and pitched our tents not far from fome families of firange Northern Indi- ans, who had been there fome time fnaring deer, and who were all do poor as not to hav« one gun among them. The villains belonging to my crew were fo far from adminiftering to their relief, that they robbed them of almoft every ufeful article in their poiTeinon ; and to complete their cruelty, the men joined themfelves in parties of fix, eight, or ten in a gang, and dragged feveral of their young women to a little diftance from their tents, where they not only raviihed them, but otherwife ill- treated them, and tbst in fo barbarous a manner, as to endanger the lives of one or two of them. Humanity on this, as well as on feveral other fimilar occafions during my refidence among thofe wretches, prompted me to upbraid them with fl85 A JOURNEY TO THE 1771. ^^(^ their barbarity ; but fo far were my remon* ^— v-^ firahces from having the defired eflfed, that they afterwards made no fcruple of telling me in the plaineft terms that if any female relation of mine had been there, fhe ihould have been ferved in the fame manner. Deer being plentiful, we remained at this place ten days, in order to dry and prepare a quantity of the flefli and fat to carry with us ; as this was the laft time the Indians expected to fee fuch plenty until they met them again on the barren ground. During our ftay here, the Indians com- pleted the wood-work for their canoes, and pro- cured all their Summer tent-poles, ^c.\ and while we were employed in this neceflary buGnefs, the 9 thaw was fo great that the bare ground began to appear in many places, and the ice in the rivers, where the water was (hallow and the current rapid, began to break up ; fo that we were in daily expeAation of feeing geefe, ducks and other birds of paflage. On the twenty.fifth, the weather, being cool and favourable for travelling, we once more fet out, and that day walked twenty miles to the Eaftward; as fome of the women had not joined us, we did not move on the two follow- ing days. On the twenty-eighth, having once more muf- tered all our forces, early in the morning we fet out, and the next day paiTed by Thleweyaza Yeth, the aSth. a8th. NORTHERN OCEAN. aS; the place at which we had prepared wood-work for canoes in the Spring one thoufand feven hun- dred and feventy-one. As the nnorning of the firft of May was ex- ceedingly fine and pleafant, with a light air from the South, and a great thaw, we walked eight or nine miles to the Eaft by North, when a heavy fall of (how came on, which was followed, or indeed more properly accompanied, by a hard gale of wind from the north Weft. At tte time the bad weather began, we were on the top of a high barren hill, a confiderable diftance from any woods ; judging it to be no more than a fquall, we fat down, in expedation of its foon pailingby. As the night, however, advanced, the gale increafed to fuch a degree, that it was impoflible for a man to (land upright ; fo that we were obliged to lie down, without any other defence againft the weather, than , putting our (ledges and other lumber to windward of us, which in reality was of no real fervice, as it only harboured a great drift of fnow, with which in fome places we were covered to the depth of two or three feet ; and as the night was not very cold, I found myfelf, and many others who were with me, long before morning in a puddle of water, occafioned by the heat of our bodies melt- ing the fnow. The fecond proved fine pleafant weather, with ad. warm fun(hine. In the morning, having dried all May. 3d. ^98 A JOURNEY TO THE 177a. ^^1 our clothing, wc proceeded on our jourrry. In the afternoon we arrived at the part at whiwh my guide intended we (hould build our canoes j but having had fome difference with his country- men, he altered his mind, and determined to pro. ceed to the Eaftward, as long as the feafon would permit, before he attempted to perform that duty. Accordingly, on the third, we purfued oOr way, and as that and the following day were very cold, which made us walk briikly, we were ena- bled to make good days' journies ; but the fifth was fo hot and fultry, that we only walked about thirteen miles in our old courfe to the £aft by North, and then halted about three-quarters of a mile to the South of Black Bear Hill ; a place which I had feen in the Spring of one thoufand feven hundred and feventy-one. On the (ixth, the weather was equally hot with the preceding day; in the morning, however, we moved on eleven miles to the Eaft, and then met feveral (Irange Indians, who informed us that a few others, who had a tolerable cargo of furrs, and were going to the Fadory that Summer, were not far dilhnt. On receiving this intelligence, my guide. Ma* tonabbee, fent a meifenger to defire their compa- ny. This was foon complied with, as it is an univerfal practice with the Indian Leaders, both Northern and Southern, when going to the com- pany's Factory, to ufe their influence and inte- rcft \ \ NORTHERN OCEAN. ^89 May. reft in convafling for companions; as they find 1773. by experience that a large gang gains them much refped. Indeed, the generality of Europeans who relide in thofc parts, being utterly unac- quainted with the manners and cuftoms of the In- dians, have conceived fo high an opinion of thofe Leaders, and their authority, as to imagine that all who accompany them on thofe occafions are entirely devoted to their fervice and command all the year ; but this is fo far from being the cafe, that the authority of thofe great men, when abfent from the Company's Fadory, never ex- tends beyond their own family ; and the trifling refped which is fhown them by their countrymen during their refidence at the Factory, proceeds only from motives of intereft. The Leaders have a very difagreeable talk to perform on thofe occaiions ; for they are not on- ly obliged to be the mouth-piece, but the beggars for all their friends and relations for whom they have a regard, as well as for thofe whom at other times they have reafon to fear. Thofe unwel- come commiilions, which are impofcd on them by their followers, joined to their own deiire of being thought men of great confequence and in- tereft with the Englifli, make them very trou- blefome. And if a Governor deny them any thing which they aik, though it be only to give away to the moft worthlefs of their gang, they immediately turn fulky and impertinent to the higheft degree ; and however rational they may U be A fOURNEY TO THE be at other times, are immediately diveded of every degree of reafon, and raife their demands to To exorbitant a pitch, that after they have re^ ceived to the amount of five times the value of all the furrs they themfelvcs have brought, they never ceafe begging during their ftay at the Fac- tory ; and, after all, few of them go away tho> roughly fatisfied*. After • As a proof of this afleftton I take the libprty, though a little forign to the narrative of my journey, to infert one inftancf, out of many hun. dredsof the kind that happen at the different F^ftoriei in Hiulfon's Bay, but perhaps no where Co frequently as at Qhnrchill. Iji Oflober 1776, my old guide, Matonabbee, came at the head of a largo gang of Noitliein .Indians, to trade ;it Prince t)f Wales's Fort ; at which time i had the ho- nour to command it. When the uiual ceremonies had pafled, I drefled him r»ut as w Captain of the fidl rank, and alio clothed his fix wives from tcp to toe : after which, that is to fay, during his flay at the Fadlory, which was ten days, he bepged feven lieutenants' coats fifteen common coa;t, eighteen hats, eighteen (hirts, fight guns, one hundred apd forty ponn;!s weight of gunpowder, with (hot, ball, and flints i;) proportion; together with many hatchets, icechifTels, files, bayonets, knives, and a great q<.ian< tity of tobacco, cloth, blankets, combs. Ittoking.glalTcs, (lockings, haiidker« chiefs, &c befides numberkfs finall articles, fuch as awls, needles, paiut, Aeels, &c. in all to the amount of upwards of feven hundred beaver in the . way of trade, to give away among his folio *t:rs. ThU was exdufive of lis own prefenf, which confifttd of a variety of gopds to \h^ value pf four hu i- dred braver more. But the mpfl extraordinary of his demands was tweWt pounds of powder, twenty-tight pounds of ftot and ball, four pounds of tobacco, fomc articles of clothing, and feveral pieces of ironwotk, &c. to give to two men who had hauled hii tent and other lumber the preced- ing Winter. This demand was fo very unreafonabie, that I made foroe fcrilple, or at Itaft heGtated to comply with it, hinting that he was the ptr- fon whooujjht to fnUsfy thofe men tor their feryices; but I was loon an- fwered, That he did not cxpeft to have been denied fuch a trjltaitbat ww; andfor thefutute he would carty his goods where he could get his own ■ price for them. On my .Afkinghim where that was? he replied, in a ve- ry infolcnr tone, " To the Canadian Traders." I was glad to comply with his demands; and I here infert the anecdote, a» a fpecimcn of an Indian's confcier\ce. ; NORTHERN OCEAN. After ftopping four days at this place, Mato* nabbee, and all the Indians who were to accom- panyme to the Fort, agreed to leave the elderly- people and young children here, in the care of fome Indians who were capable of providing for them, and who had orders to proceed to a place called Cathawhachaga, on the barren grounds, and there wait the return of their relations from the Fadlory. Matters of this kind being fettled, apparently to the entire fatisfadlion of all parties, we refumed our journey on the eleventh of May, and that at a much brilker pace than we could probably have done when all the old people and young children were with us. In the afternoon of the fame day we met fome other Nor^ern Indians, who were alfo going to the Fort with furrs ; thofe joined our party, and at night we all pitched our tents by the fide of a river that empties itfelf into Doo-baunt Lake. This day all of us threw away our fnow-fhoes, as the ground was fo bare in mod places as not to re- quire any fuch afliftance ; but fledges were occa- fionally ferviceablc for fome time, particularly when we walked on the ice of rivers or lakes. The weather on the twelfth was fo exceeding- ly hot and fultry, and the water fo deep on the top of the ice of the above-mentioned river, as to render walking on it not only very troublefome, but dangerous ; fo after advancing about five miles we pitched our tents, and the warm wea- ther being likely to continue, the Indians immedi- U 2 aiely lith. May. l8th. 19th- 591 A JOURNEY TO THE 1773. itely began to build their canoes, which were ' completed withfuch expedition, that in the after, noon of the eighteenth we again fet forward on our journey, but the day being pretty far fpent, we only walked about four miles, and put up for the night. The morning of the nineteenth was fine plea, fant weather ; and as all the water was drained off from the top of the ice, it rendered walking on it both fafe and eafy ; accordingly we fet out pretty early, ^nd that day walked upwards of twenty miles to the Eaft North £aft on the above* mentioned river. The next day proved fo cold, that after walking about fifteen miles, we were obliged to put up; for having left Doo-baunt River, we were frequently obliged to wade above the knees through fwamps of mud, water, and wet fnow; which froze to our ftockings and fhoes in fuch a thick cruft, as not only rendered walking very laborious, but at the fame time fub- jeded us to the danger of having our legs and feet frozen. The weather on the twenty-firft was more fe- vere than on the preceding day ; but the fwamps and ponds being by that time frozen over, it was tolerable walking : we proceeded therefoi: on our journey, but the wind blew fo frefli, that we had not walked fixteen miles, before we found that thofe who carried the canoes could not pof- fibly keep up with us, fo that we put up for the night. In the c arfe of this day's journey >ve 41 (I- NORTHERN OCEAN. 293 we croffcd the North Weft Bay of Wholdyah'd 1 772. Lake; which, at that part, is called by the Nor- '"^^ thern Indians A Naw-nectha'd Whoie. This day feveral of the Indians turned back, not being able to proceed for want of provifions. Game of all kinds indeed were fo fcarce, that, except a few geefe, nothing had been killed by any of our party, from our leaving the women and children on the eleventh inftant, nor had we feen one deer the whole way. The twenty.fccond proved more moderate, aad. when all our party having joined, we again ad- vanced to the North Eaid, and after walking about thirteen miles, the Indians killed four deer. Our number, however, had now fo incAafed, that four fmall Northern deer would fcarcely afford us all a iingle meal. The next day we continued our journey, gc- ^^^^ nerally walking in the North Eaft quarter ; and on the twenty-fifth, croifed the North bay of *5th. They-holc-kye'd Whoie, or Snow-bird Lake ; and at night got clear of all woods, and lay on the barren ground. The fame day feveral of the Indians ilruck off another way, not being able to proceed to the Fort for want of ammunition. As we had for fome days pad made good jour* Aies, and at the fame time were all heavy-laden, and in great diftrefs for provifions, fome of my companions were fo weak as to be obliged to leave their bundles of furrs*; and many others * All the furrs thus left were properly fecured in cavei and crevices of tbe May. 3^4 A JOURNEY TO THE ijj'i, others were fo reduced as to be no longer capable of proceeding with us, having neither guns nor ammunition ; fo that their whole dependence for fupport was on the filb they might be able to catch ; and though fiih was pretty plentiful in moft of the rivers and lakes hereabout, yet they were not always to be depended on for fuch an immediate fupply of food as thofe poor people re- quired. Though I had at this time a fufficient ftock of ammunition to ferve me and all my proper com- panions to the Fort, yet felf-prefervation being the firft law of Nature, it was thought advifable to referve the greateft part of it for our own ufe; efpecially as geefc and other fmaller birds were the only game now to be met with, and which, iA times of fcarcity, bears hard on the articles of powder and ihot. Indeed moft of the Indians who adhially accompanied me the whole way to the Factory had fome little s^ imunition re- maining, which enabled them to travel in times of real icarcity better than thofe whom we left behind ; and though we aflided many of them, yet feveral of their women died for want. It is a melancholy truth, and a difgrace to the little humanity of which thofe people are poflelTed, to think, that in times of want the poor women . alwr.ys the rocks, [o as to withrtand any attempt that miglit be maJe on them by beads pf prey, and wcrc well lliieldcd ftoin the weather; lb that, in aH jirotability, few of them wcrc loll. NORTHERN OCEAN. always come off fliort; and when real diflrefs ap- proaches, many of them are perrtiitted to ftarvc, when the males ai^e amply provided for. The twcnty.fixth was fine and pleafant. In the morning we fet out as ufaal, and aftcf walking about five miles, the Indians killed three deer ; as onr numbers were greatly leflbned, thefe ferv-' ed us for two or three meals, at a fmall expencc of ammunition. In continuing our courfe to the Eaftward, we croffed Cathawhachaga River, on the thirtieth of May, on the ice, which broke up foon after the laft perfon had croffed it. We had not been long on the Eaft fide of the river before we perceived bad weather near at hand, and began to make eve- ry preparation for it which our lituation wouki^ admit; and that was but very indifferent, being on entire barren ground. Ic is true, we had complete fets of Summer tent-poles, and fuch tent -cloths as are generally ufed by the Northern Indians in that feafon ; thefe were arranged in the beft manner, " and in fuch places as were moft likely to afFord us flielter from the threatening ftorm. The rain foon began to dcfcend in fuch torrents as to moke the river overflow to fuch a degree as foon to convert our fir ft place of retreat into an open Icar, and oblige us in the middle of the night to af- femble at the top of an adjacent hill, where the* violence of the wind would not permit us to pitch a tent ; fo that the only ihelter we could obtain was to take the tent-cloth about our fiioulders, and a6th. 30th. 3d. 8th. A JOURNEY TO THE and lit with our backs to the wind ; and In this fituation we were obliged to remain without the leaft refrefliinent, till the morning of the third of June : in the courfe of which time the wind fliifted all round the compafs, but the bad weather dill continued, fo that we were con- ftantly olltged to ihift our polition as the wind changed. The weather now became more moderate, though there was ftill a fre(h gale from th^ North Weft, with hard froft ^nd frequent Ihowers of rnow« Early in the morning, however, we pro- ceeded on our journey, but the wet and cold I had experienced the two preceding days fo be- ii^imbed my lower extremities, as to render walk- ing for fome time very troublefome. In the courfe of this day's journey we faw great num- bers of geefe flying to the Southward, a few of which we killed ; but thefe were very difpropor- tionate to the number of mouths we had to feed, and to make np for our long failing. From that time to the eighth we killed every day as mriny geefe as were fufficient to perferve life; but on that day we perceived plenty of deer, five of which the lodiaan killed, which put us all into good fpirits, and the nuuiber of deer we then faw afforded great hopes of more plentiful times during the remainder of our journey. It is almoft needlefs to add, that people in our di* ftreifed fituation expended a little time in eating, and flicing fome of the fleQi ready for drying ; - . but NORTHERN OCEAN. but the drying it occafioned no delay, as we fa- ftened it on the tops of the women's bundles, and dried it by the fun and wind while we were walking ; and, ftrange as it may appear, meat thus prepared is not only very fubftantial food, but pleafant to the tafte, and generally much efteemed by the natives. For my own part I muft acknowledge, that it was not only agreeable to my palate, but after eating a meal of it, I have always found that I could travel longer without victuals, than after any other kind of food. All the dried meat prepared by the Sou- thern Indians is performed by expofing it to the heat of a large fire, which foon exhaufts all the fine juices from it, and when fufficiently dry to prevent putrefadion, is no more to be compared with that cured by the Northern Indians in the Sun, or by the heat of a very flow fire, than meat that has been boiled down for the fake of the foup, is to that which is only fufficiently boiled for eating : the latter has all the juices re- maining, which, being eafily diiTolved by the heat and moifture of the ftomach, proves a (Irong and nourifhing food ; whereas the former being entirely deprived of thoie qualities, can by no means have an equal claim to that charadler. Moft of the Europeans, however, are fonder of it than they are of that cured by the Northern Indi- ans. The fame may be faid to the lean parts of the beaft, which are firft dried, and then reduced into a kind of powder. That done by the Nor- thern 9th. A JOURNEY TO THE them Indians is entirely fi^ce from findke^. and quite foft and mellow in the mouth ^ whereat that which i» prepared by the Southern tribes is generally as bitter as ibot with fnaoke, and is as hard as the fcraps of horn » bfc, which are burnt to make hardening ka the cutlers. I never knew, that any European \tz9 fb fond of this as they are o£ that made by tho Northern Indians. On the ninth, as we were continuing our courfe to the Factory, which then lay in the South £a(l quarter, we £iw feveral fmakes to the North £aft, and the fame day fpoke with many Northern Indians, who were going to Knapp's Bay to meet the Churchill floop. Several of thofe Indians had furrs with them, but ha/ving fome time before taken Up goods on truft at Prince of Wales's Fort, were tsdcing that method to delay the payment of them. Defrauds of this kind have been pra^Hfed by many of thofe people with great fuccefs, ever fmce the furr- trade has been eftabliihed with the Northern Indians at Knapp's Bay; by which means debts to a coniiderable amount are annually loft to the Company, as well as their Governor in the Bay. Being deiirous of improving every opportuni- ty that the fine weather alForded, we did not lofe much time in converfation with thofe Indi- ans, but proceeded on our courfe to the South £aft, while they continued theirs to the North Eaft. For NORTHERN OCEAN! For many days after leaving thofc people, we had the good fortune to meet with plenty of pro- vifions ; and as the weather was for a long time remarkably fine and pleaiant, our circumftance s were altered fo mucK, for the better, that every thing feemed to contribute to our happinefs, as if defirous to make fome amends for the fevere hun- ger, cold, and exceffive hardihips that we had fttfiered long before, and which had reduced us to the greateft oufery and w^ant. Deer was fo plentiful great part of the way, that the Indians killed as many as were wanted, without going out of tkeir road ; and every lake ?.nd river to which we came feemed willing to give us a. change of diet, by affording us plenty of the fineft fifh, which we caught either with hooks or neks. Geelb, partridges, gulls, and many other fowls, which are excellent eating, were alfo in fuch plenty, that it only required ammunition, in ikilful hands, to have procured as many of thetn as we could defire. The only inconvenience we now felt was from frequent ihowers of heavy rain ; but the inter- vals between thefe Ihowers being very warm, and the Sun fhining bright, that difficulty was eafily overcome, efpecially as the belly wa» plentifully fupplied with excellent victuals. Indeed the very thoughts of being once more arrived fo near home, made me capable of encountering every difficulty, even if it had been hunger itfelf in the mofi formidable fhape. On 36th. A JOURNEY TO THE On the eighteenth we arrived at Egg River, from which place, at the folicitation of my guide Matonabbee, I fent a letter poft-hafte to the Chief at Prince of Wales's Fort, advifing him of ay being fo far advanced on my return. The wea- ther at this time was very bad and rainy, which caufed us to lofe near a whole day ; but upon the fine weather returning, we again proceeded at our ufual rate of eighteen or twenty miles a day, fometimes more or iefs, according as the road, the weather^ and other circumftances, would admit. Deer now began to be not quite fo plentiful as they had been, though we met with enough for prefent ufe, which was all we wanted, each per- fon having as much dried meat as he could con- veniently carry, befides his furrs and other necef- fary baggage. Early in the morning of the twenty-fixth we arr»ved at Seal River*; but the wind ^'owing right up it, made fo great a fea, that v«e were obliged • Mr. Jetetn'c it very incorreft in his account of the fituation of this Rifer, and its courfe. It is not eafy to gucft, whether the Copper or Dog-iibbed Indians be the nation he calls Platfceteti dt Cbimt: if it he the former, he is much ninaken ; for they have abundance of beaver, and other animals of the furr kind, in their country : and if the latter, he is equally wrong to affert that they have copper-mines in their A>UDtry ; for neither copper nor any other kind of metal is in ufe among them. Mr, Jeremie was not too modefl when he faid, (fee Dobb's Account of Hudfon's bay, p. 19; "he could not fay any thing pohtivcly ingoing farther NORTHERN OCEAN. 301 obliged to wait near ten hours before we could 1772. venture to crolli it in our little canoes. In the after- June. farther" North ;" for in my opinion he ntrtt wai To far North or Wrft as he pretendk, otherwife he would have been more correAin his defcrtpti- 00 of thofe parti. The Strait he mentions it undoubtedly no other than what is now called Chederfield'i Inlet, which, in fome late and cold fcafbni, it not clear of ice the whole Summer: for 1 will affirm, that no Indian, either Nor« tliern or Southern, ever faw either Wager Water or Repulfc Bay, except the two men who accompanied Captain Middlcton ; and thout' ^hofe ' men were feleAed from fome hnndiedsfor their univertal Icn ■: of thofe parts, yet they Jcnew nothing of the coaft fo far North a ..larbie afland. As a farther proof, that no Indians, except the Efquimaux, ever fre- quent Aich high latitudes, unlefs aC a great diflance from the fra, I mud here mention^ that To late as the year 1763, when Captain Chridopher went to iurvey Cheiterficld's Inlet, though he was furnilhed with the mod intelligent and experienced Northern Indians that could bt found, they did not Icoow an inch of the land to the North of Whale Cove. Mr. Jcremie ts atfo as much midaken in what he fays concerning Churchill River, as he was in the dire£lion of Seal River ; for he fays that no w,ood$ «cre found but in fome iflands which lie about ten or twelve miles up the river. At the time he wrote, which was lung before a fet- 'ticment was made there, wood was in great plenty on both fides the ti- ver; and that within five miles of where Prince of Wales's Fort now ftands. But as to the iflands of which he fpeaksi if they ever exifted* they have of late years moft aiTuredly difappeared ; for iince the Com. pany have had a fettlement on that liver, no one ever £iw an ifland in ic that produced timber, or -wood of any defcription, within forty miles of the Fort. Bat the great number of ftumps now remaining, firom which* in all probability, the trees have been cut for firing, are fuffident to prof e that when Churchill River was firft fettled, wood was then in great plen- ty; but in the courle of feventy^fix years reftdence in one place, it is na. tural to fuppofe it was much thinned near the Settlement. Indeed for fome years paft common fewel is ib icarce near that FaAary,that it is the chief employment of mod of the fervants for upward of feven months in the year, to procure as much wood as will fupply the fires for a Winter, aad a little timber for ncceflary repairk. ir IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /. ^^ 1.0 I.I I 1.25 I£i|2j8 M2.5 ■^ Ui2 12.2 1.4 m m V 0% Ta ^.^' Photogr^hic Sciences Corporation 23 WIST MAIN STRKT WiBSTER.N.V 14580 (716) •72-4503 ^ June^ a9th. 302 A JOURNEY TO THE 177^2. afternoon the ixnesither gveur more model'ate) to that we were enabled- to ferry owr the river ; after which we refumed our journey, and at night pitched our tents in fome tufts of willows in fight of the woods of Po-co-thee-kis-co River, at which we arrived early in the morning of the twenty-eighth; but the wind again blowing very hard in the North Sail quarter, it was the aftier- noon of the twenty-ninth befort; we could attempt to crofs it. Juft at the time we were crofiing the South isranch of Po-co-thee-kis-co River, the Indians that were fent from Egg River with a letter to the Chief at Churchill, joined us on their return, and brought a little tobacco and fome other ar- ticles which I had defired. Though it was late in the afternoon before we had all crofied the ri- ver,i yet we walked that evening till after ten o'clock, and then put up dn one of the Goofe- hunting Iflands, as they are generally called, about ten miles from the Fadory. The next morning I arrived in good health at Prince of Wales's Fort, after having been abfent eighteen months and twenty-three days on this laft expe- dition; but from my firft fetting out with Cap- tain Ghawchinaba, it was two years feven months and twenty-four days. Though mydifcoveries are not likely to prove of any material advantage to the Nation at large, or indeed to the Hudfon's Bay Company, yet I have the pleafure to think that I have fully com- plied A JOURl'CEy TO THE plied with the orders of my Mafters, and ^hat it has put a final end to all difputes, concerning a North Weft Psiflage through Hudfon's Bay. It will alfo wipe oS, in fome meafure, the ill-ground- ed and unjuft afperfions of Dobbs, Ellis, Robfon, and t^he American Traveller ; who have all taken much pains to condemn the condufl: of the Hud- fon*s Bay Companyf^as being averfe from difcove- ries, and fir om eiUar|;iog their trade. CHAP. 5^4 A JOURNEY TO THE € H A P. IX. A fhort Defcription of the Northern Indians, alfo a farther Account of their Country, Manu^ tures, Cuftoms, &ff. An account oftbeperfons and tenors of the Northern Indians, — T&ey pojfefs a great deal of art and cun- tiing.^-^jire very guilty of fraud when in their poW' er, and generally exaS more for their furrs than any other tribe of Indians »^^ Always dijfatisfied^ yet have their good qualities, '^The men in general jea- bus of their wives,'^Their marriages, — Girls aU ways betrothed when children, and their reafonsfor it, — Great care and confinement of young girls from the age of eight or nine years old,'^Divorces com* mon among thofe people, — Hhe women are left pro* lific than in warmer countries, — Remarkable piece offuperfiition obferved by the women at particular periods, — Their ai in making it an excufefor a temporary feparation from their hufbands on any lit' tie quarrel, — Reckoned very unclean tm thofe occafi- ' o«x. — The Northern Indians frequently, for the want of firing, are obliged to eat their meat raw,'^ Some through necejftty obliged to boil it in veffels made of the rind of the birch-tree. — A remarkable dijh among thofe people, — The young animals always cut out of their dams eaten, and accounted a great deli' cacy^ — The parts of generation of all animals eat by the iians, alfo Manufao e Northern •t and cun" I their poW' furrs than atisfied, yet general jea- r-Girls aU r reafonsfor t girls from vorces com- ire lefs pro* rkahle piece particular NORTHERN OCEAN. the men and bdys^^-^Manner ofpajfmg their time, and method of killing deer in Summer with bows and arrowS'-^Their tents, dogs, Jledges, &c.— ^^'SnoW'Jhoes.'-^Their partiality to domejiic vermin, '.L^Utmo/i extent of the Northern Indian country,--^ Face of the tountry»— 'Species of fiJh^'^A peculiar <. kind ofmo/s iifeful for the fupport of mam—Nor- ihern Indian method of catching fijh, tither with •^ hooks or riets^'-^Cerembny obferved when two par-^ ''-Hes of thofe people meet.-^Diverfions in common ufe, '-^AJingular diforaer which attacks fime ofthofe people.—^fhelr fup&Jlition with refpe6l to the death of their friends. — Ceremony obferved on thofe occqfi» ens. — Their ideas ofthefirjl inhabitants oj the world, — No formof religion amongthem.— Remarks on that circumjlance> — The extreme mifery to which old age is expofed.-^Their opinion of the Aurora Borealis, &c.— Some account of Matonabbee, and his fervid ces to his country, as well as to the Hudfon's Bay company, AS to the perfons of the Northern' Indians, they are in general above the middle fize ; well-proportioned, ftrong, and robuft, but nQ| corpulent. They do not poflefs that aftiviiy q| body, and livelinefs of difpolition, which are fp commonly met with among the other tribes of Indians who inhabit the Weft coaft of Hudfon's Bay. Their complexion is fomcwhat of the copper caft, inclining rather toward a dingy brown ; X and 30s 3o6 A JOURNEY TO THE and their hair, like all the other tribes in India, is black, ftrong, an4 ftraight*. Few of the men have any beard ; this feldona makes its appear- ance till they are arrived at middlerage, and then Is by no means equal in quantity to what is ob- (erved on the faces of the generality of Europe- ans ; the little they have, however, is exceeding- ly firopg and bri^ly. Some of th.em take l^ut little pains to eradicate their beards, though i^ is confidered as very unbecop^ing ; and thofc who do, have no otl^er ipeth^dthan that of pulling it out by the roots between their fingers and the edge of a blunt knife. Neither iex have any hair under their armpits, and very little on any Other par( of ^he body, particularly the women ; but on the place where Ns^ture plants the hair, I never knew them attempt to eradicate it. Their features are peculi^ri and diierent from any other tribe in thofe parts ; for th^y have very low foreheads, fmall eyes, high cheek-bones, Ho- man nofes, full cheeks, and in general long broad chins. .Though few of either fes; are exempt from this national fet of features, yet Nature feems to be more firid in her obfervance of it among the females,/igh,pr«rerve a fingle 1oc|l of their hair, that, when let down, would ttail on the groun4 as they walked, '[his, however^is but feldom feen ; and ibme have fufpefted it'to be falfe : but I have examined the hair of Several of them and found it to be real. 'fm^m::j'^t^t:i'Jsi£^s'r<:'fpj^ i India» be men appear- ad then It is ob- Europc- ceediog- :ake l^ut ioCb who pulling it 2Uid the uvc any e on any women ; he hur, I rent from lave very mes, Ho- mg broad exempt ^t Nature Lance of it fo much loth, and in *clcan clothing, Ire near fix feet In, would ttail locQ feen ; and ed the hair of NORTHERN OCEAN. clothing, they are as free from an offenfive fmell as any of the human race. Every tribe of Northern Indians, as well as the Copper and Dog-ribbed Indians, have three or four parallel black ftrokds marked on each cheek; which is performed by entering an awl or needls under the (kin, and, on drawing it out again, immediately rubbing powdered charcoal into the wound. Their difpofitions are in general moroie and covetous, and they feem to be entirely unac- quainted even with the name of gratitude. They are for ever pleading poverty, even among them- felves; and when they viiit the Fa^ory, there is not one of them who has not a thonfand wants. When any real dtftrefled objects prefent them" (elves at the Company's Fadory, they are always relieved with vid^uals, clothes, medicines, and eve-> ry other necelTary, gratis ; and in return, they inftruft every one of their countrymen how to behave, in order to obtain the fame charity. Thus it is very common to fee both men and women come to the Fort half-naked^ when either the fcvere cold in Winter, or the extreme trou* blefomenefs of the flies in Summer, make it ne« ccflary for every part to be covered. On thofo occa(ions they are feldom at a lof» for a plaufibl« ftory, which they relate as the occaiton of their diftrefs, (whether real or pretended,) and never fail to interlard their hiftory with plenty of (ighs, groans, and t^ars, fometimes afleding to' be lame; X z and 3^7 3oa A JOURNEY TO THE and even blind, in order to excite pity. Indeed, I know of no people that have more command of their pailions on fuch occafions ; and in thofe re- fpe^ the women exceed the men, as I can affirm with truth I have feen fome of them with one fide of the face bathed in tears, while the other has exhibited a fignificant fmile. Falfe pretences for obtaining charity ire fo common ainong thofe people, and fo often dete^ed, that the Governor is frequently obliged to turn a deaf ear to ma- ny who apply for relilef; for if he did not, he might give away the whole of the Company's goods, and by degrees all the Northern tribe would make a trade of begging, inflead of bring- ing fiirrs, topurchafe what they want. It may truly be faid, that they poflefs a confiderable de- gree of deceit, and are very complete adepts in the art of flattery, which they never fpare as long as they find that it conduces to their inte- reft, but not a moment longer. They take care always to feem attached to a new Governor, and flatter his pride, by telling him that they look up to him as the father of their tribe, on whom they can fafely place their dependance; and they never fail to depreciate the generofity of his predeceiTor, however extenfive that might have been, however humane or difinterefted his condud; and if afperfing the old, and flattering the new Governor, has not the defired efFed in a reafonable time, they reprefent him as the worft of * characters, and tell him to his face that he is one ■ - : of ^'ifc' i*^-T' ■*M)r«-?f*"';'^ '"■■'' f "',"'.'''''^7'^!P' NORTHERN OCEAl^. of thie moft cruel of men ; that he has no feeling for the diftrefles of their tribe, and that many have perifhed for want of proper afliftance, (which, if it be true, is only owing to want of humanity among theinfelves,) and then they boaft of having received ten times the favours and preients from his predecelTor. It is remarkable that thofe are moft bviih in their praifes, who have never either deferved or received any favours from him. In time, however, this language alfo ceafes, and they are perfeflly reconciled to the man whom they would willingly have made a fool, and fay, ** he ** is no child, and not to be deceived by thetn." They differ fo much from the reft of mankind, that harfli uncourteous ufage ieems to agree bet- ter with the generality of them, particularly the lower clafs, than mild treatment ; for if the leaft refpedb be (hown them, it makes them intolera- jbly infolent ; and though fome of their leaders may be exempt from this imputatiota, yet there are but few even of them who have ^^afe enough to fet a proper value on the favours and indul* gences which are granted to them while they re- main at the Company's Fairies, or elfewhere within their territories. Experience has con- vinced me, that by keeping a Northern Indian at a diftance, he may be made ferviceable both to himfelf and the Company ; but by giving him the leaft indulgence at the Fadory, he will grow indolent, inadive, and trouUefome, and only contrive 209 310 A JOUHNEV TO THP contrive methods to tax the gencrofity of an'Ett« ropean. The greatcft part of thefe people never fail to defraud Europeans whenever it is in their power, and take every method to over-reach them in the way of trade. They will difguife their perfons and change their names, in order to defraud them of their lawful debts, which they are fometimes permitted to contract at the Company's Factory ; and all debts that are outilanding at the fucceffion of a new Governor are entirely loft, as they always declare, and bring plenty of vatnefies to prove, that they were paid long before, but that their names had been forgotten to be ftruck out of the book. Notwithftanding all thofe bad qualities, they are the mildeft tribe of Indians that trade at any of the Company's fettlements; and as the great- eft part of them are never heated with liquor, are always in their fenfes, and never proceed to riot, or any vi(^ence beyond bad language. The men are in general very jealous of their wives, and I make no doubt but the fame fpirit reigns among the women ; but they are kept So much in awe of their hufbands, that the liberty of thinking is the greateft privilege they enjoy. The prefence of a Northern Indian man ftiikes a peculiar awe into his wives, as he always aftiimes the fame authority over them that the mafter of a family in Europe ufually does over his dome- ftic (ervants. Their KOkTHERN OGEAK. Their marritges are not attended with any ce- remony; all niatches are made by the parents, or next of kdn. Oh thofe occafions the women feem to have no choice, but implicitly obey the will of their parents, who always endeavour to marry their daughters to thofe that feem moft likely to be capable of maintaining them, let their age, per** fon, or difpofition be ever fo defpicable. The girls are always betrothed when children, but never to thofe of equal age, mrhich is doubt- lefs found policy with people in their fituation, where the exlftence of a family depends entirely on the abilities and induftry of a fingle man. Children, as they juftly obferve, are fo liable to alter in their manners and difpofition, that it is impoffible to judge from the anions of early youth what abilities they may poflefs when they arrive at puberty. For this reafon the girls are often fo difproportionably matched for age, that it is very common to fee men of thirtyfive or forty years old have young girls of no more than tea or twelve, and fometimes much younger. From the early age of eight or nine years, they are pro*' hibited by cuftom from joining in the moft inno* cent amufements with children of the oppofite (ex; fo that when fitting in their tents, or even when travelling, they are watched and guarded with fuch an unremitting attention as cannot be exceeded by the moft rigid difcipline of an Englifh boarding-fchool. Cuftom, however, and conftant example, make fuch uncommon reftraint and confine- s'* 51 « A JOURNEY TO THr eonfincBOCot fit Ugbt and $^ even on childrent whole tenider ages (eem ti|(|||0r adopted to inno- cent and cheerful aoiufemcnti, than to be coop^ cd up by the fide of pld .women, and conftantly employed in fcraping ftins, mending ihoei, and learning other domeftic duties neceflary in the c^re of a family. , Notwithftanding thofc uncommon reftcaint^ on the young girls, the conduct of th^ir parents is by no means uniform or confident with this plan; as they fet no bounds to their converfati- on, but talk before them» and even to th^m^ on the moft i|id«licate fubjeSs. As their ears are accuiiomed to fuch language from tb^ir earlieft youth, this baa by no means the fame elFcd on them, it would have on girls born and educated in a; civilized co\intFy, where, every care is taken to prevent their morals from being contaminated by obfcene converfation. The Southern Indians are dill lefs delicj^te in ?pnve;rration, in the pre- fenqe of their children* ' The women among the Northern Indians are in general more ba(:kward than the Southern Indian women ; and though it is well known that neither tribe lofe any time^ thofe early connexions are fel4ompro$iu4live of children for fpme years. Divorces are pretty common among the Nor- thern Indians; fometimes for incontinency, but more frequently for want of what they deeop^i: necefifary accQmplilhments, or for bad f^eha,vioun> This NQRTHEftN OCEAN. Thh€muaoaytUkMk»QM(t^ confifti of ndther more iior left than a good dmbhiog, and turn, iog the woman out of doori f telling her to go to her panunqur, or rclationiy according to the nature of her crime* i fiuy*4eoce if verjf kind in caufing thefe peo« pliil biei left prolific than the inhabitanti of civt- lized nattona ; it ia very uncommon to iee one woman have more than five or fix children ; and thefe are always bom at fuch a diftancc from one another, that the youngeft it generally two or three years old before another is brought into the. world. Their eafy births, and the ceremonies which take place on thofe occalions, have already been mentioned i lihall therefore only obferve here, that they malce no ufe of cradles, like the, Southern Indians, but only tie a lump of mofi between their legs, and always carry their chil- dren at their backs, nest the flun, till they are able to walk* Though their method of treating young children is in this refped the mod uncouth and awkward I ever faw> there are few among, them that can be called deformed, and not one in fifty who is not bow-legged. There are certain periods at which they never permit the women to abide in the fame tent with their huibands. At fuch times they are obliged to make a fmaU hovel for themfeives at fomedif* tance^om the other tents. As this is an uni- verCp^Cuilom among all the tribes, it is alfo a piece <^ pplicy wltU the women, upon any difference with 3»3 514 A JOURNEY Td Tttte . a ttttipohiry fepamtion, when, without any tttt^ tn6tiy, ilhcy creep mt (as is their \xRii\ tttfidih on thofis oedifioiis) uttdet the eves of tlifat fide 6f the tent at which they hisippen td be fitting ; fbt at thofe timed they are nt^ perihitted to go in or out through the doof. Uat ihiftbm is fo general- ly prevalent itnong the women, that I hkvc fre- quently known fome of the fulky dameis leave their hufbands and tent for fotir or five days at a time, J^nd repeat the firce twice or thrice in a mbnth, while the poor men have never fufpeded the deceit, or if they have, delicacy on their pirf has not permitted them to enquire into the matter. I have known Matonabbee's handfome wife, %ho eloped from him in May one thonfattd fcven hundred and feventy.one, live thun^nardy, as they call it, (that is alone,) for fisveral weeks to- gether, under this pretence ; but as a proof he had fome fufpicion, Ihe was always carefully watched, to prevent her from giving her compa- ny to any other man. The Southern Indians are alfo very deficate in this point ; for thongh they do not force their wives to build a feparate tent, they never lie under the fame clothes during this period. It is, however, equally true^ that the young girls, when thofe fymptoms make their firft appearanee, generally go a little diftance from the othei^ tents for four or five days, and at their return wear a kind of Veil or curtain, made o£ beads, f6r fome time after, as a mark of modefty ; as NGRTHtRN OC^AN. •sthcy are then confidered marristgcabl^, tnd of courfe are caUed women, though fome at thoft periods are not more than thirteen, while others at the age of fifteen or fixteen have been reckon^ cd as children, though apparently arrived at near- ly their full growth*. On thoie occaliofis a remarkable piece of fuper- ilition prevails among them ; women in this fitu- ation are never permitted to walk on the ice oi rivers or lakes, or near the part where the men are hunting beaver, or where a fijihing-net is fet, for fear of averting their fuccefi. They are^alfo prohibited at thole times from partaking of the head of any animal, ^nd even from walking in, or croffing the track where the head of a deer, mooic, beaver, and many other animals, have lately been carried, either on a fledge or on the back. To be guilty of a viokition oiF this cuftom is confidered as of the greated importance ; be^ caufe they firmly believe that it would be a means of preventing the hunter from having an equal fttccefs in his future excurfions. Thofe poor people live in fucb an inhofpitable part of the globe^ that for want of firing they are frequently obi^ed to eat their vi^bials quite raw, particularly in the Summer feaTon, while on the . barren ground ; but early cuftom and frequent neceffity make this praftice fo familiar to them, thatfo far from finctii]^ any inconvenience arife . from it, or having the leaft difiike to it, they frequently do it by choice, aod particularly in the article ys 3i6 A JOURNEY TO TftE article of fifli ; for whien they do make a pretence of drd^ng it, they feldom warm it throug;h. I have frequently made one of a party ^ho has fiit round a frefli-killed deer, and aflified in picking the bones quite clean, when I thought that the raw brains and many other parts were exceeding- ly good ; and, however ftrange it may appear, I muft beftow the fame epithet on half-rlw fi(h : even to this day I give the preference to trout, falmon, and the brown tittemeg, when' they are not warm at the bone. The extreme poverty of thofe Indians in gene- ral will not permit one half of them to purchlfe brafs kettles from the Company ; fo that they are fiill under the neceffity of continuing their Origi- nal mode of boiling their viciiuals in lar^ upright veflels made of birch-rind. As thofe vefleh will not admit of being' expofed to the fire, the Indians, to fupply the defeft, heat (lones red-hot and put them into the water, which foon occafi- ons it to boil; and by having aconftant fiicceffibn of hot ftones, they may continue the procefs as long as it is neceflary. .This method of cooking, though very expeditious, is attended with one . great evihthe visuals which are thus prepared are full of Snd : for the ftones thus heated, and then immerged in the water, are not only liable to Oliver to pieces, but many of them being of a • coarfe gritty nature, fall to a ma(s of gravel in the kettle, which cannot be prevented from mix- ing with the victuals which are boiled in it. Be- fides NORTHERN OCEAN. ildes this, they have feveral other methods of preparing their food, fuch as roaftingit by a firing, broiling it, ^i.\ but thefe need on farther defcription. The moft remarkable difli among them, as well as all the other tribes of Indians in thofe parts, both Northern and Southern, is blood mixed with the half-digefted food which is found in the deer's ftomach or paunch, and boiled up with a fuffident quantity of water, to make it of the confiftence of peafe-pottage. Some fat and fcraps of tender fleih are aifo ihred fmall and boiled with it. To render this difh more palatable, they have a method of mixing the blood with the contents of the ftomach in the paunch itfelf, and hanging it up in the heat and fmoke of the fire for feveral days ; which puts the whole mais into a ftate of fermentation, and gives it fuch an agreeabmislid tafte, that were it not for prgudice, it mighcl^: eaten by thofe who have the niceft palates, it is true, fome people with delicate liMiiaGhs would not be eafily perfuaded to partake of this di(h, efpecially if they faw it drefled ; for moft of the fat which is boiled in it is firft chew- ed by the men and boys, in order to break the globules that contain the fat ; by ^tf ch means it all boils out, and mixes with the broth^: where- as, if it were permitted to remainas it cakiefrom the knife, it would ftill be in lumps, like fuet. To do juftice, however, to their cleanlinefs in this particular, I muft obferve, that they are very care- Si; Ik m 318 A jowNEY TO rm careful that neither old people with bad teeth, nor yo^ng children, have apy band in prep«rin|; this diih. At firft, I muft acknowledge that I was rather ihy in partaking of this mefs, but when I ' was fufficlently convinced of the truth of the above remaifk, I no longer made any fcruple, but always thought it exceedingly good. The ftomach'of no other large animal be^de the deer is eaten by any of the Indians that bor- der on Hudibn's Bay. In Winter, when the deer feed on fine white mofs, the contents of the fto- mach is fo much efteemed by them, that Ihave often feen them fit round' a deer where, it was killed, and eat it warm out of the paunchv In Summer the deer feed more coarfdy, and there- fore this diih, if it deferve that appellation, is then not ib much in favour. The young calves, ^wns, beaver, &f. taken out of the bellies of their mothers, are reckoned moft delicate food; and I am not the only European who heartily joins in pronouncing them the great- eft dainties that can be eaten. Many gentlemen who have ferved with me at Churchill, as well as at York Fort, and the inland Cettlements, will readily agree with me in afietting, that no one who ever got the better of prejudice fo far as to tafte of thofe young animals, but has immediate- ly become exceffively fond of them^ and the fame may be (aid of young geefe, dudes, tsfc, in the fhell. In fad, it is almoft become a proverb in the Northern fettlements, that whoever wiflies « JKWTHEftN OCEAN, mtt^ tp kaow what U gpod, muft live witb*the la4Uns. The p^rts of generatipa b^long^og to any bc«(^ t^fikM), l>Q;h m4capi4 £pm^)c;, «r« always e;^t- «A j>yjt^9m^jiit4t^s I aii4;tlibugh.tt]iO&|w:ts, particularly inthe males, are generally very tougb^ XhnyMtn^i on any a^^Qimty rtat}e.cut with an edg«-JtQQl> biA( tovn tQ pijBc^ witl^ the teeth ; and when any part pf them proves tpo to^gh to be maiGbic»t«d, it 19 th?pwi^ into the fire and burnt. Foip the Indians believe firmly, that if a dog (hould eat any part of them, it would have the hme ef- fed OQ their fuqcefe in hunting,^ that a woman croffing their hunting^rack at an improper peri- od would have* The £itne ill>fuccefs is fuppOfed aUp.|p attend them if a woman eat any of thofe partt^' They are alCp r^iinarkably fond Pf the womb of the bttiiaio, elk^ deep, i^e.. which they ej^gerly devour without wafliing, or arty other proceis but barely ftrokjing out the contents. This, in fome of the )ar^ animals, and efpetxaXiy when they are fome time gone with young, needs, no defcription to make it fufikiently difguf^iog ; apd yet I have known fome in the Company's fervice remarkably fond of the difii, though I am not one of the number. The womb of the beai- ver and deer is well enough, but that of the moofe and buffalo is very rank, and truly difgufting*. Our 319 • * The Indian method of preparing this unaccountable dilh is by throwing * the 320 A JOURNEY TO THE bur Northern Indians who trade at the Fafto- ry, as well as all the Copper tribe, pafs their t^frole fammer on the biri^n ground, where they ^etaeraliy fintf pl^^ty of ape aid colour,, the yolk of an egg, and are Co called by the natives, and as eagerly devoured by tbita. ' t 'The tfipe of the'bafTalols eiweedinglyigQod,and the Indian method of cooking It -iofihitf ly /uperior to that pra^ifed in Europe. When oppor- tunity will permit, they wafh it tolerably clean in cold water, tlripoff all the honey-comb, and^'only boil it aboiit half, or three-quarters of an hodt: in that time it is fu£Bciently don« for eating; and though tatfaer tougher than vvhat is prepared in England, yet is exceedingly pleafant to the tafte, and muft be much inore nourithing than tripe that has been ibked and fcrubbed in many hot waters, and then boiled for ten or twelve honrs. The lefler (lomach, or^ as fome call it, the many-folds,' either of buf- fklo, mooTe, or deer, areufually eat raw, and are very good; but that of -the mooft, unlefs great care be taken in wafhing it, is rather bitter, ow- ing to the nature of their food. The kidneys of both moofe and bufl^la are ufually eat raw by the Son- thern Indians ; for no (boner is one of thofe beafts killed, than the hun- ter rips up its belly, thrufts in his arm, fnatches out the kidneys, and eats them warm, before the animal is quite dead. They al(b at times put their mouths to the wound the ball has made, and fuck the blood ; which , they fay quenches thirft, and is very nouriihing. NORTHERN OCEAN. pafi prepared for their reception, where feveral Indians lie concealed for that purpofe. This me- thod of hunting is only pradicable in Summer, and on the barren ground, where they have an exteniive profpefb, and can fee the herds of deer at a great diftance, as well as difcover the nature of the country, and make every neceflary ar- rangement for driving them through the narrow defiles. This method of hunting is performed in the following manner : When the Indians fee a herd of deer, and intend to hunt them with bows and arrows, they ob- ferve which way the wind blows, and always get to leeward, for fear of being fmelied by the deer. The next thing to which they attend, is to fearch for a convenient place to conceal thofe who are appointed to fhoot. This being done, a large bundle of fticks, like large ramrods, (which they carry with them the whole Summer for the pur- pofe,) are ranged in two ranks, fo as to form the two fides of a very acute angle, and the fticks placed at the diftance of fifteen or twenty yards from each other. When thofe neceflary arrange- ments are completed, the women and boys fepa. rate into two parties^ and go round on both fides, till they form a crefcent at the back of the deer, which are drove right forward i and a& each of the ftisks has a fmall flag, or more pro- perly a pendant, faftened to it, which is eafily waved to and fro by the wind, and a lump of mofs ftuck on each of their tops, the poor timq- Y rous 321 WW 3 aft A JOURNEV TO THE rous deer, probably taking thjsm for rankt of people, generally run Araight forward between the two ranges of fticki, till they get among the Indians, wdio lie concealed in fmall circular fen- ces, made with looie ftojaes, mo&, Isfc, When the deer approach very near, the Indians who are thus concealed ftart up and iboot; but as the deer generally pafe along at full fpced, few Indi- ans have time to flioot more than one or two ar- rows, unlefs the herd be very large. This method of hunting is not always attended with equal fucceTs ; for fbmetimes after the Indi- ans have been at the trouble of making places of ifaelter, and arranging the flag-fUcks, i^c, the deer will make offanother way, before the women and children can furround them. At other times I have feen eleven or twelve of them killed with one volley of arrows; and if any gun^men attend on thofe occafions, they are always placed behind the other Indians, in order to pick up the deer ■that efcape the bow-men. By thefe means I have feen upwards of twenty fine deer killed at one broadilde, as it may he termed. Though the Northern Indians may be faid to kill a great number of deer in this manner during the Summer, yet they have fo far loA the art of ihoating with bows and arrows, that I never knew any of them who could take thofe weapons only, and kill either deer, moofe, or buffalo, in the common, wandering, and promifcuous me- thod of hunting. The Southern Indians, though they ended i Indi- tees of ke deer en and times I I with attend ;hind ledeer leans I M ^ NORTHERN OCfi^N. jtjicy J)*ivc bc^n Ippgcr uicd to firc-^rros, gie fi^r n^orc eypjert with the pow apd arjraw, ^hcwrori- gijnal jjreapons. Thip tpnts m:^ ufe of by thofe Lqdlf jcarriage, ar£ ^Iw^ys ^)adein ijnall pieces, ^dom exceeding fiyc buclc-Jdyns ijn piip piece. Thfcfi? terits, a9 al/p their kettle^, and Come oth^r l^far her, arc always carried by dogs, which are train- ed to that (ervicc, an de- t^iHable in the ^e^ of ^n Eurtipean ) ttsy, the latter b^v« iKaify other daihties Of si fimil^r kitid for befid^ making tife of train-oil as a cordial altld as fauce to their meat, 1 have freqii^i^tly (tttt them eat « whole bindfut of maggots thiit W^re produced in meat by fly.blows^ It is their con- ilaht ctiftOm to eat the filth (hog.ribbed and Gopf- per Indians' Counti-y Otl the North ; and by Hud- fon's Bay oil the Kaft. The hnd throughout that Whole track of tountry is fcaifcely any thing but ohe folid fnafs of rocks and (lories, and iil # moft parts very hilly, particularly to thtf Wtftw M^a^d, aniong the ieoods. The fdrface, h is very true, is in nfiofl places covered whh a thih fod of thofs, intermiited With the roOts of the Wee-fa-ca- [^ucca, cranberries, and a few other infigtlificant fhrubs and herbage i but undbr it there is in ge- neral a total want o^ foil, capable of producing any thing except what is peculiar to the dirnate. Some of the iharihes, indeed, produce feteral kinds of grafs, the growth of which is amazingly rapid ; but this is dealt Out With fo fparirg a band ^s to be barely fuificient to (brve the geefe, fwans^ and other birds of paffage, during their liiigrati. 6ns ih the Spring, and Fall, white they retnaitl in a moulting flate. The miany takes and fivers with which (his part dt the coiiutty abounds, thottgh they do not fuN iiift the liatives with watet-cai^riage, are yet ot Jhfinite advantage to thetft; ih they aferd grtit Aumbefs of fi(h, both ih Sutflmer and Wintei^. tht Ohly fpScfes eaught iti thofe paf ts are trOUt, tittameg, (or tickomeg,) tench, two forts Of b%r-t ble, (eilfcd by tke Sdttheifh indfetnjr Na-Aiy-pith,) burboty 3«; 318 A JOURNEY TO THE burbot, pike, and a few perch, The four former ^re caught in all parts of this country, as well the woody as the barren ; but the three latter are only caught to the Weftward, in fuch lakes and rivers as are fituated among the woods \ and though fome of thofe rivers lead to the barren ground, yet th^ three laft mentioned fpecies of fifli are fel- dom caught beyond the edge of the woods, not even in the Summer feafon. There is a black, hard, crumply mofs, that grows on the rocks and large (lones in thofe parts, which is of infinite fervice to the natives, as it fometimes furni(hes them w|th a temporary fubfiftence, when no animal food can be pro- cured, This mofs, when boiled, turns to a gummy confidence, and is more clammy in the mouth than fago; it mays by adding either mofs or water, be made to almofi any confiftence. It is fo palatable, that all who tafie it generally grow fond of it. It is remarkably good and pleafing when ufed to thicken any kind of broth, but it is generally moft efteemed when boiled ii^ fi(h-liquor. The only method praclifed by thofe people to catch fiih eUhtr in Winter or Summer, is by angling and fctting nets; both of which methods is attended with much fuperftltion, ceremony, and unneceffary trouble; but 1 will endeavour to defcribe them in as plain and ^rief a manner as pofiible. When they make a new fifhing-net, v/hich is always r former wellthe are only id rivers i though ground, (h arc fcl- >ods, not lofs, that in thofe ^ natives, sniporary I be pro- jirns to ^ my in the ith?r mofs nfiftence. generally good and of broth, boiled iqi people to cr, is by methods lony, and lavour to tanner as 1 v/hich is always ^ NORTHERN OCEAN. always compofed of fnnall thongs cut from raw deier-ikins, they take a number of birdi bills and feet, and tie them, a little apart from each other, to the head and foot rope of the net, and at the four corners generally faften fome of the toes and jaws of the otters and jackaflies. The birds feet and bills made choice of on fuch occadons are generally thoit of the laughing goofe, wavey, (or white goofe,) gulls, loons, and black-heads ; and unlefs fome or all of thefe be faftened to the net, they will not attempt to put it into the wa- ter, as they firmly believe it would not catch a ^ngle fiih. A net thus accoutred is fit for fetting Whene« ver occafion requires, and opportunity offers ; but the fir(t fiih of whatever fpecies caught in it, are not to be fodden in the water, but broiled whole pn the fire, and the fiefli carefully taken from ^he bones without diilocating one joint ; after which the bones are laid on the fire at full length and biirnt. A iirict obfervance qf thefe rules is fup- pofed to be of the utmoft importance in promot- ing the future fuccefs of the new net; and a negledt of them would render it not worth a farthing*. Whei^ they fiih in rivers, or narrow channels that * They frequently fell new nets, which have not been wet more than «nce or twice, becaufe they have not been AicceAfuI. Thofe nets, when ibkcd in water, are cafily opened, and then make mod excellent heel and toe netting for fnow-lhoes. In general it is far fuperior to the netting cut by the Southern Indian women, and i» not larger than comfflon net- twine. 3*9 33» A ]6Vfil^Y to TflE tbat join ttro hkti tbgdth^t", they cdttfd fi-^<»vC. !y, by tyiflg two, thrift, or mote rifcts together, %«2d over thef t^hdle breadth of the channel, and intercept tfvery fiz^ble fifli that paiTed ; but ififtead of that, they fcatttfr tht niets at a cdnMt- rabid diftance froiri each other, from a fupetftiti* ous notion, that were they kept clofe together, one net would be jealous of its neighbour, and by that means not one of them ^ould catch a fingle The methods ufed, and ftHaiyobferved, wheit angling, are equally abfurd as thofe I have menti- oned ; for when they bait a hook, a compofition of four, five, or fix articles, by way of chatm, is concealed under the bait, which is always fewed round the hook. In fad, the only bait Ufed by thofe people is in their opinion a compofition of charms, inclofed withiA a bit df fifh ikin, fo as in fome meafure to i^efemble a fmall fifli. Tbd thingd ufed by t^ay of charm, are bits of beavei'^ tails and fat^ ottei^s vents and teeth, mtiOt-rat's guts and tails, Ioon'4 vents, fquirifel's tefllicJes, fhe crudled milk taken out of the fiomach Of fucking fawns and calVes, human hair, and nixm< berlefs other articles equally abfurd. Eve#y mafter of a family, and indeed altfioft every other perfon, particularly the men, have a fmall bundle of fuch trafh, which they always carry with them, both in Summer and Winter; and without fome of thofe articles to ptit under theit bait, fei^' of them could be prevailed upon to to pMt a hodk. inttt ih6 v^^ti, bem^ ftiHy ptt- fdad^d thskt they thzy ^ ^(ill fit ih the ttni, i& ^tttitpt tb sthgte with6tit ftich iffiflarrce. thef hiife *lfo a ftbtioit thit fiflt of tHe fame fpCcidi lAhitttlAg diffcrtnt pztti 6f th^ coUtitry, art fond of diflfferrtrt tWnfgs ; fot that alftroft eV«fty Iak6 and ritdf they ztthd at, obliges thetri to al. ter the compofition of the chatftr. The fam6 rttle is obfetved tm btbiliii^ the firft fiftiits 6f a ne<^ hoCfk that h ijfed fot a new net; an6ld Ito'ak that has alMdy been fttCcefsful iti catch- ing fai-ge fifh is e^eetndd bf mote taltle, thah a handfal of new ones which have never been tHed. ' tktt affo, a^ weU a^ fifli, ai'e very ncrtncrdtis in rtfatiy patts of this country j particularly to the No^th of the fiitieth degree of latittide. Alpine harej ar6 in fo i« always p^fprmed in the wight. It 15 remarkable titat thgCe people, though a 4iiUadl natign, bave never ^^ppted ^y ^odc of dancing of their own, of ^i>y ibngs to which they can dance J fp th^t when ?ny thing of this kind 19 attempted, whicH is b^t fe)dom, they always en- deavour ^o iinitate either the Dog-ribbed or Sou- Jthern Indians, hut more commonly the former, as icsv of them are i>i$ciently acquainted either ivfth the Southern Indian Ian|;^age, or their man^ ner of dicing. The Dogjribbed metl^od i^ not ye^y di^culU -to lesirn, as it only conilfts in lift- ing the feet alternately from the ground in a very quick Ivccoffiop, and as high as poiTible, withopt niQvin^ the bodyi which ibonid be kept jqnite AiU and miolionle^s ; the hands at the fame jtiine being dofed, and ^eld clofe to the breafi, . js^nd the head inclining forward. This diver^on is always performed quite naked, except the breech-cloth, and at times that is alfo thrown ofi) And the dancers, whp ieldom exceed three or four at a time, aiways ftgnd clofe to the mnfic. The muiic may, by ftrsLui g 91 point, be called both vocal and inftrumental, though both are fufEdently humble. The former is no more than NORTHERN OCEAN. th^n a frequent repetition of the words ^ee, hee, hee> ho, ho, ho, &f^. which, by.^moreor lels frequent repetition, dwelling longer on ope wor4 and ihorter on another, and raifing ai^d lowering the voice, produce fomething like a tune, and has the deiired effeA. This is always accompani- ed by a drum pr tabor ; and fometimes a kind of rattle is added» made with a piece of dried buffa- lo Ikin, in (hape es^a^tly like an oil-flaik, into which they put a few (hot or pebbles, which, when ihook about, produces mufic little inferior to the drum, though not fo loud. This mode of dancing naked is performed on- ly by the men ; lor when the women are order- (Bd to dance, they always exhibit without th^ tent, to mufic which is played within it ; an^ though their method of dancing is per£e£Uy de- cent, yet it has ftill lefs meaning and adion tha^i that of the men : for a whole heap of them crowd together in a ilraight line, and juft fhu^e them- felves a little from right to left, and back again in the fame line, without lifting their feet from the ground ; and when the mufic fiops, they all give a little bend of the body and knee, fom«what like an awkward curtfy, and pronounce, in a lit- tle ihrill tone, h-e-e, h-o-o-oc. Befide thefe diverfions, they have another fim- pie in-door game, which is that of taking a bit of wood, a button, or any other fmall thing, and after fbiftlng it; from hand to hand i)bveral times^ afking 335 336 A JOURNEY TO THE aiking their antagonift, which hand it is in? When playing at this game, which only admits of two perfons, each of them have ten« fifteen or twenty fmall chips of wood, like matches; and when one of the players gueffes right, he takes one of his antagonift's fticks, and lays it to his own ; and he that firft gets all the (licks from the other in that manner is fald to win the game, which is generally for a fingle load of powder and ihot, an arrow, or fome other thing of incon- fiderable value. The women never mix in any of their diverfi- ons, not even in dancing ; for when that is re- quired of them, they always exhibit without the tent, as has been already obferved y nor are they allowed to be prefent at a feaft. Indeed, the whole courfe of their lives, is one continued fcene of drudgery, viz. carrying and hauling heavy loads, drefling ikins for clothing, curing their provifions, and pradlifing other neceiTary dome- ilic duties which are required in a family, with- out enjoying the leaft diverfion of any kind, or relaxation, on any occaiion whatever ; and except in the execution of thofe homely duties, in which they are always inftrucled from their infancy, their fenfes feein almoft as dull and frigid as the zone they inhabit. There are indeed fome ex- ceptions to be met with among them, and I fup- pofe it only requires indulgence and precept lo make fome of them as lofty and infolent as any women '* NO?lTHERN OCEAN. women in the world. Though they e^r their hair at full length, and never tie it up, like the Southern Indians ; and though not one in fifty of them is ever poffefled of a comb, yet by a won- derful dexterity of the fingers, and a good deal of patience, they make fhift to ftroke it out fo as not to leave two hairs entangled ; but when their heads are infefted with vermin, from which v^ry few of either fexs^re free, -they mutually aflift each Other in keeping them under. A fcorbutic diforder, refembling the word ftage of the itch, confumptions, and fluxes, are their chief diforders. The firft of theie, though very troublefome, is never known to prove fatal, un<> lefs it be accompanied with fome inward com- plaint ; but the two latter, with a few accidents, carries off great numbers of both fexes and all ages : indeed few of them live to any great age, probably owing to the great fatigue they under- go from their youth up, in procuring a fubii- Aence for themfelves and their offspring. Though the fcorbutic diforder above mention- ed does appear to be infectious, it is rare to fee one have it without the whole tent's crew being more or lefs afieAed with it; but this is by no means ^ proof of its being contagious ; I rather ^ttribufe it to the efFeds of fome bad water, or the ynwholefomenefs of fome fi(h they may catch in particular places, in the courfe of their wandering manner of life. Were it otherwife,^ ^f^gle family would in a ihort time communi- ?< cat^ 3Sf 33S A JOURNRY TO THE catc it to the whole tribe j but, on the contrary, the direafe is never known to fpread. In the younger fort it always attacks the hands and feet, not even fparing the palms and folcs. Thofe of riper years generally have it about the wrifts, in- fteps, and pufteriors ; and in the latter particu- larly, the blotches, or boils as they may juftly be called are often as large as the top of a man's thumb. This diforder mod frequently makes . its appearance in the Summer, while the Indians are out in the barren grouted ; and though it is by no'means reckoned dangerous, yet it is fo ob- ilinate, as not to yield to akiy medicine that has ever been applied to it while at the Company's Fac- tory. And as the natives themfelves never make ufe of any medicines of their own preparing, Nature alone wo^ks the cure, which is never per- formed in lefs than twelve or eighteen months ; and fome of them are troubled with this difagree* able and loathfome diforder for years before they are perfedly cured, and then a dark livid mark remains on thofe parts of the (kin which have been affcfted, for mapy years afterwards, and in "fome during life. When any of the principal Northern Indians die, it is generally believed that they are conjur. cd to death, either by fome of their own coun- trymen, by fome of the Southern Indians, or by fome of the Efquimaux : too frequently the fuf- picion falls on the latter tribe, which is the grand jrcafon of their never being at peace with thofe poor NORTHERN OCEAN. poor and diftrefled people. For fome time paft, however, thofe Efquimaux who trade with our floops at Knapp's Bay, Navel's Bay, and Whale Cove, are in perfe^ peace and friendfliip with the Northern Indians; which is entirely owing to the prote£^ion they have for feveral years paft receiv- ed from the Chiefs at the Company's Fort at Churchill River*. But thofe of that tribe who Z 2 live at w t!9 * [n the Summer of 1 756, a patty of Northern Inditni lay in wait at Knapp't Bay till the floop had failed out of the harbour, when they fell on the poor ^fqaimaux, and killed every foul. Mr. John Bean, then Mafter of the floop, and fince MaHer of the Trinity yacht, with all his crewt heard the gum very plain ; but did not know the meaning or reafon of it till the Summer following, when he found the fliocking remains of more than forty Efquimaux, who had been murdered in that cowardly manner; and for no other reaibn but becaafe two principal Northern Indians had died in the preceding Winter. No Efquimaux were feen at Knapp's Bay for feveral years after ; and thofe who trade there at prefent have undoubtedly been drawn from the Northward, fince the above unhappy tranfaAion ; for the convenience of being nearer the woods, as well as being in the way of trading with the floop that calls there annually. It is to be hoped that the meafures taken by the Governors at Prince of Wales's Fort of late years, will efTeAually prevent any fuch calamities happening in future, ai|d by degrees be the means of bringing about a lading, friendly, and redproal intereft between the tvyo nations. Notwithftanding the pacific and friendly terms which begin to dawn between thofe two tribes at JCnapp's Bay, Navel's Bay, and Whale Cove, farther North hoftilitics continue, and mod barbarous murders are per. petrated: and the only proteAion the J^fquimaux have from the fury of their enemies, is their remote fituatlon in the Winter, and their refiding chiefly on iflands and peninfiilas in Summer, which renders them lefs liable to be furprifed during that feafon. But even this fecluded life does not prevent the Northern Tndians. from haraffing them greatly, and at timet they are fo clofcly purfued as to be obliged to leave mod of their goods, and utenfils to be deftroyed by their enemy ; which muft be a great lofs, as thefe cannot be replaced but at the expence of much time and labour ; ud the want of them in the main time muft create much diftrefs both tu thew-. 140 A JOURNEY TO THE live fq far to the North, as not to have any in- tercourfe with our vellels, very often fall a facri- £ce to the fury and fupcrftition of the Northern Indians ; who are by no means a bold or warlike people ; nor can I think from experience, that they are particularly guilty of committing adh of wanton cruelty on any other part of the human race belide the Efquimaux. Their hearts, how- ever, tfifitifetvrsancl their ramiUei, si they can feldotn procure any part of their livelihood without the aflilUnce of a ccmfiderable apparatus. In 1756, the Erquimaux at KnappV Bay Tent two of their youtht to ]^rince of Walei'» Fort in tht floop, and t >><: Summer following they were dhrriedhack 10 ihtirfiieiuls, londcd with prcfcnti, und much pleafedwtth the tieatmcnt they received while at the Fort. In 17671 they again fcnt one from Knapp's hay and one from Whale Cove \ and though during their (lay at Uie Fort thi-y m»de a confidcrablc progiefs both in the Sou> thern Indian and the EngUlh lungii.igci<, yet thufc intercotufei have not teen any way* advantagtouj to tl>c Company, by increafingthe ttadefrom that quarter. In faft, the only fatitfuftion ihey have found for the great cxpence they have from time to time incurred, by introducing thofc llran- get*, is, th.it through the good conduct of their upper fcrvant* at Churchill River, titcy liavc at length {o far humanized the hearts of thofc two tiibek, that at prufent they ran meet each other in a fiiendly manner; whereas, a few year* Hnce, whenever they met, each party piemeditatrd the deOruAion of the other ; and what mad^ their war more (hocliing, was, they never gave quarter : fo that the ilronged party alwayi killed the weakcft, witliouf fparing either man, woman, or child. It i* but a few years ago that the floop't crew who annually carried them all their wants, durft not venture on fliore among the ^fquimaux unarmed, for fear of being murdered ; but latterly they are fo civilizedi that the Company's fervants vifit their tents with the greateft freedom and fafety, are always welcome, and deflred to partake of fuch provifions pa they have: and knowing now our avcriton from train-oil, they take every means in their power to convince our people that the vi£luals pre- |>ared for them is cntitcly free from it. But the fmell of their tents, cook* jng-utenfils, and other furniture, is fcarceiy lef^ offennve than Greenland I)ock. However I have eaten both filh and venifon cooked by them info cleanly a manner, that 1 have relived them very much, aqd paita^eo of pbei^ with a good appetite. •STV'"'""' NORTHERN OCEAN. e^r, are in general (6 unfufceptible of tenderneft, that they can view the deepeft diftrefs in thofe who are not immediately related to them, with- out the leaft emotion ; not even half To much a^ the generality of mankind feel for the fufFering^ of the meaneft of the brute creation. I have been prefent when one of them, imitating the groans, diftortcd features, and contracted pofition, of si man who had died in the moft excruciating pain, put the whole company, except myfelf, intQ the moil violent fit of laughter. The Northern Indians never bury their dead, but always leave the bodies where they die, fo that they are fuppofed to be devoured by beafts and birds of prey ; for which reafon they will not eit foxes, wolves, ravens, i^c, unlefs it be through mere neccflity. The death of a near relation aife^ls them fo fen- fibly, that they rend all their clothi from their backs, and go naked, till fomc perfons lefs af&iil- cd relieve them. After the death of a father, mother, hufband, wife, fon, or brother, they mourn, as it may be called, for a whole year, which they meafure by the moons and feafohs. Thofe moarnful periods are not diftinguifhed by any particular drefs, except that of cutting offthip hair ; and the ceremony confifts in almoft perpe'< tually crying. Eyen when walking, as well as at' all other intervals from fleep, eating, and conver- fation, they make an odd howling noife, often repeating the relationihip of the deceafed. 3ui 94 341 «»« thU U \\\ (( m»*t?rtt iu(PrtfUi*f» mere rmiii mut luf'-. lonii (itme ttf tiieiu h(tv« a nu^>liiiii ul iitlteiilit)|; the Imiftinefii oftho nute^ ntnl Itiliigingtiipmtnit (ti A itmte n\\\iki\\ tnnr thiut tltdt (u whhlttlu'y flug thfU' ToMj^w, When they felleiH leHuully «m (he U»lst)f (t gooil Fi-leiul, huweveCt It \m Utih rtn edetf^ Oh them fur the pietritt, ihttt they glveitit iinctinutUMi huite U: iheli grhl At thule tditeH they (eeiti to (ytttpuHtUt; (thiotigh cuKoitt) with fAch itthei'*ii rtflliaiohd (it ittuih,thiU 1 httvd oiteu feen flevefrti Icoien of them trying In concert, when At the fAutc time not Above ItAJf a domen of them hAil Any nune feAlim lot* (b doing t hint t hAil, unler<« It WAN lo pi'eieive the old cullonti And keeji the othern tn conntrnAitcei I ho women Are ivmi\i'kid)ty nltilgtng on (nrhociAlionfl) And Aft no reUritlion k \aU\ on thfin, th?y nmy with truth he Ikid to try with aII their ntlght And muin \ but in comnuut tonvcrlAtlon they Aioob' Uged to be very modcrAtc* They have a tradition among them, that (lie lirlV pcrlbn upon earth wah a woman, who, after having been (bn\e time alono, In her rcCrArchcn Tor IterrlcH, which wan then lirr oidy fond, found an Animal like a dog, whith followed lirr to the cave where (he lived, and (oon grew fond and d«m\elHc. IhiH dog, they lity, had the art of transforming itfcif into the (liApc of a handtbino young man, which it frequently did at night, but aa the day approached, always relumed itn former Ihape i lb that the woman looked uti all that pair- ed «it (HI lliolb (uritlhiiM nt« rlieititiN iiiiil dduiloiii. Tlicilb ii'>tit(uiiiiiiil(iim uea' runh titoiJudlive of (Ik* uth!V(^MeMiiPH wlilili rtf )ife(t3it( ^eiier^lly ihU liiw (Villi liiliiinite (itnitrAloits brtwcrji the two (liiid rlvctff, »tid iiiimedU Ktrly tiiulcd thciii to lie hllnl with water. Hi then took the dog, diid tore It to pit'ccfi ) the %\H» he threw into the ItiktN und tlverfl, Kmiftiandlng tiietti tolinuuiic the dliit^rcnt kinds of H(h } the fielh he diipcried over the land, cummandlfig it to hecutne dilVercnt kind^ of hea(l» and landatd* iiiaiM) tiic Iktii he nKii tore in rrtiall pieccsi and thiTAV ii into the air, contiimnding it to become all kiiidn ot blidn } alter vvhicli lie f^avc the wo- man and her ollnpi ing full power to kill, cat, and never Ijnire, for that he had coiiiinandcd them tu multiply for her ulc in abundance After thif injundion, he returned to the place whence he came, and has not been heard of iince. KitMoiuN has not ai yet begun to dawn among the Northern indiauH; for though their conju- rors do indeed ling i'ongs, and make long fpecch* CN, to (omc bcalls aiul birds of prey, as alio to imiiginary bcingu, which they iky AiVid them in pcrforniiiig 141 34^' A JOURNEY TO THE performing cures on the fick, yet they, as if^eW as their credulous neighbours, are utterly defti- tute of every idea of praAical religion. It is true, fume of them will reprimand their youth for talking difrefpcflfully (if particular beails and birds f but it is done >»ith lo little energy, as to be often retorted back in derifion. Neither is this, nor their cuftom of not killing wolves and' quiquehatches, univerially obferved, and thofe who do It can only be viewed with more pity and contempt than the others ; for I always found it arofe merely from the greater degree of confi- dence which they had in the fupernatural power of their conjurors, which induced them to believe, thiit talking lightly or diircfpedtfully of any thing they (eemed to approve, would materially a(Feft theit health and happinefs in this world : and I never found any of them that had the leaft idea of futurity. Matonabbee, without one excepti- on, was a man of as clear ideas in other matters as any that I ever faw . he was not only a perfect mailer of the Southern Indian language, and their belief, but could tell a better ftory of our Savi- our's birth and life, than one haU of thofe who call themfelves Chriilians ; yet he always declar- ed to me, that neither he, nor any of his coun- trymen, had an idea of a future ilate. lliough he had been taught to look on things of this kind as uielefs, his own good fenfe had taught him to be an advocate for univer/al toleration ; and 1 have feen him feveral times aiiilt at Ibme of the NORTHERN OClfiAK. tli^ tiidft ficred rites performed by the Southern Indiansi, apparently \(rith as much zeal, as if he had given as much credit to them as they did : and with the fame liberality 6f fentiment he would, I am perfuaded have jiflifted at the altar of a Chri- fliah church, or in a Jewfh fynagogue; not with a view to reap atiy advantage himfelf, bat merely, as he obferveid, ta tfffift others ^ho believ- ed in Aich ceremonies. Being thus deftitute of all religious controul, thefe people have, to life Matonabbee*^ own word^, ** nothing to do but confult their own intereil, ** indinations, and paflions ; and to pafs through ** this world i^ith as much eafe and contentment " as poffiblfe, withdut any hopes bf r^^ard, or << p^inftil fesr of puhifhmeht in the next.'* Iti this (late of mind they are, when in profperity, the hapt^ieft of mortals ; for nothing bttt perfonal or family calamities can diflurb their tran^ttfUity, while misfortunes of the leffer kind fit light on them. Like mod other uncivilized people, they bear bodily pain with great fortitudie, though in that refpe^t I cannot think them equal to the Soti^ thern Indians. Old age is the greateft calamity that can befal a Northern Indian ; for when he is paft labour, he isnegle^ed, and treated with great difrefpedt, even by his own children. They not only fcrve him lafl: at meals, but generally give him the coarfeft and worft of the visuals : and fnch of the Ikins as they do not chufe to wear» are made up in 345 346 A JOURNEY TO THE ' in the clumfieft manner into clothing for their aged parents ; who, as they had, in all probabi' lity, treated their fathers and mothers with the fame neglect, in their turns, fubmltted patiently to their lot, even without a murmur, knowing it to be the common misfortune attendant an old age ; fo that they may be faid to wait patiently for the melancholy hour when, being no longer capable of walking, they are to be left alone, to fiarve and perifii for want. This, however, ihocking and unnatural it may appear, is never- thelefs fo common, that, among thofe people, one half at leaft of the aged perfons of both fexes ab- iblutely die in this miferable condition. The Northern Indians call the Aurora BorealU^ £d-thin ; that is. Deer*: and when that meteor is very bright, they fay that deer is plentiful in that part of the atmofphere ; but they have never yet extended their ideas fo far as to entertain hopes of tafting thofe celeftial animals. Befide this filiy notion, they are very fuperili- tious with refpe£t to the exiftence of feveral kinds of fairies, called by them Nant»e-na, whom they frequently fay they fee, and who are fuppofed by them * Their ideas in this refpe^ are foundecl on a principle one would not ioiagine, Expeiience has ftiewri them, that when a hairy deer«fldn if l)ri(kly ftroked with the hand in a dark night, it Will emit many fparlis of flc^cal fs of his effeffcs and aH his wives, which were fix in number, Matonabbee not only kept hit ground after KeelOiies and his fmall party had been permitted to return, but made his way into the very heart of the Athapufeow country, in order to have a peribnal conference with all or moft of the principal inhabitants. The farther he advanced, the more occafion he had for intre- pidity. At one time he came to five tents of thofe favages, wluch in the whole contained fix> teen men, be^es their wives, chiktern, and fer- vants, while he himfelf w^ entirely alone, except one wife and a fervant boy. The Southern Indi* ans, ever treacherous, and apparently the more kind when they are premeditating mtfchief, feem*- ed to give him a hearty welcome, accepted the tenders of peace and reconciliation with apparent A a k^sfaSdotk, «^The fame perfon was at Pxbce^of Walei't fattvi^u the Frendrftrrit' cd on tlu Sth of Augaft i ;8», «|a4&ir then 4Mi«lifli the Fdrt. 353 354 A JOURNEY TO THE fatisfa^ion, and, as a mark of their approbation^ each tent in rotation made a feaft, or entertain- ment, the (ame night, and invited him to par- take ; at the laft of which they had concerted a ichemc to murder him. He was, however, fo perfect a mafter of the Southern Indian language, that he Toon difcovered their defign, and told them, he was not come in a hoftile manner, but if they attempted any thing of the kind he was determined to fell his life as dear as poffible. On liearing this, fome of them ordered that his fer- vant, gun, and fnow-ihoes, (for it was winter,) ihould be brought into the tent and fecured; but he fprung from his feat, feized his gun and fnow-ihoes, and went out of the tent, telling them, if they had an intention to moleft him, that was the proper place where he could fee his enemy, and be under no apprehenfions of being (hot cowardly through the back. ** I am fure (faid he) of killing two or three of you, and if you chufe to purchafe my life at that price, ** now is the time ; but if otherwife, let me de- !< part without any farther molefiation." They then told him he was at liberty to go, on condi- tion of leaving his feryant ; but to this he would not confent. He then rufhed into the tent and took his fervant by force from two men j when finding there was no appearance of farther danger, he fet out on his return to the frontiers of hisf own country, and from thence to the Faftory. The cc cc Ofly Mn- par- ed a .,fo iage. told but i was On A fcr- nur,) ured; 1 and [clUng :him» cc his being n fure and if NORTHERN OCEAN. The year following he again vifited the Atha* pufcow country, accompanied by a confiderable number of chofen men of his own nation, who were fo far fuperior to fuch fmall parties of the Southern Indians as they had met, that they commanded refpe^ wherever they came; and having traverfed the whole country, and converf- ed with all the principal men, peace and friend- fhip were apparently re-eftabliflied. According- ly, when the Spring advanced the Northern In- dians began to difperfe, and draw out to the £aft« ward on the barren ground ; but Matonabbee, and a few others, chofe to pafs the Summer in the Athapufcow country. As fuon as the Southern Indians were acquainted with this defign, and found the number of the Northern Indians fo re^ duced, a fuperior number of them dogged and harafled them the whole Summer, with a view to furprife and kill them when afleep ; and with that view twice adually approached fo near their tents as fifty yards. But Matonabbee told them, as he had done when alone, that though there were but few of them, they were all determined to fell their lives as dear as polfible : on which the Southern Indians, without making any reply, re- tired ; for no Indians in this country have the courage to face their enemies when they find them apprized of their . approach, and on their guard to receive them. Notwithftanding all thefe difcouragements and great dangers, Matonabbee perfcvcred with cou- A a 2 rage 355 356 A JOUftNtV TO THE nge and refolutioti to vifit the Athapviboir Indi- tns Ibr fevenl years ^Mceflively ; and at lengthy by an uniform difplay of hii pacific difpofition, and by rendering a long train of good o/Bcei to thofe Indians, in return for their treachery and ■perfidy, iie was fo happy as to be tlie ible inftru- ment of not only bringing about a lifting peace, -but ^fo of eftablifliing a trade and reciprocal in- tcreft between the two nations. After having performed this great work, he was prevailed upon to vifit the Copper-mine Ri- ver, in company with a famous leader, called 1-dat-le-aza ; and it was from the report of thofe two men, that a journey to that part was propof- ed to the Hudfon's Bay Company by the late Mr. Mofes Norton, in one thoufiind feven hundred and fixty-nine. In one thoufand feven hundred and feventy he was engaged as the principal guide on that expedition ; which he performed with greater pun^uality, and more to my fatisfi£Hon, than perhaps any other Indian in all that country would have done. At his return to the Fort in one thoufand feven hundred and feventy-two, he was made head of all the Northern Indian nation; and continued to render great fervices to the Company during Ws life, by bringing a greater quantity of furrs to their Faaory at ChurchiH River, than any other Indian ever did, or ever will do. His laft vifit to Prince of Wales's Fort was in the Spring of one thoufand feven boondred and eighty-two, and he intended to have repeated NORTHERN OCEAN. repeated it in the Winter following; but when he heard that the French had deftroyed the Fort, and carried off all the Conifiany's fervants, he never afterwards reared his head, but took an opportunity, when no one fufpe^ted his intend* on, to hang himfelf. This h the more to be wondered at, as he is the only Northern Indian who, that I ever heard, put an end to his own exiftence. The death of this man was a great ^lols to tbe Hudfon's Bay Company, and was at- tended with a moft melancholy fcene; nolefs than the death of fix of his wives, and four chil* dren» all of whom were ftarved to death the fame Winter, in one thouland Ceven hundred and cighty^-threc SS7 CHAP. 35« A JOURNEY TO THE CHAP. X ^n Account of the principal ^adrupfds found in the Northern Parts o/Hud/on*s Bay.-^^The Buffalo^ Moofe^ Mujk-oxy Geer^ and Beaver.-r-A capital Mijiake cleared up refpefiing the We-w^s-^ijh. Animals with Canine Teeth, — p-Tl^^ V^olf-— Foxes of various cohurs—^Lynx^ or Wild Cat— 'Po- lar^ or White Bear—rBlack B^af—rBrown Bear-^ Wolverene- — Otter — Jackajh—Wejack — Skunk^^ Pine Martin— Ermine^ or Stoie^ Animals with cutting Teeth»^—rTh.e Mujk Bea- ver— Porcupine — Varying Hare — Americari Hcfr^ — Common Squirrel — Ground Squirrel — Mice of various Kinds, — and the Cajior Beaver, The Pinnated ^adrupeds with finlike Feet^ found in Hudfon^s Bay, are but three in number, viz. tbeWarlus, or Sea-Horfe, — Seal^-^and Sea- Unicorn* The Species ofFifb found in the Salt Water of Hud- fon*s Bay are alfofew in number ; being the Black Whale— White Whale— Salmon— and Kepling. Shell'fijh, and empty Shells of fever al kinds , found on the Sea Coaji near Churchill Jiiven -— ^"^ "^p— — —— — Frogs of various fizes and colours ; alfo a great vari- ety ofGrubbsy and other Infers , always found in a frozen fiate during Winter y hut when expofedto the heat ofajliiwfire, arefoon re-animated^ An NORTHERN OCEAN. jin Account cffome of the principal Birds found in the NorthernParts ofHudfon'sBay; as well tbofe that on* fy migrate there in Summer, as thofe that are known to brave the coldeji Winters c-^-^Eagles of various kinds^-'Hawks of various ftzes andplumage-^White or Snowy Owl^-^'-Grey or motled Owl-^Cob-a-deei^ Cooch-^Raven-^Cinerious Crow — Wood Pecker —^ , Ruffed Groufe — Pbeafant — -Wood Partridge^ — Willow Partridge — Rock Partridge-'-Pigeon — Red-^ breajied Thrujh GtoJbeak-^-Snow Buniing~ White-crowned Bunting — Lapland Finch, two forts ^•^Lark^-^Titmoufe^^Swallow-^Martin— Hopping Crane — Brown Crane — Bitron — Carlow, two forts —Jack Sniped—Red Godwart-^^Plover-^-^Black Cttllemet'-'Northern Diver-^Black-throaied Diver -^Red-throated Diver— White Gull— Grey GulU-^ Bhck-bead-'Pellican-'Goofander—Swans of two Jj^eaes— Common Grey Goofe-'-Canada Goofe—White or Snow Goofe—Bhte Goofe—HornedWavy— Laughs ' • ing Goofe— Barren Gvofe-<^Brent Goofe—Dunter Gbofe-'Bean Goofe. •The Species ofWater^^Fowl ufually called Duck^ that refort to thofe Parts annually, are in great va^ riety; but thofe that are mofi efteemed are, the Mal- lard Duck,— Long-tailed Duck,—Wigeon, and Teah Of the Vegetable Productions as far l^orthas Church^ ill River, particularly the mo/i ufeful ; fuch as the Berry-bearing Bujhes, hc»'——Goofeberry—Ci - berry""Heathberry--Dewater»berry'-Black Ol^ ram'"Jun^er''bgrry'*Partridgebfrry-"Strawb0r» n 359 0m'-. 3$o A JOURNEY TO THE rituifiris'^rafi cffevtral kindt-m^and Viteba* Tbi Trte^fotrndfcfar North mar ike £m, ten* J^ only of Pitus^^Junifir-^SmaU F^dai^^Bi^' vniloeuis^ow^md Cretfing Birch. BP'ORE I conclude this WQtk» it rmy not be Improper to give a (kovK account of the principal Animals that frequent the high Nor- thern latitudest though moft ofthani arefound itlfo far to the Southward, and con&quently in much milder climates. The bui^o, muik-ox, deer, and the moufe, have been already defcribed in tbif Journal* I ihall therefore only make ^iew remarks on the latter, in order to rectify a mif- t^kct whichf from wrong informations has crkiihi or ai fome (though impro. perly) call Uff the Waikefle, Is quite a diffinvnt ani* mal from the meofo, being by no means fo large in fize. The horns of the We-was*kifli are fome- thing firatlar to thole of the common deer, but are not palmated in any part. They ftand more upright, have fewer branches, and want the brow« antler. The head of this aninaal is fo far from being NORTHERN OCEAN. , bebg Ulw that of the Moofe, that the nofe Is (hirpt like the noiici of a flieep : indeed, the whole external appearance of the head is not very un< Uke that of an aft. The hair is ufuaUy of a Tandy red; and they are frequently ailed by the Englifli ■who vifit the interior parts of .the country, red deer. Their flefli is tolerable eating ; but the fat is as hard as tallow, and if eaten as hot as poffible, will yet chill in To (hort a time, that it dogs the teeth, and iUcks to the roof of the mouth, in ftich a manner as to render it very difagree* able. In the Spring of one thoufand feven hun* dred and feventy-five, I had tbii;teen fledge-loads of this meat brought to Cumberland Houfe in one day, and alfo two of the heads of this animal un- ikinned, but the horns were chopped off; a proof of their wearing them the whole Winter. They are the moft ftupid of all the dee** kind, and fre- quently make a fhrill whiftling, and quivering moife, not very unlike the braying of anafs, which direds the hunter to the very fpot where they art. They generally keep in large herds, and when they find plenty of pafture, remain a long time in one place. Thofe deer are feldom an objeft of chace with the Indians bordering on B^quiau, except' when moofe and other game fail. Their ikins, when drefled, very much re* femble that of the moofe, though they are much thmner, and have this peculiar quality, that they will waih as well as (hamoy leather ; whereas all the other leathcn and pelti dre&d by the Indianst if 361 36a A JOURNEY TO THE if they get wet, turn quite hard, unlefs great carei be taken to keep conftantly rubbing them while drying. - ' The perfon who informed Mr. Pennant that the we-wsls-kifh and the moofe are th'e fame ani- mal, never fawone of them ; and the only reafon> he had to fuppofe it, was the great refemblance o£ their (kins : yet it is rather ftrange, that fo inde- fatigable a collector of Natural Hiftory as the late Mr. Andrew Graham, (hould have omitted making particular enquiry about them : for any foreign Indian, particularly thofe that refide near Bafquiau, could eafily have convipced him to thQ contrary. Animals with Canine Teetb. woirett, Wolves are frequently met with in the coun-s tries Weft of Hudfon's Bay, both on the barren grounds and among the woods, but they are not numerous; it is very uncommon to fee more than three or four of them in a herd. Thofe that keep to the Weft ward, among the woods, are generally of the ufual colour, but the greateft part of thofe that are killed by the Efquimaux are perfectly white. All the wolves in Hudfon's Bay are very ihy of the human race, yet when l^arp fet, they frequently follow the Indians for feveral days, but always keep at a diftance. They are great enemies to the Indian dogs, and frequently NORTHERN OCEAN. 363 frequently kill and eat thofe that are heavy load- ed, and cannot keep up with the main body. The Northern Indians have formed ftrange ideas of this animal, as they think it does not eat its victuals raw ; but by a Angular and wonderful fagacity, peculiar to itfelf, has a method of cook-* ing them without fire. The females are much fwifter than the m^Ies ; for which reafon the In- dians, both Northern and SQUlhern, are of opini- on that they kill the greateft part of the game. This cannot, however, always be the cafe ; for to the North of Churchill they, in general, live a for- lorn life all the Winter, and are feldom feen in pairs till the Spring, when they begin to couple ; and generally keep in pairs all the Summer. They always burrow under.ground to bring forth their yonng ; and though it is natural to fuppofe them very fierce at thofe times, yet I have frequently feen the Indians go to their dens, and take out the young ones and play with them. I never knew a Northern Indian hurt one of them : on the contrary, they always put them carefully into the den again ; and I have fome- times feen them paint the faces of the young Wolves with ver million, or red ochre. The Arctic Foxes are in fome years remarka- Foxes of biy plentiful, but generally moft fo on the barren lo^n ground, near the fea^coaft. Notwithftanding what has beenfaid of this animal only vifitingthe fettlements once in five or feven years, I can affirm there is not one year in twenty that they are not caught various co- 'TS!m^" 364 A JOURNEY TO THE caught in greater or \e(k numbers at CkuKhiU | and 1 have known that for three years running, not lefii than from two hundred to four hundred have been caught each yeat within thirty miles of the Fort. They always come from the North *along the coaft, and generally make their appear,- ance at Churchill about the middle of Odober, but their (kins are feldom in feafon till Novem* ber i during that time they are never molefted, but permitted to feed round the Fort, till by de« grees they become almoft domeftic. The great numbers of thofe animals that vifit Churchill Ri- ver in fome years do not all come in a body, as It would be impoffible for the fourth part of them to find fubfiftence by the way ; but when they come near the Fort, the carcafles of dead whales lying along the fliores, and the flun and other offal, after bc»Ung the oil, afford them a plentiful repaft, and prove the means of keeping them about the Fort till, by frequent reinforcements from the Northward, their numbers are fo far in- creafed as almoft to exceeded credibility. When their (kins are in feaCbn, a number of traps and giins are fist, and the greatefb part of them are caught in one month, though fome few are found during the whole Winter. I have fre- quently known near forty killed in one night within half a mile of Prince of Wales's Fort ^ but this ieldom happens after the firft or fecond night. When Churchill River is frozen over near the mouth, the greateft part of the furviving white Foxes hiUs ling, idrcd milet ]orth tober, NORTHERN C^EAN. Foa^M crofs the river, and dire6k their courfe to the Southward, and in fome years aflemble in confiderable numbers at York Fort and Severn River. Whether they are all killed, or what be- comes of thofe which efcape, is very uncertai'^ ;- but it is well known that none of them ever mi- grate again to the Northward. Befides taking a trap fo freely, they are otherwife fo iimple, that I have feen them fliot off-hand while feeding, the fame as fparrows in a heap of chaff, fometimes two or three at a fhot. This fport is always moft fuccefeful in moon-light nights ; for in the day- time they generally keep in their holes among the rocks, and under the hollow ice at high-wa« ter-mark. Thefe animals will prey on each other as readi- ly as on any other animals they find dead in a trap, or wounded by gun } which renders them fo deftru^ive, that I have known upwards of one hundred and twenty Foxes of different colours eaten, and deftroyed in their traps by their com- rades in the courfe of one Winter, within half a mile of the Fort. The Naturalifts feem fiill at a lofs to know their breeding-places, which are doubtlefs in every part of the coaft they frequent. Several of them breed near Churchill, and I have feen them in confiderable numbers all along the Weft coaft of Hndfon's Bay, particularly at Cape Efquimaux, Navel's Bay, and Whale Cove, alfo on Marble ifland 'f fo that with fome degree of confidence we 3^5 V 366 A JOURNEY TO THE we may affirm, that they breed on every part of the coail they inhabit during the Summer feafon. They generally have from three to five yotiiig at a litter; morel never faw vith one old one. When young they are all over almoft of a footy black, but as the fall advances, the belly, fides, and tail turn to a light aih-rolour ; the back, legs, feme part of the face, and the tip of the tail, changes to a lead colour ; but when the Winter fets in they become perfectly white : the rid^^ of the back and the tip of the tail are the la(l places that change to that colour ; and there are few of them which have not a few dark hairs at the tip of the tail all the Winter. If taken young, they are eafily domefticated in fome degree, but I never faw one that was fond of being careflcd ; and they are always impatient of confinement. The White White Foxgs, when killed at any confidera- Fox. ble diftance from the fea coaft, (where they can- not pofiibly get any thing to prey Upon, except rabbits, mice, and partridges,) are far from being difagreeable eating. And on Marble Ifland I have (hot them when they were equal in flavour to a rabbit; probably owing to their feeding entirely on eggs and young birds; but near Churchill River they are as rank as train-oil. ^^ , The Lynx, or Wild Cat, is very fcarce to The Lynx, . ' » / orwudcat.the North of Churchill ; but is exadly the fame as thofe which are found in great plenty to the South Weft. I have obferved the tracks of this animal at Churchill, and feen them killed, and have 3^7 ce to fame o the )f this and have NORTHERN OCEAN, have eaten of their flefli in the neighbourhood of York Fort. Ihe fleih is white, and nearly as good as that of a rabbit. T|iey are I think, much larger than that which is defcribed in the Ar£Uc Zoology i they never approach near the* fettle! ments in Hudfon's Bay, and are very deftru£live to rabbits ; they feldom leave a place which is frequented by rabbits till they have nearly killed them all. The Polar or White Bear, though common 71,^ poi„ on the fea.coaft, is feldom found in its Winter Jj'"»'= retreats by any of our Northern Indians, except near Churchill River ; nor do I fuppofe that the Efquimaux fee or kill any of them more fre- quently during that feafon ; for in the courfe of many years refidence at Churchill River, I fcarce- ly ever faw a Winter (kin brought from the Northward by the (loop. Probably the Efqi- maux, if they kill any, may referve the (kins for their own ufe ; for at that feafon their hair is very long, with a thick bed of wool at the. bot- tom, and they are remarkably clean and white. The Winter is the only feafon that fo oily a fkin as the Bear's can poilibly be cleaned and drefled by thofe people, without greaiing the hair, which is very unpleafant to them ; for though they eat train-oil, ^c, yet they are as c reful as poffiblc to keep their clothes from being greafed with it. To drefs one of thofe greafy (kins in Winter, as foon as taken from the beaft, it is ftretched out on a fmooth patch of fnow^ and there ftaked down. 368 A JOURNEY TO THE down, where it foon freeses u hard as a board : while in that ftate, the women fcrape off all the ftt, till they come to the very roots of the hair. It is fometimes permitted to remain in that pofiti- on for a confideraUe time ; and when taken from the fnow, is hnng up in the open air. The more intenfe the froft, the greater is its drying quali- fy ; and by being wafted about by the Wind, with a little fcraping, it in time becomes perfeA- ly fopple, and both pelt and hair beautifully white. Drying deer, beaver, and otter fluns, in this manner render their pelts very white, but not fupple ; probably owing to the clofe texture and thicknefi of their ikins; whereas the flun of the bear, though fo large an animal, is remarka- '■. Uy thin and fpungy*. Black * It is mther finguUr that the PoUr Bean are feldotn found on the land daring the Winter, on which account it it fuppofed they go out on the ke, and lieep near the edge of the water during that feafbn, while tht fe* ■tales that are pregnant feek (belter at the (kirts of the woods, and dig themlclvesdens in the dtepeft drifts of fnew thtj can find, where they re- main b a ftate of baftivity, and without food, from the latter end of De< ccmber or January, till the Utter end of March; at which time they leave their dens, and bend their courfe towards the fea with their cubs; which, in general, are two in number. Notwithftanding the great magni* tudc of theft animals when full grown, yet their young are net larger then nbbitft, and when they leaTc their dens, in Match, I have frequently fcen them not larger than a white fox, and theh: fteps on the fnow not bigger than a crown-piece, when thofe of thtir dam meafure near fifteen inches long and nine huhcs broad. They propagate when young, or at leaft be* fore they are half-grown ; for I have killed young females not Ivger than a London calf, with milk in their teats; whereas fome of the full grown 9am are beaTier than the largeft of our common oxen. Indeed I was onee at the fcilliag of one, when one of its hind feet being cut offat the aahle, weighed fifty-four pounds. The males hare a bone in their /»//, as a dog has, Beir. NORTHERN OCEAN. 369 Black Bear i are not very numerous to theTheBUck North Weft of Churchill. The manner of life it the fame of the reft of the fpecies, though the face of the country they inhabit, differs widely from the more mild climates. In Summer they proul about in fearch of berries, i£fc» and as the Winter approaches, retire to their dens, which are always under-ground ; and generally, if rot always, on the fide of a fmall hilljck. The Bears that inhabit the Southern part» of America are faid to take up their winter abode in hollow trees; but I never faw any trees in my Northern travpl,, that could a£ford any fuch fhelter. The places of retreat of thofe Bears a>.(t bur- row under-ground are eafily difcoverec. in Win- ter, by the rime that hangs about the mouth of the den ; for let the fnow be ever fo deep, the » b heat has, and of courfe uake In copulation ; but the time of their coturtlhip is I believe, not exaAly Known : probably it may be in July or Auguft, for at thofc times I have often been at the killing them, when the males were fo attached to their midicfTes, that after the female was killed, the male would put his two fote-paws over, and Aih'.i !>' ..Telf to be (hot before he would quit her. I have frequently feen a.>;v ialled thofe animals near twelve leagues from (be land; but as the Fait of the year advances, the/ are taught by inftinA to feek the Ihore. Though Aich a tremendous ani- mal, ihey are Very fliy of coming neit a man ; but when clofely purfued . ill the water, they frequently aUa k the boat, feize the oars, akpd wreft them from the hands of the flrongeft man, feeming defirous to go on. board; but the people on thofe occafions are always provided with fire- arms and hatchets, to prevent fuch an unwelcome vifit. The fleni of this animal, when killed in Winter, (if not too old,) is far from being unplea< fant eating; and the young cubs, in the Spring, are rather delicate than othciwife. The teats of the females are only two in number, and arc piaced between the fore-legs. The beft Drawing of this Animal I have fccn, is that done by Mr. Webber, among the Plates of Cook's laft Voyage, 3^ A JOURNEY TO THl hunt and breath of tfaeaniitral'preveiin^thnfKfUth of the den from being entirely clofed up< i hisy generally retire to their Winter ijuarters* beforo the i'now h o§ any confiderable depth) and never ebme abroad again /^unlefs difturbed) till the thaws are confiderable, which in thvife high lati^ ttodefs is feldom till the latter end of March or the; Beginning of April ; fo that the few Black £tear3 that inhabit thofe cold regions may be &id to fUbiiil for four months it leaft without food. I hstve been prefent at the killing tv^o of them in Winter ; and the Northern Indian method is fimi^ lar to that faid to be in ufe among the ICamtfiphat- k&ns; for they always blocked up the mouth of the deit with logs of wood, thetf brol^e opeh the X tbpofit; a^nd killed the animal either with a i{)ear or a giin; but the latter method is reck^ dned both cowardly > and wafteful, as it is not poffible for the Bear cither to make its efcape, or to do the Indians the leaft injury; Sometimes they put a fnare about the Bear's neck, and draw tip his head dole to the hole, and kill him with a fiatchet. Though thofe animals are but fcarce to the North of Churchill, yet they are fo nume- rous between York Fort and Cumberland Houfe, that in one thoufand feven hundred and feventy- fbur I faw eleven killed in the courfe of one day's journey, but their flefh was abominable. This was in the month of June, long before any fruit was ripe, for the want of which they then fed entirely on water infe^s^ whi<^h in fome of the lakes mttlti Th aaa th& fai on th Bears ] asfufl withg th^m V fonici k gdodi hr froi had ftd midcfle( they ziri nuary Spring dry eati| The thofe coura^jt KORtHERl^ OCEAM. \ik6i ikt tt6&d that day iivett In aft5Atib!d^ mtiltituded*. The lA^thod by Which the Bears catcH tfioreiif- Uidts is by fwimmin^ with their nbouths ^pth, iii th& fame irianner as the whales dd, t^hen feedingf on the fe'a-fpider. There Was litft on6 o^ thd Bears killed that day, Which had not its ftomach as fuH of thofd infe^^s (only) as evet a hdg's Wa^ with grains, aAd wheh cut op'en, the fteilth fi^6itt them Was intolerable. I have, however, eaten of foiiie killed at that early feafoh which vrttt V«f^y gbod ; but they Were found among the Woodaf, far from the places where thofe infers hauiit, and had fed on gi'afs and other h^rbagb, Mttt the middle bf July, when the b^i^i^ies be^if id ripen, they aire excellent eating, and fo co'ntinui^ tilf Ja- nuary of February following; but late ii^ {tt Spring they are, by long failing, very poor ih4 dry eating. The Sduthei'n Indian^ kBl great numtosf of thofe Bears at all feafons df the year ; but no cfh- coui^a^ktient can prevent them frotti iihgeing ati B b a iAtit *The infcAs here fpoken of are of two kinds; the one is oeaHy black,^ its ikin hard like a beetle, and not very unlike a grafthopper, aiid darts through the water with great eafe, and with fometlegree of velocity. The other fort ii brown, has wings, and is as Toft as the common cleg-fly. The latter are the moft numerous; and in fomeof the lakes fudi qnantittet of them are forced into the bays in gales of wind, and there 'preflcd together in fuch multitudes, that they are killed, and remain there a great nUi- fance; for I have feveral times, in my inland voyages from Yoi;k Fort, found it fcarcely polEble to land in fbme of thofe bays for the intolerable ftench of thofe infers, which in fome plaee* were lymg hi putrid mafles to the depth of two or three feet. It is more than probabief that .the Bear^ »ccafionally feed on tbefe dead infeOc. ift 37« A JOURNETf TO TflE molt every one that is in good condition :• Co that the few Ikins they do fave and bring to the mar- ket, are only of thofe which are fo poor that their flefliis not worth eating*. In fact, the fkinning of a Bear fpoils the meat thereof, as much as it would do to (kin a young- porker, or a roafting pig. The fame may be faid of fwans (the fkina of which the Company have lately made an arti* cle of trade) ; otherwife thoufands of their (kins , might be brought to market annually, by the In- dianS) that trade with the Hudfon's Bay Compa- ny's fervants at the di^erent fettlementSt about the Bay. The Brown Brown Bears are, I believc, never found in ^'"' the North-Indian territories : but I faw the Ikin of an enormous grizzled Bear at the tents of the Efquimaux at the Copper River ; and many of them are faid to breed not very remote from that part. TheWoive- The Woi^vERENE is common in the Northern regions, as far North as the Copper River, and perhaps farther. They are equally the inhabitants of woods ai d barren grounds ; for the Efquimaux to the North of Churchill kill many of them when their Ikins are in excellent feafon: a proof of their rene • It is common for the Southern Italians to tame and domeflicate the young cubs; and they are fiequently taken fo young that they cannot cat. On thofe occafions the Indians oblige their wives who have milk in theii hreaOs tafuckic them. And one of the Company's fervants, whofe na.ne is Ifaac Batt, willing to be as great a brute as his Indian companions, alifc- lutely forced one of his wives, who had recently loft her infant, to fucklc a yoyrg Bear. Northern ocean. tli^!r being capable of braving the fevcreft cold. They are very flow in their pace, but their won* derful fagacity, ftrength, and acute fent, make ample amends for that defed ; for they are fel* dom killed at any feafon when they do not prove very fat : a great proof of their being excellent providers. With refpcft to the fiercenefs of this animal which fome aiTert, I can fay little, but I I know them to be beafts of great courage and refolution, for I once faw one of them take pof- feifion of a deer that an Indian had killed, and though the Indian advanced within twenty yards, he wouM not relinquifli his claim to it, but fuf- fered himfelf to be fliot Handing on the deer. I once faw a iimilar inftance of a lynx, or wild cat, which alfo fufFered itfelf, to be killed before it would relinquifli the prize* The wolverenes have alfo frequently been feen to take a deer from a wolf before the lat-ter had time to begin his repaft after killing it. Indeed their amazing ftrength; and the length and fliarpnefs of their claws, render them capable of making a ftrong reliftance againft any other animal in thofe partd, the Bear not excepted. As a proof of their amazing ftrength, there was one at Churchill fome years fince, that overfet the greateft part of a large pile of wood, (containing a whole Win- ter's firing, that meafured upwards of feventy yards round,) to get at fome provifions that had been hid there by the Company's fervants, when going to the Factory to fpend the Chriftmas holi- , . days. 373. ff4 A JOURIJEy TO THE ifTgs. Thfi fa^ was, this itniinal h^d bpsn l;i)r](* iiag about in the neighbourhood of their tent (whiph W9S about eight miles from the Fadjtory) lor fome weeks, and had comroittipd inany de- predations on the game caught in their tr^ps and iliiares, as well as eaten many foxes that were kill- ^4 by guns fet for that purpofc: but th^ Wolve- repe was too cunning to take either trap pr guu llinifclf. The people knowing the mifchieyous dUjpqfition of thofe animals, topk (as they thought) the moft e^edual method to fecure the remains of their proviGons, which they did i^pt chui^ to carry home, and accordingly tf^d it up in bundles and placed it on the top of the wood, pile, (»bout two miles from their tent^) little thinking the Wolverene would find it out ; but to their great furprize, when they returned to their tent after the holidays, they found the pile of wood in the (late already mentioned, though fame of the trf es that cqmppfed it were as much as two men could carry. The only reafon the people could give for the aninial doing fo much miichief was, that in his attempting to carry oiT the booty, fome of the fmall parcels of proviHops had fallen down into the heart of the pile, and fooner than lofe half his pris^e, he purfued the above method till he had accompliihed his ends. The bags of ^our, oatmeal, and peafe, though of 90 ufe to him, be tore all to pieces, and Scattered the contents about on the fpow i but ev^ry bit of animal fpod, coniifting of beef, pork, bacon, venifon, -f4 m iNQRtPHERN QQEAN. ^075 Mriifon, )fak/geere, ipartridges, lisfc* toaconficle- rable amount, he carried awa.y. Thefe animab ace ^reat enemies to the -.Bea.ver, ibut the manner of life of ithe Jatter prevents them 'from falling Into their dutches ifo frequently as many other animals ; they commit .vail depredations on the foKCs during the Summer, while the young onm aseffmall; their 'qutckfcent diredb«themito their ideus, and if the aitrance ;be too -imall, itheir ftrength. enables them to widen it, and go in and idll the mother and all her cubs. Inia:^, theyiuie the ^moft deftru&ive imimalsin this country^. iOtters are pretty pleniifulin thejriversto tfaeThe Ott«t; JbTortfa of Churchill, as far asjlatitude 62*; farther !^orth I .do not recoiled to rhave feen .any. In ?(^inter they generally frequent thofe parts of rivers where there ace falls or rapids, idiioh do not freeze in the coldeft Winters ; :becau(e in fuch (ituations they are jnoft likely to find>plfinty of fifb, aad the open water giics them a freeK«Md« -miflion to the fliore, where they fometimesgp to eat the fifli they have caught; hut moft com* monly fit on the ice, or get on a great fioneioi the river. They are frequently fecn in the very depth of Winter at .a coniidecable diftauce from « Mr. pnluyti r4ys tbey.fake Uielr lodging in the (clefuof toclpi, 0rJ|A follow trees. 7 he former I acknowledge, but I believe that neithier Mri, 'Graham nor any of the Cdmpaity's icrvant* ever ifLw.tn u£ftanoe •( Bu iatter. In fa(t, duiiftg aU my trateli in the, latjeri^r ffUtt of J^Md({H^'4 . Bay, Ijiever fyvf a hollow tree that was capable.of ^rdinf flie^ter to a*/ larger animal "than martins, jacktOics, or wcjattu; nuch ItT* Hk* 1»HM* M\jt)i or Bear, a» feme bavt tffutcd. 37^ A JOURNEY TO THE any known open water, both in woods and on open plains, as well as on the ice of large lakes ; but it is not known what has led them to fuch places : perhaps merelv for amufement, for they are not known to kiii any game oii the land dur- ing that feafon. If purfued when among the woods in Winter, (where the fnow is always light and deep,) they immediately dive, and make confiderable way under it, but are eafily traced by the motion of the fnow above them, and foon overtaken. The Indians kill numbers of them with clubs, by tracing them in the fnow ; but fome of the old ones are fo fierce when clo^e purfued, that they turn and fly at their purfuer, and their bite is fo fevere that it is much dread(^d by the Indians. Befides this method of killing them, the Indians have another, which is equally fuccefsful ; namely, by concealing themfelves within a reafonable gun-ihot of the Otters ufual landing-places, and waiting their coming out of the water. This method is more generally prac- tifedin moonlight nights. They alfo fiioot many of them as they are fporting in the water, and fome few are caught in traps. The Otters in this, as well as every other part of the bay, vary in fize and colour, according to age and feafon. In Sun^mcr, when the hair is very fhort, they are almoft black, but as the Winter ^vances, they turn to a beautiful dark auburn, except a fmall fpot under the chin, which is of a filver gray. This colour they retain all the Win- . ter: NORTHERN OCEAN. 377 ter ; but late in the Spring (though long before" they filed their coat) they turn to a dull rufty brown ; fo that a perfon who is acquainted with thofe changes can tell to a great nicety, by look- ing at the (kins, (when offered for fale,; the very time they were killed, and pay for them according to their value. The number of their young is various, from three to five or fix. They unite in copulation the fame as a dog, and fo do every other animal that has a bone in the penis. I will here enumerate all of that defcription that I know of in thofe parts, viz. bears of all forts, wolves, wolvereens, foxes, martins, otters wc- jacks, jackaflies, ikunks, and ermines*. Jackash. This animal is certainly no other The jack- than the leffer Otter of Canada, as its colour, ^^' fize, and manner of life entirely correfpond with the defcription of that animal in Mr. Pennant's . . Arctic Zoology. They, like the larger Otter, are frequently found in Winter feveral miles from any water, and are often caught in traps built for martins. They are fuppofed to prey on mice and partridges, the fame as the martin ; but when by the fide of rivers or creeks, they generally feed on fifii. They vary fo much in fize and colour, that it was very eafy for Mr. Pennant to have miftaken the fpecimen fent home for another ani- mal. They are the eafieft to tame and domefii- cate *The Otter is very fond of play ; and one of their faTourtte paftimu is, to get on a high ridge of fnow, bend their fore-feet backward, and Aide down the fide of it, fometimes t* the diftance of twenty yards. 3^9 A JOURNEY TO Tm Giteof any ^mal I know, except a IjMrge {pecief of field-mice, called the Hatr^tailed Mouile ; for io a very (bort time they are fo/ond, that it isfcarce- ly poifible to keep them from climbing vp one's leg9 and body, and they Jiever feel themielvei hs^ier than when fitting on the ihoulder ; but whenai^y> or frightened, like the ikunk,) they emit a very difagreeable fmell. They ileep very much in the day, ^ut prowl about and feed in the night 'f they are very fii^ce when at their nmUt pot fufferinig thoiic to wjiom they are moft attach- ed to take jt Irom them. I have ;ky no ^meant their uAial haunts. I. have, liowerer, no donbtt but when they "find fifh onrthe land, that they may catiit, J^e oth4r^rniwv)ir» aninwlt; bvt ibqr are as (hy of taking thiB water as a domeflic cat. They climb trees, and catch partridges, mice, and rabbits, with as much eafe as a martin. , They are cafily tamed and dome(>icated, are very fond of tea4eavcs,JiaTe apleafimt muiky fmell, andi NORTHERN PC«AN. ^;p tho plantation killed two of thoie ^nlipnals, ^aH ifx^dezffidfk of t^em ; when the fpot whitrc thpy were fipged antjl gutted was fb impregnated wit(i ithajt DaufG0P9 AneJi which they em^t, that after a whole Winter had elapfetlf and the ijoQW had thawed away in the 3pring, the finell ^as HIM io- tplerable. I am tojd^ however, that the fleih M l>y np means tainted with the fmcjl, j^earc he talcen in gutting, and taking oiut the ^ag th^ contains this fnrprifing e^nvia, and whieh the^r have the power of emitting at p)eafi»re ; ^ I rather doubt their being capable of eje^g their nrine To far as i9 reported } I do not think it is their urine which cpntain^ tha( peftUential e#vvia, for if that was the cafe, all the coun- try where they frequent would be ip fcented with it, that neither man nor beaft could live there with any degree of comfort. The Common Pihp MAfVTW is found in rooftJJ^PI" parts of this country, and though very fcarce in what U abfolutely called the Northern Indian territory, yet by the Indi^n^ ftrolUng toward the borders of the Southern Indian eountry, are ImU- ed In great numbers, and ann\^y traded for Ht Churchill Fa^pry The ?aMiNE, or $TOTj?, is conamon in thole The Er- parts, but generally mpre plentifulon the barren stote. ground, and open plains or warlhesj than in the woods ; prpbably owing to the miee being more numerous in the former fituations i;ha^ in the 380 A^JOURNEY TO THE latter. In Summer they are of a tawney brown, but in Winter of a delicate white all over, ex- cept the tip of the tail, which is of a glofly black. They are, for their fizc, the ftrongeft and moft courageous animal I know: as they not only kill partridges, but even attack rabbits with great fuccefs. They fometimes take up their abode in the out-ofEces and provifion-flieds belonging to the Fa^ories ; and though they commit fome de- predations, make ample amends by killing great numbers of mice, which are very numerous and deftrudlive at moft of the fettlements in the Bay. I have taken much pains to tame and dotnefticate this beautiful animal, but never could fucceed ; for the longer I kept it the more reftlefs and im- patient it became. Animals with Cutting Teeth, The MuHc Rat. The Musk Rat, or Musquash ; or, as Natura- lifts call it, the Musk Beaver ; is common in thofe parts ; generally frequenting ponds and deep fwamps that do not freeze dry in Wintef. The manner of life of this fpecies of animals is peculiar, and refembles that of the Beaver, as they are in fome refpeds provident, and build houfes to flielter themfelves from the inclemency of the cold in Winter ; but inftead of making thofe houfes on the banks of ponds or fwampis, like the Beaver, they generally build them on the ice lis is as uild ency king mps, tlie ice NORTHERN OCEAN. ice as Toon as it U (kinned over, and at a confide- rable diilance from the ihore ; always taking care to keep a hole open in the ice to admit them to dive for their food, which chiefly coniifts of the roots of grafs: in the Southern parts of the coun* try they feed much on a well known root, call Ca- lamus Aromaticus* The materials made ufe of in building their houfes are mud and grafs, which they fetch up from the bottom. It fometimes happens in very cold Winters, that the holes in their houfes freeze over, in fpite of all their efforts to keep them open. When that is the cafe, and they have no proviflons left in the houfe, the ilron'geft preys on the weakeft, till by degrees only one is left out of a whole lodge. I have feen feveral inftances fufficient to confirm the truth of this affertion ; for when their houfes were broke open, the fkeletons of feven or eight have been found, and only one entire animal. Though they occafionally eat fifli and other ani- mal food, yet in general they feed very clean, and when fat are good eating, particubrly when nice- ly Tinged, fcalded, and boiled. They are eafily tamed, and foon grow fond ; are very cleanly and playful, and fmell exceedingly pleafant of mufk ; but their refemblance to a Rat is fo great that few are partial to them. Indeed the only difference between them and a common Rat, ex- clufive of their fuperior fize, is, that their hind- feet are large and webbed, and the tail, inftead of being round, is flat and fcaly. Though 3«' ^ff% A JOtJ^NBY t6 i rfL thdvigh f hive befbf e faid, chat th^ Mtrfk fie^ v«f gencfrstlf/ bofld their hovfttf dA thd ice, it it not always the caiie ; for in the Southern pairts of the cotintry, parcicularlf about Cumberland Houfe, Ihave Teen, in fome of the deep fwadips thit were 6ver-run with ruffies and fong g^rafs, many fmall iffands that have been raifed by th who ifiake rkem into v variety of ornaments, fuahf at fliot* bagB« belts, garters, bracelets, ^c. Their mod« of copiylation is iingular, for their qnillB wiil noe permit them to perform that office in the uAial mode, like other quadruped». To remedy this in-' convenience, they lometimes lie on their fides, ami ' meet in that manner ; but the uAial mode is for the malo to lie on his back, and the female to walk over him, (beginning at his headv) till th« parts of gpeneration come in contaA. They aiw the moft forlorn animal I know ; for m tkoftr parts of Hudfon's Bay where they vev moft mK merous^ it is not common to fee more than one in a place. They are fo remarkably flow and! . ftupid, that our Indians going with packets Irow Fort to Fort often fee them in the trees^ but nor having occafion for them at that time, leavtf them^ till their return ; and ihould their abfenco be ai week or ten days, they are fure to find thenv within a mile of the place where they hctd km them befofe. FoxB^of various colours af$ not fcarctt in vhofe foms or vaiiout Co* parts; but the natives living fuchai wandering lom. life, fbldom kill many. It is rather flirang^ that no other fpecies of Fox, except the whittf, aro found att any diftance from the woods on thff barren ground ; for fo long as the trade has beett eftabliflied with the Efquimauxi to the North ol Churchill, I do nor ri^ollea! that Foxes of any other colour thaff white were eviet receUr^d frooi The 384 Viirying Hsu-es. A JOURNEY TO THE The Varying Hares are numerous to the North of Churchill Rivsr, and extend as far as latitude 72", probably farther. They delight moft in rocky and ftony places, near the borders 6f woods ; though man/ of them brave the cold- eft Winters on entire barren ground. In Sum- ftier they are nearly the colour of our Englifli wild rabbit ; but in "Winter aifume a moft deli- cate white all over, except the tips of the ears, which are black. They are, when full grown and in good condition, very large, many of them weighing fourteen or fifteen pounds ; and if not too old, are good el^iting. In Winter they feed on long rye-grafs and the tops of dwarf willows, but in Summer eat berries, and different forts of fmall herbage. They are frequently killed on the South-fide of Churchill River, and feveral have been known to breed near the fettlement at that place. They muft multiply very faft, for when we evacuated Prince of Wales's Fort in one thou- fend feven hundred and eighty-two, it was rare to fee one of them within tweity or thirty miles of that place ; but at our return, in one thoufand feven hundred and eighty-three, we found them in fuch numbers, that it was confimon for one Irian to kill two or three in a day within half a mile of the new fettlement. But partly perhaps, from fo many being killed, and partly from the furvivors being fo frequently difturbed, they have ihifted their fituation, and are at prefent as fcarce near the fettlement as ever. The Northern Indian^ Ind tho thei whc roui ever gun. weat nerj tude long I he ca may I are fn than 2 The in Hu theEa not e^ the w< the Sol places equal tl Fort, af The beft pj tirely paft th< &ins t( are but I The NORTHERN OCEAN. 3^5 Indians purfue a (ingular method of {hooting thofe Hares; finding by long experience thac thefe animals will not bear a dired approach, when the Indians fee a hare fitting, they walk round it in circles, always drawing nearer at every revolution, till by degrees they get within gun-ihot. The middle of the day, if it be clear weather, is the beft time to kill them in this man. ner; for before and after noon, the Sun's alti. tude being fo fmall, makes a man's ihadow fo long on the fnow, as to frighten the Hare before he can approach near enough to kill it. The fame may be faid of deer when on open plains, who are frequently more frightened at the long ihadow than at the man himfelf. The American Hares, or, as they are called JJiJ,^*^ in Hudfon's Bay, Rabbits, are not plentiful in the Eaftern parts of the Northern Indian coantry, not even in thofe parts that are fituated amon|^ the woods; but to the Weft ward, bordering on the Southern Indian country, they are in fome places pretty numerous, though by no nveans equal to what has been reported of them at York Fort, and fome other fettlements in the Bay. The furr of thofe animals, when killed in the beft part of the feafon, was fpr many years en- tirely negleded by the furriers ; for fome time paft the Company have ordered as many of their ikins to be fent home as can be procured ; they are but of fmall value. The flefh of thofe Hares is generally more C c efteemed 386 A JOURNlry TO THE efteemed than that of the former. They are ib feafon all the Winter ; and though they general- ly feed on the brufii of pine and fir during that feafon, yet many of the Northern Indians eat the contents of the ftomach. They are feldom fought after in Summer, as in that feafon they are not efteemed good eating; but as the Fall advances they are, by feeding on berries, l^c. moft excel- lent. In Spring they fhed their Winter coat, and during the Summer are nearly the colour of the Engliih wild rabbit, but as the Winter advances they become nearly white. In thick weather they are ealily ihot with the gun ; but the moft ufual method of killing them is by fnares, fet nearly in the manner defcribed by Dragge in the Firft Vo- lume of his North Weft Paflage. The Com- Thc CoMMON SQUIRRELS are plentiful in the mon siiw'-^QQjjy paftg of jjjjg country, and are caught by the natives in confiderable numbers with fnares, while the boys kill many of them with blunt- headed arrows. The method of fnaring them is rather curious, though very fimple, as it confifts of nothing more than fetting a number of fnares all round thc body of the tree in which they are feen, and arranging them in i'u«.h a manner that '% is fcarcely poflible for the fquirrels to deftend without being entangled in one of them. This is generally the i mufement of the boys. Though ^mall, and feldom fat, yet they are good eating. The beauty and delicacy of this animal induced me to attempt taming and domefticating fome of them. NORTHERN OCEAN. ^^ them, but without fiiccefe; for though (bveral of them were fo familiar as to take any thing out of my hand, and fit on the table where I was writing, and play with the pens, tsft. yet they never would bear to be handled, and were very mifchievous ; gnawing the chair-bottoms, win- - dow-curtains, fafltes, t^c. to pieces. They are ah article of trade in the Company's (landard, but the greateft part of their (kins, being killed hi Summer, are of very little value. The Ground Sq^uirrhls are never found iAThcGrouii4 the woody parts of North America, but are very ^'"" plentiful on the barren ground, to the North off Churchill River, as far as the latitude 7 1 **, and probably much farther. In fi^e they arc equd to the American Grey Squirrel, though more beau- tiful in colour. They generally burrow among the rocks and under great ftones, but fometimes on the fides of Tandy ridges ; and are fo provi- dent in laying up a Winter's ftock during the Summer, that they are feldom feen on the furface of the fnow in Winter. They generally feed on the tufts of grafs, the tender tops of dwarf wil- lows, Esfr. and are for the moft part exceedingly fat, and gOod eatmg. They are eafily tamed, and foon grow fond ; by degrees they will bear handling as well as a cat; are exceeding cleanly, very playful, and by no means fo reftlefs and im- patient of confinement as the Common Squirrel. Mice are in great plenty and variety in all i^>ce of w»x parts of Mudfon*s Bay; the marflies being inha-'"*"* C c a bited 5«8f A JOURNEY TO THE bited by one fpecies, and the dry ridges by ano- ther. The Shrew Moufe is frequently found in Beaver houfes during Winter, where they not on- ly find a warm habitation, but alfo pick up a comfortable liveHhood from the fcraps left by the 3eaver. Mod of the other fpecies build or make ladks of dry grafs, of fuch a fize and thicknefs, that when covered with fnow, they muft be fuf- fidently warm. They all feed on grafs in gene- ral, but will alfo eat animal food when they can get it. The Hair-tailed Moufe is the largeft in the Northern parts of the Bay, being little inferi- or in fize to a common rat» They always burrow under ftones, on dry ridges ; are very ino£fenfive, and fo eafily tamed, that if taken when full-grown, fome of them will in a day or two be perfectly reconciled, and are fo fond of being handled, that they will creep about your neck, or into your bofom. h bummer they are grey, and in Winter change to white, but are by no means fb beautiful as a white ermine. At that feafon they are infefted with multitudes of fmall lice, not a fixth part fo large as the niites in a cheefe ; in facl;, they are fo fmall, that at firft fight they only appear like reddifh-brown dud,, but on dofer ex. amination are all perceived in motion. In one large and beautiful animal of this kind, caught in the depth of Wmter, I ibund thofe little ver- min fo numerous about it, that almoft every hair was covered with them as thick as ropes with onions, and when they approached near the ends of NORTHERN OCEAN. of the hair they may be faid to change the moufe from white to a faint br «wn. At that time I had an excellent microfcope, and endeavoured to ex- amine them, and to afcertain their form, but the weather was fo exceedingly cold, that the glafles became damp with the moifture of my breath be- fore I could get a fingle fight. The hind-feet of thefe Mice are exactly like thofe of a Bear, and th^ fore-feet are armed with a horny fubftance, (that I never faw in any other fpecies of the Moufe,) which is wonderfully adapted for fcraping away the ground where they wilh to take up their abode. They are plentiful on fome of the ftony ridges near Churchill Fa£lory,but never approach the houfe, or any of the out-offices. From ap- pearances they are very local, and feldom ftray far from their habitations even in fummer, and in Winter they are feldom feen on the furface of the fnow ; a great proof of their being provident iii Summer to lay by a flock for that feafon. 3^ Pinnated ^adrupedi. With rcfped to the Pinnated Quadrupeds with fin-like feet, there are but few fpecies in Hud- fon's Bay. The Walrus, or Sea-Horfe, and Seals, are the only ones that I know. The Walrus are numerous about Merry andThcWai- Jones's Iflands, but more fo on a fmall ifland call- ed Sea-Horfe Ifland, that lies in the fair way go- ing ras. 3^f A JOURNEY TO THE ing to Whale Cove. In July one thoufand feveit hundred and fixty-fcven, when on my voyage to the North of Churchill River, in paffing Sea- Hovfe Ifland, we faw fuch nunnbers of thofe ani- mih lying on the {hbre» that when fome fwivel guns loaded with ball were fired among them, the whole beach feemed to be in motion. The great- eft part of ^hem plunged into the water, and many of them fwam round the veficl within muHcet- Ihot. Every one on board exerted their fltill in kiUlng them, but it was attended with fo little fuccefs, that tlie few which were killed funk to the bottom, and thofc which were mortally wounded made oS out of our reach. With what propriety thofe animals are called Horfes, I cannoX fee; for there is not the leaft refemblance in any one part. Their bodies, fins, tsfc. are exadly like thofe of an enormous Seal, and the head is not very unlike that animal, ex- cept that the rofe is much broader, ta give room for the two large tufks that projed from the up- per jaw. Thofe tufts, and their red fparkling eyes, make them haye a very fierce and formida- hiii appearance. They are generally found in confiderable num- bers, which indicate their love of fociety ; and their affe^ion for each other is very apparent, as they always flock round thofe that are wounded, and when they fink, accompany them to the bot- tom, but foon rife to the furface, and m^ke a hideous roaring, and of all amphibious animals, they -;•-"•» ,-)^' NORTHERN OC?AN. they are at times the leaft fenfible of danger from man that I know* They often attack fmall boats merely through wantoimeis, and not only put the people in great confufion, but fubjedl: them to great danger ; for they always aim at ftaving the boat with their tufks, or endeavour to get in, but are never known to hurt the people. In the year one thoufand (even hundred and fixty-fis fomeof the floop's crew, who annually fail to the North to trade with the Efquimaux, were attacked by a great number of thofe animals ^ and notwith- ftanding their utmoft endeavours to keep theni off, one more daring than the reft, though a fmall one, got in over the ftern, and after fitting and looking at the people fome time, he again plung- ed into the water to his companion^* At that inftant another, of an enormous fize, was getting in over the bow ; and every other means proving ineifeclual to prevent fuch an unwelcome viiit, the bowman took up a gun, loaded with goofe- fliot, put the muzzle into the Horfe's mouth, and fliot him dead ; he immediately funk, and was followed by all his companions. The people then made the beft of their way to the veffel, and juft arrived before the Sea-Horfes were ready to make their fecond attack, which in all probability might have been worfe than the firft, as they feem- ed much enraged at the lofs of their companion. Thofe animals are of various fizes, according to age and other circumftances ^ feme are not larger W 39»». Seals. A JOURNEY TO THE larger than an old Seal but there are thofe among them that are not lef^than two ton weight. The ikin and teeth are the moft valuable parts to the natives ', for the fat is hard and grifly, and the fleih coarfe, black, and tough. Thofe animals are ieldom found on the conti- nent which borders on Hudfon's Bay, or far up, in bays, rivers, or inlets, but ufually frequent fmall iflands, and fea-girt ihoals, at fome diftance from the main land ; but as thofe places are fro- zen over for many miles during Winter, it is natural to think they keep at the edge of the wa. ter among the, driving rce during that feafon. They are fuppofed to feed chiefly on marine plants, and perhaps on ihelUfifh, for their excre- ment is exceedingly offenfive. Seal^ of various fizes and colours are corner mon in moft parts of Hudfon's Bay, but moft nu- merous to the North. Some of thofe animals are beautifully fpeckled, black and white ; others are of a dirty grey. The former are generally fmall, but fome of the latter arrive at an amazing fize, and their {kins are of great ufe to the Efquimaux ; as it is of them they cover their canoes, make all their boot-legs and (hoes, befides many other parts of their clothing. The Seal-lkins are alfo of great ufe to tholie people as a fubftitute for calks, to preferve oil, ^c, for Winter ufe; they are alfo blown full of wind and dried, and then ufed as buoys on the whale-fifliery. The flefti and fat of the Seal is alfo more efteemed by the Efqui. \ maux NORTHERN OCEAN. 3^3 maux th^n thofe of any other marine animal, Cil- mon not excepted. Befides thefe, the Sea-Unicorn is known to SeaUni- frequent Hudfon's Bay and Straits, but I never faw one* of them. Their horns are frequently pur- chafed from our friendly Efquimaux, who proba-* biy get them in the way of barter from thofe tribes that refidis more to the North ; but I he- - ver could be informed by the natives whether their (kins are like thofe of the Whale, or hairy' like thofe of the Seal ; I fuppofe the former. Species of Fifh* , '% The Fiih th^t inhabit the fait water of Hudfon's Bay are but few:— the Black Whale, White Whale, Salmon, and a fmall fifli called Kepling, are the only fpecies of fea-fifh in thofe parts*. The Black Whale is fometimes found as far Biack Whale South as Churchill River, and I was prefent at the killing of three there ; but this was in the courfe of twenty years. To the Northward, particular. ly near Marble Ifland, they are more plentiful ; but notwithibnding the Company carried on a fifliery * In the Fall of the ye^r 1 768, a fine rock cod was drove on (hore in a high gale of wind, and was eaten at the Governor's table; Meflrs. William ^Yaksand JofephDymond, who went out to obferve the tranfit of Venus ^thich happened on the 3d of June 1 769, partook of it ; but I never heard of one being caught with a hook, nor ever faw an entire fifli of that de- fcription in thpfe patts : their jaw-bones are, however, frequently found on the fliores. 394 A JOURNEY TO THE fi(hery in that quarter, from the year one thou* fand feven hundred and tixry.five till one thou- iand feven hundred and feventy>two, they were fo far from making it anfwer their expe^ations, that they funk upwards of twenty thoufand pounds ; which is the lefs to be wondered at, when we coniider the great inconveniencies and expences they laboured under in fuch an under- taking. For as it was impoffible to profecute it from England, all the people employed on that fervice were obliged to refide at their fcttlement all the year at extravagant wages, exclufive of their maintenance. The harpooners had no lefs than fifty pounds per annum landing wages, and noi^e of the crew lefs than from fifteen to twenty- five pounds ; which, together with the Captains falaries, wear and tear of their velTels, and other contingent e&pences, made it appear on calculati* on. Chit if thetc Wer -^ certainty of loading the veffds evefy year, the Company could not clear themfelves. On the contrary, during the feven years they perfelvered in that undertaking, only four Black Whales were taken near Marble Ifland; and, except one, they were fo fmall, that they would not have been deemed payable fi{h in the Greenland fervice*. But the Hudfon's Bay Com- pany, with a liberality that do^s honour tc them, though ♦■I h'ave heard that no \V%aIe cau^t by our Gieenlahd (hips it called a Fay-frfb ; thac is, that no emohiment arifes to the harpo*Afer that Aiikes U; unief^ the longed Wade of the bone, nfually called Whale-bone, raw- foresfix feet ; sviieieas thofe killed in Hudfbn's Bay feldom me^albred more than four fctt and an half. NORTHERN OCEAN. 39J though perfe£^Iy acquainted with the rules obrerv<* edinthc Grcealand fervice, gave the fame pre- mium for a fuckiog fifl), as for qne of the greauft magnitude. White Whales are very plenti&l in thofe whit* parts, particularly from Che(kr&eld's Inlet to York Fort, or Hay's Rivier, on the Weft fide of the Bay ; and from Cape Sn \ to Slude River on the Eaft fide. On the W c^t coaft they zrcgjBm nerally found in the greateft numberi at the mouths of the principal rivers; fudi as Seal River, Churchill, Port Nelfbn, and Hay*a Rivers. But the Eaft fide qf the Bay not being <6 well known. Whale Rivcar b the only part they ar0 known to fre<{iicnt in very confiderable numbers* Some years ago the Company had a fettlement at this river, called Richmond Fort ; buta^ their en. deavours to efiabliih a profitable fifhery here prov- ed ineffectual, and the few Indians who reforted to it with furrs proving very inadequate to tho expences, the Company determined to evacuate it. Accordingly, after keeping up this fettlement ibr upward of twelve years, and finking many thoufands of pounds, they ordered it to be burnt, for the more eafily getting the fpikes and othef iron^work. This was in the year one thoufand feven hundred and fifty-eight. At the old eftabliflked Fafiories on the Weft fide of the Bay, the Company have been more ^cefsful in the White Whale fiifaery, particular- ly at Churchill, were fuch of the Company's fer- vants as cannot be employed during that feafon to IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ^ ^o 1.0 I.I g tea |2^ |25 ■ 22 IJi& |||||l-25 {liu |i.6 llllla^^BS llll^S^BS lllls^BSS ^ 6" ► VQ A^. /^ 7 Photographic Sdences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716)877 4503 m V ;V \\ 39« Salnoa. .^^^The fame remark may be made on almoft eve- ry fpecies of game, which cpnftittttes the greateft part of the fare of the people refiding in thofe parts. For inftance, in fome years, hundreds of deer may eafily be killed within a mile of York Fort; and in others, there is not one tobefee^i within twenty or thirty miles. One day tliqii- fands and tens of thoufand^ of geefe are feen, but the next they all raife flight, and go to the No^tK to breed. Salmon, as I have lately obferyed,, is fo plentiful in ibme years at Churchill River, that it might be procured in any quantity, at others fo fcarce as to be thought a great delicacy. In fa£t, after twenty years refidenc^ in this country, I am perfuaded that whoever relies much on the produce of the different feafons, will frequently be deceived, and occafionally expofe himfelf and men to great want. 1 .To remedy this evil, it is moft prudent for thofe in command to avail themielves of plentiful fea- fons, and cure a Sufficient quantity of the leaft periihabLe food, particularly geefe. N^.i Sbdl W m j'l. S9« A JOUKNEV TO THE m Shell mjh* Shell FUb. Shell Pish of a vnriety of kinds are atTo kianA ki feme parts of Hudlbn's Bay. Miifcks in par- ticular are in great abundance on the rocky ihores sear Churchill River, and what is vulgarly called the Periwinde are very plentifo) on the rockk which dry at low^water. Small Crabs and Star- fiih are frequently thrown on the fhore by the furf in heavy gales of wind; and the empty flMSts of Wiiks, fmklt Scallops, Coekles, and many other kinds, are to be found on . the beaches in great plenty. The fame may be £iid of the interior parts of the country, where the banks of the lakes and rivers abound with empty (hells of va- rious kinds ; but the fiih themfelves have never been difeovered by the natives. Fr^i, Grubs^ andahir fi^^. Frqgp. Frogs of various eolovn ave msmerons in thofe parts as far North as the latitude 6i^ They al- ways frequent the margins of lakes, ponds, rivers, smdlwamps: andattheWittter approaches, they burrow under the mois^ at a ooniiderabie diftance from the water, where they remain in a frozen ftate till the Spring. I have frequently feen them 399 NORlHiltN OCEAN. tliem dug up with the mofs, (vr^ pitching tents in Wuitci<,) frooen as hafd at ioc ; in which fiate the legs are as eaiiljr Woken off as a pipq. ftem, Without giving the leaA ien&tion to the animil; but by wnf^ng them, up in warm ikiiis, and expofing ^em to a Aow fire, they foon recover Itfie, and the mu^Uted animal gains its ttfual adivity ; but if they are permitted to freeze aeain, they aire paft alt recovery, and are never more knin on thofe occafiont; yei( tiley were appa* rently ail frozen as hard askew The Spiders^ if let fstU from any height- on a hard ftibftance, would rebound Kke a grey pea ; and all the Grab kind are fi> hard firozen as to be a» eafily broken as a piece of ice of' the fitmelize ; yet whencai- pofed to a flow heat, even in the depth of Wwter, they will foon come to ^, and in a iiort time recover their nfual modonsw 3!tfdu The fintherediomitton that rj^roiPttOf thofe parts in the different feafons are numerous, but fuch as 400 I*g\ei. A JOURNEY TO THE as brave the fevere Winter are but fewiii num- ber, and ihall be particularly noticed in their proper places. - Eagles of feveral forts are found in the coun- try bordering on Hudfon's Bay during the Sum- mer ; but none, except the common brown Flfli- ing Eagle, ever frequent the Northern parts. They always make their appearance in thofe drea- ry regions about the latter end of March or be- ginning of April, and build their nefts in lofty trees, in the crevices of inacceflible < rocks near the banks of rivers. They lay but two eggs, (which are white,) and frequently bring but one young. They generally feed on fifh, which they catch as they are fwimming near the fur face ; but they are very deftrudive to the mufk rat and hares, as alfo to geefe and ducks, when in a moult- ing date, and frequently kill young beaver. Their nefts are very large, frequently fix feet in diameter; and before their young can fly, arefo provident, that the Indians frequently take a moft excellent meal of fiih, fleih, and fowl from their larder. Though they bring forth their young fo early as the latter end of May, or the begin- ning of June, yet they never fly till September ; a little after which they migrate to the South- ward. They are the moft ravenous of any bird I know ; for when kept in confinement or in a tame ftate as it may be called, I have known two of them eat more than a bufliel of fi(h in a day. They are never known to bireed on the barren grounds •'< gifOH^dp ^atbc ^lorth of CbwrclMll Wv^» tho^gK n^i;^^ of tl^e I^es s^nd riyers in tbuofo pa^^f ^m»4 ^^^ v^i^ty oC fi^i^ This ^ prp^bl^^ QWing tqUjh? wv^t oif tifc^s q^: Wg;^ i^oc^W tQ^^vUi^ ip. Tl^i ](*7Qi:^h)e;ri^ Indian^ arf vqry pa^tia^t% tjii^ ^^^p the ypuim; qfiflsi, wMft w J^ ^#>W#i^t«» though the flefl^ i§ 4cn , liqiJUf T^l^iup, ar^,fp ^^l/^ ^t^ render them yery ^l[\^\e^fm to fepw^ piPi?foi^s, except ^i tio^ao)^ neceffity. If y^w^s pf y^^^ovs (»:e«>pd pluq^gc fr^uent Hawks^ thp diffwen^ p^yts pf th^ cou^try rpwnd ^udfoft'a'^*"'*"* ^ ||%y during §wno wr. 5ipm« pf thpfe Hj^wlfs ^vrq fo l^rg? %s to weigh three ppupd§» ^4 others % fflSiiU as pot to ci;cci4 ^ye orjq^ PV»C9?» ^^^ thp weight pf thpfr, af well a^ cycry other fp<;« c^f ^ pf ftird^i 13 ^o ftandard fp»j the N^^r?dift ta goby 5 fpr ?t differwit ^fowt ^^^ "^htvi, }^ wnt pf fflod, they are oftcp ^arc^ly h^f tbif weight they are when fat and in gpod order* NptwiiWtmdlng the variety pf ^^w^ th?^t re- fprt tp thpfr psirt? in SuRHi^er, I Iwow b^t qn.9 fynqm th^t bra,ve the intei^fe cpl4 of thf lpp|; Wim^rsto the ll^i^th of Ch»rchM,l ^yev; an^ D d that 40« A JOURNEY TO THE that 18 what Mr. Pennant calls the Sacre Falcon* They, like the other large Tpecies of Hawks, prey- much on the white groufe or partridge, and alfo on the American hart, ufualiy called here Rab- bits. They are always found to frequent thofe parts where partridges are plentiful, and are de- tefted by the fportfmen, as they generally drive all the game off: the ground near their tents; but, in return, they often drive thither freih flocks of fome hundreds. Notwithftanding this, they fo frequently baulk thofe who are employed en the hunting fervice, that the Governors ge- nerally give a 'Reward of a quart of brandy for each of their heads. I'heir fleih is always eaten ^ by the Indians, and fometimes by the £ngli(h; but it is always black, bard^ and tough, and fometimes has a bitter tafte. « The Indians are fond of taming thofe birds,^ and frequently keep them the whole Summer ; but as the Winter approaches they generally take flight, and provide for themfelves. When at Cumberland Houfe I had one of them, of which my people were remarkably fond ; and as it ne- ver wanted for food, would in all probability have reniained with us all the Winter, had it not been killed by an Indian who did not know it to be tame. White Of The beautiful fpecies of White or Snowy Owi* *H»'ryOwi. jg ^.Q^ippn }„ ^\\ p^rtg of Hudfon*s Bay, as far North as the Copper-mine River. Thefe birds, '^hen flying or fitting, appear very large, but when ' ' killed. NORTHERN OCEAN. killed, fddom weigh more th^n three and a half, or four pounds, and fometimes fcarpely half that weight. They generally feec| on mice and par- tridges, and are at times known to kill rabbits. They are, like the hawk, very troublefome to the fjportfmen i and^ contrary to any other bird that I kpow, have t great propenfity to follow the report of a guii» and frequently IbUpw the hu^«> tprs (as they are ufually called in Hudfon's Bay) the whole day. On thofe occafions they, ufually perch on high trees, and watch till a bjrd is lulled, when they fldm down and carry It off before the hunter can get near it} but in return, the hunters* when they fte them on the watch, frequently de- coy theni withifi ^n-lKot, by throwing up ^ dead bird, which the Owl feldom refiifes to accept | 1>ut the fportfman beipg fufly provided for this vifit, anid on his ^uard, generally Ihopts them t)efore they can carry off the partridge. They are, however, fo great a hindrance to thofe em- ployed on the hunting ferviee, that the fame pit- mium is given for one of their heads as for that of a hawk. In Winter they are frequently very fat, thefar flefli delicately white, and generally efteemed good eating, both by Engliih and Indians. Thofe Owls always make thdr neftg on the ground, ge- nerally lay from three to four eggs, but feldom hatch more than two; and in the extreme North the young ones do not fly till September. They nfver migrate, but brave the coldeft Winters, J)d2 403 404 Qrtfor Mottled Owl. Cob-a-4ee cooch. A JOURNEY TO THE 4!ven on the barren ground, far remote from zny woods i and in thofe fituations perch on high rocks and ftones, and watch for their prey. The fpecies of Grey or MoTtx^ED Owl are by no means fo numerous as the former, are fome- thing inferior in fize, and always frequent the woods. They never go in fearch of their prey in the day time, but perch on the tops of lofty pines, and are eafily approached and (hot. Their food is generally known to be mice and fmall birds, yet their fleih is delicately white, and nearly as good as a barn'door fowl ; of courfe it is much eiieemed both by the Englifh and Indians. This fpecies of Owl is called by the Southern Indians Ho-ho, and the former Wap-a-kee-thow, Befides thofe two fpecies of Owls, there is anov ther that remains in Hudfon's Bay all the year, and is called by the Indians Cob-a-oee-coooh, It is fo far inferior in fize to the two former, that it ieldom weighs half a pound ; is of a mot- tled brown, the feathers long, and of a moft de- licate fbft and iilky quality. Jn general this ip^^ ciesfeedon mice, and birds they find deadj and are fo Impudent at times, that they light on a par* tridge when killed by the hunter, but not being able to carry it off, are often obliged torelin^uifii the prize* Like the White Owl, at times though but feldom, they follow the report of a gun, and by (o frequently (kimming round the fportfmen, frigihten the game nearly as much as the hawk* Th^y feldom go far from the wppds, biifld in trees, and NORTHERN OCEAN. 405 and lay from two to four eggs. They are never . fat, and their flefli is eaten only by the Indians. Ravens of a moft beautiful gloffy black, richly lurci*. tinged with purple and violet colour, are the conftant inhabitants of Hudfon's Bay ; but are fo far inferior in fize to the Engliih Raven, that they are ufhally called Crows. They build their nefts in fofty pine-trees, and generally lay four fpecklcd eggs ; they bring forth their young fo early as the latter end of May, or the beginning of June. In Summer many of them frequent the barren gronnds, feveral hundred miles from any woods ; probably invited there by the multitudes of deer and mufk*oxen that are killed by the Northern Indians during that feafon, merely for their ikins, and who leave their flefh to rot, or be devoured by beafts or birds of prey. At thofe times they are very fat, and the flefh of the young ' ones is delicately white, and good eating. But in Winter they are, through neceility, obliged to feed on a black mofs that grows on the pine-trees, alio on deer's dung, and excrements of other animals. It is true, they kill fome mice, which they find in the furface of the fnowj and catch ma- ny woimded partridges and hares; in fome parts of the country they are a great nuifance to the hunter, by eating the game that is eichex caught * in fnares or traps. With all this affiftance, they are in general fo poor during the fevere cold in Winter, as to excite wonder how they poffibly can exift. Their 4o( Ctnercotn Crow. A JOURNEY TO THE Their faculty of fcent muft be very acute ; for in the coldeft days in Winter, when every kind of effluvia is almoft inftantaneoufly deftroyed by the froft, 1 have frequently known buffaloes and other beads killed where not one of f hofe birds were feen j but in a few hours fcores of them would gather about the fpot to pick up the dung, blood, and other offiil. An unarmed man may approach them very near wh6n feeding, but they are fliy of thofe that have a gun $ a great proof that they fmell the gunpowder. They are, however, frequently (hot by guns fet for foxes ; and fometimes caught in traps built for martins. Though, on the whole, they may be called a fhy bird, yet their neceflities in Winter are fo great, that, like the White Owl, they fre- quently follow the report of a gun, keep prudent- ly at a diftance from the fportfman, and frequent- ly carry off many wounded birds. Their quills make mod excellent pens for drawing, or for la- dies to write with. The Cinereous Crow, or, as it is called by the Southern Indians, Whilk-e-jonifh, by the Engliih Whifkey-jack, and by the Northern Indians Gee- za, but as feme pronounce it, and that with more propriety, Jee-za, though claffed among the Crows, is in reality fo fmall, as feldom to, weigh three r)unces; the plumage grey, the feathers very long, foft, and filky, and in general entirely uh- webbed, and in fome parts much refembles hair. This bird is very familiar, and fond of frequent- ing NORTHERN OCEAN. .407 !ng habitatipns, either houfes or tents; and fo much given to pilfering, that no kind of prqvi- dons it can come at, either frefh or fait, is fafe from its depredation. It is fp bold as to come into tents, and fit on the edge of the' kettle when hanging over the fire, and fleal victuals out of the dilhes. It is very troublefome to the hunters, both Englifh and Indian, frequently following them a whole day ^ it will perch on a tree while the hunter is baiting his martin-traps, and as foon as his back is turned go and eat the baits. It is a kind of mock-bird, and of courfe has a va- riety of notes ; it is eafily tamed, but never lives long in confiheinefit. It is well known to be a provident bird, laying up great quantities of ber- ries in Summer for a Winter (lock ; but its natu- ral propenfity \o pilfer at all feafons makes it much detefted both by the Englifh and Indians. It builds its nefl in trees, exadlly like that of the blackbird and thrufh ; lays four blue eggs, but feldom brings more than three young ones. I know of only one fort of Wood- pecker that ^^' . '/ pecker. frequents the remote Northern parts of Hudfon's Bay ; and this is diftinguiihed by Mr. Pennant by the name of the Golden Winged Bird; but to the South Weft that beautiful fpecies of Wood- 2cker with a fcarlet crown is very frequent. The manner of life of this fpecies is nearly alike, always building their nefts in holes in trees, aiid feeding on worms and infedls. They generally hav« xtl Greufe. TheRuficd Orouft. A jOUkNEY to THfi liavie from four to fix young at a ti&e. They arc f^id to be very deftrudtive tb ifruit-trtes tlnat are raifed in gardens in the ioiore S^oiitherh parts 6{ Ainerica ; but the want of thofe luxuries in iHudfbn's Bay renclers tliem very harmlefs and inofiehfive birds. The rfed feathers of the Iskrget 'fort, which frequent the interior and Southerh liarts of the Bay, are much valued by Tome of \tie Indians, who brtiament thdr pipie-ft'ems with 'them, aiid ^t times ufe them as ornaments to their children's clothing. Neither of the two fpecies liere mentioned ever migrate, but arie cdnftant Inhabitants of the dilTerent climates in which 'they are found. There are feveral fpecies of Grouse in the dif- ferent parts of Hudfon's Bay j but two of the largeft, and one t)f them the mod beautiful, ne- ver reach fo far North as the latitude 59*^: l)ut as Thave Teen tliem in great plenty near Cumberland HoUfe, I ihall take the liberty to defcribe them. The RufFED Grouse. This is the mofi beau- tiful of all that are clafled under that name. They are of a delicate brown, prettily variegated with l}]ack and white : tail large and long, like that of a hawk, which is ufually of an orange- colour, beautifully barred with black, chocolate, and whiter and the tail is frequently expanded like a fan. 1 o add to their beauty, they have a ruff of gloffy black feathers, richly tinged witTi purple timnd the heck, which they can treft at " pleafure : this they frequently do, but more par- ticularly KORtttERN OCteAN. titiilatfly fo >Vhrti thtf spread thfeit Idng tail, Which gitts theta i noMe ippearatice. th fiae thtty tixectd a p^f tf idgfe, btft ute inf^tiot to a l^hcafaftt. Ih Wthtw they at«c uAially fotittA piefdhed on the brandies df t!ke pjflfc-ti'eeis and in thtft &i(kis-cow. The Wood Partridges have acquired thatwoodpar- I name in Hudfon's Bay from their always fre- Iquenting the forefts of. pines and fir; and in Winter feeding on the bruih of thofe trees, though they are foodeft of the latter. This fpe* cies of Groufe is inferior in fize and beauty to the Ruffed, yet may be called a handfome bird ; the plumage being of a handfome brown, elegantly Ifpotted with white and black. The tail is long, Und tipped with orange ; and the legs are warmly Icovered withihort feathers, but the feet are nak- Itd. They are generally in the extreme with re- fpea tridge. *This laflert fiom ny own experience when at Cumberland Houfe. 41ft Willow Pattridge. A JOURNEY TO THE fytGt to fliynefs ; fometlmes not fufTering a man to com^ within two gun-fliots, and at others fo tame that the fportfman may kill five or &x out of one tree without fhifting his ftation. They are Teen in fome years in confiderable numbers near York Fort. They are very fcarce at Church- ill, though numerous in the interior parts, parti- cularly on the borders of the Athapufcow Indians country, where I have feen my Indian com- panions kill many of them with blunt-headed arrows. In Winter their flefli is black, hard, and bitter, probably owing to the refinous quality of their foOd during that feafon ; but this is not ob- ferved in the rabbits, though they feed exadly in the fame manner in Winter; on the contrary, their flefli is efteemed more delicate than that of the Englifli rabbit. The Southern Indians call this fpecies of Partridge, Miftick-a-pethow ; and the Northern Indians call it. Day. The Willow Partridges have a ftrong black bill, with fearlet eyc-brows, very large and beau- tiful in the male, but lefs confpicuous in the fe- male. In Summer they are brown, elegantly barred and mottled with orange, white, and black; and at that feafon the males are very proud and handlbme, but the females are leis beautiful, being of one univer&I browii. As the Fall advances they change to a delicate white, except fourteen black feathers in the tail, which are aUb tipped with white; and their legs and feet, quite down to the nails, are warmly covered with NORTHERN OCEAN. With feathers. In the iavicr end of September and beginning of O^ober they gather in flocks of fome hundreds, and proceed from the open plains and barren grounds, (where they ufually breed,) to the woods and bruih*willows, where they hord together in a ftate of fociety, till dif* perfcd by their common enemies, the hawks, or hunters. They are by far the rood numerous of any of the groule fpecies that are found in Hud- fon's Bay; and in fome places when permitted to remain undifturbed for a coniiderable time, their number is frequently fo great, as almoft to ex- ceed credibility. I (hall by no means exceed truth, if I aflert t'aat I have ieen upward of four hun- dred in one flock near Churchill River ; but the greateft number I ever iaw was on the North nde of Port Nelfon Riv^r, when returning with a pack- et in March one thoufand feven hundred and iixty-eight : at that time I faw thoufands flying to the North, and the whole furface of the fnow feemed to be in motion by thofe that were feed- ing on the tops of the fliort willows. Sir Tho- mas Button mentions, that when he wintered in Port Nelfon River in one thoufand fix hundred and twelve, his crew killed eighteen hundred dozen of thofe birds, which I have no reafon to doubt ; and Mr. Jeremie, formerly Governor at York Fort, when that place was in the pofleilion of the French, and then called Fort Bourbon, a0Qrts, that he and ieventy-nine others eat no leis 4'3 414 A JOURNEY TO THE lefs than ninety thoufand partridges and twenty- five thoufand hares in the courfe of one Winter; which, confidering the quantity of venifon, geefe, ducks, tsfc. enumerated in his account, that were killed that year, makes the number fo great, that it is fcarcely poffible to conceive what eighty men could do with them \ for on calcula- tion, ninety thoufand partridges and twenty-five thoufand hares divided by eighty, amounts to no lefs than one thoufand one hundred and twenty- five partridges, and three hundred and twelve hares per man. Ihis is by far too great a quantity, particularly when it is confidered that neither partridges nor hares are in feafon, or can be procured in any numbers, more than feveh months in the year. Forty thoufand partridges and five thoufand hares would, I think, be much nearer the truth, and will be found, on calculati- on, to be ample provifion for eighty men for fe- ven months, exclufive of any change. The common weight of thofe birds is from eighteen to twenty-two ounces when firft killed ; there are fome few that are nearly that weight when fit for the fpit, but they are fo fcarce as by no means to ferve as a fiandard ; and as they always hord with the common fize, there is no room to fufpecl: them of another fpecies. As all thofe over-grown partridges are notorioufly known to be males, it is more than probable that they are imperfeft, and grow large and fat like capons; and every one that has had an opportunity of tafting NORTHERN OCEAN. tailing thofe large partridges, will readily allow that they excel the common fort as much in fla- vour as they do in Hze. It is remarked in thofe birds, as well as the Rock Partridge, that they are provided with additional clothing, as it may be called ; for every feather, from the largeft to the fmalleft, except the quills and tail, are all double. The under-feather is foft and downy, fiiooting from the fhaft of the larger ; and is wonderfully adapted to their fituation, as they not only brave the coldeft Winters, but the fpecies now under confideration always burrow under the fnow at nights, and at day-light come forth to feed. In Winter they are always found to fre- quent the banks of rivers and creeks, the fides of lakes and ponds, and the plains which abound with dwarf willows ; for it is on the buds and tops of that tree they always feed during the Winter. In fummer they eat berries and fmall herbage. Their food in Winter being fo dry and harfli, makes it nece&ry for them to fwal- low a confiderable quantity of gravel to promote digeftion ; but the great depth of fnow renders it very fcarce during that feafon. The Indians having confidered this point, invented the me- thod now in ufe among the Engliih, of catching them in nets by means of that fimple allurement, a heap of gravel. The nets for this purpofe are from eight to twelve feet fquare, and are ftretch- ed in a frame of wood, and ufually (et on the ice of rivers, creeks, ponds, and lakes, about one hundred 4»5 4»6 A JOWNEV TO THE Kunclred ytrds froiri the willows, bqt in (Qm« fituations not half th^t dii^ance. Vndcr th^ ccn* t«r of the ne^ 4 heap of jQ^ow ia throwp up tp tHe fi^fj of one or two buflicls, and when w?ll packed is covered with gravel. Tq (<;t th^ nets, when thus prepared, requires qp other trouble than lifting up one fi4e of the frame, an^ fupport- ing it with two fmail props, about four feet h^ig; a line i* faftened to thofe props, ^nd the other ^d being conveyed to the ueighbouriug willpws, 18 always fo eontrivfd that ^ map (;?p get to \t without being feen by the birds ui^der the net. When every thing ig thus prepared, the hunter? have nothing to do but go ipto the adjacent wil- lows and woods, gnd wheu they ftart game, eu- deavour to drive ?heni into the net, which at times is no hard tallc, as they frequently run be- fore th«n9 like chickens ; and foBjetio^es require no driving, for as foon as thf y fee the black heap of gravel on the white fnpw they fly ftrajght to: wards it. The hunter then goes tQ the end of the line to wftteh their motion?, *nd when he fees th«re %Fe'98 reany abput the gravel as the net c^n cover, or as njany as gre likely to go under at that time, with a fudden puU he h^v^U down the flakes, and the net fi^lls horjs^ontally on the fnow, and enelofes thfi graateft part pf the birds that are under it. The hunter then runs to the net as foon as po|5ble, and kiU^ ?U the birds by ' biting them at the back of the head- We then fets up the net, takes away ^U ^h? dead ganne. ?nd repeats NORTHERN OCEAN. repeats the operation as often as he pleafes, or as long as the birds are in good humour. By this fimpie contrivance I have known upwards of three hundred partridges caught in one morning by three perfons ', and a much greater number might have been procured had it been thought neceflary. Early in the morning, juft at break of day, and early in the afternoon, is the beft time for this fport. It is common to get from thirty to feventy at one havvl ; and in the Winter of one thoufand feven hundred and eighty-fix, Mr. Prince, then Mafter of a floop at Churchill River, adually caught two hundred and four at two hawls. They are by no means equally plentiful every year ; for in fome Winters 1 have known them fo fcarce, that it was impoflible to catch any in nets, and all that could be procured with the gun would hardly afford one day's allowance per week to the men during the feafon ; but in the Winter one thoufand ieven hundred and eighty-five, they were fo plentiful near Churchill, and fuch numbers were brought to the Fadory, that I gave upward of two thoufand to the hogs. In the latter end of March, or the beginning of April, thofe birds begin to change, from white to their beautiful Summer plumage, and the firft brown feathers make their appearance on the neck*, and by degrees fpread over the whole bo- E e dyj ♦ Mr. Dragge obferve*, in his N9rth W«ft Paflkge, that when the par- tridges begin to change colour, the firft brown feathers appeal in the ronip; bu( 4'7 41 8 Rock Par. ttidges. A JOURNEt TO THE dy ; but their Summer drefs is feldom complete till July. The feathers of thofe birds make excel- lent beds, and as they are the perquifite of the hunters, are ufually fold to the Captains and Mates of the Companys' (hips, at the eafy rate of three pence per pound. Rock Partridobs. This fpedes of Groufe are in Winter of the fame colour as the former, but inferior in (iae ; being in general not more than two-thirds of the weight. They have a black line from the bill to the eye, and differ in natul-e and manner from the Willow Partridge. They never frequent the woods or willows, bot brave the fevereft cold on the open plains. They always feed on the buds and tops of the dwarf birch, and after this repaft, generally fit on the high ridges of /now, with their heads to wind- ward. They are never caught in nets, like the Willow Partridge; for when in want of gravel, their bills are of fuch an amazing ilrength, that they pick a fufficient quantity out of the rocks. Beiide, being fo much inferior in fize to the for- mer fpecies, their flefh is by no means fo good, being black, hard, and bitter. They are in gene- ral, , liut t)il$ is (o far frorti being a general lule, that an experienced Hudfbnian ihuft fmile at the idea. I'hat Mr. Dragge never faw an indance of this kind I will not lay, but when Mature deviates fo far from its tifual cowrie, it iv undonbtcdly owing to fome accident; and nothing is more liicely than that the feathers of the bird Mr. Dragge had examined, had been ftjrucjtl off by ^ h^w; and as the ufual I'eafon for changing their plumage was near, the Summer feathers fupplied their place ; for out of the many hundreds of thoufands that I have feen killed, 1 never faw or heard of a Hmilar inftance. idgc. , but They iwarf n the wind- Kthe ravel, that Qcks. efor- good, gene- ral, indfbnian U of this lal courfe, Ire likely kad been plumage jthcmany leard of a NORTHERN QC|:AN. r»|, like the Wopd Partridge, either c^ceediog wild or very tame } and when in the latter hu- mowr, I have known pne ms^n kill pne hvndred and twenty in a few hour^ ; for as they vftiaJly keep in large flocks, the rpgrtrnian can frfqu«n^ ly kill a« or eight at a (hot. Thffe, like the WiK low Partridge, change their phiwagf in Smnnjer to a beautiful fpeckied brown ; ^nd 4t that Man are To hardy, that, unlefs (hot in th^ he^i or vir tals, they will fly away with the greateft qviantity of (hot of any bird I know. They difcjover great fondnefs for th«ir young ; for during the time of incubation, they will frequently fu.^r theoifelve^ to be taken by hand of their ^gg?*. Pigeons of a (mall fi?e, not larger thap a thruihi ane in ibme Sumjners found a9 far North a? Churchill River. The bill is of a ficfh-^lonr^ legs red, and the greate(l: part of the pliMnage of a light lilac or bluib. In the interior parts of th? country they fly in large flocks, an4 pflrch on the £ e 2 P9pl?f * Befidcs It^e V\t4 S »1 >:ea9 IVftce of Utrpcht^n 1713, none of the Cofljpany's jl^ryjuUsJi^y; ^V|/fq^ qne pf thofe biids : nor dQes it appear by all the Jauinals now in thejpodclGon of the Hudfon's Bay Company, that any fuc|i bird wa< ft«er,il(9eii in the nod Eauthexn part$ of the Bay, njyc^ kfs »t Y^^k Fptf, V^ichif \fi jt^e latitp je J';^' lHonh ; {o that a c^jpital error, or ^ wilful d^^o to n^iflea^, muft have taken place. Indeed, his account of the coinitry immediatefy where he refided, aai the produftipn* 9f ft, .^re §a tffptiep}ffly ^mfff* to 4eft rve ,n<» n o^ip. Jlis .cpilpagu?, JOf le ^oM.ies, ^Oer ts ^p cjf iftepcje jf llie buftard in thofe pans, and with au^rqual regard to truth. 4ll> 420 Red.breaff- cdTtiiuft. GroAxak. A JOURNEY TO THfe poplar trees in fuch numbers that I have feen twelve of them killed at one (hot. They ufiially feed on poplar buds, and are good eating, though feldom ht. They build their nefts in trees, the fame as the Wood Pigeons do ; never lay but two eggs, and arc very fcarce near the fea-coaft in the Northern parts of Hudfon's Bay. The Red-Bria8T£D Thrushes, commonly call- ed in Hudfon's Bay the Red Birds, but by fome the Black Birds, on account of their note, and by others the American Fieldfares ufually make their appearance at Churchill River about the middle of May, build their nefts of mud, like the Englifli Thrulh, and lay four beautiful blue eggs. They have a very loud and pleafing note, which they generally exercife moft in the mornings and evenings, when perched on fome lofty tree near their neft ; but when the young can fly they are filent, and migrate to the South early in the Fall. They are by no means numerous, and are gene» rally feen in pairs; they are never fought after as an article of food, but when killed by the Indian boys, are efteemed good eating, though they al- ways feed on worms and infers. Grosbeak. Thefe gay birds vifit Churchill River in fome years fo early as the latter end of I March, but are by no means plentiful; they are always feen in pairs, and generally feed on the buds of the poplar and willow. The male is in moft parts of its plumage of a beautiful crimfonJ but the female of a dull dirty green. In forml thcyl Buatin: NORTHERN OCEAN. they much refemble the EngliOi bullinch, but are near double their fize. They build their nefts ill trees, fometimes not far from the ground ; lay four white eggs, and always hatch them in June. They are (aid to have a pleafing note in Spring, though 1 never heard it, and are known to retire to the South early in the Fall. The Englifli re* fiding in Hudfon's Bay generally call this bird the American Red Bird. Snow Buntings, univerfally known in Hud> ^°^^ fon*s Bay by the name of the Snow Birds, and in the Ifles of Orkney by the name of Snow Flakes, from their vifiting thofe parts in fuch numbers as to devour the grain as foon as (own, in fome years are fo deftrudive as to oblige the firmer to fow his fields a fecond, and occafionally a third time. Thefe birds make their appearance at the Northern fettlements in the Bay about the latter end of May, or beginning of April, when they are very fat, and not inferior in flavour to an ortolan. On their firft arrival they generally feed on grafs-feeds, and are fond of frequenting dunghills. At that time they are eafily caught in great numbers under a net baited with groats or oatmeal ; but as the Summer advances, they feed much on worms, and are then not fo much efteemed. They fometimes fly in fuch large flocks, that I have killed upwards of twenty at one (hot, and have known others who have kill- ed double that number. In the Spring their plur mage is prettily variegated, black and white; but 4^1 s 4^2 white- crow nt Bi\nut)g. led 7 apland yinch. A JdURKEV to THE but thdf Stittmet dtefs xrtay be called degint, thdijgh II dt ^^iy. They live lotig in cdttfinewent, hkVe tasituf illy a t)lea{ing note, and vtrhen in cdfti^ pany with C^niry bii'ds foan imitate theit fong. 1 have kept many of them in cages in the feme rbbm with Canary bifds, and always found they fung in Winter as well as in Surtifner ; but eveh in cotifinenient they change their plumage accof d- ing to the feafon, the fame as ih a wild (late. This fpecies t)f bif-d feem fond of the eoldeft regtbns, fi)t as the spring advances they fly fo far North that theif b^eeding.places are not kno\Vn to the inhabitants of Hudfon'g Bay. In Autumn they return to the South in large flocks, and are fre- quently fliot in eoiifiderable numbers merely as a delicacy ; at that feafon, however, they are by no means fo good as when tliey firft make their appearance In Spring. WmtE-cROWNEO BtJNtlNb. This fpceici is infetiot in fiie to the former, and fcldom make theit appeafanee till June. They breed in moft pai-ts of the Bay, always make their ttcfts on the ground, at the root of a dwatf willow of a goofe. berty-buih. During the time their young are in a tallow ftate they have a delightful note, but as fboh as they are fledged they become filent, and retire to the South early in September. Lai»Lan1) Fmcrt. This bird is Common on Hudfon*s Bay, and nevet migrates Southward in the cOldeft Winters. During that {feafon it gene- rally frequents the juniper plains, ^nd feeds on the fmall NORTHERN OCEAN. .423 finall buds of that tree, alfo on grafsieeds ; but at the approach of Summer it flies ftill farther North to breed. A variety of this bird is alfo common, and is beautifully marked with a red forehead and breaft. It is moft common in the Spring, and frequently caught in nets fet for the Snow Bunting ; and when keot in cages has a pleafing note, but feldom lives long in confine- ment, though it generally dies very fat. Larks of a pretty variegated colour frequent larks. thofe parts in Summer, and always make their appearance in May; build their nefts on the ground, ufually by the fide of a ilone at the root of a fmalL bufh, lay four fpeckled eggs, and bring forth their young in June. At their firft arrival, and till the young can fly, the male is in full fong ; and, like the iky-lark, foars to a great height, and generally defcends in a perpendicu- lar dire^ion near their neft. Their note is loud and agreeable, but confifts of little variety, and as foon as the young can fly they become filent, and retire to the Southward early in the Fall. They are impatient of confinement, never fing in that date, and feldom live long. The Titmouse is ufually called in Hudfon's '^***"°"^* Bay, Blackcap. This diminutive bird braves the coldeft Winter, and during that feafon feeds on the feeds of long rye-grafs, but in Summer on infe£ls and berries. The Southern Indians call this bird Kifs-kifs-hefiiis, from a twittering noife they make, which much refembles that word in (bund. Swallows m I 424 Swallows. Martins. ITpoping Cnine. A JOURNEY TO THE Swallows vifit thed; parts in cnnfiderable numbers in Summer, and are very domeftic; building their nefts in neceflarie?, fiables, and other out-offices that are much frequented. They feldom make their appearance at Churchill River till June, and retire South early in Auguft. They, like the European Swallow, gather in large flocks on the day of their departure, make feve- ral revolutions round the breeding-places, and then take their leave till the next year. 1 do not recolleft to have feen any of thofe birds to the North of Seal River. M.\RTiNs alfb vifit Hudfon's Bay in great num- bers, but feldom fofar North as Churchill River. They ufually make their nefts in holes formed in the deep banks of rivers ; and, like the Swal- low, lay four or five fpeckled eggs ; and retire Southward in Auguft. At the Northern fettle- ments they are by no means fo domefiic as the Swallow. Hooping Crane. This bird vifits Hudfon's Bay in the Spring, though not in great numbers. They are generally feen only in pairs, and that not very often. It is a bird of confiderable fize, often equal to that of a good turkey, and the great length of the bill, neck, and legs, makes it meafure, from the bill to the toes, near fix feet in common, and fome much more. Its plumage is of a pure white, except the quili-feathers, which are black ; the crown is covered with a red (kin, thinly befet with black briftles, and the legs are * large NORTHERN OCEAN. large and black. It ufually frequents open fwamps, the fides of rivers, and the margins of lakes and ponds, feeds on frogs and fmall fifii, and efteenaed good eating. The wing-bones of this bird are fo long and large, that 1 have known them made into flutes with tolerable fuccefs. It feldom has more than two young, and retires Southward early in the fall. > The Brown Crane. This fpecics is far infe- ^[j;;'" rior in fize to the former, being feldom three fipet and a half in length, and on an average not weighing feven pounds. Their haunts and man- ner of life are nearly the fame as that of the Hoop, ing Crane, and they never have more than two young, and thofe feldom fly till September. They are found farther North than the former, for I have killed feveral of them on Marble Ifland, and have feen them on the Continent as high as the latitude 65^. They are generally efteemed good eating, and, from the form of the body when fit for the fpit, they acquire the name of the North Weft Turkey. There is a circumftance refpect- ing this bird that is very peculiar ; which is, that the gizzard is larger than that of a fwan, and re- markably fo in the young birds. The Brown Cranes are frequently feen in hot calm days to foar to an amazing height, always flying in circles, till by degrees they are almoft out of fight, yet their note is fo loud, that the fportfman, before he fees their fituation, often fancies they are very near him. They vifit Hudfon's Bay in far greater 4«5 426 Bitterns. Curlew. A JOURNEY TO THE greater numbers than the former, and ire very good eating. Bitterns are common at York Fort in Sum* mer, but are feldom found fo far North as Churchill River. I have feen two fpecies of this bird ; fome having a(h-coIoured legs, others with beautiful grafs-green legs, and very gay plumage. They always frequent marihes and fwamps, alfo the banks of rivers that abound with reeds and long grafs. They generally feed on infers that are bred in the water, and probably on fmall frogs; and though feldom fat, they are gene- rally good eating. They are by no means nu- merous even at York Fort, nor in faft in the moft Southern parts of the Bay that I have vifitcd. Curlews. There are two fpecies of this bird which frequent the coafts of Hudfon's Bay in great numbers during Summer, and breed in all parts of it as far North as the latitude 72^5 the largeft of this fpecies is diftinguiflied by that great Naturalift Mr. Pennant, by the name of the Ef- quimaux Curlew. They always keep near the lea coaft ; attetid the ebbing of the tide, and are frequently found at low-water-mark in great numbers, where they feed on marine infects, which they find by the fides of ftones in great plenty ; but at high- water they retire to the dry ridges and wait the receding of the tide. They fly as fteady as a woodcock, anfwer to a whiftle that refembles their notej lay long on their wings, and are a moft excellent (hot, and at times are delicious KOJlTMERN ocean. 417 delidoUs eatittg< The other fpeciei of Curlev are in colour and fliape exa^ly like the former^ though inferior lu fiee, and differ in their man^ ner of life, aa they never frequent the water's- edge, but alwftys keep among the iiocks and dry ridges, and feed on berries and fmall infedh. The flefh of this bird is generally more efteemed than that of the former, but they are by no means fo numerous. This fpedes of Curlew are feldom found farther North than Egg River. Jack Snipes. Thofe birds viHt Hudfoh's Bay J>«=J^»°ip«- in Summer in confiderable numbers, but are fel* dom feen to the North of Whale Cove* They do not arrive till the ice of the rivers is broke up, and they retire to the South early in the Fall. During their ftay, they always frequent marihed near the Tea cOaft, and the (hores of great rivers* In manner and flight they exadly refemble the European Jack Snipe; and when on the wing, Hy at fuch a diftance from each other, that it is but feldom the beft fportfman can get more than one Or two at a (hot. Their flefli is by no means fo delicate as that of the Engliih Snipe* Rfeo Goo'wrAiTs, uibally called at the Northern Re^ ood. fettlemcnts in Hudfon's Bay, Plovers. Thofe birds vifit the ihores of that part in very large flocks, and ufually frequent the marlhes and the margins of ponds. They aMb frequently attend the tide, like the Efijuimauat Curlews ; fly down to low.water^mark, and feed on a fmall flfh^ not much unlike a flirimp ; but as the tide flows, they 428 Spotted God wait. A JOURNEY TO TriE they retire to the marflies. They fly in fuch large flocks, and Co clofe to each other, that I have often killed upwards of twelve at one fliot; and Mr. Atkinfon, long refident at York Fort, adually killed feventy-two at one fliot ; but that was when the birds were fitting. Near Church- ill River they are feldom fat, though tolerably flefliy, and are generally good eating. They ufu- ally weigh from ten to thirteen ounces; the female is always larger than the male, and differs in colour, being of a much lighter brown. They retire to the South long before the froft commen- ces ; yet I have feen this bird as far North as the latitude 710 5q'. Spotted Qodwait, known in Hudfon's Bay by the name of Yellow Legs. Thb bird alfo vi. fits that country in confiderable numbers, but more fo in the interior parts ; and ufually fre- quents the flat muddy banks of rivers. In fum- mer it is generally very poor, but late in the Fall is, as it may be called, one lump of fat. This bird, with many others of the migratory tribe, I faw in confiderable numbers as f^r North as the lati- tude yio 54'; and at York Fort I have known them fliot fo late as the latter end of October : at which tiine they are in the great eft perfection, and moft delicious eating, piore particularly fo when put into a bit of pafte, and boiled like an apple-dumpling ; for in facl they are generally too fat at that feafon to be eaten either roz^ft^d or boiled, Hebridal NORTHERN OCEAN. 429 Hebridal Sandpipers, but more commonly Hebridai known in Hudfon's Bay by the Name of Whale s^^'Ip'P""- Birds, on account of their feeding on the carcafes of thofe animals which frequently lie on the Ihores, alfo on maggots that are produced in them by fly-blows. Thefe birds frequent thofe parts in confiderable numbers, and always keep near the margin of the fea. They may, in fadl, be called beautiful birds, though not gay in their plumage; they are i^fually very fat, but even when firft killed they fmell and tafte fo much like train-oil as to render them by no means pleafing to the palate, yet they are frequently eaten by the Company's fervants. As the Summer ad- vances they fly fo far North of Churchill River, that their breeding-places are not known, though they remain at that part till the beginning of July, and return early in the Fa!!. They are by no means large birds, as they feldom weigh four ounces. The bill is black, plumage prettily vari* egated black and white, and the legs and feet are of a beautiful orange colour*. Plovers, commonly called Hawk's Eyes, from p^"'"- their watchfulness to prevent a near approach when fitting. When thefe birds are on the wing, they fly very fwift and irregular, par- ticularly when Angle or in fmall flocks. Ac Churchill River they are by no means numerous, but «They cxaAly conefpond with the bird defcribed by Mr. Pennant, cn- cept that they are much longer. 430 A JOURNEY TO THE but I havci Ceen them in fuch large flocks at York Fort in the Fall of one thoyiand ieven hundred and feventy-three, that Mr. Ferdinand Jacobs then Qovernor. Mr. Robert Body Surgeon, and my- felf, killed in one afternoon w many as two men could conveniently carry. They generally feed on infects, and are at all times good eating, but late in the Fall are moft excellent. They are by no means equally plentiful in ail years ^ and at the Northern (ettlements in the Bay they are not clafled with thofe fpedes of game that add to the general ftock of proviiipns, being only killed as a luxury; but I am informed that at Albany Fort, feveral barrels of them are annually falted for Winter ufe, and are eftcemcd good eating. This bird during Summer reforts to the remoteft Northern parts ; for I have feen them at the Cop- per River, though in thofc dreary regions only in pairs* The young of thofe birds always leave their nefts as foon as hatched, and when but a few days old run very faft ; at night, or in rainy weather, the old ones call them together, and cover them with their wings, in the lame manner as a hen does her chickens. Black Gui. Black Guulemots, known in Hudfon's Bay by the name of Sea Pigeons. Thofe birds fre- quent the (hores of Hudfon's Bay and Straits in coniiderable numbers ; but more particularly the Northern parts, where they fly in large flocks; to the Southward they are only feen in pairs. They are of a fine black, but not gloffy, with fcarlet kgs lemots. NORTHERN OCEAN. legs and feet ; and the coverets of the wings are marked with white. They are in weight equal to a Widgeon, though to appearance not fo large. They ufually make their nefts in the holes of rocks, and lay two white eggs, which are de« licate eating, but not. proportionably large for the fize of the bird. My friend Mr. Pennant (ays, they brave the coldeft Winters in thofe parts, by keeping at the edge of the ice near the open water; but as the fea at that feafon is frozen over for feveral miles from the ihore, I believe no one's curiofity ever tempted him to confirm the truth of this ; and it is well known they ne- ver make their appearance near the land after the froft becomes fevere. Northern Divers. Thefe birds, though com- Northern mon in Hudfon's Bay, are by no means plentiful ; ^'"^"' they are feldom found near the fea coaft, but more frequently in freih water lakes, and ufually in pairs. They build their nefts at the edge of fmall iflands, or the margins of lakes or ponds ; they lay only two eggs, and it is very common to find only one pair and their young in one Iheet of watier ; a great proof of their averfion to foci- ety. They are known in Hudfon's Bay by the name of Ix)ons. They differ in fpecies from the Black and Red throated Divers, having a large black bill near four inches long ; plumage on the back of a gloify black, tslegantly barred with white ; the belly of a filver white ; and they arc fo large as at times to weigh ^fteen or fixteen pounds. 43* Black. throated Divers. Red-throat art8 of the country, though they feed on fifli and carrion* They make their {lay on Hudfon's Bay as long in the Fall as the froft will permit them to pro- cure a livelihood. Grey Gulls. Thefe birds, though common, orcr colli, are by no means plentiful ; and I never knew their breeding- places, as they feldom make their appearance at Churchill River till the Fall of the year, and remain there only till the ice begins to be formed about the fhores* They feldom fre- quent the interior parts of the country. They are not inferior in fize to the former, and in the Fall of the year are generally fat. The fleih is white and very good eating ; and, like moSt qther Ff Gulls, r wf 414 A JOURNEY TO THE GttHi, they are a noft excellent (hot when on the wing. BkckOHUi. Black Gullb, ufually called in Hudfon's Bay, Men of War, from their purfoing and taking the prey from a leffer fpecies of Gull, known in that country by the name of Black-head. In fize they are much inferior to the two former fpecies ( btit, like them, always make their nefts on iflands, or at the margins of lakes or ponds ; they lay only two eggs, and are found at a coniiderable difbnoe from the fea coaft. The length of thefar wings is very great in proportion to the body ; tfaie tail is uniform, and the two middle feathers are four or five inches longer than the reft. Their eggs are always eaten, both by the Indians and Engliih ; but the bird itfelf is generally rcjeded, except when other provifions are very fcarce. Black- HEADS. Th^e are the fmalleft fpecies r but'retire to the South early in the Falh PELICANS. Thofe birds are nunn^ous in the PeUcti^ interior parts of the country, but never' appirar near the fea-coaft. They generally fire^ent ll^e lakes, and always make their nefts on iflatids. Th6y are fo provident for their young, that peat quantities of filh lie rotting near their nefts, and emit Aich a horrid ft^nch as to he fmelt at a tim* fidd'aMc diftanee. The flefli of the young Peli- can is frequently eaten by the Indians; and as they are always very fat, great quantities of it is melted down, and preferved in bladders for Win- ter ufe*, to mix with pounded fleflij but by F f 2 keeping, MS ♦ In the Fall of 1774, when T firft fettled at Cubbertand Hoafe, tht Indians impofed on me and my people very much, by f(;lling us PelieaQ fat for the fat of the black bear. Our knowledge of the delicacy of th« latter induced us to referve this fat for patticuiar purpofes; but when w« cam« to open the bladders, it w»s Utile fuperior to ttain oUt and was Qn« if 436 A JOURNEY TO THE iLeci^ng, it grows very rank. The Pelicans in thofe parts are'about the fize of a common goofe ; their plumage is of a delicate tvhite, except the quill-feathers, which are black. The bill is near a foot k>ng ; and the bag, which reaches from the outer-end of the under- mandible to the breaft, is capable of containing upwards of three quarts. The fluns of thofe birds are thick and tough, and are frequently drefled by the Indians and converted into bags, but are never made into clothing, though their feathers are as hard, dofe, and durable, as thofe of a Loon. ^^oSkadct% GoosANDEAtj ufually called in Hodfon^s Bay, Shell-dnikes. Thofe birds are very common on >tn«jfu the fea-coaft, but in the interior parts fly in very large flocks. The bill is long and narrow, and toothed like a iaw; and they have a tuft of fea- thers at the back of the head, which they can cred at pleafure. They are moft excellent divers, I and flich great deftroyers of fifli, that they are .frequently obliged to vomit fome of them before .they can take flight. Though not much larger than the Mallard Duck, they frequently fwallowj fi{h of iix or feven inches long and proportiona- .bly thick. Thofe that frequent the interior parts] of the country prey much on crawfifli, whic ar< . ly eatable by a few of my ciew, which at that time confided ooly of eightl , Englilhmtn and two of the home Indians from York Fort. r.^ Cumberland Houle was the firft inland fettlement the Company made from Hudfon's Fort; and though begun on fo TniaU a fcale, yet upon itj and Hud6>tv's Houfe, which is. fituated beyond it, apwardsof ferentyj , men were now smploycd. NORTHERN OCEAN. tte Very numerous in fome of the fhallow fiony rivers. In the Fall of the year they are very fet, and though they always feed on fiih, yet their flefliatthat feafon is very good; and they re^ main in thofe parts as long as the froft will per- mit them to procure a fubfiftence. 8Wan8. There are two fpecies of this bird swanc. that irifit Hudfon's Bay in fummer $ and only differ in five, as the plumage of both are perfeA. ly white, with black bill and legs. The fmaller fort are more frequent near the fea>coaft, but by no means plentiful, and are moft frequently feen in pairs, but fbmetimes fingle, probably owing to their mates having been killed on their paflage North. Both fpecies ufually breed on the iflands which are in lakes $ and the eggs of the larger fpecies are fo big, that one of them is a fufficient meal for a moderate man, without bread, or any other addition. In the interior parts of the coun- try the larger Swan precedes every other fpecies^;? of water>fowl, and in fome years arrive fo early as the month of March, long before the ice of the rivers is broken up. At thofe times they always frequent the open waters of ^Is and rapids, whevot ' they are frequently fliot by the Indians incopfi* derable numbers. They ufually weig^ upwards of thirty pounds, and the leffer fpecies from eighteen to twenty-four. The flefli of both are excellent eating, and when roafted, is equal in - flavour to young heifer-beef, and the cygnets are very delicate, N*N 4Sf 4^5 A JOURNEY TO THE Notwithflandiog the iize of this birdi they arf to fwift on the wing as to make them the moi& difficult to ihoot of any bird I know, it being fre* quently neceflary to take fight ten or twelve feel, before their bills. This, however, is only when flying before the wind in a briik gale^^ at which, time they cannot fly at a lefs rate than an hundred miles an hour ; but when flying acrofs the wind, or againft it, they make but a flow progrefs, and are then a noble fliot. In their moulting ftate they are not eafily taken, as their large feet, with, the ailiflance of their wings, enables them to run on the furface of the water as fail as an Indian canoe can be paddled, and therefore they are al^ ways obliged to be fliot ; for by diving and other inaaoeuvres they render it impofiible to take them by hand> It has been faid that the fwansi whiille or flng before their death, and I have read fome elegant deftriptions of it in fomeof the poets ; but 1 have never heard any thing of the kind, though I have been at the deaths of feveralt It is true, in ferene evenings, after Sun-fet, I have heard them make a noife iiot very unlike that of a French-horn, but entirely divefted of every note that conftituted melody, and have often been ibrry to flpditdid not forebode their death. Mr. Lawfon, who, as Mr. Pennant juftly remarks, was no inaccurate obfervei', properly enough calls the largefl fpecies Trlimpeters, and the lefler. Hoopers. Some years ago, when I built Cumberland Houfe, the Indians kiUed thofe birds NORTHERT* OCEAN. 45^ birds Sn fuch numbers, that the down and quillg Blight have been procured in confiderable quanti- ties at a trifling expence ; but fince the depopula- tion of the natives by the ftnallpox, which has alio driven the few furvivors to frequent other l^ts of the country, no advantage can be made of thofe articles, though of coniiderable value in Inghmd*. 6>SESB. There are no lefs than ten dififerent ceefe.. I^ci«s of Geeft that frequent the various parts of Hiidfon'S' Bay during Summer, and are as follow: Fifft, The Common Grey Goofer Second, The Canada Qook. Third, The White, or Snaw Goofe. Fifth, tkt Blue Goo£s. Sixth, The L»ighing Goofe. Seventh, The Barren Goofisb Eighth, The Brent Goofe. Ninth, The Duntcr; and Tenth, the Bean Goofe, Common Grey Goose. This bird precedes g'J^y'^^ every other (pedes of Goofe in thofe parts, and in fome forward Springs arrives at ChurchiH River fo early as the latter end of April, but more commonly from the eleventh to the fixte(?nth of May; and in one year it was the twenty-iixth of lilay f Mr. Peanapt, in treating of the Whidling Swan, takes notice of the formation of the Windpipe; but on examination, the windpipes of both the fpi^es which frequent Hudfoa'f Bay are found to be cxaAly alike, though their bote is quite ditferent. The breaft-Wn< of this bird if diflie- rent from any other I have feen ; for indead of being ibarp and folid, like that of a goofe, it is.broad and hollow. Into this cavity the windpipe pafiea. from the valve, and reaching quite down to the abdomen, returns into the cheft, and joins the lungs. Neither of the fpecics of Svran that frequent Hudfbn's Bay are mutet but the note of tb^e Urger is nrnch loudet aod ^rfli^ thaA that of the fmaUer. '■(»■- 440 A JOURNEY TO THE May before any Geefe tnade their appcaran fully per- fuaded that it entirely proceeded from a want of Icnowing the perfon ; and as Mr. Hntchins fucceeded him at Albany in the year I774« every thing that has been fent vnx from that part has btea placed to hit •CGoaat. NORTHERN OCEAN. 449 and fi(h«rpawn ; and their ilefli is by no means efteemed good, though their eggs are not difa- greeable. The Mallard and Long railed t)uck vifit Hudfon's Bay in great numbers, and extend from the fea-coait, to the remoteft Weftern parts, and near Cumberland Houfe are found in vait multitudes. At their 6r{l arrival on the Tea coaft, they are exceeding good eating ; but when in a moulting (late, though very fat, they are in ge- neral fo rank that few Europeans are fond of them. At thofe feafons the difference in flavour ■ is eafily known by the colour of the fat ; for when that is white, the fleih is mod aifuredly good ; but when it is yellow, or of an orange colour, it is very rank and fifliy. This difference is only peculiar to thofe that frequent and breed near the fea-coaft; for in the interior parts I never knew them killed but their flelh was very good; and the young Mallard Duck before it can fly is very fat, and moft delicate eating. The fame may be faid of the Long-tailed Duck. Neither of thole fpecies lay more than fix or eight eggs ia common, and frequently bring them all forth. Widgeon. This fpecies of Duck is very un- ^'Js«on. common in Hudfon's Bay ; ufualiy keeping in pairs, and being feldom feen in flocks. They are by no means fo numerous as the two former, and are mofl: frequently feen in rivers and mar- fhes near the fea-coaft. Their flefli is generally efteemed j and the down of thofe I have exa- mined is little inferior in elafticity to that of the G g Eider, U 1 i AS^ Teal. A jOURNfit to tat Elder, though tnuch (hotitr. Tht hftit ttiif 56 faid of feVeral other (^ttm df Ducks thslt fti^. quent thofb parts ; but the ittipofltbility of ttAk leaJng the doW*! ih any quatltity, ptftirtokt H ftatti becottiing atl article 6f trade. Tral. Like the Midktd, they irt ftHihd lik coniidei'abie hutnberd nelt th<||fksl-xoaft ^ bdt Utt mott plentiful in the interibr pi^tb of the cbtiiitify, and fly in fuch large flocks that I have bften kill>. ed twelve or fcrurteeii at one ihot, ahd h^ve iJbth both Engliih and Indians kill sL muth greatet* nutnber. At their firft atrival they aire but poot^, though genet-dly efteetned good eatihg. This diminutive Duck is by far the moft prolific of auy I know that reforts to Hudfbn's ]^y $ for I have often feen the old ones fwittimitig at the head of fevetiteen youtig, when not ttiuch larger th^n walhUts. This bird remains in thofe parts a^ long as the feafon will permit ; for in the ytit one thoufjind feven hundred and feventy-five, ih my paflage from Cumberland Houfe to Yotk ^ort, t, as Well as my Indian companions, killed them in the rivers we pafled through as late is the twentieth of Oftober. At thofe times they are etttirely involved in fat, but delicately white, and may truly be called a great Juxury. Befldes the birds Jilready defcribed, there is a grelt Variety of others, both of land and water fowl, that frequent thofe parts in Summer j but thefe caiiie not fo immediately under my ihfpe^- on as thofe I have already defcribed. 0/ NOHLTHERN OCEAN, 45 » Oftbff Vegetable Frpdu^hm* Th(e vcg^tsjblp prpdui^oni of thi9 couoltry by no D9e;ui9 engaged my aucntion fo much a^ the an,iuBal cre^ion.1 whic)^ is the lefs to be wonder- Qd at, 9$ iJo few of tKem are ufeful for the iltpport of p^ap. Yet I will eind/savour tp enumerajte as n^^y of tl^q^ as I think are worth notice. Xhc QQo$E&BRRie$ thrive beft in ftony and p"".^*" "' ♦ berries. rocky ground, whidi lies open and much expof- cd to ch^ Su43. But jiu thofe i^tuations £evy of tlxe bu^es grow to ^y height, and (pread along the grou^4 lj|k£ vines. The fruit is always mo^^ plen- tifui an^ the $neii on the under.fide of tlie bran- ches, probably owing to the reflected heat from the ftones apd gravel, and frc^n being {heltered from all cold winds and fog by the leaves. I nev4$r faw fncH'e than one fpecies of jGooIeberry iu any part of Hudfon's Bay, which is the red one. Wjto green, they make excdlent pies ox tarts ; and when ripe are very pleafant eating, though by no means fo large as thofe produqed in Eipk^and. Cranajsrries grow in great abundance near cranbeiries Churchill, and are not confined to any particular lituat;ion^ for they are as common on open bleak pl^llis a^4 high rocks as among the woods. When c»refu^y -gathered in the Fall, in d^y wea- G g 2 ther, 45^ V Hcath- bcirics. toitiiiiick. A JOURNEY TO THE ther, and as carefully packed in cafks with moid fugar, they will keep for years, and are annually fent to England in coniiderable quantities as pre- fents, where they are much efteemed. When the ihips have remained in the Bay fo late that the Cranberries are ripe, fome of the Captains have carried them home in water with great fuccefs. The Heathberries arc in fome years fo plen- tiful near Churchill, that it is impoilible to walk in many places without treading on thoufands and millions of them. They grow clofe to the ground, and are a favourite rcpaft of many birds that mi- grate to thofe parts in Summer, particularly the Grey Goole ; on which account the Indians di- ilinguifh them by the name of Niihca-minnick, or the Grey Goofeberry. The juice of this berry makes an exceeding pleafant beverage, and the fruit itfelf would be more pleafing were it not for the number of fmall feeds it contains. Bethago-tominick, as it is called by the Indi- ans, or the Dewater-berry of Mr. Draggc. I have feen this berry as far North as Marble Ifland, and that in great abundance. It flouriOies beft, and is raoft productive, in fwampy boggy ground covered with mofs, and is feldom found among grafs. The plant itfelf is not very unlike that of a Strawberry, but the leaves are larger. Out of the center of the plant flioots a fingle ftalk, fome- timcs to the height of feven or eight inches, and each plant on4y produces one berry, which at fome diftance refembles a Strawberry ; but on exami- NORTHERN OCEAN. 453 examination they have not that conical form ; and many of them are only compofed of three or four lobes, while others confift of near twenty. The flavour of this berry is far froin unpleafing, and it is eaten by our people in conliderable quantities during the feafon, (which is Auguft,) and, like all the other fruits in thofe parts, isfupr pofed to be wholefome, and a great antifcorbutic, CuRRANS, both red and black, are common corrans. about Churchill River, but the latter are f:ir more plentiful than the former, and are very large and £ \c. The buihes on which thofe currans grow, '' \ u ntly exceed three feet in height, and ge- nerally thrive bed: in thofe parts that are moift but not fwampy. Small vallies between the rocks, at fome little diftance from the woods, are very favourable to them ; and I have frequently obferved that the fruit produced in thofe fituati- ons is larger and finer than that which is found in the woods. Thofe berries have a very great effedt on fome people if eaten in any confiderable quantities, by ading as a very powerful purgative, and in fome as an emetic at the fame time; but if mixed with Cranberries, they never have that effed. . Juniper-berries are frequently found near the J""^''*.''- new fettlement at Churchill River, but by no means in fuch plenty as in the more Southern and interior parts of the country. The bufli they grew on is fo Ijmilar to the creeping pine, that one half of the Company's fervants refiding iq l/^v 454 straw- berries. % A JOURNEY TO THE in Httdfon^ Bay cb not know one from tbe othir. Like the Goofeberry buflies in thofe parts, the fruit h always moft f^entiful on the tinder-fide of the Vrancues* Titey are not mmcii orccumu €i- ther by the Indians or Sngfiihy fo that the km that are made vfe of are generally itifakd in bnm- dy, by way of making a cordial, which is t» kem mipteafant*. SritAivBERRtcs f , and thofe of a confiderable fize and excdient flsTonr, are found as hr North as Churchill River ; and what is moft remarka. ble, they are frequently known to be more ^n- tiful in fuch places as have formerly been fet on fire. This is not peculiar to the Strawberry, but it is well known that in the interior parts of the country, as weH as at Albany and Moofe Forts, that after the ground, or more properly the under- wood and mofs, have been kt on lire, that Rafp- berry-bufhcs and Hips have (hot up in great num- bers on fpots where nothing of the kind had ever been fecn before. This is a phaenomenon that is not eafily accounted for j hut it is more than probable tbatNaturc wanted fome affiftance, and the mofs being all burnt away, not only ad- mits the fun to act with more power, but the heat of the fire muft, in fome meafurc, loofcn the texture of the foil, fo as to admit the plants to fhoot • The Indians^call the Juniper-berry Caw-caw-koue-minick, or the Crow. berry. t The Oteagh-minick of the Indians, is fo called, becaufe it in fome TUf afore reff mblcs a heart. 455 NORTHERN OCEAN. ilioot \i|^, after having been deep-rooted for ma* Vf yeari without being able to force thdr way to the furfacse. Befides the Berries sdready mentioned, there are three others found as hx North as ChurchiH; namely, what the Indians call the Eye-berry, and the other two are termed Bhi&borry and Par- tridge-berry by the Englifli. The Etb-beurt grows mnch in the fame man* Eye-bernr. ner is the Strawberry, and though fmaller, is in- finitely fuperior in flavour. This berry is found tn various iituations ; but near ChurchiU River they are mofb plentiful in fmall hollows among the rocks, which are iituatcd ibme diftance ^om the woods ; but they are never known to grow in fwampy ground, and I never £iw them fo plen- tiful in any part of Hudfon's Bay as about Churchill River. The Blue-berry is about the fize of a Hur- Biuc-^^erry tleberry, and grows on buChes which ri(e to eigh- teen inches or two feet, but in general are much lower. They are feldom ripe till September, at which time the leaves turn to a beautiful red ; and the fruit, though fmall, have as fine a bloom as. any plum, and are much efteemed for the plea- fantnefs of their flavour. The Partridge-berry is nearly as large as the beny!''^*' Cranberry imported from Newfoundland, and though of a beautiful tranfparent red, yet has a difagrceable tafte. Thefe berries are feldom ta- ken, either by the Indians or Englifh \ and many « of ■*• 45^ Hips. A JOURNEY TO THE of tlie latter call them Poifon-berries, but feyeral birds are fond of them. They grow cloCe to the ground, like the Cranberry, and the plant that produces them is not very unlike fmall.fage, either in fhape or colour, but has none of its virtues. I had nearly forgotten another fpecies of Berry, which is found on the dry ridges at Churchill in coniiderable numbers. In iize and colour they much refemble the Red Curran, and grow on bufhes fo much like the Creeping Willow, that people of little obfervation fcarcely known the difference ; particularly as all the fruit is on the under-fide of the branches, and entirely hid by the leaves. I never knew this Berry eaten but by a frolickfome Indian girl ; and as it had no ill effeft, it is a proof it is not unwholefome, though -exceedingly unpleafant to the palate, and not much lefs fo to the fmell. Hips of a fmall fize, though but few in number, are alfo found on the banks of Churchill River, at fome diftance from the fea. But in the inte- rior parts of the country they are frequently found in fuch vaft quantities, that at a diftance they make the fpots they grow on appear perfeft- ly red. In the interior parts of Hudfon's Bay they are as large as any I ever remember to have feen, and .when ripe, have a moft delightful bloom ; but at that fcafon there is fcarcely one in ten which has not a worm in it; and they fre- quently act as a flrong purgative. ' " With 457 NORTHERN OCEAN. ' With rcfpcft to the fmaller prodiiAionVllf the vegetable world, I am obliged to be in a great meafure filent, as the nature of my various occu- pations during my refidence in this country gave me little leifure, and being unacquainted with botany, I viewed with inattention things that were not of immediate ufe: the few which follow are all that particularly engaged my attention. The WisH-A-cA'PuccA, which grows in moft wiih-a-ca- parts of this country, is faid by feme Authors to *"*" * have great medical virtues, applied, either in- wardly as an alterative, or outwardly dried and pulverifed, to old fores and gangrenes. The truth, of this I much doubt, and could never think it had the lead medical quality. It is, how- ever, much ufed by the lower clafs of the Com- pany's fervants as tea ; and by fome is thought very pleafant. But the flower is by far the moft delicate, and if gathered at a proper time, and carefully dried in the (hade, will retain its fla- vour fur many years, and make a far more plea- fant beverage than the leaves. There are feveral fpecies of this plant, of which fome of the leaves are nearly as large as that of the Creeping Wil- low, while others are as fmall and narrow as that of the Rofemary, and much refembles it in co- lour ; but all the fpecies have the fame fmell and flavour. Jackashey-puck. This herb much refembles Jj.ckf*'^" Creeping Box ; and is only ufed, either by the Indians or Englifli, to mix with tobacco, which makes it fmoke mild and pleafant y and would, I am 458 MoA. Graft. A JOURNEY TO THE am ^rijiaded, he very afccptable to many Cmo- kers in England. Moss of various ibrts and cobjurs is plentiAtl enough in inoft parts of this eovntry, and is what the deer ufually feed on. Grass of Several kinds is alio found in thoic parts, and fome of it amazingly rapid of growth, particularly that which is there called Rye^grais, and which, in our fhort Summer at Churchill, frequently grows to the . height of three feet. Another fpecies of 0rafs, which is produced in mar&es, and on the margins of lakes, ponds, and rivers, is particulariy adapted for the fupport of the multitudes of the feathered creation which reibrt to thofe parts in Summer. The Mar(h Crafe at Churchill is of that peculiar nature, that where it is mowed one year, no crop can be pro- cured the nest Summer ; whereas at York Fort, though the climate is not very different, they can get two crops, or harvefts, from the fame fpot in one Summer. Vetches are plentiful in fome parts as far North as Churchill River ; and Burrage, Sorrel, and Coltsfoot, may be ranked among the ufeful plants. Dandelion is alfo plen- tiful at Churchill, and makes an early falad, long before any thing can be produced in the gardens. In faict, notwithftanding the length of the Winter, the feverity of the cold, and the great fcarcity of vegetables at this Northern fcttlement, by proper attention to cleanlinefs, and keeping the people at reafonable exercife, I never had one man NORTHERN OCEAN. 459 man under me who had the leaft fymptoms of the fcurvy ; whereas at York Fort, Albany, and Moofe River, there were almoft annual complaints that one half of the people were rendered iftCa{mbk of duty by (hat dreadful dif- order. I do not wi(h to lay claim td any merit on this occafion, but I cannot help obferving that, during ten fitat 1 had the command at Churchill River, only two men died of that diftemper, though my complement at times amounted in number to fifty-three. 'the foreft Trees that grow on this inhofpita-TrcM. ble fpot ire very few indeed; Pine, Juniper, imall fcriiggy Poplar, Creeping Birch, and Dwarf WilloWii, tdmpofe the whole eatalogue. Farther Wfcft^atd the Birch Tree is very plentiful ; and In the Athapufcow Gountfy, the Pined, Larch, PiQplar^ and Birch, grow to a great fize; the iUdet ife alfo found there. THE END. DIRECTIONS TO THE BINDER. A PLAN exhibiting Mr. Hearne's Tracks in hit own Journies for the DifcoVery of the Copper Mine River, in the Years 1770, i77i> and 1772, under the Dircftidn of the Hudfon's Bay Company. To face the Title-page, Plate I. A North Weft View of Prince of Wales's Fort in Hudfon's Bay, North America. To face Page i Plate II. Indian Implements. - To face P, 98 Plate III. Plan of the Copper Mine River. To face P. 164 Plate IV. A Winter View in the Athapuscow Lake. TofaceP,24S Plats V. Indian Implements -• At the End, PLATtVI. Plan of Albany River in Hudfon's Bay. At the End, Plate VII. Plan of Moose River in Hudfon's Bay. At the'End. Plate VIII. Plan of Slude River. At the End, V. I. n his own River, in Diredllidn Title-page. Wales's f# Page I ue P. 98 e P. 164 e P, 248 the End. )n's Bay. the End. n*s Bay. the'End. the End. V. //^/. ,*!» . ^/jyivrr fry. 'J. . /^f ^//*/Y> w luj.l. . '/IA->,., /f ^yyy*//^ J/ /^^ And. >- % ; , (IZ/rr/^r- 'f /^///^ ?ff(7f/r /^(Mf//'r/r/rf^nf/^ .yf U 5i' . -"^.■ ••■«.. S (> fi Tu Sirnn « ■ ~ ( Av^ .J in 11 1^ O S^O X 'S B AY. Litn'/ififi- J2. /^'. ^ j\orth '•v "11 1. 1774. A. 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