RBIU^IO 9 Presented to the LIBRARY of the UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO from the estate of J. Stuart Fleming \ I / J Sautidsr-t xtculp- AK'ORTHWESTVlDE.Wof 1PM¥CE of WALES’S 1FORT inHUBS W’S BAY,NORTHAMERICA,tov A j o u r jst e r FROM Prince of Wales’s Fort in Hudfon’s Bay, T O THE NORTHERN OCEAN. UNDERTAKEN BY ORDER OF THE HUDSON’S BAT COMPANY , FOR THE DISCOVERY OF COPPER MINES, A NORTH WEST PASSAGE, Ssfo In the Years 1769, 17 70, 1771, 1772. By SAMUEL HEARN E. LONDON: Printed for A. Strahan and T. Cadell : And Sold by T. Cadell Jun. and W. Davies, (SuccefTors to Mr. Cadell,) in the Strand. 1 795- / 1 . Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015 https://archive.org/details/journeyfromprinc00hear_1 SAMUEL WEGG, Efq. Governor, Sir JAMES WINTER LAKE, Deputy Governor, AND THE REST OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE HONOURABLE fl HUDSON’S BAT COMPANY. HONOURABLE SIRS, As the following Journey was undertaken at your Requeft and Expence, I feel it no lefs my Duty than my Inclination to addrefs it to you j hoping that my humble Endeavours to relate, in a plain and unadorned Style, the various Circumftances and Remarks which 6 occurred DEDICATION. occurred during that Journey, will meet with your Approbation. I am, with much Efteem and Gratitude, HONOURABLE SIRS, Your molt obedient, and mod; obliged humble Servant, SAMUEL HE ARNE. PREFACE. J^R. Dalrymple, in one of his Pamphlets relating to Hudfon’s Bay, has been fo very particular in his ob- fervations on my Journey, as to remark, that I have not explained the conftru&ion of the Quadrant which I had the misfortune to break in my fecond Journey to the North. It was a Hadley’s Quadrant, with a bubble at- tached to it for an horizon, and made by Daniel Scatlif of Wapping. But as no inftrument on the fame principle could be procured when I was fetting out on my iaft Journey, an old Elton’s Quadrant, which had been upwards of thirty years at the Fort, was the only inftrument I could then be provided with, in any refped proper for making ob fervations with on the land. Mr. Dalrymple alfo obferves, that I only inferted in my laft Journal to the Company, one obfervation for the lati- tude, which may be true ; but I had, neverthelefs, feveral others during that Journey, particularly at Snow-bird Lake, Thelwey-aza-yeth, and Clowey, excluftve of that mentioned in the Journal taken at Conge-cathawha- chaga. But when I was on that Journey, and for feveral a years VI PREFACE. years after, I little thought that any remarks made in it would ever have attracted the notice of the Public : if I had, greater pains might and would have been taken to render it more worthy of their attention than it now is. At that time my ideas and ambition extended no farther than to give my employers fuch an account of my pro- ceedings as might be fatisfadlory to them, and anfwer the purpofe which they had in view ; little thinking it would ever come under the infpedtion of fo ingenious and inde- fatigable a geographer as Mr. Balrymple mud: be allowed to be. But as the cafe has turned out otherwife, I have at my leifure hours recopied all my journals into one book, and in fome inftances added to the remarks I had before made ; not fo much for the information of thofe who are critics in geography, as for the amufement of can- did and indulgent readers, who may perhaps feel them- felves 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 rnyfelf. Nor will, I flatter rnyfelf, a defcriptien of the modes of living, manners, and ciiftoms of the natives, (which, though long known, have never been defcribed,, } be lefs acceptable to the curious. I cannnot help obferving, that I feel rnyfelf rather hurt at Mr. Dairy mple’s rejecting my latitude in fo peremptory a manner, and in fo great a proportion, as he has done ; becaufe, before l arrived at Conge-cathawhachaga, the Sun PREFACE. Vil Sun did not fet during the whole night : a proof that X was then to the Northward of the Arctic Circle. I may be allowed to add, that when I was at the Copper River, on the eighteenth of July, the Sun’s declination was but 2i°, and yet it was certainly fome height above the horizon at midnight ; how much, as X did not then remark, I will not now take upon me to fay; but it proves that the latitude was confiderably more than Mr. Dal- rymple will admit of. His affertion, that no grafs is to be found on the (rocky) coafl of Greenland farther North than the latitude of 65°, is no proof there fhould not be any in a much higher latitude in the interior parts of North America. For, in the fird place, I think it1 is more than probable, that the Copper River empties itfelf into a fort of inland Sea, or extendve Bay, fomewhat like that of Hud- fon’s : and it is well known that no part of the coafl; of Hudfon’s Straits, nor thofe of Labradore, at lead for fome degrees South of them, any more than the Ead coafl; of Hudfon’s Bay, till we arrive near Whale River, have any trees on them ; while the "Weft coafl of the Bay in the fame latitudes, is well clothed with timber. Where then is the ground for fuch an affertion ? Had Mr. Dalrymple confidered this circumdance only, I flatter myfelf he would not fo hadily have objected to woods and grafs being feen in dmilar fituations, though in a much higher latitude. Neither can the reafoning which Mr. Dalrymple derives from the error X committed in edimating the didance to Cum- berland Houfe, any way affedt the quedion under con- a 2 dderatioii 5 Vlll PREFACE. fideration ; becaufe that diftance being chiefly in longitude, I had no means of correcting it by an obfervation, which was not the cafe here. I do not by any means wifh to enter into a difpute with, or incur the difpleafure of Mr. Dalrymple ; but thinking, as I do, that I have not been treated in fo liberal a manner as I ought to have been, he will excufe me for endeavour- ing to convince the Public that his objections are in a great meafure without foundation. And having done fo, I fhall quit the difagreeable fubjeCt with declaring, that if any part of the following fheets fhould afford amufement to Mr. Dalrymple, or any other of my readers, it will be the higheft gratification I can receive, and the only recompence I defire to obtain for the hardships and fatigue which I un- derwent in procuring the information contained in them. Being well aflured that feveral learned and curious gentlemen are in pofleflion 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 correCt as pof- fible, and to publifh it ; efpecially as I obferve that fcarcely any two of the publications that contain extracts from my journals, agree in the dates when I arrived at, or departed from, particular places. To rectify thofe dis- agreements I applied to the Governor and Committee of the Hudfon’s Bay Company, for leave to perufemy original journals. This was granted with the greatefl: affability i and PREFACE. ix and politenefs ; as well as a light of all my Charts relative to this Journey. With this affiftance I have been enabled to rectify fome inaccuracies that had, by trading too much to memory, crept into this copy ; and I now offer it to the Public under authentic dates and the beft authorities, however widely fome publications may differ from it. I have taken the liberty to expunge fome paffages which were inferted in the original copy, as being no ways interefting to the Public, and feveral others have under- gone great alterations ; fo that, in fadt, the whole may be faid to be new-modelled, by being blended with a va- riety of Remarks and Notes that were not inferted in the original copy, but which my long refidence in the 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 which never migrate, though not defcribed in a fci- entidc manner, may not be entirely unacceptable to the mod: fcientific zoologifts ; and to thofe who are unac- quainted with the technical terms ufed in zoology, it may perhaps be more ufeful and entertaining, than if I had de- fcribed them in the mod: claflical manner. But I mud: not conclude this Preface, without acknowledging, in the mod: ample manner, the affifbmce 1 have received from the perufal of Mr. Pennant’s Andie Zoology; which has enabled me to give feveral of the birds their proper names ; X PREFACE. i names ; for thofe by which they are known in Hudfon’s Bay are purely Indian, and of courfe quite unknown to every European who has not refided in that country. To conclude, I cannot fufficiently regret the lofs of a confiderable Vocabulary of the Northern Indian Language, containing ftxteen folio pages, which was lent to the late Mr. Hutchins, then Correfponding Secretary to the Com- pany, to copy for Captain Duncan, when he went on difcoveries to Hudfon’s Bay in the year one thoufand feven hundred and ninety. But Mr. Hutchins dying foon after, the Vocabulary was taken away with the reft of his effects, and cannot now be recovered ; and memory, at this time, will by no means ferve to replace it. CON- CONTENTS. Jntroduction. - Page xxi CHAP. I. ! TratfaElions from my leaving Prince of Wales's Fort on my frf Expe- dition,, till our Arrival there again . Set off from the Fort; arrive at Po-co-thee-kif-co River. — One of tire Northern Indians deferts. — Crofs Seal River, and walk on the barren grounds. — Receive wrong information concerning the diftance of the woods. — Weather begins to be very cold, provifions all expended, and nothing to be got. — Strike to the Weftward, arrive at the woods, and kill three deer. — Set forward in the North Weft quarter, fee the tracks of mulk-oxen and deer, but killed none. — Very fhort of provifions. — Chawchinahaw wants us to return. — Neither he nor his crew contribute to our maintenance. — He influences feveral of the Indians to defert. — Chawchinahaw and all his crew leave us. — Begin our return to the Fa&ory; kill a few partridges, the firft 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 Seal River, kill two deer ; partridges plenty. — Meet a ftrange Northern Indian, accompany him to his tent, ufage received there; my Indians afiift in killing fome beaver. — -Proceed toward home, and arrive at the Fort. - i CHAP. II. Franfaffions from our Arrival at the Faflory , to my leaving it again Y and during the Firf Part of my Second Journey , till I had the mif fortune to break the Quadrant. Tranfadtions at the Fadtory. — Proceed on my fecond journey. — Arrive at Seal River. — Deer plentiful for fome time. — Method of angling filh under the ice. —Set our fiftiing-nets.— Method of fetting nets under the ice.— My guide propofes CONTENTS. propofes to (lay till the geefe fhould begin to fly ; his reafons accepted.— » Pitch our tent in the bell manner. — Method of pitching a tent in Winter. — * Fifh 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 kill feveral more deer, and three beavers. — Soon in want of provifions again. — Many Indians join us from the Welt- ward. — We begin to move towards the barren ground. — Arrive at She-than- nee, there fuffer great diftrefs for want of provifions. — Indians kill two fwans and three geefe. — Geefe and other birds of pafiage plentiful. — Leave She- than-nee, and arrive at Beralzone. — One of my companions guns burfts, and lhatters his left hand. — Leave Beralzone, and get on the barren ground, clear of all woods. — Throw away our fledges and fnow Ihoes. — Each perfon takes a load on his back ; my part of the luggage. — Expofed to many hardfhips.— Several days without victuals. — Indians kill three mulk-oxen, but for want of fire are obliged to eat the meat raw. — Fine weather returns ; make a fire; effects of long falling ; Hay a day or two to dry fome meat in the Sun. — Proceed to the Northward, and arrrive at Cathawhachaga ; there find fome tents of Indians. — A Northern Leader called Keellhies meets us ; fend a letter by him to the Governor. — Tranfadtions at Cathawhachaga ; leave it and pro- ceed to the Northward. — Meet feveral Indians. — My guide not willing to proceed ; his reafons for it. — Many more Indians join us. — Arrive at Doo- bant Whoie River. — Manner of ferrying over rivers in the Northern Indian canoes. — No rivers in thofe parts in a ufeful direction for the natives. — Had nearly loft the quadrant and all the powder. — Some refledtions on our fixa- tion, and condudt of the Indians. — Find the quadrant, and part of the powder. — Oblerve for the latitude.-— Quadrant broke. — Refolve to return again to the Fadtory. - Page n CHAP. III. T ranfaftions from the Time the fun dr ant m-P! i Paroh/ae Lake .17 m il /.a At Cape Pemkrook da a! nl Lankins Inlet t Don liana t Lai ifiHlrtl /. Yitf/t Jive if lake ^-HUDSONS STRAITS /lank /nil Satrrack Lake Titteraet/ Lake i/ii/ilka?, •At Say Man.tfiel, \Patrianc 1 Whohttah Lake ’Ain LaAr Man A Lake ilfe/rtl. ! I/iff Maud Lake * Se,ti’>//; y//r. j^()///r e/e'.irorr/y fi/l/er ( Copper Mine r iver,) in t/nJiars 2770,7771 e/n,/Ji-.±. _ a //// /■ t/r eZrec/eon r^/t//,' I ■ •Nv ^v.Vv Vv (i // IT) SOAPS' ILlV ( 'OM PI Ary. vrrtic A JOURNEY TO THE NORTHERN OCEAN. CHAP. I. Tranfadtions from my leaving Prince of Wales’s Fort on my firft expedition, till our arrival there again. Set off from the Fort. — Arrive at Po-co-ree-kif-co River.'-— One of the Northern Indians defert. — Crofs Seal River , and walk on the barren grounds. — Receive wrong information concerning the diflance of the woods. ‘ — Weather begins to be very cold, , provifions all expended , and nothing to be got. — Strike to the Wejlward , arrive at the woods , and kill three deer . — Set forward in the North Wef quarter , fee the tracks of mujk-oxen and deer , but killed none. — Very fhort of provifions. — Chawchinahaw wants us to return. — Neither he nor his crew con- tribute to our maintenance. — He infuences feveral of the Indians to defert. — Chawchinahaw and all his crew leave us. — Begin our return to the faff or y ; kill a few partridges , the frft 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 Seal River , kill two deer ; partridges plenty. — Meet a flrange Northern Indian , accompany him to his tent , ufage received there; my Indians aff/l in killing fome beaver. — Proceed toward home , and arrive at the Fort. HAVING made every necefiary arrangement for my de- i y6g. parture on the iixth of November, I took leave of the Governor, and my other friends, at Prince of Wales’s Fort, 6th* and began my journey, under the falute of feven cannon. B The 3 A JOURNEY TO THE 1769. The weather at that time being very mild, made it but No^mberT' indifferent hauling*, and all my crew being heavy laden,, occafioned us to make but fhort days journeys ; how- 8th. ever, on the eighth, we croffed the North branch of Po-co-ree-kif-eo River,, and that night put up in a fmall tuft of woods, which is between it and Seal River. In the night, one of the Northern Indians deferted ; and as all the reft of my crew were heavy laden, I was under the necefiity of hauling the fledge he had left, which however was not very heavy, as it fcarcely exceeded fixty pounds. The weather ftill continued very fine and pleafant : we directed our courfe to the Weft North Weft, and early 9th. in the day croffed Seal River. In the courfe of this day’s journey we met feveral Northern Indians, who were going to the factory with furs and venifon and as we had not killed any deer from our leaving the Fort, I got feveral joints of venifon from thofe ftrangers, and gave them a note on the Governor for payment, which feemed per- fectly agreeable to all parties* When on the North Weft fide of Seal River, I afked Captain Chawchinahaw the diftance, and probable time it would take, before we could reach the main woods j which he affured me would not exceed four or five days journey. This put both me and my companions in good • The colder the weather is, the eafier the fledges Aide over the fnow. Spirits, NORTHERN OCEAN. 3 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 furnifh 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 feen in the direction we were then fleering ; but we had frequently feen the looming of woods to the South Weft. The cold being now very intenfe, our fmall ftock of Englifh proviftons all expended, and not the leaft thing to be got on the bleak 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 I9th* evening arrived at fome fmall patches of low fcrubby woods, where we faw the tracks of feveral deer, and killed a few partridges. The road we had traverfed for many days before, was in general fo rough and ftony, that our fledges were daily breaking ; and to add to the inconveniency, the land was fo barren, as not to afford us materials 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 gene- ral, we thought ourfelves well off if we could fcrape together as many fhrubs as would make a fire ; but it B 2 was 1769. 1 t _ November. 4 17% ' — — * November. 2 1 ft. A JOURNEY TO THE 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 twenty-firft, we did not move ; fo the Indian men went a hunting, and the women cut holes in the ice and caught a few fiih in a fmall lake, by the fide of which we had pitched our tents. At night the men re- turned with fome venifon, having killed three deer, which was without doubt very acceptable ; but our number being great, and the Indians having fuch enormous fto- machs, very little was left but fragments after the two or three firft good meals. Having devoured the three deer, and given fome neceffary repairs to our fledges and fnow fhoes, which only took one day, we again proceeded on toward 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 frequently faw the tracks of deer, and many mufk-oxen, as they are called there ; 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 3 NORTHERN OCEAN. 3 By this time I found that Captain Chawchinahaw had not the profperity of the undertaking at heart ; he often painted the difficulties in the word: colours, took every method to diffiearten me and my European companions, and feveral times hinted his delire of our returning back to the fa&ory : but finding I was determined to proceed, he took fuch methods as he thought would be mod; likely to anfwer his end ; one of which was, that of not adminiflering toward our fupport : fo that we were a conliderable time without any other fubliftence, but what our two home-guard (Southern) Indians procured, and the little that I and the two European men could kill ; which was very difproportionate to our wants, as we had to provide for feveral women and children who were with us. Chawchinahaw finding that this kind of treatment was not likely to complete his defign, and that we were not to be flarved into compliance, at length influenced feveral of the bed; Northern Indians to defer t in the night, who took with them feveral bags of my ammu- nition, fome pieces of iron work, fuch as hatchets, ice chiflels, files, &c. as well as feveral other ufeful articles. When I became acquainted with this piece of vil- lany, I alked Chawchinahaw the reafon of fuch beha- viour. To which he anfwered, that he knew nothing of the affair : but as that was the cafe, it would not be 1769. i < — ■ .} November. 26th. 29 th. 30 th. i 6 1 1769. » u * November. A JOURNEY TO THE 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 of their wives and families : and after giving us a fhort account which way to fteer our courfe for the neareft part of Seal River, which he faid would be our beft way homeward, he and his 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-r fider of our unhappy fttuation, near two hundred miles from Prince of Wales’s Fort, all heavily laden, and our ftrength and fpirits greatly reduced by hunger and fatigue. Our fttuation at that time, though very alarming, would not permit us to fpend much time in reflection; fo we loaded our fledges to the beft advantage, (but were obliged to throw away fome bags of fhot and ball,) and immediately fet out on our return. In the courfe of the day’s walk we were fortunate enough to kill feveral par- tridges, for which we were all very thankful, as it was the firft 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 in this diftrefs, the Northern Indians were by no means in want ; for as they always walked foremoft, they had NORTHERN OCEAN. 7 had ten times the chance to kill partridges, rabbits, or 1769 . any other thing which was to be met with, than we had. November? Befide this advantage, they had great flocks of flour, oatmeal, and other Englifh proviflons, which they had embezzled out of my flock 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, always reforted to the Northern Indians tents, where they got amply fupplied with proviflons when neither I nor my men had a Angle mouthful, I have great reafon to fufpedt they had a principal hand in the embezzle- ment : indeed, both the man and his wife were capable of committing any crime, however diabolical. This day we had fine pleafant weather for the feafon December of the year : we fet out early in the morning, and arrived lft’ the fame day at Seal River, along which we continued our courfe for feveral days. In our way we killed plenty of partridges, and faw many deer ; but the weather was fo remarkably ferene that the Indians only killed two of the latter. By this time game was become fo plen- tiful, that all apprehenfions of ftarving were laid afide ; and though we were heavily laden, and travelled pretty good days journeys, yet as our fpirits were good, our flrength gradually returned. In our courfe down Seal River we met a firanger, 5ik. a Northern Indian, on a hunting excurflon $ and though he 3 A JOURNEY TO THE 1769. he had not met with any fuccefs that day, yet he kindiy December invited us to his tent, faying he had plenty of venifon at 5tn‘ my fervice ; and told the Southern Indians, that as there were two or three beaver houfes near his tent, he fhould be glad of their affiftance in taking them, for there was only one man and three women at the tent. Though we were at that time far from being in want of provifions, yet we accepted his offer, and fet off with our new guide for his tent, which, by a comparative diftance, he told us, was not above five miles from the place where we met him, but we found it to be nearer fifteen ; fo that it was the middle of the night before we arrived at it. When we drew near the tent, the ufual fignal for the approach of ftrangers was given, by firing a gun or two, which was immediately anfwered by the man at the tent. On our arrival at the door, the good man of the houfe came out, {hook me by the hand, and welcomed us to his tent ; but as it was 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 befl in the houfe. The pipe went round pretty brifkly, and the converfation naturally turned on the treat- ment we had received from Chawchinahaw and his gang ; which was always anfwered by our hoft with, “ Ah! if *c I had been there, it fhould not have been fo!” when, notwithftanding his hofpitality on the prefent occafion, he would NORTHERN OCEAN. 9 would moft alfuredly have adted the fame part as the 1769. others had done, if he had been of the party. December. # Having refrelhed ourfelves with a plentiful fupper, we took leave of our hod for a while, and retired to our tent ; but not without being made thoroughly fen- fible that many things would be expedted from me, before I finally left them. Early in the morning, my Indians aflifted 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 lame night, and voracioufly devoured under the denomination of a feaft. I alfo received from the Indians feveral joints of venifon, to the amount of at lead two deer ; but notwithdanding I was to pay for the whole, I found that Mackachy and his wife got all the prime parts of the meat ; and on my mentioning it to them, there was fo much clanfhip among them, that they preferred making a prefent of it to Mackachy, to felling it to me at double the price for which venifon fells in thofe parts : a fufficient proof of the lingular advantage which a native of this country has over an Englifhman, when at fuch a didance from the Company’s Factories as to depend entirely on them for fubfidence. C Think- IO A JOURNEY TO THE 1769. Thinking I had made my flay here long enough, I December 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 likewife procured fuch a fupply to carry with us, as was likely to laid us to the Fort. gth. Early in the morning we took a final leave of our hofl, and proceeded on our journey homewards. One of the flrangers accompanied us, for which at firfl I could not fee his motive ; but foon after our arrival at the Fadory, 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 eleventh of December, to my own great mortification, and to the no fmall furprife of the Governor, who had placed great confidence in the abilities and conduct of Chawchinahawo CHAR NORTHERN OCEAN, 11 CHAP. II. Tranfa&ions from our arrivals the Fa&ory, to my leaving it again, and during the firftpart of my fecond journey, till I had the misfortune to break the quadrant. Tranfadlions at the FaElory. — Proceed on my fecond journey. — Arrive at Seal River. — Deer plentiful for fome time. — Method of angling ffh under the ice. — Set our fjhing nets. — Method of fetting nets under the ice. — My guide propofes to fay till the geefe began to fy ; his reafons accepted. — Pitch our tent in the bef manner. — Method of pitching a tent in winter. — Fi/h plentiful for fome time ; grow very fcarce ; in great want of provi/ions.— Manner of employing my time. — My guide killed two deer . — Move to the place they were lying at; there kill fcveral more deer , and three beavers. — Soon in want of provifions again . — Many Indians join us from the Wefward. — We begin to move towards the barren ground. — Arrive at She-than-nee , and there fujfer great difrefs for want of provifions.— Indians kill two fwans and three geefe. — Geefe and other birds of pajfage plentiful. — Leave She-than-nee , and arrive at Bcralzone. — One of my companions guns burfs , and fhatters his left hand. — Leave Beralzone , and get on the barren ground , clear of all woods. — Throw away our f edges and flow f:ocs. — Each perfon takes a load on his back ; my part of the luggage. — Expofcd to many hardfhips. — Several days without victuals. — Indians kill three mufk oxen , but for want of fre are obliged to eat the meat raw. — Fine weather returns ; make a fre ; effetfs of long fqfling ; fay a day or two to dry fome meat in the fun. — Proceed to the Northward , and arrive at Cathawhachaga ; there fnd fome tents of Indians.— A Northern leader called Keelchies meets us ; fend a letter by him to the Governor.— Tranfa Elions at Cathawhachaga ; leave it , and proceed to the North- ward.— Meet feveral Indians. — My guide not willing to proceed ; his 12 177 °* » — . — _ February. A JOURNEY TO THE reafons for it . — Many more Indians join us. — Arrive at Doobaunt Whoie River. — Manner of ferrying over rivers in the Northern Indian canoes. — No rivers in thofe parts in a ufeful direction for the natives. — Had nearly lof thy quadrant and all the powder. — Some reflexions on our Jituation , and the conduct of the Indians .—Find the quadrant , and part of the powder. — Obferve for the latitude.. — Quadrant broke . — Refolve to return again to the FaXory. T""\ URING my abfence from Prince of Wales’s Fort on my former journey, feveral Nortkem Indians arrived in great diftrefs at the Faftory, and were employed in fhooting partridges for the ufe of our people at the Fort. One of thofe Indians called Con- ne-e-quefe faid, he had been very near to the famous river I was engaged to go in quell of Accordingly Mr. Norton engaged him and two other Northern Indians to accompany me on this fecond attempt; but to avoid all incumbrances as much as poffible, it was thought advifabie not to 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 Indians, both Northern and Southern, paid fo little attention to libeller and Merriman on my former journey, particularly in times of fcarcity, that 1 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 hardlhips of * This was a propofal of the Governor’s, though he well knew we could not do without their affiftance, both for hauling our baggage, as well as dreffing 4kins for clothing, pitching our tent, getting firing, &c. fuck NORTHERN OCEAN. fuch. an undertaking. Merriman was quite f ck of fuch 177°* excurflons, and fo far from offering his fervice a fecond February, time, feemed to be very thankful that he was once more arrived in fafety among his friends ; for before he got to the Fadlory he had contracted a moft violent cold. Having come to the above refolutions, and finally de- termined on the number of Indians that were to accom- pany us, we were again fitted out with a large fupply of ammunition, and as many other ufeful articles as we could conveniently take with us, together with a fmall fample of light trading goods, for prefents to the Indians,, as before. My inflrudtions on this occafion amounted to no more than an order to proceed as faff as poffible ; and for my condu& during the journey, I was referred to my former inffru&ions of November 6th, 1769. Every thing being in readinefs for our departure, on the twenty-third of February I began my fecond journey, accompanied by three Northern Indians and two of the home-guard (Southern) Indians. I took particular care, however, that Mackachy, though an excellent hunter, fhould not be of our party ; as he had proved himfelf, during my former journey, to be a fly artful villain. The fnow at this time was fo deep on the top of the ramparts, that few of the cannon were to be feen, otherwife *4 A JOURNEY TO THE i77°* otherwife the Governor would have fainted me at my February. departure, as before ; but as thofe honours could not poffibly be of any fervice to my expedition, I readily relinquifhed every thing of the kind ; and in lieu of it, the Governor, officers, and people, infilled on giving me three cheers. After leaving the Factory, we continued our courfe in much the fame direction as in my former journey, till we arrived at Seal River ; when, inllead of eroding it, and walking on the barren grounds as before, we followed the courfe of the river, except in two particular places, where the bends tended fo much to the South, that by eroding two necks of land not more than live or lix miles wide, we faved the walking of near twenty miles each time, and ftill came to the main river again. The weather had been fo remarkably boifterous and changeable, that we were frequently obliged to continue two or three nights in the fame place. To make up for this inconveniency, deer were fo plentiful for the ffifli eight or ten days, that the Indians killed as many as was neceffary ; but we were all fo heavy laden that we could not poffibly take much of the meat with us. This I foon perceived to be a great evil, which expofed us to fuch fre- quent inconveniences, that in cafe of not killing any thing for three or four days together, we were in great want of pro- vidons ; we feldom, however, went to bed entirely fupperlefs till NORTHERN OCEAN. till the eighth of March ; when though we had only walked about eight miles that morning, and expended all the remainder of the day in hunting, we could not pro duce a Angle thing at night, not even a partridge ! nor had we difcerned the track of any thing that day, which was likely to afford us hopes of better fuccefs in the morning. This being the cafe, we prepared fome hooks and lines ready to angle for fifh, as our tent was then by the fide of a lake belonging to Seal River, which feemed by its fttuation to afford fome profpedl of fuccefs. Early in the morning we took down our tent, and moved about five miles to the Weft by South, to a part of the lake that feemed more commodious for fifhing than that where we had been the night before. As foon as we arrived at this place, fome were immediately employed cutting holes in the ice, while others pitched the tent, got firewood, &c. ; after which, for it was early in the morning, thofe who pitched the tent went a hunting, 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 fifth under the ice in winter requires no other procefs, than cutting round holes in the ice from one to two feet diameter, and letting down a baited hook, which is always kept in motion, not only to prevent 55 1770. ' — March 8 th. 9th. it> A JOURNEY TO THE *77°- prevent the water from freezing fo foon as it would do March. if fuffered to remain quite ftill, but becaufe it 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 fifh in thofe parts will take a bait which is in motion, much fooner than one that is at reft. 19th- Early in the morning we again purfued our 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 soth. night caught feveral fine pike. The next day we moved about five miles to the South Weft, down a fmall river, where we pitched our tent ; and having fet four fifhing nets, in the courfe of the day we caught many fine fifh, particularly pike, trout, tittymeg, and a coarfe kind of fifh known in Hudfom’s Bay by the name of Methy*. To fet a net under the ice, it is firft necefiary to afcertain its exad 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 diftance from each other, and as many in number as will be fufficient to ftretch the net at its full length. A line is then paffed under the ice, by means * The Methy are generally caught with a hook and the b.eft time fox that iport is in the night; and if the night be dark, the better. 4 ®f NORTHERN OCEAN. of a long light pole, which is hr ft introduced at one of the end holes, and, by means of two forked flicks, this pole is eaftly conducted, or paffed from one hole to another, under the ice, till it arrives at the laft. The pole is then taken out, and both ends of the line being properly fecured, is always ready for ufe. The net is made faft to one end of the line by one perfon, and hauled under the ice by a fecond ; a large ftone is tied to each of the lower corners, which ferves to keep the net expanded, and prevents it riling from 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 fufticient by the Indians. In order to fearch a net thus fet, the two end holes only are opened ; the line is veered away by one perfon, and the net hauled from under the ice by another ; after all the lilh are taken out, the net is ealily hauled back to its former ftation, and there fecured as before. As this place feemed likely to afford us a conftant fupply of ftlh, 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 : cc 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 D to *7 1770. — w ‘m3 March* i$ A JOURNEY TO THE 1770. *l to the WeftwarcL, that were we to continue travelling March. “ in any tolerable fhelter, our courfe would not be 44 better than Weft South Weft, which would only be 44 going out of our way ; whereas^ if we ftiould remain 44 here till the weather permit us to walk due North, 44 over the barren grounds, we fhall then in one month 44 get farther advanced on our journey, than if we 44 were to continue travelling all the remainder of the 44 winter in the fweep of the woods.” Thefe reafons appeared to me very judicious, and as the plan Teemed 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 neceftary to fearch for a level piece of dry ground ; which cannot be afcertained but by thrufting a ftick through the fnow down to the ground, all over the propofed part. When a convenient fpot is found, the fnow is then cleared away in a circular 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 inha- bitants. A quantity of poles are then procured, which are generally proportioned both in number and length to the 6 lize NORTHERN OCEAN, 19 fee of the tent cloth, and the number of perfons it is in- tended to contain. If one of the poles diould not happen to be forked, two of them are tied together near the top, then raifed ere£, and their buts or lower ends extended as wide as the propofed diameter of the tent ; the other poles are then let round at equal difences from each other, and in fuch order, that their lower ends form a complete circle, which gives boundaries to the tent on all hdes : the tent cloth is then fattened 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 mu ft be underftood that this method is only in ufe when the Indians are moving from place to place every day ; for when they intend to continue any time in one place, they always make the door of their tent to face the South. The tent cloth is ufually of thin Moofe leather, drefled and made by the Indians, and in fhape it nearly refembles a fan-mount inverted ; fo that when the largeft curve inclofes the bottom of the poles, the fmaller one is always fufficient to cover the top ; except a hole, which is dettgnedly left open to ferve the double purpofe of chimney and window. The lire is always made on the ground in the center, and the remainder of the door, or bottom of the tent, is covered all over with final 1 branches of the pine tree, D 2 which 1770. — 1 March. 20 A JOURNEY TO THE 1770. which ferve both for feats and beds. A quantity of ^ March. ^ pine tops and branches are laid round the bottom of the poles on the outfide, 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 by the Southern Indians, and the fame with which I was fur- nifhed at the Fa£tory ; for that made ufe of by the North- ern Indians is made of different materials, and is of a quite different fhape, as fhall be defcribed hereafter. The fituation of our tent at this time was truly plea- fant, particularly for a fpring refidence ; being on a final 1 elevated point, which commanded an extenfive profpeft over a large lake, the fhores of which abounded with wood of different kinds, fuch as pine, larch, birch, and poplar; and in many places was beautifully contrafted with a variety of high hills, that fhewed their fnowy fummits above the tallefl woods. About two hundred yards from the tent was a fall, or rapid, which the fwiftnefs of the current prevents from freezing in the col deft winters. At the bottom of this fall, which empties itfelf into the above lake, was a fine fheet of open water near a mile in length, and at leaft half a mile in breadth ; by the margin of which we had our fifhing nets fet, all in open view from the tent. The NORTHERN OCEAN. 21 The remaining part of this month pafled on without 1770. any interruption, or material occurrence, to difturb our \i^rch'^ repofe, worth relating ; our fifhing nets provided us with daily food, and the Indians had too much philo- fophy 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 fuppofed to have lain heavy on my hands, it may not be improper to inform the reader how I employed it. In the firft place, I em- braced 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 50 57' Weft, from Prince of Wales’s Fort. I then corrected my reckoning from my laft obfervation ; brought up my journal, and filled up my chart, to the place of our refidence. I built alfo fome traps, and caught a few martins ; and by way of faving my ammunition, fet fome fnares for partridges. The former is performed by means of a few logs, fo arranged that when the martin attempts to take away the bait laid for him, he with very little ftruggle pulls down a fmall pofl: that fupports the whole weight of the trap ; when, if the animal be not killed by the weight of the logs, he is confined till he be frozen to death, or killed by the hunter going his rounds. Ta 22 A JOURNEY TO THE 1770. To fnare partridges requires no other procefs than April. making a few little hedges acrofs a creek, or a few fhort hedges projecting at right angles from the fide of an ifland of willows, which thofe birds are found to frequent. Several openings mu ft 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 ufual 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 contri- vance ; which requires no farther attendance than going round them night and morning. » I have already obferved that nothing material happened ,ft. to diflurb our repofe till the firft of April, when to our great furprife the fifhing nets did not afford us a fingle fifh. Though fome of the preceding days had been pretty fuccefsful, yet my companions, like true Indians, feldom went to deep till they had cleared the tent of every article of provifion. As nothing was to be caught in the nets, we all went out to angle ; but in this we were equally unfuccefsful, as we could not procure one fifh the whole day. This fudden change of circumflances 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 NORTHERN OCEAN, 2 3 Early in the morning we arofe ; when my guide Con- 1 77°* ne-e-quefe went a hunting, and the reft attended the nets April, 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 companions, fent them to fteep ; 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 excellent hunter, having for many years been accuftomed to pro- vide for a large family, feemed by far the moft in- duftrious of all my crew ; he clofely purfued his hunt- ing for feveral days, and feldom returned to the tent till after dark, while thofe at the tent pafied moft of their time in fmoking and fleeping. Several days pafted without any ftgns of relief, till the ioth, when my guide continued out longer than ordi- JOtj,e nary, which made us conjecture that he had met with ftrangers, or feen fome deer, or other game, which occa- ftoned his delay. We all therefore lay down to fteep, having had but little refrefhment for the three preceding days, except 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 midnight, to our great 24 1770. S , i ii i ~ 1 mij April. x l th. A JOURNEY TO THE 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 deepers, who, in an inftant, 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 fo in our prefent almoft famifhed condition. After partaking of this refrefhment, we re fumed our reft, and early in the morning fet out in a body for the place where the deer were lying. As we intended to make our ftay but fhort, we left our tent ftanding, con- taining all our baggage. On our arrival at the place of deftination, fome were immediately employed in mak- ing a hut or barrocado with young pine trees ; while one man fkinned 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 glut- tony ; during which the Indians killed five more deer and three fine beavers ; finding at laft, however, that there was little profpeft of procuring either more deer or beavers, we determined to return to our tent, with the remains of what we had already obtained. The fiefh of thefe deer, though none of the largeft, might with frugality have ferved our fmall number, (being only NORTHERN OCEAN. only fix) for fome time ; but my companions, like other Indians, feafted day and night while it lafled ; and were fo indolent and unthinking, as not to attend properly to the fifhing-nets ; fo that many fine fifh, which had been en- tangled in the nets, were entirely fpoiled, and in about twelve or fourteen days we were nearly in as great diftrefs for provifions as ever. During the courfe of our long ina&ivity, Saw-fop-o- kifhac, commonly called Soffop, my principal Southern Indian, as he was cutting fome birch for fpoons, difhes, and other neceflary houfehold furniture, had the misfortune to cut his leg in fuch a manner as to be incapable of walk- ing ; and the other Southern Indian, though a much younger man, was fo indolent as not to be of any fervice to me, except hauling part of our luggage, and eating up part of the provifions which had been provided by the more indufirious part of my companions. On the twenty-fourth, early in the day, a great body of Indians was feen to the South Weft, on the large lake by the fide of which our tent flood. On their arrival at our tent we difcovered them to be the wives and families of the Northern Indian goofe-hunters, who v/ere gone to Prince of Wales’s Fort to attend the feafon. They were bound toward the barren ground, there to wait the re- turn of their hufbands and relations from the Fort, after the termination of the goofe-feafon. E My J 20 A JOURNEY TO THE I77°* April 27 th. My guide having for fome days paft determined to move toward the barren ground, this morning we took down our tent, packed up our luggage, and proceeded to the Eaftward in the fame track we came ; but Soflbp being fo lame as to be obliged to be hauled on a hedge, I eafily prevailed on two of the Indians who had joined us on the 24th, and who were purfuing the fame road, to perform this fervice for him. 29th. After two days good walking in our old track, y/e ar- rived at a part of Seal River called She-than-nee, where we pitched our tent and fet both our Afhing-nets, intend- ing to flay there till the geefe began to fly. Though we had feen feveral fwans and fome geefe flying to the North- 13th. ward, it was the thirteenth of May before we could procure any. On that day the Indians killed two fwans and three geefe. This in fome meafure alleviated our diftrefs, which at that time was very great ; having had no other fubflftence for flve or fix days, than a few cran- berries, that we gathered from the dry ridges where the fnow was thawed away. in fpots; for though we fet our fifbing-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. Many of the Northern Indians, who had joined us on the 24th of April, remained in our company for fome time ; and though I well knew they had had a plentiful winter, and had then good flocks of dried meat by them, and were NORTHERN OCEAN. 27 were alfo acquainted with our diftrefs, they never gave me or my Southern companions the lead: fupply, although they had in fecret amply provided for our Northern guides. By the nineteenth, the geefe, fwans, ducks, gulls, and other birds of paiTage, were fo plentiful, that we killed every day as many as were fufficient for our fupport ; and having flopped a few days to recruit our fpirits alter fo long a fafl, on the twenty -third we began once more to proceed toward the barren ground. Soffop having now perfectly recovered from his late misfortune, every thing feemed to have a favourable appearance ; efpecially as my crew had been augmented to twelve perfons, by the addition of one of my guide’s wives, and five others, whom I had engaged to affifl in carrying our luggage ; and I well knew, from the feafon of the year, that hauling would foon be at an end for the fummer. The thaws having been by this time fo great as to ren- der travelling in the woods almofl impracticable, we con- tinued our courfe to the Eafl on Seal River, about fix teen miles farther, when we came to a fmall river, and a firing of lakes conneded with it, that tended to the North. The weather for feme time was remarkably fine and pleafant. Game of all kinds was exceedingly plentiful, E 2 and 1770. Cmi." 1 - ■ May. 19th. 23d. 23 A JOURNEY TO THE 1770. and we continued our courfe to the Northward on the above river and lakes till the firft of June, when we ar- rived at a place called Beralzone. In our way thither, bedde killing more geefe than was necelfary, we {hot two deer. One of my companions had now the misfor- tune 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 afliftance 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 fhort time he feemed to be out of all danger. 4th. After flopping a few days at Beralzone, to dry a little * venifon and a few geefe, we again proceeded to the North- ward on the barren ground ; for on our leaving this place we foon got clear of all the woods. 5th. The fnow was by this time fo foft as to render walking in fnow-lhoes 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 poflibly 6th. do without them. By the fixth, however, the thaws were fo general, and the fnows fo much melted, that as our fnow-fhoes were attended with more trouble than fervice, ioth. we all confented to throw them away. Till the tenth, our fledges proved ferviceable, particularly in eroding lakes and ponds on the ice ; but that mode of travelling now growing dangerous on account of the great thaws, we 3 determined NORTHERN OCEAN. determined to throw away our fledges, 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 conflfted of the fol- lowing articles, viz. the quadrant and its ftand, 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 flxty pounds, and the exceflive heat of the weather, rendered walking the moll laborious tafk I had ever encountered ; and what confiderably increafed the hardfhip, was the bad- nefs of the road, and the coarfenefs of our lodging, being, on account of the want of proper tents, expofed to the utmofi feverity of the weather. 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 fhoes, and each perfon carried his own (hare. Indeed my guide behaved both negligently and ungene- roufly on this occafion ; 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 a fet for him- felf and his wife ; and when the tent was divided, though he made fhift to get a piece large enough to ferve him for a com.- A JOURNEY TO THE 1 77° • a complete little tent, lie never alked me or my Southern June. Indians to put our heads into it* Befide the inconvenience of being expofed to the open air, night and day, in all weathers, we experienced real difbrefs from the want of vidtuals. When provilions 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 fifh particularly, was as little relifhed by my Southern companions as myfelf. Notwithfianding thefe accumulated and complicated hardfhips, we continued in perfect health and good fpirits; and my guide, though a perfect niggard of his provifions, efpecially in times of fcarcity, gave us the ftrongeft af~ finance of foon arriving at a plentiful country, which would not only afford us a certain fupply of provifions, but where we fhould meet with other Indians, who pro- bably 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 being fo frequently in want. From the twentieth to the twenty-third we walked every day near twenty miles, without any other fubfiftence than 23d. NORTHERN OCEAN. 3i than a pipe of tobacco5 and a drink of water when we pleafed : even partridges and gulls, which fome time before were in great plenty, and eafily procured, were now fo fcarce and fhy, 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 be- fore we faw three miffk-oxen grazing by the flde of a fmall lake. The Indians immediately went in purfuit of them; and as fome 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 fall of rain came on, as to put it quite out of our power to make a fire ; which, even in the fined: weather, could only be made of rnofs, as we were near an hundred miles from any woods. This was poor comfort tor people who had not broke their fad for four or five days. Neceflity, however, has no law; and having been before initiated into the method of eating raw meat, we were the better prepared for this repaid: but this was by no means fo well relifhed, either by me or the Southern Indians, as either raw venifon or raw fifli had been : for the fiefb of the mufk-ox is not only coarfe and tough, but fine! Is and talles fo ftrong of muik as to make it very difagreeable when raw, though it is tolerable eating when properly cooked. The weather continued fo remark- l77 °* I — June. 32 1770. 1 — » m June, A JOURNEY TO THE remarkably bad, accompanied with conftant heavy rain, fnow, and fleet, and our necefiities were fo great by the time the weather permitted us to make a fire, that we had nearly eat to the amount of one buffalo quite raw. Notwithftanding I muftcred up all my philofophy on this occafion, yet I muff confefs that my fpirits began to fail me. Indeed our other misfortunes were greatly aggravated by the inclemency 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 deaths dry, all things feemed likely to go on in the old channel, though that was indifferent enough ; but I endeavoured, like a bailor after a ftorm, to forget paff misfortunes. None of our natural wants, if we except thirff, are fo diftrefling, or hard to endure, as hunger ; and in wan- dering fituations, like that which I now experienced, the hardfhip is greatly aggravated by the uncertainty with re- fpect to its duration, and the means moil proper to be ufed to remove it, as well as by the labour and fatigue we muft neeeffarily undergo for that purpofe, and the difap- pointments which too frequently fruflrate our beft con- certed plans and raoft ftrenuous exertions : it not only enfeebles the body, but depreffes the fpirits, in fpite of NORTHERN OCEAN. .33 every effort to prevent it. Beiides, for want of action, the ffomach fo far lofes its digeffive powers, that after long fail- ing it refumes its office with pain and reludtance. During this journey I have too frequently experienced the dread- ful effects of this calamity, and more than once been re- duced to fo low a Hate by hunger and fatigue, that when Providence threw any thing in my way, my ffomach has fcarcely been able to retain more than two or three ounces, without producing the moil oppreffive pain. Another difagreeable circumftance of long failing is, the extreme difficulty and pain attending the natural evacuations for the firft time; and which is fo dreadful, that of it none but thofe who have experienced can have an adequate idea. To record in detail each day’s fare iince the com- mencement of this journey, would be little more than a dull repetition of the fame occurrences. A fufficient idea of it may be given in a few words, by obferving that it may juilly be faid to have been either all feaft- ing, or all famine : fometimes we had too much, feldom juil enough, frequently too little, and often none at all. It will be only neceffary to fay that we have faffed many times two whole days and nights ; twice upwards of three days ; and once, while at She-than-nee, near feven days, during which we tailed not a mouthful of any thing, except a few cranberries, water, fcraps of old leather, and burnt bones. On thofe preffmg occafions I have frequently feen the Indians examine their wardrobe, F which June, A JOURNEY TO THE which conflfted chiefly of fkin- clothing, and conflder what part could beft be fpared ; fometimes a piece of an old, half-rotten deer fkin, and at others a pair of old fhoes, were facriflced to alleviate extreme hanger. The relation of fuch uncommon hardfhips may perhaps gain little credit in Europe; while thofe who are converfant with the hiftory of Hudfon’s Bay, and who are thoroughly acquainted with the diftrefs which the natives of the country about it frequently endure, may conflder them as no more than the common occurrences of an Indiin life, in which they are frequently driven to the neceflity of eating one another *. Knowing * It is the general opinion of the Southern Indians, that when any of their tribe have been driven to the neceflity of eating human flefh, they become fo 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 repaft but when driven to it by neceflity, yet thole who have made it are not only fhunned, but fo uni- verfally detefled by all who know them, that no Indians will tent with them, and they are frequently murdered flily. I have feen feveral of thofe poor wretches who, unfortunately for them, have come under the above defcrip- tion, and though they were perfons much efteemed before hunger had driven them to this a6t, were afterward fo univerfally defpifed and neglected, that a fmile never graced their countenances : deep melancholy has been feared on their brows, while the eye moft expreffively fpoke the dictates of the heart, and feemed to fay, “ Why do you defpife me for my misfortunes ? the period (t is probably not far diflant, when you may be driven to the like neceflity !” In the Spring of the year 1775, when I was building Cumberland Houfe, an Indian, whofe name was Wapoos, came to the fettlement, at a time when fifteen tents of Indians were on the plantations: they examined him very minutely, and found he had come a confiderable way by himfelf, without a gun, ok ammunition. This made many of them conjecture he had met with, and killed, fome perfon by the way and this was the more eafily credited, from NORTHERN OCEAN. 35 Knowing that our conftant loads would not permit us g/7Q> to carry much provifions with us, we agreed to continue June° a day or two to refresh ourfelves, and to dry a little meat in the fun, as it thereby not only becomes more portable, but is always ready for ufe. On the twenty-fixth, all 26th. that remained of the mufk-ox flefh being properly dried and fit for carriage, we began to proceed on our journey Northward, and on the thirtieth of June arrived 3oth- at a fmall river, called Cathawhachaga, 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 fpearing deer in their canoes, as they eroded the above mentioned little river. Here alfo we met a Northern Indian Leader, or Captain, called Keelfiiies, and a fmall party of his crew, who were bound to Prince of Wales’s Fort, with furs from the care he took to conceal a bag of provifions, which he had brought with him, in a lofty pine-tree near the houfe. Being a ftranger, I invited him in, though I faw he had nothing for trade ; and during that interview, fome of the Indian women examined his bag, and gave it as their opinion that the meat it contained was human flefh : in con- fequence, it was not without the interference of fome principal Indians, whofe liberality of fentiment wras 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 bov/s and arrows ready ; and even the women took poffeffion of the hatchets, to kill this poor inoffenfive wretch, for no crime but that of travelling about two hundred miles by himfelf, unafliftcd by fire-arms for fupport in his journey, F 2 and 36 A JOURNEY TO THE 177 o. and other commodities for trade. When Keelfhies was July. made acquainted with the intent of my journey, he readily offered his fervice to bring me any thing from the Factory that we were likely to hand in need of ; and though we were then in latitude 63° 4/ North, and longitude 70 12' Weft from Churchill, yet he promifed to join us again, at a place appointed by my guide, by the fetting in of the Winter. In confequence of this offer, I looked over our ammunition and other articles ; and finding that a little powder, fhot, tobacco, and a few knives, were likely to be of fervice before the journey could be completed, I determined to fend a letter to the governor of Prince of Wales’s Fort, to advife him of my fttuation, and to deftre him to fend by the bearer a certain quantity of the above articles ; on which Keelfhies and his crew proceeded on their journey for the Factory the fame day. Cathawhachaga was the only river we had feen ftnce the breaking up of the ice that we could not ford ; and as we had not any canoes with us, we were obliged to get ferried acrofs by the ftrange Indians. When we ar- rived on the North fide of this river, where the Indians- refided, my guide propofed to ftop fome time, to dry and pound fome meat to take with us ; to which I readily con- fented. We alfo fet our fifhing-nets, and caught a con- ftderable quantity of very fine fifh ; fuch as tittemeg, barbie, &c. The NORTHERN OCEAN. The number of deer which crofted Cathawhachaga, during our flay there, was by no means equal to our ex * pe&ations, and no more than juft fufficient to fupply our prefent wants ; fo that after waiting feveral days in fruit- lefs expectation, we began to prepare for moving ; and accordingly, on the fxth of July, we fet out, though we had not at that time as much victuals belonging to our company as would furniffi us a fupper. During our ftay here, we had each day got as much fifh or flefh as was fufficient for prefent expenditure ; but, being in hopes of better times, faved none. Before we left Cathawhachaga, I made feveral obfervations for the latitude, and found it to be 63° 4/ North. I alfo brought up my journal, and filled up my chart to that time. Every thing being now ready for our departure, my guide informed me that in a few days a canoe would be abfolutely neceftary, to enable us to crofs fome unford- able rivers which we ffiould meet, and could not avoid. This induced me to purchafe one at the eafy rate of a Engle knife, the full value of which did not exceed one penny. It muft be obferved, that the man who fold the canoe had no farther occafon for it, and was glad to take what he could get ; but had he been thoroughly ac- quainted with our neceffities, he moft afluredly would have had the confcience to have aiked goods to the amount of ten beaver ikins at leaft. T his 37 1770. July. 6th. 7 38 A JOURNEY TO THE i770# This additional piece of luggage obliged me to engage July. another Indian ; and we were lucky enough at that time to meet with a poor forlorn fellow, who was fond of the office, having never been in a much better Rate than that of a beaft of burthen. Thus, provided v/ith a canoe, and a man to carry it, we left Cathawhachaga, as has been obferved, on the fixth of July, and continued our courfe to the North by Weft, and North North Weft; and that night put up by the fide of a fmall bay of White Snow Lake, where we angled, and caught feveral fine trout, fome of which weighed not lefs than fourteen or fixteen pounds. In the night heavy rain came on, which con- 9*- tinued three days ; but the ninth proving fine weather, and the fun ..difplaying his beams very powerfully, we dried our clothes, and proceeded to the Northward. To- ward the evening, however, it began again to rain fo ex- ceffively, that it was with much difficulty we kept our powder and books dry. *7th. On the feventeenth, we faw many mufk-oxen, feveral of which the Indians killed ; when we agreed to ftay here a day or two, to dry and pound * lome of the carcafes to take with us. The fiefh of any animal, when it is thus pre- pared, is not only hearty food, but is always ready for * To prepare meat in this manner, it requires no farther operation than cutting the lean parts of the animal into thin dices, and drying it in the fun, or by a flow fire, till, after beating it between two ttones, it is reduced to a coarfe ufe, powder. NORTHERN OCEAN. 39 ufe, and at the fame time very portable. In moft parts *77°- of Hudfon’s Bay it is known by the name of Thew-hagon, July, but amongft the Northern Indians it is called Achees. Having prepared as much dried flefh as we could trans- port, we proceeded to the Northward ; and at our de- parture left a great quantity of meat behind us, which we could neither eat nor carry away. This was not the firft time we had fo done ; and however waffeful it may appear, it is a practice fo common among all the Indian tribes, as to be thought nothing of. On the twenty-fecond, we met feveral Grangers, whom we joined 22(ja in purfuit of the deer, &c. which were at this time fo plentiful, that we got every day a fufficient number for our fupport, and indeed too frequently killed feveral merely for the tongues, marrow, and fat. After we had been fome time in company with thofe Indians, I found that my guide feemed to hefitate about proceeding any farther ; and that he kept pitching his tent backward and forward, from place to place, after the deer, and the reff of the Indians. On my afking him his reafon for fo doing; he anfwered, that as the year was too far advanced to admit of our arrival at the Copper- mine River that Summer, he thought it more advifable to pafs the Winter with fome of the Indians then in com- pany, and alleged that there could tfe no fear of our ar- riving at that river early in the Summer of one thou- fand feven hundred and feventy-one. As I could not 10 A JOURNEY TO THE 1770. pretend to contradict him, I was entirely reconciled to July. his propofal; and accordingly we kept moving to the Weftward with the other Indians. In a few days, many others joined us from different quarters ; fo that by the 3°th. thirtieth of July we had in all above feventy tents, which did not contain lefs than fix hundred perfons. Indeed our encampment at night had the appearance of a fmall town; and in the morning, when we began to move, the whole ground (at leaft for a large fpace all round) feemed to be alive, with men, women, children, and dogs. Though the land was entirely barren, and deftitute of every kind of herbage, except wilh-a-capucca * and mofs, yet the deer were fo numerous that the Indians not only killed as many as were fufhcient for our large number, but often feveral merely for the fkins, marrow, &c. and left the carcafes to rot, or to be devoured by the wolves, foxes, and other beads of prey. In our way to the Weftward we came to feveral rivers, which, though fmall and of no note, were fo deep as not to be fordable, particularly Doo-baunt River f. On thofe occaftons only, we had recourfe to our canoe, which, though of the common ftze, was too fmall to carry more * Wi(h-a-capucca is the name given by the natives to a plant which is found all over the country bordering on Hudlon’s Bay j and an infufion of it is ufed as tea by all the Europeans fettled in that country. f This river, as well as all others deferving that appellation which I croffed during this part of my journey, ran to the Eaft and North Eaftj and both them and the lakes were perfedtly frelh, and inhabited by fifh that are well known never to frequent fait water. than NORTHERN O G E A N. 41 than two perfons ; one of whom always lies down at full I77°- length for fear of making the canoe top-heavy, and the Xuguft. other {its on his heels and paddles. This method of fer- rying over rivers, though tedious, is the moil expeditious way thefe poor people can contrive ; for they are fome- times obliged to carry their canoes one hundred and fifty, or two hundred miles, without having occaiion to make ufe of them ; yet at times they cannot do without them ; and were they not very fmall and portable, it would be impofiible for one man to carry them, which they are often obliged to do, not only the difiance above mentioned, but even the whole Summer. The perfon I engaged at Cathawhachaga to carry my 6th. canoe proving too weak for the talk, another of my crew was obliged to exchange loads with him, which feerned perfe&ly agreeable to all parties ; and as we walked but fhort days journies, and deer were vpry plentiful, all things went on very fmoothly. Nothing material happened till the eighth, when we were near lofing the quadrant and gth. all our powder from the following circumfiance : the fellow who had been releafed from carrying the canoe proving too weak, as hath been already obferved, had, after the exchange, nothing to carry but my powder and his own trifles ; the latter were indeed very ineonfiderable, not equal in fize and weight to a foldier’s knapfack. As I intended to have a little fport with the deer, and knowing his load to be much lighter than mine, I gave him the quadrant G * and 42 A JOURNEY TO THE 1770. and Hand to carry, which he took without the leaft he(i~ Auguft. tation, or Teeming ill-will. Having thus eafed myfelf for the prefent of a heavy and cumberfome part of my load, I fet out early in the morning with fome of the Indian men ; and after walking about eight or nine miles, faw, from the top of a high hill, a great number of deer feed- ing in a neighbouring valley ; on which we laid down our loads and eredted a flag, as a lignal for the others to pitch their tents there for the night. We then purfued our hunt- ing, which proved very fuccefsful. 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 man who had been entrufted with my powder and quadrant, had fet off another way, with a fmall party of Indians that had been in our company that morning. The evening being far advanced, we were obliged to defer going in fearch of him till the morning, and as his track could not be eafily difcovered in the Summer, the South- ern Indians, as well as myfelf, were very uneafy, fearing we had loft the powder, which was to provide us with food and raiment the remainder of our journey. The very uncourteous behaviour of the Northern Indians then in company, gave me little hopes of receiving affiftance from them, 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 lead morfel of victuals, without afking fomething in exchange, which, in general, was three times the value of what NORTHERN OCEAN. 43 what they could have got for the fame articles, had they car- ried them to the Fadory, though feveral hundred miles diftant. So inconhderate were thofe people, that wherever they met me, they always expe&ed that I had a great affortment of goods to relieve their necellities ; as if I had brought the Company’s warehoufe with me. Some of them wanted guns; all wanted ammunition, iron-work, and tobacco; many were folicitous for medicine ; and others preffed me for different articles of clothing : but when they found I had nothing to fpare, except a few nick-nacks and gew- gaws, they made no fcruple of pronouncing me a tc poor 77°- — v -- ill October. 25th. November x ft. A JOURNEY TO THE to walk fo flow that we might come up with them again; and in two clays we arrived at the place to which we were directed. We went to work immediately in making Snow- Shoe frames and fledges ; but notwithstanding our utmoA endeavours, we could not complete them in lefs than four days. On the firA of November we again proceeded on our journey toward the Fadtory ; and on the Sixth, came up with Matonabbee and his gang : after which we proceeded on together feveral days ; when I found my new acquaint- ance, on all occaflons, the moA fociable, kind, and fenflble Indian I had ever met with. He was a man well known, and, as an Indian, of univerfal knowledge, and gene- rally refpedled. Deer proved pretty plentiful for fome time, but to my great furprife, when I wanted to give Matonabbee a little ammunition for his own ufe, I found that my guide, Con- reaquefe, who had it all under his care, had fo embezzled or otherways expended it, that only ten balls and about three pounds of powder remained ; fo that long before we arrived at the Fort we were obliged to cut up an ice-chiffel into Square lumps, as a fubAitute for ball. It is, however, rather dangerous firing lumps of iron out of fuch flight barrels as are brought to this part of the world for trade. Thefe, though light and handy, and of courfe well adapted for the ufe of both English and Indians in long journies, and of Sufficient Arength for leaden Shot or ball, are not Arong enough for this NORTHERN OCEAN. 57 this kind of fhot ; and ftrong fowling-pieces would not 1770. only be too heavy for the laborious ways of hunting in November, this country, but their bores being fo much larger, would require more than double the quantity of ammunition that fmall ones do ; which, to Indians at leaft, muft be an objed: of no inconfiderable importance. I kept company with Matonabbee till the twentieth, at 2oth. which time the deer began to be fo fcarce that hardly a frefh track could be feen ; and as we were then but a few days walk from the Fort, he advifed me to proceed on with all fpeed, while he and his companions followed, at leifure. Accordingly, on the twenty -fir ft, I fet out 2ifi. poft-hafte, accompanied by one of the home-guard (Southern) Tribe, and three Northern Indians. That night we lay on the South fide of Egg River ; but, long before day-break the next morning, the weather became 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 good woods were near to afford us flicker, we agreed to proceed on our way ; cfpecially as the wind was on our backs, and though the weather was bad near the furface, we could frequently fee the moon, and fome- times the ftars, to dire6i us in our courfe. In this fitua- tion we continued walking the whole day, and it was not till after ten at night that we could find the fmalleft tuft of woods to put up in; for though we well knew we mu ft have palled by feveral hummocks of fhrubby woods I that A JOURNEY TO THE 58 1770. that might have afforded us fome fhelter, yet the wind November. blew fo hard, and the fnow drifted fo exceffively thick, that we could not fee ten yards before us the whole day. Be- tween feven and eight in the evening my dog, a valuable brute, was frozen to death ; fo that his Hedge, 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 pro- ceed any farther that night ; fo we went to work, and made the beft defence againfl the weather that the fitua- tion of the place and our materials would admit. Our labour confided only in digging a hole in the fnow, and fixing a few deer-fkins up to windward of us : but the moil difficult talk v/as that of making a fire. When this was once accompliffied, 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 fymp- tom of the return of fine weather. Alter eating a plentiful fupper of venifon, therefore, of which we had a fufficient flock to laft us to the Fort, we laid down and got a little 23d- fleep. The next day proving fine and clear, though ex- ceffively ffiarp, we proceeded on our journey early in the morning, and at night lay on the South Eaff fide of Seal River. We fhould have made a much longer day’s jour- ney, NORTHERN OCEAN, 59 ney, had we not been greatly embarrafied at fetting out, I77°- by a jumble of rocks, which we could not avoid without November, going greatly out of our way. Here I muft obferve, 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 mu ft unavoidably have been bewildered, if we had not all periffied ; as notwithflanding the advantage of a clear day, and having ufed every pofiible precaution, it was with the utmofi: difficulty that we eroded it without broken limbs.. Indeed it would have been next to an impoffibility to have done it in the night. The twenty-fourth and twenty- fifth proved fine clear 24th. weather, though exceffively cold ; and in the afternoon of 25111. the latter, we arrived at Prince of Wales’s Fort, after having been abfent eight months and twenty-two days, on a fruitlefs, or at lead an unfuccefsful journey. I 2 CHAP. Co A JOURNEY TO THE CHAP. IV. Tranfadtions during our Stay at Prince of Wales’s Fort, and the former Part of our third Expedition, till our Arrival at Clowey, where we built Canoes, in May 1771. Preparations for our departure. — Refufe to take any of the home-guard Indians 'with me. — By fo doing , I offend the Governor. — Leave the Fort a third time. — My inf ructions on this expedition. — Provifons of all kinds very fcarce. — Arrive at the woods , where we kill fome deer. — Ar- rive at If and Lake. — Matonabbee taken ill. — Some remarks thereon. — Join the remainder of the Indians’1 families. — Leave If and Lake. — De- feription thereof- — Deer plentiful . — Meet a f range Indian. — Alter our courfe from Wef North Wef to Wef by South. — Crofs Cathawhachaga River , Coffed Lake , Snow-Bird Lake , and Pike Lake.- — Arrive at a tent of f rangers, who are employed in flaring deer in a pound. — Defcription of the pound. — Method of proceeding. — Remarks thereon. — Proceed on our journey. — Meet with fever al parties of Indians ; by one of whom I fent a Letter to the Governor at Prince of Wales’' s Fort. — Arrive at Fhleweyazayeth. — Employment there.- — Proceed to the North North Wef and North. — Arrive at Clowey. — One of the Indian's wives taken in labour. — Remarks thereon. — Cufoms obferved by the Northern In- dians on thofe occcfons. 1770. K^m*****' —in mmmJ November S8th. 1^1 N my arrival at the Fort, I informed the Governor, of Matonabbee’ s being fo near. On the twenty-eighth of November he arrived. Notwithstanding the many difficulties and hardfhips which I had undergone during my two unfuccefsful attempts, I was fo far from being folicited NORTHERN OCEAN. 6 1 foliated on this occalion to undertake a third excurfion, that I willingly offered my iervice ; which was readily ac- cepted, as my abilities and approved courage, in perJfe- vering 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 correCtnefs of language not commonly met with among Indians, not only pointed out the reafons which had occasioned all our misfortunes in my two former attempts, but defcribed the plan he intended to purfue ; which at the fame time that it was highly Satisfactory to me, did honour to his penetration and judgment ; as it proved him to be a man of extenfive observation with refpedt to times, feafons, and places ; and well qualified to explain every thing that could contribute either to facilitate or re- tard the eafe or progrefs of travelling in thofe dreary parts oF the world. Having engaged Matonabbee, therefore, as my guide, I began to make preparations for our departure; but Mr. Norton, the Governor, having been very fully occupied in trading with a large body oi Indians, it was the Seventh ol December before 1 could obtain from him my difpatches. It may not be improper to obferve, that he again wanted to force Some of the home-guard Indians (who were his I77°* < ' November. December 7 th. 62 A JOURNEY TO THE ^ i770e his own relations *) into our company, merely with a view December, that they might engrofs all the credit of taking care of me * Mr. Norton was an Indian; he was born at Prince of Wales’s Fort, but had been in England nine years, and confidering the fmall fum which was expended in his education, had made forne progrefs in literature. At his re- turn to Hudfon’s Bay he entered into all the abominable vices of his countrymen. He kept for his own ufe live or fix of the fineft Indian girls which he could feledt ; and notwithstanding his own uncommon propenlity to the fair fex, took every means in his power to prevent any European from having inter- courfe with the women of the country ; for which purpofe he proceeded to the moll ridiculous length. To his own friends and country he was fo partial, that he fet more value on, and fhewed more refpedl to one of their favourite dogs, than he ever did to his firft officer. Among his miferable and ignorant countrymen he palled for a proficient in phyfic, and always kept a box of poifon, to adminifter to thofe who refufed him their wives or daughters. With all thefe bad qualities, no man took more pains to inculcate virtue, morality, and continence on others; always painting, in the molt odious co- lours, the jealous and revengeful difpofition of the Indians, when any attempt was made to violate the chaftity of their wives or daughters. Ledlures of this kind from a man of eftabliffied virtue might have had fome effeft ; but when they came from one who was known to live in open defiance of every law, human and divine, they were always heard with indignation, and confidered as the hypocritical cant of a felfiffi debauchee, who wifhed to engrofs every woman in the country to himfelf. Elis 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 generally, for the want of necefifary conveniencies, worfe than a hog-ftye. As he advanced in years hisjealoufy increafed, and he actually poifoned two of his women becaufe Ire thought them partial to other objects more fuitable to their ages. He v/as a moil notorious fmuggler; but though he put many thoufands into the pockets of the Captains, he fcldom put a fhilling into his own. An NORTHERN OCEAN. me during the journey : but I had found them of fo little ufe in my two former attempts, that I abfolutely refufed them; and by fo doing, offended Mr. Norton to fuch a degree, that neither time nor abfence could ever after- wards eradicate his difiike of me ; fo that at my return he ufed every means in his power to treat me ill, and to render my life unhappy. However, to deal with candour on this occafion, it mufc be acknowledged to his honour, that whatever our private animofities might have been, lie did not fuffer them to interfere with public bufinefs ; and I was fitted out with ammunition, and every other article which Matonabbee thought could be wanted. I was alfo furnifhed, as before, with a fmall affortment of light trading goods, as prefents to the far diftant Indians. At laft I fucceeded in obtaining my inftrudfions, which were as follows : An inflammation in his bowels occafioned his death on the 29th of De- cember 1773 ; and though he died in the mod; excruciating pain, he retained his jealoufy to the lad: ; for a few minutes before he expired, happening to fee an officer laying hold of the hand of one of his women who was {landing by the fire, he bellowed out, in as loud a voice as his fituation 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 apofirophe, he expired in the greatefi: agonies that can poffibly be conceived. This I declare to be the real character and manner of life of the late Mr. Mofes Norton. u Orders x77°* tuBM IRHBrMV^MrWUv-W«Sl9 December. 64 A JOURNEY TO THE 1770. k— ■ — December, u Orders Instructions for Mr. Samuel ££ He arne ? going on his third Expedition to the ££ North of Churchill River , in queft of a North ££ Weft Pajfage , Copper Mines , . — March. to prevent their palling on either fide, run ftraight for- ward in the path till they get into the pound. The In- dians then clofe in, and block up the entrance with fome brulhy trees, that have been cut down and lie at hand for that purpofe. The deer being thus enclofed, the women and children walk round the pound, to prevent them from breaking or jumping over the fence, while the men are employed fpearing fuch as are entangled in the fnares, and fhooting with bows and arrows thofe which remain loofe in the pound. This method of hunting, if it deferve the name, is fome- times fo fuccefsful, that many families fubfift by it with- out having occalion 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 Eallward, on the ground which is entirely barren, or at leaft what is fo called in thofe parts, as it neither pro- duces trees or fhrubs of any kind, fo that mofs and fome little grafs is all the herbage which is to be found on it. Such an eafy way of procuring a comfortable main- tenance in the Winter months, (which is by far the word; time of the year,) is wonderfully well adapted to the fup- port of the aged and infirm, but is too apt to occalion a habitual indolence in the young and adtive, who fre- quently fpend a whole Winter in this indolent man- ner : and as thofe parts of the country are almoll def- titute of every animal of the furr kind, it cannot be fup- pofed NORTHERN OCEAN. pofed that thole who indulge themfelves in this indolent method of procuring food can be mailers of any thing for trade ; whereas thofe who do not get their livelihood at fo eafy a rate, generally procure furrs enough during the Winter to purchafe a fufficient fupply of ammunition, and other European goods, to lafl them another year. This is nearly the language of the more induftrious among them, who, of courfe, are of moll importance and value to the Hudfon’s Bay Company, as it is from them the furrs are procured which compofe the greatell part of Churchill trade. But in my opinion, there cannot exifh a llronger proof that mankind was not created to enjoy hap- pinefs in this world, than the conduct of the miferable beings who inhabit this wretched part of it ; as none 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 where food and clothing are procured in this eafy manner, becaufe no animals are produced there whofe furrs are valuable. And what do the more indullrious gain by giving themfelves all this addi- tional trouble ? The real wants of thefe people are few, and eafily fupplied ; a hatchet, an ice-chiffel, a file, and a knife, are all that is required to enable them, with a little indullry, to procure a comfortable livelihood ; and thofe who endeavour to po fiefs more, are always the moil un- happy, and may, in fadt, be faid to be only Haves and carriers to the reft, whofe ambition never leads them to any thing beyond the means of procuring food M and 81 1771. — V— March. 8a A JOURNEY TO THE *77r* h and clothing. It is true, the carriers pride themfelves March. much on the refpedt which is fhewn to them at the Fa&ory ; to obtain which they frequently run great rifques of being ftarved to death in their way thither and back ; and all that they can poftibly get there for the furrs they procure after a year’s toil, feldom amounts to more than is fuflicient to yield a bare fubfiftence, and a few furrs for the enfuing year’s market ; while thofe whom they call indolent and mean-fpirited live generally in a ftate of plenty, without trouble or rifque ; and confequently muft be the moft happy, and, in truth, the moll independent alfo. It mull be allowed that they are by far the greateft philofophers, as they never give themfelves the trouble to acquire what they can do well enough without. The deer they kill, furnifhes them with food, and a variety of warm and comfortable clothing, either with or without the hair, according as the feafons require ; and it muft be very hard indeed, if they cannot get furrs enough in the courfe of two or three years, to purchafea hatchet, and fuch other edge-tools as are neceffary for their purpofe. In- deed, thofe who take no concern at all about procuring furrs, have generally an opportunity of providing them- felves with all their real wants from their more induftrious countrymen, in exchange for proviftons, and ready-drefled Heins for clothing. It is undoubtedly the duty of every one of the Com- pany’s fervants to encourage a fpirit of induftry among the NORTHERN OCEAN. the natives, and to life every means in their power £6 in- *771. duce them to procure furrs and other commodities for trade, by alluring them of a ready purchafe and good payment for every thing they bring to the Factory : and I can truly fay, that this has ever been the grand objedt of my at- tention. But I mud; at the fame time confefs, that fuch conduct is by no means for the real benefit of the poor Indians ; it being well known that thofe who have the leaf!: intercourfe with the Factories, are by far the happieft. As their whole aim is to procure a comfortable fubfiftence, they take the moft prudent methods to accomplifh it ; and by always following the lead of the deer, are feldom ex- pofed to the griping hand of famine, fo frequently felt by thofe who are called the annual traders. It is true, that there are few of the Indians, whofe manner of life I have juft defcribed, but have once in their lives at leaft vifited Prince of Wales’s Fort ; and the hardfhips and dangers which moft of them experienced on thofe occafions, have left fuch a lafting impreftion on their minds, that nothing can induce them to repeat their vifits : nor is it, in fadt, 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 Ikins, and that only once in two or three years, ftiould be invited to the Factories ; becaufe what they beg and fteal while there, is worth, in the way of trade, three times the quantity of furrs which they bring. For this reafon, it is much more for the intereft of the Company that the an- M 2 nual nual traders fhould buy up all thofe fmall quantities of furrs, and bring them in their own name, than that a parcel of beggars fhould be encouraged to come to the Factory with fcarcely as many furrs as will pay for the vi duals they eat 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 Win- ter, collect a vaft 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 fpe- culators, that the deer fkins at that feafon 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 fltuation of thofe pounds from the Company’s Factories, muft for ever be an unfur mountable barrier to the Indians bringing any of thofe fkins to trade. The fame obfervation may be made of all the other Northern Indians, whofe chief fupport, the whole year round, is venifon ; but the want of heavy draught in Winter, and water-carriage in Summery will not permit them to bring many deer fkins 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 In- dians whom we met on Pike Lake, and in the morning of the fourth, proceeded to crofs the remainder of that Lake ; NORTHERN OCEAN. Lake ; but, though the weather was fine, and though 1 771 • the Lake was not more than twenty-feven miles broad at March, the place where we croffed it, yet the Indians loft fo much time at play, that it was the feventh before we arrived on 7th' the Weft fide of it. During the whole time we were eroding it, each night we found either points of land, or iflands, to put up in. On the eighth, we lay a little to 8th» the Eaft North Eaft of Black Bear Hill, where the In- dians killed two deer, which were the firft we had feen for ten days ; but having plenty of dried meat and fat with us, we were by no means in want during any part of that time. On the ninth, we proceeded on our courfe 9th* 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 na- turally abated, fo that at times we had line pleafant weather over-head, 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 fheltered from all the cold winds. On the nineteenth, as we were continuing our courfe to i9th„ the Weft and Weft by South, we faw the tracks of feveral ftrangers ; and on following the main path, we arrived that night at five tents of Northern Indians, who had re- fided there great part of the Winter, fnaring deer in the fame manner as thofe before mentioned. Indeed, it fhould feeni 86 I77I* March. 20th. 23d. 26th. A JOURNEY TO THE Teem that this, as well as fome other places, had been frequented more than once on this occafion ; for the wood that had been cut down for fewel, and other ufes, was almoft incredible. Before morning, the weather became fo bad, and the fiorm continued to rage with Each violence, that we did not move for feveral days ; and as fome of the Indians we met with at this place were going to Prince of Wales’s Fort in the Summer, I embraced the opportunity of fending by them a Letter to the Chief at that Fort, agreeably to the tenor of my inftru&ions. By fumming up my courfes and diftances from my laft obfervation, for the weather at that time v/ould not permit me to obferve, I judged myfelf to be in latitude 6i° 30' North, and about 190 6o' of longi- tude 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 mo- derate, 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, wdio were employed in the fame manner as thofe we had formerly met ; but fome of them having had bad fuccefs, and being relations or ac- quaintances of part of my crew, joined our company, and proceeded with us to the WefKvard. Though the deer did not then keep regular paths, fo as to enable the In- dians to catch them in pounds, yet they were to be met 2 with NORTHERN OCEAN. with in great abundance in fcattered herds ; To that my I77I* companions killed as many as they pleafed with their March, guns. We ftiil continued our courfe to the Weft and Weft by APril 1 8th. South, and on the eighth of April, arrived at a fmall Lake, called Thelewey-aza-yeth ; but with what propriety it is fo called I cannot difcover, for the meaning of Thelewey-aza-yeth is Little FifhHill: probably fo called from a high hill which ftands on a long point near the Weft end of the Lake. On an iftand in this Lake we pitched our tents, and the Indians finding deer very nu- merous, determined to ftay here fome time, in order to dry and pound meat to take with us ; for they well knew, by the feafon of the year, that the deer were then draw- ing out to the barren ground, and as the Indians propofed to walk due North on our leaving the Lake, it was un- certain when we fhould again meet with any more. As feveral Indians had during the Winter joined our party, our number had now increafed to feven tents, which in the whole contained not lefs than feventy perfons. Agreeably to the Indians’ propofals we remained 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 fquare, and feven or eight feet long. Thefe ferve as tent-poles all the Summer, while 88 A JOURNEY TO THE 1771. while on the barren ground ; and as the fall advances, are April. converted into fnow-fhoe frames for Winter ufe. Birch- rind, together with timbers and other wood- work for building canoes, were alfo another object 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 diftant,) all the wood-work was reduced to its pro- per fize, for the fake of making it light for carriage. As to myfelf, I had little to do, except to make a few obfervations 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° 3 o' North, and its longitude, by my account, 190 Weft of Prince of Wales’s Fort. r8th. Having a gGod ftock of dried provifions, and mo ft of the necefiary work for canoes all ready, on the eighteenth we moved about nine or ten miles to the North 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 grenadiers. He prided himfelf much in the height and ftrength of his wives, and would frequently fay, few women would carry or haul heavier loads ; and though they had, in general, a very maf- culine appearance, yet he preferred them to thofe of a more NORTHERN OCEAN. more delicate form and moderate ftature. In a country like this, where a partner in exceflive hard labour is the chief motive for the union, and the fofter endearments of a conjugal life are only conftdered as a fecondary objedt, 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 ftature, and many of them of a moft delicate make, though not of the exadteft proportion, or moft beautiful mould ? Take them in a body, the women are as deftitute of real beauty as any nation I ever faw, though there are fome few of them, when young, who are tolerable ; but the care of a family, added to their con- ftant hard labour, foon make the moft beautiful among them look old and wrinkled, even before they are thirty ; and feveral of the more ordinary ones at that age are perfedt antidotes to love and gallantry. This, however, does not render 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. Afk a Northern Indian, what is beauty ? he we will anfwer, a broad flat face, fmall eyes, high cheek- bones, three or four broad black lines a-crofs each cheek, a low forehead, a large broad chin, a clumfy hook-nofe, a tawney hide, and breafts hanging down to the belt. Thofe beauties are greatly heightened, or at leaft rendered more valuable, when the pofleftor is capable of drefling all kinds of {kins, converting them into the different parts N of 89 1771. — — mj April. 90 A JOURNEY TO THE 1771. of their clothing, and able to carry eight or ten * flone April. in Summer, or haul a much greater weight in Winter. T-hefe, and other fimilar accomplishments, are all that are fought after, or expended, of a Northern Indian woman. As to their temper, it is of little confequence ; for the men have a wonderful facility in making the moil flub bom comply with as much alacrity as could pofiibly be expedted from thofe of the mil deft and moft obliging turn of mind; fo that the only real difference is, the one obeys through fear, and the other complies cheerfully from a willing mind; both knowing that what is commanded mu ft be done. They are, in fadt, all kept at a great diftance, and the rank they hold in the opinion of the men cannot be better expreffed or explained, than by obferving the method of treating or ferving them at meals, which would appear very humi- liating, to an European woman, though cuftom makes it fit light on thofe whofe lot it is to bear it. It is neceffary to obferve, that when the men kill any large beaft, the women are always fent to bring it to the tent: when it is brought there, every operation it undergoes, fuch as fplit> ting, drying, pounding, &c. is performed by the women. When any thing is to be prepared for eating, it is the women who cook it ; and when it is done, the wives and daughters of the greatefl Captains in the country are never ferved, till all the males, even thofe who are in the capacity of fervants, have eaten what they think proper * * The flone here meant is fourteen pounds. and NORTHERN OCEAN. and in times of fcarcity it is frequently their lot to be left 1771. without a fingle morfel. It is, however, natural to think April, they take the liberty of helping themfelves in fecret ; but this muff be done with great prudence, as capital em- bezzlements of provifions in fuch times are looked on as affairs of real confequence, and frequently fubje6t them to a very fevere beating. If they are pra&ifed by a woman whofe youth and inattention to domeflic concerns cannot plead in her favour, they will for ever be a blot in her character, and few men will chufe to have her for a wife. Finding plenty of good birch growing by the fide of Theley-aza River, we remained there for a few days, in order to complete all the wood-work for the canoes, as well as for every other ufe for which we could poflibly want it on the barren ground, during our Summer’s cruife. On the twentieth, Matonabbee fent one of his 2oth, brothers, and fome others, a-head, with birch-rind and wood-work for a canoe, and gave them orders to proceed to a fmall Lake near the barren ground called Clowey, where they were defired to make all poflible hade in build- ing the canoe, that it might be ready on our arrival. Flaring finifned fuch wood-work as the Indians thought would be neceffary, and having augmented our flock of dried meat and fat, the twenty- fir ft was appointed for moving ; but one of the women having been taken in labour, and it being rather an extraordinary cafe, we N 2 were 92 A JOURNEY TO THE 1771. V— , April. were detained more than two days. The inftant, how- ever, the poor woman was delivered, which was not until {he had fuffered all the pains ufually felt on thofe occafions for near fifty-two hours, the fignal was made formoving when the poor creature took her infant on her 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,) fhe was obliged to carry 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 ftie endured, infomuch that although fhe was a perfon I greatly difliked, her dif- trefs at this time fo overcame my prejudice, that I never felt more for any of her fex in my life ; indeed her fighs pierced me to the foul, and rendered me very miferable, as it was not in my power to relieve her. When a Northern Indian woman is taken in labour, a fmall tent is ere&ed for her, at fuch a diftance from the other tents that her cries cannot eafily be heard, and the other women and young girls are her conftant vifitants : no male, except children in arms, ever offers to approach her. It is a circumftance perhaps to be la- mented, that thefe people never attempt to affift each other on thofe occafions, even in the moft critical cafes. This is in fome meafure owing to delicacy, but more pro- bably to an opinion they entertain that nature is abun- / NORTHERN OCEAN. 93 dandy fufficient to perform every thing required, without any external help whatever. When I informed them of the afliftance which European women derive from the fkill and attention of our midwives, they treated it with the utmoft contempt; ironically obferving, “ that April. 94 A JOURNEY TO THE 1771- taken from fome part or property of a Martin; fuch April. as, the White Martin, the Black Martin, the Summer Martin, the Martin’s Head, the Martin’s Foot, the Martin’s Heart, the Martin’s Tail, &c. * 23d, On the twenty-third, as I hinted above, we began to move forward, and to fhape our courfe nearly North; but the weather was in general fo hot, and fo much fnow had, in confequence, been melted, as made it bad walking in fnow-fhoes, and fuch exceeding heavy hauling, that it ^ was the third of May before we could arrive at Clowey, though the diftance was not above eighty-five miles from Thelewey-aza-yeth. In our way we eroded part of two fmall Lakes, called Tittameg Lake and Scartack Lake ; neither of which are of any note, though both abound with fine fifh. * Matonabbee had eight wives, and they were all called Martins. C FI A P , NORTHERN OCEAN. 95 CHAP. V. Tranfadtions at Clowey, and on our Journey, till our Arrival at the Copper-mine River. Several f range Indians join us . — Indians employed building canoes ; de- feription and ufe of them. — More Indians join us , to the amount of fome hundreds. — Leave Clowey. — Receive intelligence that Keelfoies was near us. — Two young men difpatched for my letters and goods. — • Arrive at Pefoew Lake ; crofs part of it, and make a large fmoke. — ■ One of Matonabbee' s wives elopes. — Some remarks on the natives.- — Keel- t hies joins us, and delivers my letters, but the goods were all expended \ — A Northern Indian wifies to take one of Matonabbee’ s wives from him ; matters compromifcd, but had like to have proved fatal to my progrefs. — Crofs Pefhew Lake, when I make proper arrangements for the remainder of my journey. — Many Indians join our parly, in order to make war on the Efquimaux at the Copper River. — Preparations made for that purpofe while at Clowey.— Proceed on our journey to the North. — Some remarks on the way. — Crofs Cogead Lake on the ice . — - The Sun did not fet. — Arrive at Congecathawhachaga. — Find fever al Copper Indians there. — Remarks and tranf actions during our fay at Congecathawhachaga. — Proceed on our journey. — Weather very bad.- — Arrive at the Stoney Mountains. — Some account of them.— Grefs part of Buffalo Lake on the ice. — Saw many mufk-oxen. — Defcr'iption of them. — Went with fome Indians to view Grizzle-bear Hill.— Join a fra?ige Northern Indian Leader, called O' lye, in company with fome Copper Indians. — Their behaviour to me. — Arrive at the Copper-mine River. THE Lake Clowey is not much more than twelve miles broad in the wided part. A fmall river which runs into it on the V/ed fide, is faid by the Indians to join the Athapufcow Lake, 96 A JOURNEY' TOi THE 1771- f On our arrival at Clowey on the third of May, we May found that the Captain’s brother, and thofe who were fent 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 leaf! 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 procured a plentiful livelihood by fnaring deer, in the manner which has been already de- fer i bed. Immediately after our arrival at Clowey, the Indians began to build their canoes, and embraced every conve- nient opportunity for that purpofe : but as warm and dry weather only is fit for this bufinefs, which was by no means the cafe at prefent, it was the eighteenth of May before the canoes belonging to my party could be com- pleted. On the nineteenth we agreed to proceed on our journey ; but Matonabbee’s canoe meeting with fome damage, which took near a whole day to repair, we were \ detained till the twentieth. Thofe veffels, though made of the fame materials with the canoes of the Southern Indians, differ from them both in fhape and conftru&ion ; they are alfo much fmaller and lighter, jftth. jpth. 20th. NORTHERN OCEAN. lighter ; and though very flight and Ample in their con- ftrudtion, are neverthelefs the beft that could poflibly be May. contrived for the ufe of thofe poor people, who are fre- quently obliged to carry them a hundred, and fometimes a hundred and fifty miles at a time, without having occa- Aon to put them into the water. 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 killing fwans, geefe, ducks, &c. in the moulting feafon. All 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, conAft of a hatchet, a knife, a Ale, 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 excelled by the moft expert mechanic, aflifled with every tool he could wifh. In fhape the Northern Indian canoe bears fome refem- blance to a weaver’s fhuttle ; being flat-bottomed, with ftraight upright Ades, and fharp at each end ; but the ftcra is by far the wide A: part, as there the baggage is generally laid, and occaAonally a fecond perfon, who always lies down at full length in the bottom of the canoe. In this man- ner they carry one another acrofs rivers and the narrow O parts 98 A JOURNEY TO THE 1 7 7 1 • parts of lakes in thofe little veffels, which feldom exceed May. twelve or thirteen feet in length, and are from twenty inches to two feet broad in the wideft part. The head, or fore part, is unneceffarily long, and narrow ; and is all covered over with birch-bark, which adds conlider- ably to the weight, without contributing to the burthen of the veffel. In general, thefe Indians make ufe of the lingle paddle, though a few have double ones, like the Efquimaux : the latter, however, are feldom ufed, but by thofe who lie in wait to kill deer as they crofs rivers and narrow lakes *. During our flay at Clowey we were joined by upward of two hundred Indians from different quarters, mofl of whom built canoes at this place ; but as I was under the protection of a principal man, no one offered to moleff * See Plate IV. where Fig. A reprefents the bottom of the canoe, Fig. B being the fore -part. Fig. C is the complete frame of one before it is covered with the bark of the birch-tree : it is reprefented on an artificial bank, which the natives raife to build it on. Fig. D is an end-view of a fet of timbers, bent and lafhed in their proper fhape, and left to dry. Fig. E is the repre- fentation of a complete canoe. Fig. F reprefents one of their paddles. Fig. G a fpear with which they kill deerj and Fig. H, their mode of carrying the canoe. The following references are to the feveral parts of the canoe : Fig. C. i. The ftem. i. The ftern-poft. 3. Two forked fticks fupporting the Item and ftern-poft. 4. The gunwales. 5. Small rods placed between the timbers and birch-back that covers them. 6. The timbers. 7. Thekeelfon. 8. Large ftones placed there to keep the bottom fteady till the Tides are fewed on. me. NORTHERN OCEAN. 99 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 htuation ; which was, that I had not, by any means, fufficient neceffaries for myfelf, much lefs to give away. The few goods which I had with me were intended to be referved for the Copper and Dog- ribbed Indians, who never vifit the Company’s Fadories. Tobacco was, however, always given away ; for every one of any note, who joined us, expeded to be treated with a few pipes, and on fome occafions it was fcarcely pofiible to get off without prefenting a few inches * to them ; which, with the conftant fupplies which I was obliged to furnifh my own crew, decreafed that article of my flock fo faff, that notwithftanding I had yet advanced fo fmall a part of my journey, more than one half of my (lore was expended. Gun-powder and {hot alfo were articles commonly alked for by molt of the Indians we met ; and in general thefe were dealt round to them with a liberal hand by my guide Ma- tonabbee. I muff, however, do him the juflice to ac- knowledge, that what he diftributed was all his own, which he had purchafed at the Fadory; to my certain knowledge he bartered one hundred and fifty martins’ ftdns for powder only ; befides a great number of beaver, and other furrs, for fhot, 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 * The tobacco ufed in Hudfon’s Bay is the Brafil tobacco ; which is twilled into the form of a rope, of near an inch diameter, and then wound into a large roll j from which it is taken by meafures of length, for the natives. O 2 1771. May, his ICO A JOURNEY TO THE r77r. L- — J his opinion, fufficient for our fupport during our journey out and home. May Matonabbee’s canoe having been repaired, on the twen- tieth we left Clowey, and proceeded Northward. That morning a fmall gang of Grangers joined us, who informed my guide, that Captain Keelfhies was within a day’s walk to the Southward. Keelfhies was the man by whom 1 had fent a letter to Prince of Wales’s Fort, from, Catha- whachaga, in the beginning of July one thoufand feven hundred and feventy ; but not long after that, having the misfortune to break my quadrant, I 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 ffnce that time. As Matonabbee was dehrous that I fhould receive my letters, and alfo the goods I had written for, he difpatched two of his young men to bring them. We continued 2 ut. our journey to the Northward ; and the next day faw feveral large fmokes at a great diffaoce to the Eaffward on the barren ground, which were fuppofed to be made by fome parties of Indians bound to Prince of Wales’s Fort with furrs and other commodities for trade. 2-2d. On the twcnty-fecond and twenty-third, we proceeded to the North, at the rate of fourteen or fifteen miles -day; and in the evening of the latter, got clear of all tae a- NORTHERN OCEAN. ioi die woods, and lay on the barren ground. The fame evening the two young men who were fent for my let- ters, See. returned, and told me that Keelfhies had pro- mifed to join us in a few days, and deliver the things to me with his own hand. The twenty-fourth proved bad and rainy weather, fo that we only walked about feven miles, when finding a few blafted flumps of trees, we pitched our tents. It was well we did fo, for toward night we had excefilvely 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, however, the wind veered round to the North Weft, and the weather became intenfely cold and frofty. 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 flumps, as we had done the day before, which ferved us for fewel. The * I have obferved, during my feveral journies in thofe parts, that all the way 10 the North of Seal River the edge of the wood is faced with old withered ftumps, and trees which have been blown down by the wind. They are moftly of the fort which is called here. Juniper, but. were feldom of any confiderable fize- Thofe blafted trees are found in. forme parts to extend to the diftance of twenty miles from the living woods, and detached patches of them are much farther off j which is a proof that. the cold has been increafing in thofe parts for fome ages. Indeed, fome of the older Northern Indians have allured me„ that they, have heard their fathers and grandfathers fay, they remembered the greateft part of thofe places where the trees are now blafted and dead, in a flourifhing 1 77 1 * in — y — i m,^ May. 24 dm ' 102 ♦ A JOURNEY TO THE 1771. The weather on the twenty- flxth was fo bad, with fnow May and thick drifting fleet, that we did not move ; but the 27th! 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 Pefhew Lake *. We then faw a fmoke to the South- ward, which we judged to be made by Keelfhies, fo we put up for the night by the fide of the above-mentioned Lake, where I expected we fhould have waited for his 28th. arrival ; but, to my great furprize, on the morrow we again fet forward, and walked twenty-two miles to the Northward on Pefhew Lake, and in the afternoon pitched our tents on an ifland, where, by my defire, the Indians made a large fmoke, and propofed to ftay a day or two for Captain Keelfhies. In the night, one of Matonabbee’s wives and another woman eloped : it was fuppofed they went off to the Eaftward, in order to meet their former hufbands, from flourifhing ftate ; and that they were remarkable for abounding with deer. It is a well-known fa£t, that many deer are fond of frequenting thofe plains where the juniper trees abound near barren grounds, particularly in fine wea- ther during the Winter; but in heavy gales of wind they either take lhelter in the thick woods, or go out on the open plains. The Indians, who never want a reafon for any thing, fay, that the deer quit the thin ftraggling woods during the high winds, becaufe the nodding of the trees, when at a confiderable dif- tance from each other, frightens them; but in the midft of a thick foreft, the conftant ruftling of the branches lulls them into fecurity, and renders them an eafy prey to a fkilful hunter. * Probably the fame with Partridge Lake in the Map. 2 whom NORTHERN OCEAN. 103 whom they had been fometime before taken by force. I77I* This affair made more noife and buftle than I could May. have fuppof d ; and Matonabbee feemed entirely difcon- certed, and quite inconfolable for the lofs of his wife. She was certainly by far the handfomefl of all his flock, of a moderate flze, and had a fair complexion ; Aie ap- parently poffeffed a mild temper, and very engaging man- ners. In fadt, fhe feemed to have every good quality that could be expedted in a Northern Indian woman, and that could render her an agreeable companion to an inhabit- ant of this part of the world. She had not, however, appeared happy in her late fltuation ; and chofe rather to be the foie wife of a fprightly young fellow of no note, (though very capable of maintaining her,) than to have the feventh or eighth fhare of the affedtion of the greateft man in the country. I 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 ac- tually ftabbed the hufband of the above-mentioned girl in three places ; and had it not been for timely afliflance, would certainly have murdered him, for no other reafon than becaufe the poor man had fpoken difrefpedlfully of him for having taken his wife away by force. The cool deliberation with which Matonabbee committed this bloody adlion, convinced me it had been a long premeditated de- flgn ; for he no fooner heard of the man’s arrival, than he opened one of his wives’ bundles, and, with the greateft compofure. compofure, took out a new long box-handled knife, went into the man’s tent, and, without any preface whatever, took him by the collar, and began to execute his horrid defign. The poor man anticipating his danger, fell on his face, and called for affftance ; but before any could be had he received three wounds in the back. For- tunately for him, they all happened on the fhoulder-blade, fo that his life was fpared. When Matonabbee returned to his tent, after committing this horrid deed, he fat down as compofedly as if nothing had happened, called for water to wadi his bloody hands and knife, fmoked his pipe as ufual, feemed to be perfectly at eafe, and afked if I did not think he had done right ? It has ever been the cuftom among thofe people 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 ftronger man thinks worth his notice : for at any time when the wives of thofe ftrong wrefllers are heavy-laden either with furrs or provisions, they make no fcruple of tearing any other man’s wife from his bofom, and making her bear a part of his luggage. This cuftom prevails throughout all their tribes, and caufes a great fpirit of emulation among their youth, who are upon all occahons, from their childhood, trying their ftrength and /kill in wreftling. This enables them to protect their property, and particularly their wives, from NORTHERN OCEAN. from the hands of thofe powerful ravifhers ; fome of whom make almoft a livelihood by taking what they pleafe from the weaker parties, without making them any return. Indeed, it is reprefented as an adt of great generality, if they condefcend to make an unequal exchange ; as, in general, abufe and infult are the only return for the lofs which is fuftained. The way in which they tear the women and other pro- perty 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 ren- contres ; the whole bufinefs confifts in hauling each other about by the hair of the head ; they are feldom known either to ftrike 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 privately; and it is fometimes truly laughable, to lee one of the parties ftrutting 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 greafed ears, rulh on his anta- gonill, feize him by 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 frequent 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 P feize lOjT I77I* L— May. io6 1771. May. A JOURNEY TO THE feize each other about the waift, with legs wide extended* and try their ftrength, by endeavouring to vie who can firft throw the other down. On thefe wreftling occafions the ftanders-by never at- tempt 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 con- teft, may,, in fa Near the water’s edge there is fome wood ; but not one tree grows on or near the top of the hills 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 years ago, and, in con- fequence, there is at prefent ten flicks lying on the ground, for one green one which is growing befide them. The whole timber appears to have been, even in its greatefl pro- fperity, of fo crooked and dwarfifh a growth as to render it of little ufe for any purpofe but fire-wood. Soon after our arrival at the river-fide, three Indians were fent off as fpies, in order to fee if any Efquimaux were inhabiting the river-fide between us and the fea. After walking about three quarters of a mile by the fide of the river, we put up, when mofl of the Indians went a 3 NORTHERN OCEAN. *47 hunting, and killed feveral mufk-oxen and forne 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 itfelf, I was at a lofs to account for this unufual ceconomy of my companions; but was foon in- formed, that thofe preparations were made with a view to have victuals 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 fhould be near at hand, and give them an opportunity of efcaping. Early in the morning of the fifteenth, we fet out, when t$th. I 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- tween it and the fea being entirely barren hills and wide open marfhes. In the courfe of this day’s furvey, I found the river as full of fhoals as the part which I had feen before ; and in many places it was fo greatly diminifhed in its width, that in our way we paffed by two more capital falls. *77** Early in the morning of the fixteenth, the weather i<5th> being fine and pleafant, I again proceeded with my fur- « vey, and continued it for ten miles farther down the river; U 2 but 4S* A JOURNEY TO THE 1771* but ftill found it the fame as before, being every where July. full of falls and fhoals. At this time ut 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 weft fide of the river. The fituation, they faid, was very convenient for furprifing them ; and, according to their account, I judged it 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 immediately engaged in planning the beft method of attack, and how they might fteal on the poor Efquimaux the enfuing night, and kill them all while afleep. To accomplifh this bloody defign more effectually, the Indians thought it neceffary to crofs the river as foon as poftible ; and, by the account of the fpies, it appeared that no part was more convenient for the pur- pofe than that where we had met them, it being there very fmooth, and at a confiderable diftance from any fall. Accordingly, after the Indians had put all their guns, fpears, targets, & c. in good order, we crofted the river, which took up fome time. When we arrived on the Weft fide of the river, each painted the front of his target or fhield ; fome with the figure of the Sun, others with that of the Moon, feveral with different kinds of birds and beafts of prey, and many with the images of imaginary beings, which, accord- ing NORTHERN OCEAN. U9 mg to their filly notions, are the inhabitants of the different elements. Earth, Sea, Air, &c. r77T* July. On enquiring the reafon of their doing fo, I learned that each man painted his fhield with the image of that being on which he relied mod: for fuccefs in the intended en- gagement. Some were contented with a (ingle reprefent- ation ; while others, doubtful, as I fuppofe, of the quality and power of any (ingle being, had their fhields covered to the very margin with a group of hieroglyphics quite unintelligible to every one except the painter. Indeed, from the hurry in which this bulinefs was neceffarily done, the want of every colour but red and black, and the deficiency of (kill in the artid, mod of thofe paintings had more the appearance of a number of accidental blotches, than u of any thing that is on the earth, or in “ the water under the earth and though fome few of them conveyed a tolerable idea of the thing intended, yet even thefe were many degrees worfe than our country (ign- paintings in England. When this piece of fuperdition was completed, we be- gan to advance toward the Efquimaux tents ; but were very careful to avoid eroding any hills, or talking loud, for fear of being feen or overheard by the inhabitants ; by which means the didance was not only much greater than it otherwife would have been, but, for the fake of keeping in the lowed grounds, we were obliged to walk through 2 entire * ISO 1771. July, A JOURNEY TO THE entire fwamps of ftiff marly clay, fometimes up to the knees. Our courfe, however, on this occalion, though very Terpentine, was not altogether To remote from the river as entirely to exclude me from a view of it the whole way : on the contrary, feveral times (according to the iituation of the ground) we advanced fo near it, as to give me an opportunity of convincing myfelf that it was as unnavigable as it was in thofe parts which I had fur- veyed before, and which entirely correfponded with the accounts given of it by the fpies. It is perhaps worth remarking, that my crew, though an undifciplined rabble, and by no means accuftomed to war or command, feemingly adled on this horrid occaiion with the utmofh uniformity of fentiment. There was not among them the lead altercation or feparate opinion ; all were united in the general caufe, and as ready to follow where Matonabbee led, as he appeared to be ready to lead, according to the advice of an old Copper Indian, who had joined us on our firfl arrival at the river where this bloody bufinefs was fird propofed. Never was reciprocity of intered more generally regarded among a number of people, than it was on the prefent occaiion by my crew, for not one was a moment in want of any thing that another could fpare ; and if ever the fpirit of dihntereded friendfhip expanded the heart of a Northern Indian, it was here exhibited in the mod ex- tenilve NORTHERN OCEAN. tenfive meaning of the word. Property of every kind that could be of general ufe now ceafed to be private, and every one who had any thing which came under that de- fcription, feemed proud of an opportunity of giving it, or lending it to thofe who had none, or were mod: in want of it. The number of my crew was fo much greater than that which five tents could contain, and the warlike manner in which they were equipped fo greatly fuperior to what could be expected ol the poor Efquimaux, that no lefs than a total maflacre of every one of them was likely to be the cafe, unlefs Providence fhould work a miracle for their deliverance. The land was fo fituated that we walked under cover of the rocks and hills till we were within two hundred yards of the tents. There we lay in ambufh for fome time, watching the motions of the Efquimaux ; and here the Indians would have advifed me to flay till the fight was over, but to this I could by no means confent ; for I con- fidered that when the Efquimaux came to be furprifed, they would try every way to efcape, and if they found me alone, not knowing me from an enemy, they would pro- bably proceed to violence againft me when no perfon was near to aflifi. For this reafon I determined to accompany them, telling them at the fame time, that I would not have any hand in the murder they were about to commit, unlefs *5* 1771. July. 15* I771, Li i July. A JOURNEY TO THE unlefs I found it neceffary for my own fafety. The In- dians were not difpleafed at this propofal • one of them immediately fixed me a fpear, and another lent me a broad bayonet for my protection, but at that time I could not be provided with a target ; nor did I want to be encumbered with fuch an unneceffary piece of lumber. While we lay in ambufh, the Indians performed the laft Ceremonies which were thought neceffary before the en- gagement. Thefe chiefly confided in painting their faces ; fome all black, fome all red, and others with a mixture of the two ; and to prevent their hair from blowing into their eyes, it was either tiod before and behind, and on both fides, or elfe cut fhort all round. The next thing they confidered was to make themfelves as light as poflible for running ; wdiich they did, by pulling off their dockings, and either cutting off the fleeves of their jackets, or roll- ing them up clofe to their arm-pits ; and though the muf- kettoes at that time were fo numerous as to furpafs all ere- bibility, yet fome of the Indians actually pulled off their jackets and entered the lifts quite naked, except their breech-cloths and fhoes. Fearing I might have occafion to run with the reft, I thought it alfo advifable to pull off my dockings and cap, and to tie my hair as clofe up as poflible. By .the time the Indians had made themfelves thus completely frightful, it was near one o’clock in the morn- ing NORTHERN OCEAN. *53 ing of the feventeenth ; when finding all the Efquimaux quiet in their tents, they rufhed forth from their ambuf- cade, and fell on the poor unfufpe&ing creatures, unper- ceived till clofe at the very eves of their tents, when they foon began the bloody mafiacre, while I flood neuter in the rear. 1771. — ^—4’ July. 17th. In a few feconds the horrible fcene commenced ; it was Ihocking beyond defcription ; the poor unhappy victims were furprifed in the midft of their fleep, and had neither time nor power to make any refiftance ; men, women, and children, in all upward of twenty, ran out of their tents ftark naked, and endeavoured to make their efcape ; but the Indians having pofleffion of all the land -fide, to no place could they fly for fhelter. One alternative only remain- ed, that of jumping into the river ; but, as none of them attempted it, they all fell a facrifice to Indian barbarity ! The fhrieks and groans of the poor expiring wretches were truly dreadful ; and my horror was much increafed at feeing a young girl, feemingly about eighteen years of age, killed fo near me, that when the firfi: fpear was fluck into her fide fhe fell down at my feet, and twilled round my legs, fo that it was with difficulty that I could difengage myfelf from her dying grafps. As two Indian men pur- fued this unfortunate vi&im, I folicited very hard for her life ; but the murderers made no reply till they had X iluck 154 ijji. u — • July. A JOURNEY TO THE Ruck both their fpears through her body, and transfixed her to the ground. They then looked me flernly in the face, and began to ridicule me, by afking if I wanted an Efquimaux wife ; and paid not the fmallefl regard to the ffirieks and agony of the poor wretch, who was twining round their fpears like an eel ! Indeed, after receiving much abufive language from them on the occafion, I was at length obliged to defire that they would be more expe- ditious in. difpatching their vidtim out of her mifery, other- wife I fhould be obliged, out of pity, to affiR in the friendly office of putting an end to the exifience of a fel- low-creature who was fo cruelly wounded. On this re- queR being made, one of the Indians haftily drew his fpear from the place where it was firR lodged, and pierced it through her breafl near the heart. The love of life, however, even in this mofl: miferable Rate, was fo predo- minant, that though this might juftly be called the mod merciful ad! that could be done for the poor creature, it feemed to be unwelcome, for though much exhausted by pain and lofs of blood, ffie made feveral efforts to ward off the friendly blow. My fituation and the terror of my mind at beholding this butchery, cannot eafily be con- ceived, much lefs defcribed ; though I fummed up all the fortitude I was mafter of on the occafion, it was with difficulty that I could refrain from tears ; and I am con- fident that my features muff have feelingly expreffed how fincerely I was affedted at the barbarous fcene I then wit- n elid'd;. NORTHERN OCEAN. *55 neffed ; even at this hour I cannot reflect on the tranf- a&ions of that horrid day without fhedding tears. The brutifh manner in which thefe favages ufed the bodies they had fo cruelly bereaved of life was fo block- ing, that it would be indecent to defcribe it ; particularly their curiofity in examining, and the remarks they made, on the formation of the women ; which, they pretended to fay, differed materially from that of their own. For my own part I muft acknowledge, that however favour- able the opportunity for determining that point might have been, yet my thoughts at the time were too much agitated to admit of any fuch remarks ; and I firmly be- lieve, that had there actually been as much difference be- tween them as there is faid to be between the Hottentots and thofe of Europe, it would not have been in my power to have marked the diftin£tion. I have reafon to think, however, that there is no ground for the affertion ; and really believe that the declaration of the Indians on this occafion, was utterly void of truth, and proceeded only from the implacable hatred they bore to the whole tribe of people of whom I am fpeaking. When the Indians had completed the murder of the poor Efquimaux, feven other tents on the Eaft fide the river immediately engaged their attention : very luckily*, however, our canoes and baggage had been left at a little diflance up the river, fo that they had no way of X 2 eroding *56 A JOURNEY TO THE 1771. u- — . — - July. crofting to get at them. The river at this part being little more than eighty yards wide, they began firing at them from the Weft fide. The poor Efquimaux on the oppofite fhore, though all up in arms, did not attempt to abandon their tents ; and they were fo unacquainted with the nature of fire-arms, that when the bullets ftruck the ground, they ran in crowds to fee what was fent them, and feemed anxious to examine all the pieces of lead which they found flattened againft the rocks. At length one of the Efquimaux men was fhot in the calf of his leg, which put them in great confufion. They all imme- diately embarked in their little canoes, and paddled to a fhoal in the middle of the river, which being fomewhat more than a gun- fhot from any part of the fhore, put them out of the reach of our barbarians. When the favages difcovered that the furviving Efqui- maux had gained the fhore above mentioned, the Northern Indians began to plunder the tents of the deceafed of all the copper utenfils they could find ; fuch as hatchets, bay- onets, knives, &c. after which they afiembled on the top of an adjacent high hill, and ftanding all in a clufter, fo as to form a folid circle, with their fpears ered in the air, gave many fhouts of vidory, conftantly clafhing their fpears againft each other, and frequently calling out tima / tima% ! by way of derifion to the poor furviving Efqui- * Tima in the Efquimaux language i.s a friendly word fimilar to what cheer ? ' 1 maux, NORTHERN OCEAN. *57 maux, who were (landing on the fhoal almoft knee-deep in water. After parading the hill for fome time, it was agreed to return up the river to the place where we had left our canoes and baggage, which was about half a mile diftant, and then to crofs the river again and plunder the feven tents on the Eaft (ide. This refolution was im- mediately put in force; and as ferrying acrofs with only three or four canoes * took a conliderable time, and as, we were, from the crookednefs of the river and the form of the land, entirely under cover, feveral of the poor furviving Efquimaux, thinking probably that we were gone about our bulinefs, and meant to trouble them no more, had returned from the (heal to their habitations „ When we approached their tents, which we did under cover of the rocks, we found them bulily employed tying up bundles. Thefe the Indians feized with their ufual ferocity ; on which, the Efquimaux having their canoes lying ready in the water, immediately embarked, and all of them got fafe to the former fhoal, except an old man, who was fo intent on collecting his things, that the In- dians coming upon him before he could reach his canoe, he fell a facrihce to their fury : I verily believe not lefs than twenty had a hand in his death, as his whole body was like a cullender. It is here neceffary to obferve that the fpies, * When the fifteen Indians turned back at the Stony Mountains, they took two or three canoes with them ; fome of our crew that were fent a-head as meffengers had not yet returned, which occafioned the number of our canoes to be fo fmall. I77I* »' ""v"" M'- when *5^ I77r* ■*" , i— i July. • A JOURNEY TO THE when on the look-out, could not fee thefe {even tents, though clofe under them, as the bank, on which they flood, flretched over them. It ought to have been mentioned in its proper place, that in making our retreat up the river, after killing the Efquimaux on the Weft fide, we faw an old woman fitting by the fide of the water, killing falmon, which lay at the foot of the fall as thick as a fhoal of herrings. Whether from the noife of the fall, or a natural defeat in the old woman’s hearing, it is hard to determine, but certain it is, fhe had no knowledge of the tragical fcene which had been fo lately tranfa&ed at the tents, though fhe was not more than two hundred yards from the place. When we firft per- ceived her, fhe feemed perfectly at eafe, and was entirely furrounded with the produce of her labour. From her man- ner of behaviour, and the appearance of her eyes, which were as red as blood, it is more than probable that her fight was not very good ; for fhe fcarcely difcerned that the Indians were enemies, till they were within twice the length of their fpears of her. It was in vain that fhe at- tempted to fly, for the wretches of my crew transfixed ner to the ground in a few feconds, and butchered her in the moft favage manner. There was fcarcely a man among them who had not a thrufl at her with his fpear ; and many in doing this, aimed at torture, rather than immediate death, as they not only poked out her eyes, but NORTHERN OCEAN, *59 but ftabbed her in many parts very remote from thofe J771* which are vital, July. It may appear ftrange, that a perfon fuppofed to be almoft blind fhould be employed in the bulinefs of fifhing, and particularly with any degree of fuccefs ; but when the multitude of fifh is taken into the account, the won- der will ceafe. Indeed they were fo numerous at the foot of the fall, that when a light pole, armed with a few fpikes, which was the inftrument the old woman ufed, was put under water, and hauled up with a jerk, it was fcarcely pofiible to mifs them. Some of my Indians tried the method, for curiofity, with the old woman’s Half, and feldom got lefs than two at a jerk, fometimes three or four. Thofe fifh, though very fine, and beautifully red, are but fmall, feldom weighing more (as near as I could judge) than fix or feven pounds, and in general much lefs. Their numbers at this place were almoft incredible, per- haps equal to any thing that is related of the falmon in Kamfchatka, or any other part of the world. It does not appear that the Efquimaux have any other method of catching the fifh, unlefs it be by fpears and darts ; for no appearance of nets was difeovered either at their tents, or on any part of the fhore. This is the cafe with all the Efquimaux on the Weft fide of Hudfon’s Bay ; fpearing in Summer, and angling in Winter, are the only me- thods they have yet devifed to catch fifh, though at c times- A JOURNEY TO THE times their whole dependance for fupport is on that ar- ticle When * When the Efquimaux who refide near Churchill River travel in Winter, it is always from lake to lake, or from river to river, where they have formed magazines of provifions, and heaps of mofs for firing. As fome of thofe places are at a confiderable diftance from each other, and fome of the lakes of confiderable width, they frequently pitch their tents on the ice, and inftead of having a fire, which the feverity of the climate fo much requires, they cut holes in the ice within their tents, and there fit and angle for fifh ; if they meet with any fuccefs, the fifh are eaten alive out of the water ; and when they are thirfly, water, their ufual beverage, is at hand. When I firft entered into the employment of the Hudfon’s Bay Company, it was as Mate of one of their (loops which was employed in trading with the Efquimaux; I had therefore frequent opportunities of obferving the refer- able manner in which thofe people live. In the courle of our trade with them we frequently purchafed feveral feal-fkin bags, which we fuppofed were full of oil; but on opening them have fometimes found great quantities of venifon, leals, and fea-horfe paws, as well as falmon ; and as thefe were of no ufe to us, we always returned them to the Indians, who eagerly devoured them, though fome of the articles had been perhaps a whole year in that ftate ; and they feemed to exult greatly in having fo over-reached us in the way of trade, as to have fometimes one third of their bargain returned. This method of preferving their food, though it effectually guards it from the external air, and from the flies, does not prevent putrefaction entirely, though it renders its progrefs very flow. Pure train oil is of fuch a quality that it never freezes folid in the coldefl: Winters ; a happy circumftance for thofe people, who are condemned to live in the molt rigorous climate without the afliftance of fire. While thefe magazines laft, they have no- thing more to do when hunger affails them, but to open one of the bags, take out a fide of venifon, a few feals, fea-horfe paws, or fome half- rotten falmon, and without any preparation, fit down and make a meal ; and the lake or river by which they pitch their tent, affords them water, which is their con- ftant drink. Befides the extraordinary food already mentioned, they have fe- veral NORTHERN OCEAN. When the Indians had plundered the feven tents of all *77*' the copper utenfils, which feemed the only thing worth July* their veral other difhes equally difgufting to an European palate ; I will only mention one, as it was more frequently part of their repaft when I vifited their tents, than any other, except filh. The dilh I allude to, is made of the raw liver of a deer, cut in fmall pieces of about an inch fquare, and mixed up with the con- tents of the ftomach of the fame animal; and the farther digeftion has taken place, the better it is fuited to their tafte. It is impoffible to defcribe or cconeive the pleafure they feem to enjoy when eating fuch unaccountable food : nay, I have even feen them eat whole handfuls of maggots that were produced in meat by fly-blows ; and it is their conftant cuftom, when their nofes bleed by any accident, to lick their blood into their mouths, and fwallow it. Indeed, if we confider the inhofpitable part of the globe they are deftined to inhabit, and the great diftrefles to which they are frequently driven by hunger in confe- quence of it, we fhall no longer be furprifed at finding they can relilh any thing in common with the meanefi: of the animal creation, but rather admire the wifdom and kindnefs of Providence in forming the palates and powers of all creatures in fuch a manner as isbefl: adapted to the food, climate, and every other circumftance which may be incident to their refpedtive fituations. It is no lefs true, that thefe people, when I firvt knew them, would not eat any of our provifions, fugar, raifins, figs, or even bread ; for though fome of them would put a bit of it into their mouths, they foon fpit it out again with evident marks of diflike; fo that they had no greater relifh for our food than we had for theirs. At prefent, however, they will eat any part cf 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 Engliih, that I am perfuaded any of the Company’s fervants who could habituate themfelves to their diet and manned of life, might noiv live as fecure under their protection, as under that of any of the tribes of In- dians who border on Hudfon’s Bay. They live in a ftate of perfect freedom ; no one apparently claiming the fuperiority over, or acknowledging the leafb fubordination to another, Y except 1 62 A JOURNEY TO THE 17 71* their notice, they threw all the tents and tent-poles into July. the river, deftroyed a vaft quantity of dried falmon, mufk- oxen flefh, and other provifions ; broke all the ftone kettles ; and, in fa£t, did all the mifchief they pofTibly could to diftrefs the poor creatures they could not mur- der, and who were fending on the fhoal before men- tioned, obliged to be woeful fpe&ators of their great, or perhaps irreparable lofs. After the Indians had completed this piece of wanton- nefs we fat down, and made a good meal of frefh falmon, which were as numerous at the place where we now refed, as they were on the Weft lide of the river. When we had finifhed our meal, which was the firft we had enjoyed for many hours, the Indians told me that they were again ready to aftift me in making an end of my furvey. It was then 17th. about five o’clock in the morning of the feventeenth, the fea being in fight from the North Weft by Weft to the North Eaft, about eight miles diftant. I therefore fet in- ftantly about commencing my furvey, and purfued it to the mouth of the river, which I found all the way fo full of fhoals and falls that it was not navigable even for a boat, and that it emptied itfelf into the fea over a ridge or bar. except 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 themfelves. There is, however, reafon to think that, when grown up to manhood, they pay fome attention to the advice of the old men, on account of their ex- perience. 2 The northern ocean. 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 perfectly frefli ; but I am certain of its being the fea, or fome branch of it, by the quantity of whalebone and feal-fkins which the Efquimaux had at their tents, and alfo by the number of feals which I faw on the ice. At the mouth of the river, the fea is full of iflands and fhoals, as far as I could fee with the afliftance of a good poeket telefcope. The ice was not then broke up, but was melted away for about three quarters of a mile from the main fhore, and to a little diflance round the iflands and fhoals. 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 fair weather to determine the latitude exactly by an obfervation ; but by the extraordi- nary care I took in obferving the courfes and diftances when I walked from Congecathawhachaga, where I had two good obfervations, the latitude may be depended upon within twenty miles at the utmoft. For the fake of form, Y 2 however. 1771. Lilli — »**■ ni^qj July. 1 8 th. 1 64 A JOURNEY TOT HE i??1* however, after having had fome confultation with the In- juiy. dians, I ereCted a mark, and took pofiefiion of the coad, 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 Ead, when we dopped and took a little deep, which was the fird time that any of us had clofed our eyes from the fifteenth indant, and it was now fix o’clock in the morning of the eighteenth. Here the Indians killed a mufk-ox, but the mofs being very wet, we could not make a fire, fo that we were obliged to eat the meat raw, which was intolerable, as it happened to be an old bead. Before I proceed farther on my return, it may not be improper to give fome account of the river, and the country adjacent ; its productions, and the animals which con- dantly inhabit thofe dreary regions, as well as thofe that only migrate thither in Summer, in order to breed and rear their young, unmoleded by man. That I may do this to better purpofe, it will be necelfary to go back to the place where I fird came to the river, which was about forty miles from its mouth. Befide the dunted pines already mentioned, there are fome tufts of dwarf willows ; plenty of Wifhacumpuckey,, (as the Englilh call it, and which they ufe as tea) ; fome jacka- Slate M To fax Toot' CoppeR'Mine River , Aondon, Published Jan? i ^ljgS.bv Cadtll &• Davies .Sown/ . -V tde jcutp- .-i$t Siran.1 . j V PSjljo p//i'M>J w/.Z NORTHERN OCEAN, 165 jackafheypuck, which the natives ufe as tobacco; and a 1771. few cranberry and heathberry bufhcs ; but not the lead: July, appearance of any fruit. The woods grow gradually thinner and fmaller as yon 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 nothing between that fpot and the fea- fide but barren hills and marfhes. The general courfe of the river is about North by Eall; but in fome places it is very crooked, and its breadth varies from twenty yards to four or live hundred. The banks are in general a folid rock, both lides of which cor- refpond fo exa&ly with each other, as to leave no doubt that the channel of the river has been caufed by fome ter- rible con vul lion of nature ; and the llream is fupplied by a variety of little rivulets, that rufh down the lides of the hills, occalioned chiefly by the melting of the fnow. Some of the Indians fay, that this river takes its rife from the North Weft fide of Large White Stone Lake, which is at the diftance of near three hundred miles on a ftraight line ; but I can fcarcely think that is the cafe, unlefs there be many inter- vening lakes, which are fupplied by the vaft quantity of water that is collected in fo great an extent of hilly and mountainous country: for were it otherwife, I fhould imagine that the multitude of fmall rivers, which muff: empty themfelves into the main llream in the courfe of fo great A JOURNEY TO THE great a diftance, would have formed a much deeper and ftronger current than I discovered, and occafioned an annual deluge at the breaking up of the ice in the Spring, of which there was not the leaf!: appear- ance, except at Bloody Fall, where the river was con- tracted to the breadth of about twenty yards. It was at the foot of this fall that my Indians killed the Efquimaux ; which was the reafon why I diftinguifhed it by that appel- lation. From this fall, which is about eight miles from the fea-fide, there are very few hills, and thofe not high. The land between them is a lliff loam and clay, which, in fome parts, produces patches of pretty good grafs, and in others tallifh 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 ftature, none exceeding the middle fize, and though broad fet, are neither well-made nor ftrong bodied. Their com- plexion is of a dirty copper colour ; fome of the women, however, are more fair and ruddy. Their drefs much re- fembles that of the Greenlanders in Davis’s Straits, except the women’s boots, which are not ftiffened out with whale- bone, and the tails of their jackets are not more than a foot long. Their arms and fifhing- tackle are bows and arrows, fpears, lances, darts, See. which exa&ly refemble thofe made ufe of by the Efquimaux in Hudfon’s Straits, and which NORTHERN OCEAN. which have been well defcribed by Crantz * ; but, for want of good edge-tools, are far inferior to them in work- manfhip. Their arrows are either fhod with a triangular piece of black flone, like Hate, or a piece of copper ; but mofl; commonly the former. A' The body of their canoes is on the fame conflruCtion as that of the other Efquimaux, and there is no unneceflary prow-projection beyond the body of the veiTtl ; thefe, like their arms and other utenlils, are, for the want of better tools, by no means fo neat as thofe I have feen in Hudfon’s Bay and Straits. The double-bladed paddle is in univerfal ufe among all the tribes of this people. Their tents are made of parchment deer-fkins in the hair, and are pitched in a circular form, the fame as thole of the Efquimaux in Hudfon’s Bay. Thefe tents are un- doubtedly no more than their Summer habitations, for I faw the remains of two miferable hovels, which, from the lituation, the ftruCture, and the vad: quantity of bones, old fhoes, fcraps of Ikins, and other rubbifh lying near them, had certainly been fome of their Winter retreats. Thefe houfes were lituated on the South fide of a hill ; one half of them were under-ground, and the upper parts clofely fet round with poles, meeting at the top in a conical form, like their Summer-houfes or tents. Thefe tents, \ 167 1771. * See Hift. of Greenland, vol. i. p, 132— »i 56. A JOURNEY TO THE when inhabited, had undoubtedly been covered with fkins; and in Winter entirely overfpread with the fnow-drift, which mufl have greatly contributed to their warmth. They were fo {mall, 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 miferable habitations. Their houfehold furniture chiefly confifts of {lone kettles, and wooden troughs of various fizes ; alfo diflies, fcoops, and fpoons, made of the buffalo or mulk-ox horns. Their kettles are formed of a pepper and fait coloured flone ; and though the texture appears to be very coarfe, and as porous as a drip-ftone, yet they are perfectly tight, and will found as clear as a China bowl. Some of thofe kettles are fo large as to be capable of containing five or fix gallons ; and though it is impofiible thefe poor people can perform this arduous work with any other tools than harder Hones, yet they are by far fuperior to any that I had ever feen in Hudfon’s Bay ; 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 fhape they were a long fquare, fomething wider at the top than bottom, like a knife-tray, and jflrong handles of the folid Hone were left at each end to lift them up. Their hatchets are made of a thick lump of copper, about five or fix inches long, and from one and a half tc two inches fquare ; they are bevelled away at one end like* , r a mortice- NORTHERN OCEAN. A69 mortice-chiffel. This is lafhed into the end of a piece of 1771. wood about twelve or fourteen inches long, in fuch a man- July, ner as to a£fc like an adze : in general they are applied to the wood like a chifiel, and driven in with a heavy club, inflead of a mallet. Neither the weight of the tool nor the fharpnefs 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 fhape like the ace of fpades, with the handle of deers horn a foot long, and the latter exactly refemble thofe defcribed by Crantz. Samples of both thefe implements I formerly fent home to James Fitz- gerald, Efq. then one of the Hudfon’s Bay Committee. Among all the fpoils of the twelve tents which my com- panions plundered, only two fmall pieces of iron were found; one of which was about an inch and a half long, and three eighths of an inch broad, made into a woman’s knife; the other was barely an inch long, and a quarter of an inch wide. This laft was ri vetted into a piece of ivory, fo as to form a man’s knife, known in Hudfon’s Bay by the name of Mokeatoggan , and is the only inftrument ufed by them in fhaping all their wood- work. Thofe people had a fine and numerous breed of dogs, with fharp ere£t ears, fharp nofes, bulhy tails, &c. ex- Z ' adly l7o A JOURNEY TO THE 1771* a&ly like thofe feen among the Efquimaux in Hudfon’s July. Bay and Straits. They were all tethered to ftones, to pre- vent them, as I fuppofe, from eating the fifh that were fpread all over the rocks to dry. I do not recoiled: that my companions killed or hurt one of thofe animals y but after we had left the tents, they often wifhed 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 pre- vails among them — namely, that of the men having all the hair of their heads pulled out by the roots — which pronounces them to be of a different tribe from any hitherto feen either on the coaft of Labradore, Hudfon’s Bay, or Davis’s Straits. The women wore their hair at full length, and exactly in the fame ftile as all the other Efquimaux women do whom I have feen. When at the fea-fide, (at the mouth of the Copper River,) befides feeing many feals on the ice, I alfo obferved feveral flocks of fea-fowl flying about the fhores; fuch as, gulls, black-heads, loons, old wives, ha-ha-wie’s, dunter geefe, ar&ic gulls, and willicks. In the adjacent ponds alfo were fome fwans and geefe in a moulting ftate, and in the marfhes fome curlews and plover; plenty of hawks-eyes, ft, e. the green plover,) and fome yellow-legs ; alfo feveral other fmall birds, that vifit thofe Northern parts in the NORTHERN OCEAN. *7* Spring to breed and moult, and which doubtlefs return Southward as the fall advances. My reafon for this conjec- ture is founded on a certain knowledge that all thofe birds migrate in Hudfon’s Bay ; and it is but reafonable to think that they are lefs capable of withftanding the rigour of fuch a long and cold Winter as they mull neceffarily ex- perience in a country which is fo many degrees within the Arctic Circle, as that is where I now faw them. 1771, July. That the mulk-oxen, deer, bears, wolves, wolvarines, foxes, Alpine hares, white owls, ravens, partridges, ground- fquirrels, common fquirrels, ermins, mice, &c. are the conflant inhabitants of thofe parts, is not to be doubted. In many places, by the lides of the hills, where the fnow lay to a great depth, the dung of the mulk-oxen and deer was lying in fuch long and continued heaps, as clearly to point out that thofe places had been their much-frequented paths during the preceding Winter. There were alfo many other limilar appearances on the hills, and other parts, where the fnow was entirely thawed away, without any print of a foot being vilible in the mofs ; which is a certain proof that thefe long ridges of dung mull have been dropped in the fnow as the beaAs were palling and repalling over it in the Winter. There are likewife fimilar proofs that the Alpine hare and the partridge do not migrate, but remain there the whole year : the latter we found in conlider- able flocks among the tufts of willows which grow near the fea. It 172 A JOURNEY TO THE 1771. It is perhaps not generally known, even to the curious, July. therefore may not be unworthy of obfervation, that the dung of the mufk-ox, though fo large an animal, is not larger, and at the fame time fo near the fhape and colour of that of the Alpine hare, that the difference is not eafily diftinguifhed but by the natives, though in general the quantity 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 ct Alarm Bird,” or fmalleft in this country, have much the largeft horns, and Auguft. the branches are fo long, and at the fame time fpread fo wide, as to make them more liable to be entangled 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 feen them killed at or near Chriftmas, and could difcover no appearance of their horns being loofe. The does do not fhed their horns till the Summer ; fo that when the buck’s horns are ready to drop off, 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, according to the feafon, or the prevailing winds ; and that is the principal reafon why the Northern Indians are always fhifting their ftation. From November till May, the bucks continue to the Weftward, among the woods, when their horns be- gin to fprout ; after which they proceed on to the Eaft- ward, to the barren grounds ; and the does that have been on the barren ground all the Winter, are taught by mftindt to advance to the Weftward to meet them, in order to propagate their fpecies. Immediately after the rutting feafon is over, they feparate, as hath been mentioned above. The old vulgar faying, fo generally received among the lower clafs of people in England, concerning the bucks fhedding their yards, or more properly the glands of the penis > 209 1771. C— Augufh A JOURNEY TO THE penis , yearly, whether it be true in England or not, is cer- tainly not true in any of the countries bordering on Hud- Ton’s Bay. A long refidence among the Indians has enabled me to confirm this afiertion with great confidence, as I have feen deer killed every day throughout the year ; and when I have mentioned this circumftance to the Indians, either Northern or Southern, they always allured me that they never obferved any fuch fymptoms. With equal truth I can aflert, and that from ocular demonftration, that the animal which is called the Alpine Hare in Hudfon’s Bay, actually undergoes fomething fimilar to that which is vul- garly afcribed to the Englilh deer. I have feen and handled feveral of them, who had been killed juft after they had coupled in the Spring, with the penifes hanging out, dried up, and fhrivelled, like the navel-ftring of young animals ; and on examination I always found a paftage through them for the urine to pafs. I have thought proper to give this re- mark a place in my Journal, becaufe, in all probability, it is not generally known, even to thofe gentlemen who have made natural hiftory their chief ftudy ; and if their refearches are of any real utility to mankind, it is furely to be regretted that Providence fhould have placed the greateft part of them too remote from want to be obliged to travel for ocular proofs of what they affert in their publica- tions ; they are therefore wifely content to ftay at home, and enjoy the blefiings with which they are endowed, refting fatisfied to colled: fuch information for their own amufement, and the gratification of the public, as thofe 2 w'ho NORTHERN OCEAN, who are necefiitated to be travellers are able or willing to give them. It is true, and I am forry it is fo, that I come under the latter defcription ; but hope I have not, or lhall not, in the courfe of this Journal, advance any thing that will not Hand the tell of experiment, and the Ikill of the moll competent judges. After leaving White Stone Lake, we continued our courfe in the South Well quarter, feldom walking more than twelve miles a day, and frequently not half that dillance. On the third of September, we arrived at a fmall river belonging to Point Lake, but the weather at this time proved fo boillerous, and there was fo much rain, fnow, and froll, 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 attempt ford- ing it. During this interruption, however, our time was not entirely loll, as deer were fo plentiful that the Indians killed numbers of them, as well for the fake of their fkins, as for their flefh, which was at prefent in excellent order, and the fkins in proper feafon for the fundry ufes for which they are dellined. In the afternoon of the feventh, the weather became fine and moderate, when we all were ferried acrofs the river ; and the next morning fhaped our courfe to the D d North 201 \ 1771. 1 11 lujf Auguft. Septembes- 3d. 7 th. 9 3 t3i. 202 A JOURNEY TO THE i77*» North Weft, by the ftde of Point Lake. After three days September, journey, which only conftfted of about eighteen miles, we came to a few fmall fcrubby woods, which were the firft that we had feen from the twenty-fifth of May, ex- cept thofe we had perceived at the Copper-mine River. One of the Indian’s wives, who for fome time had been in a confumption, had for a few days paft become lb weak as to be incapable of travelling, which, among thofe people, is the moft deplorable ftate to which a human be- ing can poftibly be brought. Whether fhe 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 ex- pedients were taken for her recovery ; fo that, without much ceremony, fhe was left unaflifted, to perifh above- O-.- Though this was the firft inftance of the kind I had feen, it is the common, and indeed the conftant practice of thofe Indians ; for when a grown perfon is fo ill, efpe- cially 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 recovery, than for the whole family to fit down by them and ftarve to death ; well knowing that they cannot be of any fervice to the affii&ed. On thofe occafions, therefore, the friends or relations of the fick generally leave them fome vi&uals and water ; and, if the- fituation of the place will afford it, a little firing. When thofe NORTHERN OCEAN. 203 thofe articles are provided, the perfon to be left is ac- quainted with the road which the others intend to go ; and then, after covering them well up with deer fkins, they take their leave, and walk away crying. Sometimes perfons thus left, recover ; and come up with their friends, or wander about till they meet with other Indians, whom they accompany till they again join their relations. Inftances 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 creature f 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 conlidered, however, it may with juftice be afcribed to neceflity and felf-prefervation, rather than to the want of humanity and focial feeling, which ought to be the cha~ ra&eriftic of men, as the nobleft part of the creation. Neceffity, added to national cuftom, contributes prim cipaily to make fcenes of this kind lefs Shocking to thofe people, than they muff appear to the more civilized part of mankind. During the early part of September, the weather was in general cold, with much fleet and fnow; which feemed to D d 2 promife 1771. v— 3 September. I 204 A JOURNEY TO THE 1771* promife that the Winter would fet in early. Deer at this ^pten^beiT time being very plentiful, and the few woods we met with affording tent-poles and firing, the Indians propofed to remain where we were fome time, in order to drefs ikins, and provide our Winter clothing ; alfo to make fnow-fhoes and temporary fiedges, as well as to prepare a large quan- tity of dried meat and fat to carry with us ; for by the accounts of the Indians, they have always experienced a great fcarcity of deer, and every other kind of game, in the direction they propofed we fhould go when we left Point Lake. Toward the mi Idle of the month, the weather became quite mild and open, and continued fo till the end of it ; but there was fo much conflant and inceftant rain, that it 2gth rotted moll of our tents. On the twenty-eighth, how- ever, the wind fettled in the North Weft quarter, when 30th. the weather 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 crofs them on the ice without danger. Among the various fhperftitious euftoms of thofe people, it is worth remarking, and ought to have been mentioned in its proper place, that immediately after my companions had killed the Efquimaux at the Copper River, they con- fidered themfelves in a ftate of uncleannefs, which induced them to pra&ife fome very curious and unufual ceremonies. 1 o In NORTHERN OCEAN. In the firH place, all who were absolutely concerned in the murder were prohibited 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 employed always as cooks till we joined the women. This circumftance was exceedingly favourable on my fide ; for had there been no perfons of the above description in company, that talk, I was told, would have fallen on me ; which would have been no lefs fatiguing and troublefome, than humiliating and vexatious. When the victuals were cooked, all the murderers took a kind of red earth, or oker, and painted all the Space between the nofe and chin, as well as the greater part of their cheeks, almoft to the ears, before they would tafte a bit, and would not drink out of any other difh, or fmoke out of any other pipe, but their own ; and none of the others feemed willing to drink or fmoke out of theirs. We had no fooner joined the women, at our return from the expedition, than there feemed to be an univerfal fpirit of emulation among them, vying who Should firfl make a fuit of ornaments for their huibands, which confifted of bracelets for the wrifts, and a band for the forehead, com- pofed of porcupine quils and moofe-hair, curioufly wrought on leather. 2-05 1771. L .Jt September. The cufiom of painting the mouth and part of the cheeks before each meal, and drinking and fmoking out ©f 20 6 A JOURNEY TO THE I771* L- — — J September. October. 6th. of their own utenfils, was ftri&ly and invariably 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, and blood ; and during their uncleannefs, their victuals were never fodden in water, but dried in the fun, eaten quite raw, or broiled, when a fire fit for the purpofe could be procured. When the time arrived that was to put an end to thefe ceremonies, the men, without a female being prefent, made a fire at fome diftance from the tents, into which they threw all their ornaments, pipe-ftems, and difhes, which were foon confirmed to afhes ; after which a feaft was prepared, confifting of fuch articles as they had long been prohibited from eating ; and when all was over, each man was at libery 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. O&ober 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 Well put us in great diforder; for though the few woods we paffed had furnifhed us with tent-poles and fewel, yet they did not afford us the lead: {belter whatever. The wind blew with fuch violence. NORTHERN OCEAN. 207 violence, that in fpite of all our endeavours, it overfet I771* feveral of the tents, and mine, among the reft, ftiared the oaober. difafter, which I cannot fufficiently 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, and feveral other parts were broken, which rendered it entirely ufelefs. This being the cafe, I did not think it worth carriage, but broke it to pieces, and gave the brafs-work to the Indians, who cut it into fmall lumps, and made ufe of it inftead of ball. On the twenty-third of O&ober, feveral Copper and 23d* a few dog-ribbed Indians came to our tents laden with furrs, which they fold to fome of my crew for fuch iron- work as they had to give in exchange. This viftt, I af- terwards found, was by appointment of the Copper In- dians whom we had feen at Congecathawhachaga, and who, in their way to us, had met the Dog-ribbed Indians, who were alfo glad of fo favourable an opportunity of purchafing fome of thofe valuable articles, though at a very extravagant price : for one of the Indians in my com- pany, though not properly of my party, got no lefs than forty beaver fkins, and ftxty martins, for one piece of iron which he had ftole when he was laft at the Fort One * The piece of iron above mentioned was the coulter of a new-fafhioned plough, invented by Captain John Fowler, late Governor at Churchill River, with which he had a large piece of ground ploughed, and afterwards fowed with 2oS A JOURNEY TO THE 1771. One of thofe Grangers had about forty beaver fkins, oaober. with which he intended to pay Matonabbee an old debt ; but one of the other Indians feized the whole, notwith- Handing he knew it to be in fa Matonabbee’s property. This treatment, together with many other infults, which he had received during my abode with him, made him re- new his old refolution of leaving his own country, and going to reflde with the Athapufcow Indians. As the moft interefting part of my journey was now over, I did not think it neceffary to interfere in his private affairs ; and therefore did not endeavour to influence him either one way or the other : out of complaifance, there- fore, rather than any thing elfe, I told him, that I thought fuch behaviour very uncourteous, efpecially in a man of his rank and dignity. As to the reafon of his determina- tion, I did not think it worth while to enquire into it ; but, by his difcourfe with the other Indians, I foon un- derflood that they all intended to make an excurflon into the country of the Athapufcow Indians, in order to kill moofe and beaver. The former of thofe animals are never found in the Northern Indian territories ; and the latter are fo fcarce in thofe Northern parts, that during the whole Winter of one thoufand feven hundred and feventy, with oats : but the part being nothing but a hot burning fand, like the Spanifh lines at Gibraltar, the fuccefs may eafily be gueffed which was, that it did not produce a Tingle grain. I did NORTHERN OCEAN. 209 I did not fee more than two beaver houfes. Martins I77I* are alfo fcarce in thofe parts ; for during the above oaober. period, I do not think that more than fix or eight were killed by all the Indians in my company. This exceed- ingly fmall number, among fo many 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 mov- ing fo frequently from place to place, did at times make it not an objed; worth while to build traps ; but had they taken the advantage of all favourable opportunities, and been poffeffed of half the induflry of the Company’s fer- vants in the Bay, they might with great eafe have caught as many hundreds, if not fome thoufands ; and when we confider the extent of ground which we walked over in that time, fuch a number would not have been any proof of the martins being very plentiful. 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 Indians chufe to kill either the wolf or the quiquehatch, 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 fet for a fox, they have left it where it was killed, and would not take off its fkin. Notwithftanding this E e filly 210 I77I* U— Oftober. 30th. November 1 ft. 5th. A JOURNEY TO THE filly notion, which is too frequently to be obferved among thofe people, it generally happens that there are fome in every gang who are lefs fcrupulous, fo that none of thofe furrs are ever left to rot ; and even thofe who make a point of not killing the animals themfelves, are ready to receive their fkins from other Indians, and carry them to the Fort for trade. By the thirtieth of October, all our clothing, fnow- fhoes, and temporary fledges, being completed, we once more began to prepare for moving ; and on the following day fet out, and walked five or fix miles to the South- ward, 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 diflinguifhed 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 fome wood, which was very acceptable, being the firft that we had feen iince we left Point Lake. 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 Eaft to Weft. It is faid to abound with fine fifh ; but the weather at the time we crofTed it was fo cold, as to render it impoflible to fit on the ice any length NORTHERN OCEAN. 2 1 1 length of time to angle. A few exceedingly fine trout, l77l* and fome very large pike, however, were caught by my November, companions. When we arrived on the South fide of the above lake, we fhaped our courfe to the South Weft ; and though the weather was in general very cold, yet as we every night found tufts of wood, in which we could pitch our tents, we were enabled to make a better defence againft the weather, than we had had it in our power to do for fome time paft. On the tenth of November, we arrived at the edge of rcths of the main woods ; at which time the Indians began to make proper Hedges, fome fnow-fhoes, after which we proceeded again to the South Weft. But deer and all other kinds of game were fo fcarce the whole way, that, except a few partridges, nothing was killed by any in com- pany : we had, neverthelefs, plenty of the provifion which had been prepared at Point Lake. On the twentieth of the fame month, we arrived at 20th. Anaw’d Whole, or the Indian Lake. In our way we crofted part of Methy Lake, and walked near eighty miles on a fmall river belonging to it, which empties itfelf into the Great Athapufcow Lake *. While we were walking * The courfe of this river is nearly South Weft. E e 2 on 212 A JOURNEY TO THE 1771. on the above little river, the Indians fet fifhing-nets under November. the ice every night ; but their labour was attended with fo little fuccefs, that all they caught ferved only as a delicacy, or to make a little change in our diet ; for the quantity was too trifling to occaflon any conflderable faving of our other proviflons. Anaw’d Lake, though fo fmall as not to exceed twenty miles wide in the broadefl: part, is celebrated by the na- tives for abounding with plenty of flfh during the Winter; accordingly the Indians fet all their nets, which were not a few, and met with fuch fuccefs, that in about ten days the roes only were as much as all the women could haul after them, Tittimeg and barbie, with a few fmall pike, were the only fifh caught at this part ; the roes of which, parti- cularly thofe of the tittimeg, are more efteemed by the Northern Indians, to take with them on a journey, than the fifh itfelf ; for about two pounds weight of thefe roes, when well bruifed, will make near four gallons of broth, as thick as common burgoe ; and if properly managed, will be as white as rice, which makes it very pleafing to the eye, and no lefs agreeable to the palate. The land round this lake is very hilly, though not mountainous, and chiefly confifls of rocks and loofe ilones ; there muft, however, be a fmall portion of foil 6 on NORTHERN OCEAN. on the furface, as it is in mod parts well clothed with tall poplars, pines, fir, and birch ; particularly in the vallies, where the poplars, pine, and birch feem to thrive bell ; but the firs were as large, and in as flourifliing a ftate, on the very fummit of the hills, as in any other part. Rabbits were here fo plentiful, particularly on the South and South Eaft fide of the lake, that feveral of the In- dians caught twenty or thirty in a night with fnares; and the wood-partridges were fo numerous in the fir trees, and fo tame, that I have known an Indian kill near twenty of them in a day w:th his bow and arrows. The Northern Indians call this fpecies of the partridge Day ; and though their fiefh is generally very black and bitter, occafioned by their feeding on the brufh of the fir tree, yet they make a variety, or change of diet, and are thought ex- ceedingly good, particularly by the natives, who, though capable of living fo hard, and at times eating very ungrate- ful food, are neverthelefs as fond of variety as any people whom I ever faw ; and will go as great lengths, according to their circumfcances, to gratify their palates, as the greateft epicure in England. As a proof of this affertion, I have frequently known Matonabbee, and others who could afford it, for the fake of variety only, fend fome of their young men to kill a few partridges at the expence of more ammunition than would have killed deer fufficient to have maintained their families many days ; whereas the partridges were always eaten up at one meal : and to heighten 213 1771. mj November. £14 177I* — — — » November. A JOURNEY TO THE heighten the luxury on thefe occafions, the partridges are boiled in a kettle of fheer fat, which it muft be allowed renders them beyond all defcription finer flavoured than when boiled in water or common broth. I have alfo eat deer-fkins boiled in fat, which were exceedingly good. As during our flay at Anaw’d Lake feveral of the In- dians were fickly, the dodlors undertook to adminifter re- lief ; particularly to one man, who had been hauled on a fledge by his brother for two months. His dilorder was the dead palfey, which affedted one fide, from the crown of his head to the foie of his foot. Befides this dreadful diforder, he had fome inward complaints, with a total lofs of appetite ; fo that he was reduced to a mere fkeleton, and fo weak as to be fcarcely capable of fpeaking. In this deplorable condition, he was laid in the center of a large conjuring-houfe, made much after the manner as that which has been already defcribed. And that nothing might be wanting toward his recovery, the fame man who deceived me in fwall owing a bayonet in the Summer, now offered to fwall ow a large piece of board, about the fize of a barrel-ftave, in order to effedt his recovery. The piece of board was prepared by another man, and painted according to the direction of the juggler, with a rude re- prefentaiion of fome beaft of prey on one fide, and on the reverfe was painted, according to their rude method, a re- femblance of the Iky. Without NORTHERN OCEAN. 215 Without entering into a long detail of the preparations 1 77T- for this feat, I fhall at once proceed to obferve, that after November, the conjurer had held the necefTary conference with his invifible fpirits, or fhadows, he afked if I was prefent ; for he had heard of my faying that I did not fee him fwallow the bayonet fair : and on being anfwered in the affirmative, he defired me to come nearer ; on which the mob made a lane for me to pafs, and I advanced clofe to him, and found him Handing at the conjuring- houfe door as naked as he was born. When the piece of board was delivered to him, he pro- pofed at firfl only to fhove one-third of it down his throat, and then walk round the company afterward to fhove down another third ; and fo proceed till he had fwal lowed the whole, except a fmall piece of the end, which was left behind to haul it up again. When he put it to his mouth it apparently flipped down his throat like lightning, and only left about three inches flicking without his lips ; after walking backwards and forwards three times, he hauled it up again, and ran into the conjuring-houfe with great precipitation. This he did to all appearance with great eafe and compofure ; and notwithftanding I was all attention on the occafion, I could not deted: the deceit ; and as to the reality of its being a piece of wood that he pretended to fwallow, there is not the leaf! reafon to doubt of it, for I had it in my hand, both before and imme- diately after the ceremony. To © 2l6 A JOURNEY TO THE 1771‘ To prevent a variety of opinions on this occafion, and November, to leffen the apparent magnitude of the miracle, as well as to give feme colour to my fcepticifm, which might otherwife perhaps appear ridiculous, it is neceffary to ob~ ferve, that this feat was performed in a dark and excef- lively cold night ; and although there was a large fire at fame diftance, which reflected a good light, yet there was great room for collufion : for though the conjurer himfelf was quite naked, there were feveral of his fraternity well- clothed, who attended him very clofe during the time of his attempting to fwallow the board, as well as at the time of his hauling it up again. For thefe reafons it is neceffary alfo to obferve, that on the day preceding the performance of this piece of decep- tion, in one of my hunting excurlions, I accidentally came acrofs the conjurer as he was fitting under a bufh, feveral miles from the tents, where he was bufily employed fbaping a piece of wood exactly like that part which ftuck out of his mouth after he had pretended to fwallow the remainder of the piece. The fhape of the piece which I faw him making was this, ; which exa&ly refembled the forked end of the main piece, the fhape of which was this, I I fTt. So that when his attendants had con- cealed the main piece, it was eafy for him to flick the fmall point into his mouth, as it was reduced at the fmall end to a proper fize for the purpofe. Similar NORTHERN OCEAN. 217 Similar proofs may ealily be urged againft his fwallow- *77!° ing the bayonet in the Summer, as no perfon lefs ignorant than themfelves can poffibly place any belief in the reality of thofe feats ; yet on the whole, they mull: be allowed a conliderable fhare of dexterity in the performance of thofe tricks, and a wonderful deal of perfeverance in what they do for the relief of thofe whom they undertake to cure. Not long after the above performance had taken place, fome of the Indians began to afk me what I thought of it. As I could not have any plea for faying that I was far off, and at the fame time not caring to affront them by hinting my fufpicions of the deceit, I was fome time at a lofs for an anfwer : I urged, however, the impoflibility of a man’s fwal lowing a piece of wood, that was not only much longer than his whole back, but nearly twice as broad as he could extend his mouth. On which fome of them laughed at my ignorance, as they were pleafed to call it ; and faid, that the fpirits in waiting fwallowed, or other wife concealed, the flick, and only left the forked end apparently flicking out of the conjurer’s mouth. My guide, Matonabbee, with all his other good fenfe, was fo bigotted to the reality of thofe performances, that he af~ fured me in the flrongefl terms, he had feen a man, who was then in company, fwallow a child’s cradle, with as much eafe as he could fold up a piece of paper, and put it into his mouth ; and that when he hauled it up again, not the F f mark 2l8 A JOURNEY TO THE 1771* mark of a tooth, or of any violence, was to be difcovered November, about it. This ftory fo far exceeded the feats which I had feen with the bayonet and board, that, for the fake of keeping np the farce, I began to be very incpiifitive about the fpirits which appear to them on thofe occafions, and theii* form ; when I was told that they appeared in various fhapes, for almoft every conjurer had his peculiar attend- ant ; but that the fpirit which attended the man who pre- tended to fwallow the piece of wood, they faid, generally appeared to him in the fhape of a cloud. This I thought very a-propos to the prefent occafion ; and I muft confefs that I never had fo thick a cloud thrown before my eyes before or fince ; and had it not been by accident, that I faw him make a counterpart to the piece of wood faid to be fwallowed, I fhould have been ftill at a lofs how to ac- count for fo extraordinary a piece of deception, performed by a man who was entirely naked. As foon as our conjurer had executed the above feat, and entered the conjuring-houfe, as already mentioned, live other men and an old woman, all of whom were great profeftbrs of that art, ftripped themfelves quite naked and followed him, when they foon began to fuck, blow, ling, and dance, round the poor paralytic ; and continued fo to do for three days and four nights, without taking the leaft reft or refrefhment, not even fo much as a drop of water. When NORTHERN OCEAN. When thefe poor deluding and deluded people came out of 1771. the conjuring-houfe, their mouths were fo parched with November, third as to be quite black, and their throats fo fore, that they were fcarcely able to articulate a {ingle word, except thofe that dand for yes and no in their language. After fo long an abdinence they were very careful not to eat or drink too much at one time, particularly for the fird day ; and indeed fome of them, to appearance, were almod as bad as the poor man they had been endeavouring to relieve. But great part of this was feigned ; for they lay on their backs with their eyes fixed, as if in the ago- nies of death, and were treated like young children ; one perfon fat condantly by them, moidening their mouths with fat, and now and then giving them a drop of water. At other times a fmall bit of meat was put into their mouths, or a pipe held for them to fmoke. This farce only laded for the fird day ; after which they feemed to be perfectly well, except the hoarfenefs, which continued for a condderable time afterwards. And it is truly won- derful, though the drifted truth, that when the poor lick man was taken from the conjuring-houfe, he had not only recovered his appetite to an amazing degree, but was able to move all the lingers and toes of the fide that had been fo long dead. In three weeks he recovered fo far as to be capable of walking, and at the end of fix weeks went a hunting for his family. He was one of the perfons * par- * His name was Cof-abyagh, the Northern Indian name for the Rock Partridge. F f 2 ticularjy 2 20 A JOURNEY TO THE 1771* ticularly engaged to provide for me during my journey ; November. and after his recovery from this dreadful diiorder, accom- panied me back to Prince of Wales’s Fort in June one thoufand feven hundred and feventy-two ; and fince that time he has frequently vifited the Factory, though he never had a healthy look afterwards, and at times feemed troubled with a nervous complaint. It may be added, that he had been formerly of a remarkable lively difpofition ; but after his laft illnefs he always appeared thoughtful, fometimes gloomy, and, in fad:, the diforder feemed to have changed his whole nature ; for before that dreadful paralytic ftroke,, he was diftinguifhed for his good-nature and benevolent difpofition ; was entirely free from every appearance of avarice; and the whole of his wifhes feemed confined within the narrow limits of pofteffing as many goods as were abfolutely neceffary, with his own induftry, to enable him to fupport his family from feafon to feafon ; but after this event, he was the moll fradious, quarrelfome, difcon- tented, and covetous wretch alive. Though the ordinary trick of thefe conjurers may be eafily deteded, and juftly exploded, being no more than the tricks of common jugglers, yet the apparent good effed of their labours on the fick and difeafed is not fo eafily accounted for. Perhaps the implicit confidence placed in them by the fick may, at times, leave the mind fo perfedly at reft, as to caufie the diforder to take a fa- vourable turn ; and a few fuccefsful cafes are quite fuf- ficient to eftablifh the doctor’s charader and reputation : 3 But NORTHERN OCEAN. 221 But how this confideration could operate in the cafe 1 have I77I- juft mentioned I am at a lofs to fay ; fuch, however, was November., the facft, and I leave it to be accounted for by others. When thefe jugglers take a diftike to, and threaten a fecret revenge on any perfon, it often proves fatal to that perfon ; as, from a firm belief that the conjurer has power over his life, he permits the very thoughts of it to prey on his fpirits, till by degrees it brings on a diforder which puts an end to his exiftence * : and fometimes a threat of this kind * As a proof of this, Matonabbee, (who always thought me pofieffed of this art,) on his arrival at Prince of Wales’s Fort in the Winter of 1778, informed me, that a man whom I had never feen but once, had treated him in fuch a manner that he was afraid of his life ; in confequence of which he prelfed me very much to kill him, though I was then feveral hundreds of miles diftant. On which, to pleafe this great man to whom I owed fo much, and not expefting that any harm could poffibly arife from it, I drew a rough fketch of two human figures on a piece of paper, in the attitude of wreflling : in the hand of one of them, I drew the figure of a bayonet pointing to the bread: of the other. This is me, faid I to Matonabbee, 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 proje&ed a human hand. This paper I gave to Matonabbee, with inftrudtions to make it as publicly known as pofiible. Sure enough, the fol- lowing 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 Wales’s Fort. He allured me that the man was in perfeft health when he heard of my defign againft him ; but almoft immediately afterwards became quite gloomy, and refufing all kind of fufbenance, in a very few days died. After this I was frequently applied to on the fame account, both by Mato- nabbee and other leading Indians, but never thought proper to comply with * their requefts; by which means I not only preferved the credit I gained on the fir ft attempt, but always kept them in awe, and in forne degree of refpeft and obedience 22 2 A JOURNEY TO THE 1771. 1— J November. December lit. 13&-' kind caufes the death of a whole family ; and that without any blood being fhed, or the lead: apparent moleftation being offered to any of the parties. Having dried as many fiffi and fiffi-roes as we could con- veniently take with us, we once more packed up our ftores, and, on the firft day of December, 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 communication with Anaw’d Lake. In our way we caught daily a few fifh by angling, and faw many beaver houfes; but thefe were generally in fo difficult a fituation, and had fo many ftones in the com- pofition of them, that the Indians killed 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 obedience to me. In fa£t, ftrange as it may appear, it is almoft abfolutely neceffary that the chiefs at this place fhould profefs fomething a little fuperna- tural, to be able to deal with thofe people. The circumftance here recorded is a fa£t well known to Mr. William Jefferfon, who fucceeded me at Churchill Factory, as well as to all the officers and many of the common men who were at Prince of Wales’s Fort at the time. of NORTHERN OCEAN. 223 of O&ober. So that during a period of near two months, S77r* we had lived on the dried meat that we had prepared at December, Point Lake, and a few fifh ; 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 plentiful, that the Indians killed confiderable numbers of them 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 fubfiflence ; for though I 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-mentioned lakes we fhaped a courfe more to the Southward, and on the twenty-fourth, 24th. arrived at the North fide of the great Athapufcow Lake. In our wa y we faw many Indian deer, and beaver were very plentiful, many of whifch the Indians killed ; but the days were fo fhort, that the Sun only took a circuit of a few points of the compafs above the horizon, and did not, at its greatefl: altitude, rife half-way up the trees. The brilliancy of the Aurora Borealis , however, and of the Stars, even without the afllftance of the Moon, made fome amends for- that deficiency ; for it was frequently fo light all night, that I could fee to read a very fmall print. The 224 A JOURNEY TO THE 1771. The Indians make no difference between night and day December, when they are hunting of beaver ; but thofe no&urnal lights are always found infufficient for the purpofe of hunting deer or moofe. I do not remember to have met with any travellers into high Northern latitudes, who remarked their having heard the Northern Lights make any noife in the air as they vary their colours or pofltion ; which may probably be owing to the want of perfect fllence at the time they made their ob- fervations on thofe meteors. I can pofitively affirm, that in ffill nights I have frequently heard them make a ruffling and crackling noife, like the waving of a large flag in a frefh gale of wind. This is not peculiar to the place of which I am now writing, as I have heard the fame 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 hemifphere where they have been known to fhine with any conflderable degree of luftre. It is, however, very probable that thefe lights are fometimes 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 conjedure I leave to the determinations of thofe who are better fkiiled in natural philofophy than I can pretend to be. Indian deer (the only fpecies found in thofe parts, ex- cept the moofe) are fo much larger than thofe which fre- quent NORTHERN OCEAN. quent the barren grounds to the North of Churchill River, *771. that a frnall doe is equal in ftze to a Northern buck. The December, hair of the former is of a fandy red during the Winter ; and their horns, though much ftronger, are not fo long and branchy as are thofe of the latter kind. Neither is the flefh of thofe deer fo much efteemed by the North- ern Indians, as that of the fmaller kind, which inhabit the more Eaftern and Northern parts of the country. Indeed, it mull be allowed to be much coarfer, and of a different flavour ; inafmuch as the large Lincolnfhire mutton differs from grafs lamb. I mull acknowledge, however, that I always thought it very good. This is that fpecies of deer which are found fo plentiful near York Fort and Severn River. They are alfo at times found in conflderable num- bers near Churchill River ; and I have feen them killed as far North, near the fea-flde, as Seal River : But the frnall 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 preceding fall ; for thofe viflts are always made in the Winter. But though I own that the flefh of the large Southern deer is very good, I mu ft at the fame time con- fefs that the flefh of the frnall Northern deer, whether buck or doe, in their proper feafcn, is by far more deli- cious, and the fineft I have ever eaten, either in this country or any other ; and is of that peculiar quality, that it never cloys. I can aftirm this from my own experience ; G g for. 226 A JOURNEY TO THE 1771. for, after living on it entirely, as it may be faid, for twelve December, or eighteen months fucceffively, I fcarcely ever wifhed for a change of food ; though when £L£h or fowl came in my way, it was very agreeable . The beaver being fo plentiful, the attention of my com- panions was chiefly engaged on them, as they not only furniffied delicious food, but their {kins proved a valuable acquifition, being a principal article of trade, as well as a ferviceable one for clothing, The lituation 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 neceffaries to their habitations, and becaufe, in general, they are more difficult to be taken, than thofe that are built in Handing 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 fome- times build on points, fometimes in the hollow of a bay, and often on finall iflands ; they always chufe, however, thofe •1 NORTHERN OCEAN. 227 thofe parts that have fuch a depth of water as will re® 1771. the froft in Winter, and prevent it from freezing to the December. bottom. The beaver that build their houfes in fmall rivers or creeks, in which the water is liable to be drained off when the back fupplies are dried up by the froft, are wonder- fully taught by inftindt to provide againft that evil, by making a dam quite acrofs the river, at a convenient dis- tance from their houfes. This I look upon as the moft curious piece of workmanship that is performed by the beaver ; not fo much for the neatnefs of the work, as for its Strength and real Service ; and at the fame time it difcovers fuch a degree of fagacity and forelight in the animal, of approaching evils, as is little inferior to that of the human fpecies, and is certainly peculiar to thofe animals. The beaver-dams differ in Shape according to the nature of the place in which they are built. II the water in the river or creek have but little motion, the dam is aimoft Straight ; but when the current is more rapid, it is always made with a conftderable curve, convex toward the ftream. The materials made ufe of in thofe dams are drift-wood, green willows, birch, and poplars, if they can be got; aifo mud and ftones, 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- G g 2 cent 228 A JOURNEY TO THE I77I* cept that of the work being carried on with a regular fweep, December. and all the parts being made of equal flrength. In places which have been long frequented by beaver undiflurbed, their dams, by frequent repairing, become a folid bank, capable of refilling a great force both of water and ice ; and as the willow, poplar, and birch generally take root and fhoot up, they by degrees form a kind of regular-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 Handing waters, may enjoy a fufficient quantity of their favourite element without the afliflance of a dam, the trouble of getting wood and other neceffaries to their habitations without the help of a current, muft in fome meafure counterbalance the other advantages which are reaped from fuch a fituation ; for it mufl 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 materials 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 NORTHERN OCEAN, Thefe houfes, though not altogether unworthy of ad- miration, fall very fhort of the general defer ip t ion given of them ; for inftead of order or regulation being ob- ferved in rearing them, they are of & much ruder drudhire than their dams* Thofe who have undertaken to deferibe the inlide of beaver-houfes, as having feveral apartments appropriated to various ufes ; fuch as eating, fleeping, ftore-houfes for pro^- vilions, and one for their natural occalions, &c, mud have been very little acquainted with the fubjedt ; or, which is dill worfe, guilty of attempting to impofe on the credulous, by reprefenting the greateft falfehoods as real fadts. Many years condant refidence among the In- dians, during which I 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, notwithdanding the fagacity of thofe animals, it has never been obferved that they aim at any other conveniences, in their houfes, than to have a dry place to lie on ; and. there they ufually eat their vi&uals, which they occalion- ally 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 fup- port the roof On fuch occalions it is common for thofe. different. 229 1771, December, 2$G A JOURNEY TO THE 1771- different apartments, as forne are pleafed to call them, to December, have no communication with each other but by water ; fo that in fa£t 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 apartments under one roof : and, two or three of thefe only excepted, none of them had any com- munication with each other but by water. As there were beaver enough to inhabit each apartment, it is more than probable that each family knew its own, and always en- tered at their own door, without having any farther con- nection with their neighbours than a friendly intercourfe ; and to join their united labours in ereCting their feparate ha- bitations, and building their dams where required. It is difficult to fay whether their intereft on other occafions was anyways reciprocal. 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 expence of more trouble than would be fufficient to take double the number in a lefs difficult fituation *. Travellers who affert that the beaver have two doors to their houfes, one on the land-fide, and the other next the * The difficulty here alluded to, was the numberlefs vaults the beaver had in the tides of the pond, and the immenfe thickncfs of the houfe in fome ©arts. water. NORTHERN OCEAN, water, feem to be lefs acquainted with thofe animals than others who ailign them an elegant fuite of apartments. Such a proceeding would be quite contrary to their manner of life, and at the fame time would render their houfes of no ufe, either to protect them from their enemies, or guard them againft the extreme cold in Winter. The quiquehatches, or wolvereens,. are great enemies to the beaver ; and if there were a paffage into their houfes on the land-lide, would not leave one of them alive where-* ever they came. I cannot refrain from fmiling, when I read the accounts of different Authors who have written on the oeconomy of thole animals, as there feems to be a contefl: between them, who fhail moft exceed in fibtion. But the Compiler of the Wonders of Nature and Art feems, In my opinion, to have fucceeded beft in this refpebt ; as he has not only collected all the fictions into which other writers on the fubjebt have run, but has fo greatly improved on them, that little remains to be added to his account of the beaver, belide a vocabulary of their language, a code of their laws, and a fketch of their religion, to make it the mod com- plete natural hiffory of that animal which can poflibly be offered to the public. There cannot be a greater impofition, or indeed a groffer inful t, on common underffanding, than the wifh 7 to; 231' 1771. I— — * December,- 2 32 A • J O U R N E Y TO THE 177^ to make us believe the {lories of fome of the works afcribed ^"ecemb^J to the beaver ; and though it is not to be fuppofed that the compiler ol a general work can be intimately acquainted with every fubjedl of which it may be neceffary to treat, yet a very moderate fhare of underflanding is furely fuf- ficient to guard him againfl giving credit to fuch mar- vellous tales, however fmoothly they may be told, or however boldly they may be afferted, by the romancing traveller. To deny that the beaver is pofTeffed of a very confider- able degree of fagacity, would be as abfurd in me, as it is in thofe Authors who think they cannot allow them too much. I {hall willingly grant them their full fhare ; but it is im- poffible for any one to conceive how, or by what means, a beaver, whofe full height when {landing eredt does not exceed two feet and a half, or three feet at moll, and whofe fore- paws are not much larger than a half-crown piece, can ££ drive flakes as thick as a man’s leg into the ££ ground three or four feet deep.” Their ££ wattling thofe ££ flakes with twigs,” is equally abfurd ; and their ££ plaif- £t tering the infide of their houfes with a compofition of ££ mud and ftraw, and fwimming with mud and flones on ££ the ir tails,” are flill more incredible. The form and fize of the animal, notwithflanding all its fagacity, will not admit of its performing fuch feats ; and it would be as impoffible for a beaver to ufe its tail as a trowel, except on the furface of the ground on which it walks, as it would NORTHERN OCEAN. 233 would have been for Sir James Thornhill to have painted l77l‘ the dome of St. Paul’s cathedral without the afliflance of December, fcaffolding. The joints of their tail will not admit of their turning it over their backs on any occafion what- ever, as it has a natural inclination to bend downwards ; and it is not without fome conliderable exertion that they can keep it from trailing on the ground. This being the cafe, they cannot fit eredt like a fquirrel, which is their common pofture ; particularly when eating, or when they are cleaning themfelves, as a cat or fquirrel does, without having their tails bent forward between their legs ; and which may not improperly be called their trencher. So far are the beaver from driving {lakes into the ground when building their houfes, that they lay moil of the wood crofswife, and nearly horizontal, and without any other order than that of leaving a hollow or cavity in the middle ; when any unnecefiary branches projedl inward, they cut them o£F with their teeth, and throw them in among the reil, to prevent the mud from falling through the roof. It is a miilaken notion, that the wood-work is firil com- pleted and then plaiilered ; for the whole of their houfes, as well as their dams, are from the foundation one mafs of wood and mud, mixed with ilones, if they can be pro- cured. 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 final!, yet it is held clofe up between them, under their throat, H li that 234 1771* V ~J December. A JOURNEY TO THE that they carry both mud and flones $ 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 collected as much mud at their houfes as to have amounted to fome thoufands of their little handfuls ; and when any mixture of grafs or draw has appeared in it, it has been, moft affuredly, mere chance, owing to the nature of the ground from which they had taken it. As to their delignedly making a compodtion for that purpofe, it is entirely void of truth. It is a great piece of policy in thofe animals, to cover, or plaider, as it is ufually called, the outdde of their houfes every fall with frefh mud, and as late as poflible in the Autumn, even when the frofl becomes pretty fevere ; as by this means it foon freezes as hard as a done, and pre- vents their common enemy, the quiquehatch, from dis- turbing them during the Winter. And as they are fre- quently feen to walk over their work, and fometimes to give a dap with their tail, particularly when plunging into the water, this has, without doubt, given rife to the vulgar opinion that they ufe their tails as a trowel, with which they plaifler their houfes j whereas that dapping of the tail is no more than a cuflom, which they always preferve, even when they become tame and domedic, and more par- ticularly fo when they are ftartled. 5 Their t NORTHERN OCEAN. 23$ Their food chiefly confifts of a large root, fomething J771- refembling a cabbage-ftalk, which grows at the bottom December* of the lakes and rivers. They eat alfo the bark of trees, particularly that of the poplar, birch, and willow ; but the ice preventing them from getting to the land in Winter, they have not any barks to feed upon during that feafon, except that of fuch hicks as they cut down in Summer, and throw into the water oppolite the doors of their houfes ; and as they generally eat a great deal, the roots above mentioned conftitute a chief part of their food during the Winter. In Summer 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 Spring, the beaver al- ways leave their houfes, and rove about the whole Sum- mer, probably in fearch of a more commodious htuation; but in cafe of not fucceeding in their endeavours, they return again to their old habitations a little before the fall of the leaf, and lay in their Winter flock of woods. They feldom begin to repair the houfes till the frofl commences, and never finifh the outer-coat till the cold is pretty fevere, as hath been already mentioned. When they fhift their habitations, or when the increafe of their number renders it neceffary to make fome addition to their houfes, or to ere£t new ones, they begin felling H h 2 -the 236 I771- U~ — J December. A JOURNEY TO THE 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 weather be fet in. Notwithftanding what has been fo repeatedly reported of thofe animals affembling in great bodies, and jointly erecting large towns, cities, and commonwealths, as they have fometimes been called, I am confident, from many circumftances, that even where the greatefi: numbers of beaver are fituated in the neighbourhood of each other, their labours are not carried on jointly in the ere&ion of their different 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 cafes it is natural to think that every one who receives be- nefit from fuch dams, fhould afiift in ere&ing it, being fenfible of its utility to all. Perfons who attempt to take beaver in Winter fhould be thoroughly acquainted with their manner of life, other- wife they will have endlefs trouble to effect their purpofe, and probably without fuccefs in the end ; becaufe 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 3 and in general it is in thofe holes that they are taken. When NORTHERN OCEAN. 237 When the beaver which are fituated in a fmall river or creek are to be taken, the Indians fometimes find it ne- cefiary to ftake the river acrofs, to prevent them from pafling ; after which, they endeavour to find out all their holes or places of retreat in the banks. This requires much practice and experience to accomplifh, and is performed in the following manner : Every man being furnifhed with an ice-chifel, lafhes it to the end of a fmall Raff about four or five feet long ; he then walks along the edge of the banks, and keeps knocking his chifels againfl 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 beavers’ holes or vaults. As foon as they fufpe£t any, they cut a hole through the ice big enough to admit an old beaver ; and in this manner proceed till they have found out all their places of retreat, or at leaf!: as many of them as pofiible. While the principal men are thus employed, fome of the underftrappers, and the wo- men, are bu fy in breaking open the houfe, which at times is no eafy talk ; 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 water, they block up the entrance with flakes of wood, and then haul the beaver out of its hole, either by hand, if they can reach it, or with a large hook made December. s3S A JOURNEY TO. THE 1771- made for that purpofe, which is fattened to the end of a December. long Hick. In this kind of hunting, every man has the foie right to all the beaver caught by him in the holes or vaults ; and as this is a conflant rule, each perfon takes care to mark fuch as he difcovers, by flicking up the branch of a tree, or fome other diflinguifhing poll, 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 obferved, and the fame procefs ufed in taking beaver that are found in lakes and other Handing waters, except it be that of flaking the lake acrofs, which would be both unnecefTary and impoflible. Taking beaver-houfes in thefe fituations is generally at- tended 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 retreat difcovered, they have but one choice left, as it may be called, either to be taken in their houfes or their vaults : in general they prefer the latter ; 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 ; NORTHERN OCEAN. •239 delicious; but the trouble of rearing their young, the J771* thinnefs of their hair, and their conflantly roving from December, place to place, with the trouble they have in providing againft the approach of Winter, generally keep them very poor during the Summer feafon, at which time their fiefk is but indifferent eating, and their fkins of fo little value, that the Indians generally finge them, even to the amount of many 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 mufl be underflood that they are all of one kind and fpecies : his diflindlions arife wholly from the different feafons of the year in which they axe killed, and the different ufes to which their fkins are ap- plied, which is the foie reafon that they vary fb 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 muft have been much fmaller than they are at prefent ; for it is well known that the generality of the canoes which have vifited the Company’s Factories for the lafl forty or fifty years, are capable of carrying three hundred beaver-fkins with great eafe, exclufive of the Indians luggage, pro- vifions, If 24o A JOURNEY TO THE 1771. If ever a particular Indian killed fix hundred beaver in December, one Winter, (which is rather to be doubted,) it is more than probable that many in his company did not kill twenty, and perhaps fome none at all ; fo that by diflri- buting them among thofe who had bad fuccefs, and others who had no abilities for that kind of hunting, there would be no neceflity of leaving them to rot, or for finging them in the fire, as related by that Author. During my refi- dence among the Indians I have known fome individuals kill more beaver, and other heavy furrs, in the courfe of a Winter, than their wives could manage ; but the overplus was never wantonly deflroyed, but always given to their relations, or to thofe who had been lefs fuccefsful ; fo that the whole of the great hunters labours were always brought to the Fa&ory. It is indeed too frequently a cuftom among the Southern Indians to finge many otters, as well as beaver ; but this is feldom done, except in Summer, when their fkins are of fo little 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 valuable ani- mals at a time when their fkins are not in feafon. The white beaver, mentioned by Lefranc, are fo rare, that in dead of being “ blown upon by the Company’s Fadtors,” as he aflerts, I rather doubt whether one- tenth of them ever faw one during the time of their refidence in this country. In the courfe of twenty years experience in the countries about NORTHERN OCEAN. 241 about Hudfon’s Bay, though I travelled fix hundred miles lJ71' f to the Weft of the fea-coafl, I never faw but one white December, beaver-fkin, and it had many reddifh and brown hairs along the ridge of the back, and the hides and belly were of a gloffy filvery white. It was deemed by the Indians a great curiofity ; 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 afterward, I could not procure another ; which is a convincing proof there is no fuch thing as a breed of that kind, and that a vari- ation from the ufual colour is very rare. Black beaver, and that of a beautiful glofs, are not un- common : 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 fkins in the courfe of one year's trade. Lefranc, as an Indian, mull have known better than to have informed Mr. Dobbs that the beaver have from ten to fifteen young at a time ; or if he did, he muff have deceived him wilfully : for the Indians, by killing them in all ftages of geftation, have abundant opportunities of afcertaining the ufual number of their offspring. I have feen fome hundreds of them killed at the feafons favour- able for thofe obkrvadons, and never could difcover more than fix young in one female, and that only in two in- I i fiances 5 242 A JOURNEY TO THE 1771* fiances ; for tlie ufual number, as I have before obferved, December, 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 refpedt to the beaver, which experience has proved to the Indians never to vary or de- ceive them, that is by diffedion ; for on examining the womb of a beaver, even at a time when not with young, there is always found a hardifh round knob for every young fhe had at the lafl litter. This is a circumflance I have been particularly careful to examine, and can affirm it to be true, from real experience. Moil of the accounts, nay I may fay all the accounts now extant, refpeding the beaver, are taken from the authority of the French who have refided in Canada; but thofe accounts differ fo much from the real flate and (Eco- nomy of all the beaver to the North of that place, as to leave great room to fufped the truth of them altogether. In the firfl 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 obferved, quite contrary to fad: and common fenfe, as it would render their houfes of no ufe to them, either as places of fhelter from the incle- mency of the extreme cold in Winter, or as a retreat from <-% their common enemy the quiquehatch. The only thing so that NORTHERN OCEAN. 243 that could have made M. Du Pratz, and other French *77 l- writers, conjecture that fuch a thing did exift, mu ft have December, been from having feen fome old beaver -houfes which had been taken by the Indians ; for they are always obliged to make a hole in one (ide of the houfe before they can drive them out ; and it is more than probable that in fo mild a climate as Canada, the Indians do generally make thofe holes on the land-fide *, which without doubt gave rife to the fuggeftion. In refpect to the beaver dunging in their houfes, as fome perfons affert, it is quite wrong, as they always plunge into the water to do it. I am the better enabled to make this aftertion, from having kept feveral of them till they became fo domefticated as to anfwer to their name, and follow thofe to whom they were accu domed, 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 a light fubftance, immediately rifes and floats on the furface, * The Northern Indians think that the fagacity of the beaver diredts them to make that part of their houfe which fronts the North much thicker than any other partj with a view of defending themfelves from the cold winds which ge- nerally blow from that quarter during the Winter ; and for this reafon the Northern Indians generally break open that fide of the beaver-houfes which exactly front the South. I i 2 then 244 A JOURNEY TO THE 1 77 1 - then feparates and fubfides to the bottom. When the December. 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 houfe, they always went into a large tub of water which I fet for that purpofe : fo that they made not the lead dirt, though they were kept in my own fitting- room, wdiere they were the conftant companions of the Indian women and children, and were fo fond of their company, that when the Indians were abfent for any con- fiderable time, the beaver difeovered great figns of un- eafinefs, and on their return fhewed equal marks of plea- fure, by fondling on them, crawling into their laps, lay- ing on their backs, fitting ere6t like a fquirrel, and be- having 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 and plum-pudding : they would eat partridges and frefh venifon very freely, but I never tried them with hfh, though I have heard they will at times prey on them. In fa dt, there are few of the granivorous animals that may not be brought to be carniverous. It is well known that our domeftic poultry will eat animal food : thoufands of geefe that come to London market are fat- tened on tallow-craps ; and our horfes in Hudfon’s Bay would not only eat all kinds of animal food, but alfo drink freely of the wafh, or pot-liquor, intended for the hogs. NORTHERN OCEAN. 245 hogs. And we are affured by the mod authentic Authors, that in Iceland, not only black cattle, but alfo the fheep, are almoft entitely fed on fiffi and fiffi-bones during the Winter feafon. Even in the Hies of Orkney, and that in Summer, the fheep attend the ebbing of the tide as re- gular as the Efquimaux curlew, and go down to the fhore which the tide has left, to feed on the Tea- weed. This, however, is through neceffity ; for even the famous Ifland of Pomona * will not afford them an exiftence above high- water- mark . With refpedt to the inferior, or Have-beaver, of which fome Authors fpeak, it is, in my opinion, very difficult for thofe who are bell acquainted with the oeconomy of this animal to determine whether there are any that de- ferve that appellation 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 fhoulders almoft wholly without hair. This is the only foundation for afferting that there is an inferior, or Have -beaver, 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 limilar to the mange ; for * This being the large ft of the Orkney Iflands, is called by the Inhabitants the Main Land. 1771. * — — — -> December. were 246 a JOURNEY TOTHE 1771. were that falling off of the hair occafioned by perform- December, mg extra labour, it is natural to think that inftances of it would be more frequent than there are ; as it is rare to fee one of them in the courfe of feven or ten years. I have feen a whole houfe of thofe animals that had nothing on the furface of their bodies but the fine foft down ; all the long haiis having molted off. This and every other deviation from the general run is undoubtedly owing to fome particular diforder* CHAP, NORTHERN OCEAN, 2 47 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. — Dcfcription of it and its productions, as far as could be difeovered in Winter , when the f low was on the ground. Fijh found in the lake. — Dcfcription of the buffalo; — of the moofe or elk , and the method of drejfing their fins. — Find a woman alone that had not feen a human face for more than feven months. — Her account how ffe came to be in that fituation ; and her curious method of pro- curing a livelihood. — Many of my Indians wrefled for her. — ■ Arrive at the Great Athapufcow River. — Walk along the fde of the River for feveral days , and then frike off to the Eafward. — Difficulty in getting through the woods in many places. — Meet with fome f range Northern Indians on their return from the Fort. — Meet more f rangers, whom my companions plundered, and from whom they took one of their young women Curious manner of life which thofe f rangers lead, and the reafon they gave for roving fo far from their ufual refidence. — Leave the fne level country of the Athapufcows , and arrive at the Stony Hills of the Northern Indian Country. — Meet fome f range Northern Indians, one of whom carried a letter for me to Prince of Wales’’ s Fort, in March one thoufand feven hundred and feventy-one, and now gave me an an- fwer to it, dated twentieth of June following. — Indians begin preparing wood-work and birch-rind for canoes.— The equinoctial gale very fevere. - — Indian method of running the moofe deer down by fpeed of foot.— Arrival at Theeleyaza River. — See fome f rangers.-— The brutality of my companions. — A tremendous gale and flow-drift.— Meet with morse f rangers remarks on it. — Leave all the elderly people and children, and 248 1772. V— — January. 9th. A JOURNEY TO THE and proceed directly to the Fort. — Stop to build canoes , and then advance. • — Several of the Indians die through hunger , and many others are obliged to decline the journey for want of ammmiition. — A violent form and inundation , that forced us to the tGp of a high hill , where we fuf- fercd great difrefs for more than two days. — Kill fever al deer. — The Indians method of preferving the fiefo without the ajffance of fait. — See feveral Indians that were going to Knapp' s Fay. — Game of all kinds remarkably plentiful. — Arrive at the FaSlory. AFTER expending fome days in hunting beaver, we ■*“ proceeded to crofs the Athapufcow Lake ; but as we had loft much time in hunting deer and beaver, which were very plentiful on fome of the iflands, it was the ninth of January before we arrived on the South ftde. This lake, from the beft information which I could get from the natives, is about one hundred and twenty leagues long from Eaft to Weft, and twenty wide from North to South. The point where we crofted it is faid to be the narroweft. It is full of iflands ; moft of which are clothed with fine tall poplars, birch, and pines, and are well flocked with Indian deer. On fome of the large iflands we alfo found feveral beaver ; but this muff be underftood only of fuch iflands 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 ftored with great quantities of very fine fifb ; particularly between the lllands, which in fome parts / NORTHERN OCEAN. parts are fo dole to each other as to form very narrow *772- channels, like little rivers, in which I found (when January, angling for fifh) a confiderable current fetting to the E aft ward. The fifh that are common in this lake, as well as in moft of the other lakes in this country, are pike, trout, perch, barbie, tittameg, and methy ; the two !aft are names given by the natives to two fpecies of fifh which are found only in this country. Befides thefe, we alfo caught another kind of fifh, which is faid by the Northern Indians to be peculiar to this lake ; at leaft none of the fame kind have been met with in any other. The body of this fifh much refembles a pike in fhape ; but the fcales, which are very large and ftiff, are of a beautifully bright filver colour : the mouth is large, and fituated like that of a pike ; but when open, much refembles that of a fturgeon ; 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 fiefh, though delicately white, is very foft, and has fo rank a tafte, that many of the Indians, except they are in abfolute want, will not eat it. The Northern Indians call this fifh Shees. The trout in this lake are of the largeft fize I ever fawT : fome that were caught by my companions could not, I think, be lefs than thirty-five or forty pounds weight. Pike are alfo of an incredible fize in this extenfi ve water ; here they are feldom mo- K k lefted* A JOURNEY TO THE Idled, and have multitudes of fmaller fifii to prey upon. If I fay that I have feen fome of thefe fifh that were up- wards 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 lide, to a fine level country, in which there was not a hill to be feen, or a Hone to be found : fo that fuch of my companions as had not brafs kettles, loaded their Hedges with Hones from fome of the laft ifiands, to boil their victuals with in their birch-rind, kettles, which will not admit of being expofed to the fire. They therefore heat Hones and drop them into the water in the kettle to make it boil. Buffalo, moofe, and beaver were very plentiful ; and we could difcover, in many parts through which we pafled, the tracks of martins, foxes, quiquehatches, and other animals of the furr kind ; fo that they were by no means fcarce : but my companions never gave themfelves the leafi trouble to catch any of the three laH mentioned animals ; for the buffalo, moofe, and beaver engaged all their at- tention ; perhaps principally fo on account of the excel- lency of their flefh ; whereas the fleffi of the fox and qui~ quehatch are never eaten by thofe people, except when, they are in the greateH difirefs, and then merely to fave life,, 1772. January. NORTHERN OCEAN, 251 life. Their reafons for this ffiall be given in a fublequent 1 772- part of my Journal. January. The buffalo in thofe parts, I think, are in general much larger than the Engliffi black cattle ; particularly the bulls, which, though they may not in reality be taller than the largeft fize of the Engliffi oxen, yet to me always appeared to be much larger. In fa£t, they are fo heavy, that when fix or eight Indians are in company at the fkinning 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 ffioulder, rip up the belly, take out all the inteftines, cut off the head, and make it as light as poffible, before they turn it to fkin the under fide. The Ikin is in fome places of an incredible thicknefs, par- . ticularly about the neck, where it often exceeds an inch. The horns are ffiort, black, and almoft ftraight, but very thick at the roots or bafe. 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 * ; * It is remarked by Mr. Catelby, in his defcription of this animal, that no man can lift one of their heads. Thofe I faw in the Athapufcow country are fuch as I have defcribed; and I am allured by the Company’s fervants, as well as the Indians who live near Hudfon’s Houfe, that the buffalos there are much fmaller; fo that the fpecies Mr. Catelby faw, or wrote of, muff have been much larger, or have had very large heads ; for it is well known that a man of any tolerable ftrength can lift two and a half, or three hundred pounds weight. I think that the heads of his buffalos are too heavy for the bodies, as the bodies of thofe I faw in the Athapufcow country appear to have been of equal weight with his. K k 2 but A JOURNEY TO THE 252 i772* but die heads of the cows are much fmaller. Their tails January, 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 glofly black ; but the brufh at the end of the cows’ tails is always of a rufty brown, probably owing to being flained with their urine. The hair of the body is foft and curled, fomewhat approaching to wool ; it is generally of a fandy brown, and of an equal length and thicknefs all over the body : but 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 fkin to an equal thicknefs by fcraping, drefs them in the hair for clothing ; when they are light, foft, warm, and durable. They alfo drefs fome of thofe fkins into leather without the hair, of which they make tents and fhoes ; but the grain is remarkably open and fpungy, by no means equal in goodnefs to that of the fkin of the moofe : nor am I certain that the curriers or tanners in Europe could manu- facture thefe fkins in fuch a manner as to render them of any confiderable value ; for, to appearance, they are of the fame quality with 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 Factory, the Company iffued out orders the year following, that unlefs they could be purchafed from the Indians at the rate of four fkins NORTHERN OCEAN. 253 fldns for one beaver, they would not anfwer the expence of fending home ; a great proof of their being of very little value. The buffalos 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 frequently brufh down trees as thick as a man’s arm ; and be the fnow ever fo deep, fuch is their ftrength and agility that they are enabled to plunge through it fader than the fwifted Indian can run in fnow-fhoes. 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 fnow-fhoes, I foon found that I was no match for the buffalos, notwithflanding they were then plunging through fuch deep fnow, that their bellies made a trench in it as large as if many heavy facks had been hauled through it. Of all the large beads in thofe parts the buffalo is eafied to kill, and the moofe are the mod; difficult ; neither are the deer very eafy to come at, except in windy weather : indeed it requires much practice, and a great deal of pa- tience, to flay any of them, as they will by no means fuffer a direc. that they were obliged to retreat farther back, to avoid the Atha- pufcow Indians, who made furpriHng daughter among them, both in Winter and Summer. On the fixteenth, as we were continuing our courfe in 16th, the South WeH quarter, we arrived at the grand Atha- might be brought to her, for the cruel purpofe of murdering it. It is fcarcely poflible to exprefs my aftoniftmient, on hearing fuch an extraordinary requeft made by a young creature fcarcely fixteen years old; however, as loon as I recovered from my furprife, I ordered her to leave the fettlement, which Are did, with thofe who were going to war; and it is therefore probable Are might not be difappointed in her requeft. The next year I was ordered to the command of -Prince of Wales’s Fort, and therefore never faw her afterward. Mm2 pufcow 20S I772, January. A JOURNEY TO THE pufcow River, which at that part is about two miles wide, and empties itfelf into the great lake of the fame name we had fo lately eroded, and which has been al- ready defcribed. The woods about this river, particularly the pines and poplars, are the tailed and flouted I have feen in any part of North America. The birch alfo grows to a conflder- able dze, and fome fpecies of the willow are likewife tall ; but none of them have any trunk, like thofe in England. The bank of the river in. mod parts is very high, and in fome places not lefs than a hundred feet above the or- dinary furface of the water.. As the foil is of a loamy quality, it is very fubjedt to moulder or wafh away by heavy rains, even during 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 walked, away by the inundations ; and as the wood grows clofe to the edge of the banks, vad quantities of it are hurried down the dream by the irrelidible force of the water and ice, and conveyed into the great lake already mentioned ; on the fhores and ffiands of which, there lies the greated quan- tity of drift wood I ever faw. Some of this wood is large enough to make mads for the larged fhips that are built. The banks of the river in general are fo deep as to be in- accedible to either man or bead, except in fome flacks, or gulleys, that have been wore down by heavy rains, back- waters, NORTHERN OCEAN. 269 waters, or deluges ; and even thofe Hacks are, for the moll J772- part, very difficult to afcend, on account of the number January, of large trees which lie in the way. There are feveral low illands in this river, which are much frequented by the moofe, for the fake of the fine willows they produce, which furniffi them with a plentiful fupply of their favourite food during the Winter. Some of thofe illands are alfo frequented 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 fe- veral others of lefs note, which empty themfelves 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 fuperfluous waters, fome of which, after a variety of windings through the barren grounds to the North of Churchill River, are loll in the marihes and low grounds, while others, by means of many fmall chan- nels 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 fhoals and Hones, as not to be navigable for an Indian canoe to any considerable diftance ; and if they were, it would be of little or no ufe to the natives, as none of them lead within feveral hundred miles of Churchill River. Agree- A JOURNEY TO THE 270 I772* Agreeably to Matonabbee’s propofal, we continued our January, courfe up the Athapufcow River for many days, and though we paffed feveral parts which we well knew to have been the former Winter-haunts of the Athapufcow Indians, yet we could not fee the lead: trace of any of them having been there that feafon. In the preceding Sum- mer, 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 ftill burning in many places, which at firft deceived us very much, as we took it for the fmoke of ftrange tents ; but after going much out of our way, and fearching very diligently, we could not difcover the lead; track of a ftranger. Thus difappointed in our expectations of meeting the Southern Indians, it was refolved (in Council, as it may be called) to expend as much time in hunting buffalo, moofe, and beaver as we could, fo that we might be ahle to reach Prince of Wales’s Fort a little before the ufual time of the fhips arrival from England. Accordingly, after having walked upwards of forty miles by the fide of Athapufcow 27th. River, on the twenty- feventh of January we ftruck off to the Eaffward, and left the River at that part where it begins to tend due South. In confequence of this determination of the Indians, we continued our courfe to the Eaffward ; but as game of all kinds was very plentiful, we made but fhort days journies, NORTHERN OCEAN. 271 journies, and often remained two or three days in one I772* place, to eat up the fpoils or produce of the chace. The January, woods through which we were to pafs were in many places fo thick, that it was neceflary to cut a path before the women could pafs with their fledges ; and in other places fo much of the woods had formerly been fet on fire and burnt, that we were frequently obliged to walk farther than we otherwife fhould have done, before we could find green brufli enough to floor our tents. From the fifteenth to the twenty- fourth of February, February we walked along a final! river that empties itfelf into I5th— 24U the Lake Clowey, near the part where we built canoes in May one thoufand feven hundred and feventy-one. This little river is that which we mentioned in the former part of this Journal, as having communication with the Athapufcow 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 fuf- ficient 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 flrange Northern Indian leader, 24tk called Thlew-fa-nell-ie, and feveral of his followers, joined us from the Eaftward. This leader prefented Matonabbee and myfelf with a foot of tobacco each, and a two-quart keg ,272 I772* u — ✓- — i February. A JOURNEY TO THE keg of brandy, which he intended as a prefent for the Southern Indians ; but being informed by my companions, that there was not the lead: probability of meeting any, he did not think it worth any farther carriage. The tobacco was indeed very acceptable, as our flock of that article had been expended fome time. Having been fo long with- out tailing fpirituous liquors, I would not partake of the brandy, but left it entirely to the Indians, to whom, as they were numerous, it was fcarcely a tafle for each. Few of the Northern Indians are fond of fpirits, efpecially thofe who keep at a diflance from the Fort : fome who are near, and who ufually fhoot geefe for us in the Spring, will drink it at free coft as fail as the Southern Indians, 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 progrefs in our journey. Many days were fpent in hunting, feafling, and drying a large quan- tity of flefh to take with us, particularly that of the buf- falo ; for my companions knew by experience, that a few days walk to the Eaflward of our prefent fituation would bring us to a part where we fhould not fee any of thofe animals. The flrangers who had joined us on the twenty-fourth informed us, that all were well at Prince of Wales’s Fort 13 when NORTHERN OCEAN. o y when they left it laft; which, according to their account *772. of the Moons paft fince, muft have been about the fifth February, of November one thoufand feven hundred and feventy- one. Thefe 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 Weft ward ; but a few of them having procured fome furrs in the early part of the Winter, joined our party, with an intent to accom- pany us to the Factory. Having a good ftock of dried meat, fat, &*c. prepared in the beft manner for carriage, on the twenty-eighth we 28th. fhaped our courfe in the South Eaft quarter, and pro- ceeded 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 inoffenfive people, plundered them not only of the few furrs which they had, but took alfo one of their young women from them. Every additional adt of violence committed by my com- panions on the poor and diftreffed, ferved to increafe my indignation and diftike ; this laft adt, however, difpleafed me more than all their former adtions, becaufe it was com- mitted on a fet of harmlefs creatures, whofe general man- ner of life renders them the moft fecluded from fociety of any of the human race. N n Matonabbee 274 A JOURNEY TO THE 1772. Matonabbee allured me, that for more than a generation February, pafl one family only, as it may be called, (and to which the young men belonged who were plundered by my com- panions,) 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 belt accounts that I could collect, the latitude of this place muff be about 63 J°, or 63° at leaf!:; the longitude is very uncertain. From my own experience I can affirm, that it is fome hundreds of miles both flxom the lea- fide and the main woods to the Wed ward. Few of the trading Northern Indians have vifited this place ; but thofe who have, give a pleafmg defcription of \ J|t, all agreeing that it is fituated on the banks of a river which has communication with feveral fine lakes. As the current fets to the North Eaflward, it empties itfelf, in all probability, into fome part of Hudfon’s Bay ; and, from the latitude, no part feems more likely for this com- munication, than Baker’s Lake, at the head of Chefter- field’s inlet. This, however, is mere conjecture ; nor is it of any confequence, as navigation on any of the rivers in thofe parts is not only impracticable, hut would be alfo unprofitable, as they do not lead into a country that produces any thing for trade, or that contains any inhabitants worth vifiting. The accounts given of this place, and the manner of life of its inhabitants, would, if related at full length, fill a volume : let it fuffice to obferve, that the fituation is NORTHERN OCEAN. 275 is faid to be remarkably favourable 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 fifh and par- tridges. That being the cafe, the few who compofe this little commonwealth, are, by long cuftom and the conftant example of their forefathers, pofTeffed of a provident turn of mind, with a degree of frugality unknown to every other tribe of Indians in this country except the Es- quimaux. Deer is faid to vifit this part of the country in afto- nifhing numbers, both in Spring and Autumn, of which circumflances the inhabitants avail themfelves, by killing and drying as much of their flefh as poffible, particularly in the fall of the year ; fo that they feldom are in want of a good Winter’s flock. Geefe, ducks, and fwans vifit here in great plenty during their migrations both in the Spring and Fall, and by much art, joined to an infurmountable patience, are caught in confiderable numbers in fnares *, and, with- out * To fnare fwans, geefe, or ducks, in the water, it requires no other procefs than to make a number of hedges, or fences, project into the water, at right angles, from the banks of a river, lake, or pond ; for it is obferved that thofe birds generally fwim near the margin, for the benefit of feeding on the grafs, &c. Thofe fences are continued for fome diftance from the fhore, and feparated two or three yards from each other, fo that openings are left fufficiently large to let the birds fwim through. In each of thofe open- N n 2 ings 5772* y — ■ I MM J February. < — J February, 1772. A JOURNEY TO THE out doubt, make a very pleating change in the food. It is alfo reported, (though I confefs I doubt the truth of it,) ings a fnare is hung and fattened to a flake, which the bird,, when intangled, cannot drag from the bottom ; and to prevent the fnare from being wafted out of its proper place by the wind, it is fecured to the ftakes which form the opening, with tender grafs, which is eafily broken. This method, though it has the appearance of being very fimple, is never- thelefs attended with much trouble, particularly when we confider the fmall- nefs of their canoes, and the great inconveniency they labour under in per- forming works of this kind in the water. Many of the ftakes ufed on thofe occafions are of a confiderable length and fize, and the fmall branches which form the principal part of the hedges, are not arranged without much caution, for fear of overfetting the 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 are (hallow, the natives are frequently at the pains to make fences from fhore to fhore. To fnare thofe birds in their nefts requires a confiderable degree of art, and, as the natives fay, a great deal of cleanlinefs ; for they have obferved, that when fnares have been fet by thofe whofe hands were not clean, the birds would not go into the nett. Even the goofe, though fo fimple a bird, is notorioufly known to forfake her eggs, if they are breathed on by the Indians. The fmaller fpecies of birds which make their nett in the ground, are by no means fo delicate, of courfe lefs care is neceflary to fnare them. It has been obferved that all birds which build in the ground go into their nett at one par- ticular fide, and out of it on the oppofite. The Indians, thoroughly convinced of this, always fet the fnares on the fide on which the bird enters the nett ; and if care be taken in fetting them, feldom fail of feizing their object. For fmall birds, fuch as larks, and many others of equal fize, the Indians only ufe two or three hairs out of their head; but for larger birds, particu- larly fwans, geefe, and ducks, they make fnares of deer-finews, twitted like packthread, and occafionally of a fmall thong cut from a parchment deer- fkin. I that NORTHERN OCEAN. that a remarkable fpecies of partridges as large as Englifh fowls, are found in that part of the country only. Thofe, as well as the common partridges, it is faid, are killed in eonfiderable 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 fifh, particularly trout and barbie,, which are eafily caught y the former with hooks, and the latter in nets. In. £a fimple, that I have feen them fhot off-hand while feed- ing, the fame as fparrows in a heap of chaff, fometimes twq1 or three at a {hot. This fport is always raoft fuccefsful in moon-light nights ; for in the day-time they generally keep in their holes among the rocks, and under the hol- low ice at high- water-mark. Thefe animals will prey on each other as readily as on any other animals they find dead in a trap, or wounded by gun ; which renders them fo deftrudive, that I have kjiown upwards of one hundred and twenty Foxes of dif- ferent NORTHERN OCEAN. 365 ferent colours eaten, and deftroyed in their traps by their comrades in the courfe of one Winter, within half a mile of the Fort. The Naturalifts feem ftill at a lofs to know their breed- ing-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 Hudfon’s Bay, particularly at Cape Efqui- maux, Navel’s Bay, and Whale Cove, alfo on Marble Ifland ; fo that with fome degree of confidence we may affirm, that they breed on every part of the coaft they in- habit during the Summer feafon. They generally have from three to five young at a litter 5 more I never faw with 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 afh-colour ; the back, legs, fome 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 ridge of the back and the tip of the tail are the laft 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 ealily do- mefticated in fome degree, but I never faw one that was fond of being carefted ; and they are always impatient of confinement. White Foxes, when killed at any confiderable diftance fron^ the fea coaft, (where they cannot poffibly get any thing The White Fox. 366 A JOURNEY TO THE The Lynx, or Wild Cat, The Polar or White Bear. thing to prey upon, except rabbits, mice, and partridges,) are far from being difagreeable eating. And on Marble Ifland I have fhot 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 North of Churchill ; but is exa&ly 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 eaten of their flefli in the neighbourhood of York Fort. The flefli is white, and nearly as good as that of a rabbit. They are, I think, much larger than that which is defcribed in the Arc. Their mode of copulation is lingular, for their * This information was given to Mr. Pennant from the authority of Mr. Graham ; but the before-mentioned account of feeing them killed in all ftages of pregnancy, when no fymptoms of that kind appeared, will, I hope, be fufficient to clear up that miftake. The Porcu- pine. quills 382 Foies of various Co- lours. Varying Hares. A JOURNEY TO THE quills will not permit them to perform that office in the ufual mode, like other quadrupeds. To remedy this in- convenience, they fometimes lie on their fides, and meet in that manner; but the ufual mode is for the male to lie on his back, and the female to walk over him, (begin- ning at his head,) till the parts of generation come in contadd. They are the moft forlorn animal I know ; for in thofe parts of Hudfon’s Bay where they are mod: numerous, 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 from Fort to Fort often fee them in the trees, but not having occafion for them at that time, leave them till their return ; and fhould their abfence be a week or ten days, they are fure to find them within a mile of the place where they had feen them before. Foxes of various colours are not fcarce in thofe parts; but the natives living fuch a wandering life, feldom kill many. It is rather ftrange that no other fpecies of Fox, except the white, are found at any diflance from the woods on the barren ground ; for fo long as the trade has been efiablifhed with the Efquimaux to the North of Churchill, I do not recolledd that Foxes of any other co- lour than white were ever received from them. The Varying Hares are numerous to the North of Churchill River, and extend as far as latitude 720, pro- bably farther. They delight moft in rocky and ftony places, NORTHERN OCEAN. 383 places, near the borders of woods ; though many of them brave the coldefl Winters on entire barren ground. In Sum- mer they are nearly the colour of our Englifh wild rabbit ; but in Winter affume a moft delicate 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 eating. In Winter they feed on long rye-grafs and the tops of dwarf willows, but in Summer eat berries, and dif- ferent forts of fmail 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 fall, for when we evacuated Prince of Wales’s Fort in one thoufand feven hundred and eighty- two, it was rare to fee one of them within twenty 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 common for one man 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 fhifted their fituation, and are at prefent as fcarce near the fettlement as ever. The Northern Indians pnrfue a lingular method in fhooting thofe Hares ; finding by long experience that thefe animals will not bear a diredt ap- proach, when the Indians fee a hare fitting, they walk round it in circles, always drawing nearer at every revo- lution, till by degrees they get within gun-fhot. The; 5 middle 384 The Ame- rican Hare. A TOURNEY TO THE middle of the day, if it be clear weather, is the beft time to kill them in this manner ; for before and after noon, the Sun’s altitude being fo fmall, makes a man’s fhadow fo long on the fnow, as to frighten the Hare be- fore be can approach near enough to kill it. The fame may be faid of deer when on open plains, who are fre- quently more frightened at the long fhadow than at the man himfelf. The American Hares, or, as they are called in Hudfon’s Bay, Rabbits, are not plentiful in the Eaftern parts of the Northern Indian country, not even in thofe parts that are iituated among the woods ; but to the Weft ward, bordering on the Southern Indian country, they are in fome places pretty numerous, though by no means 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 for many years entirely negle&ed by the furriers ; for fome time paft the Company have or- dered as many of their Ikins to be fent home as can be procured; they are but of fmall value. The ftefti of thofe Hares is generally more efteemed than that of the former. They are in feafon all the Winter ; and though they generally feed on the brufh of pine and hr during that feafon, yet many of the Northern Indians cat the contents of the ftomach. They are feldom fought after in Summer, as in that feafon they are not efteemed good NORTHERN OCEAN. 3^5 good eating ; but as the Fall advances they are, by feed- ing on berries, &?c. moft excellent. In Spring they fhed their Winter coat, and during the Summer are nearly the colour of the Englifh wild rabbit, but as the Winter ad- vances they become nearly white. In thick weather they are eaftly fhot with the gun ; but the moft ufual method of killing them is by fnares, fet nearly in the manner defcribed by Dragge in the Fir ft Volume of his North Weft Paftage. The Common Squ'irrels are plentiful in the woody parts of this country, and are caught by the natives in conftder- able numbers with fnares, while the boys kill many of them with blunt-headed arrows. The method of fnar- ing them is rather curious, though very ftmple, as it com lifts of nothing more than fetting a number of fnares all round the body of the tree in which they are feen, and ay- ranging them in fuch a manner that it is fcarcely poftible. for the fquirrels to defcend without being entangled in one of them. This is generally the amufement of the boys. Though fmall, 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, but with- out fuccefs ; for though feveral of them were fo familiar as to take any thing out oi my hand, and ftt on the table where I was Writing, and play with the pens, yet they never would bear to be handled, and were very mif- chievous ; gnawing the chair-bottoms, window- curtains, fafhes., c. to pieces. They are an article of trade in the 3 D Company’s The Com- mon Squir- rel. 386 TheGround Skjuirrel. Mice of va- rious kinds. A JOURNEY TO THE Company’s ftandard, but the greateft part of their ikins^ being killed in Summer,, are of very little value. The Ground^ Squirrels are never found in the woody parts of North America, but are very plentiful on the barren ground, to the North of Churchill River, as far as the latitude 71°, and probably much farther. In fize they are equal to the American Grey Squirrel, though more beautiful in colour. They generally burrow among the rocks and under great ftones, but fometimes on the fides of fandy ridges ; and are fo provident in laying up a Winter s flock during the Summer, that they are feldom feen on the furface of the fnow in Winter. They gene^ rally feed on the tufts of graft* the tender tops of dwarf willows, &c, and are for the moft part exceedingly fat, and good eating. They are eafily tamed, and foongrow fond ; by degrees they will bear handling as well as a cat ; are , exceeding cleanly, very playful, and by no means fo reftlefs and impatient o£ confinement as the Common Squirrel. I Mice- are in great plenty and variety in all parts ofi Hudfon’s Bay ; the marfhes being inhabited by one fpe^ cies, and the dry ridges by another. . The Shrew Moufe is frequently, found, in Beaver houfes during Winter, where they not only find a warm habitation, but aifo pick up a comfortable livelihood from the fcraps left by the Beaver- Moft of the other, fpecies build or make nefts of dry graft, of NORTHERN OCEAN, 3S7 of fuch a dze and thicknefs, that when covered with fnowy they mud be diffidently warm. They all feed on grafs in general, but will alfo cat animal food when they can get it. The Hair- tailed Moufe is the larged in the Northern parts of the Bay, being little inferior in lize to a common rat. They always burrow under Hones, on dry ridges ; are very inoffenlive, and fo ealily 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. In Summer they are grey, and in Winter change to white, but are by no means fo beautiful as a white ermine. At that feafon they are infeded with multitudes of fmall lice, not a lixth part fo large as the mites in a cheefe ; in fad, they are fo fmall, that at fird light they only ap- pear like reddiffi-brown dull, but on clofer examination are all perceived in motion. In one large and beautiful ani- mal of this kind, caught in the depth of Winter, I found thofe little vermin fo numerous about it, that almod every hair was covered with them as thick as ropes with onions, and when they approached near the ends of the hair they may be faid to change the moufe from white to a faint brown. At that time I had an excellent micro- fcope, and endeavoured to examine them, and to afcer- tain their form, but the weather was fo exceedingly cold, that the glaiTes became damp with the moidure of my breath before I could get a dngle light. The hind-feet of thefe Mice are exadly like thofe of a Bear, and the 3 D 2 fore- 3sa The Wal- rus, A JOURNEY TO THE fore-feet are armed with a homy fubftance, (that I never faw in any other fpecies of the Moufe,) which is wonderfully adapted for fcraping away the ground where they wifh to take up their abode. They are plentiful on fome of the ftony ridges near Churchill Factory, but never approach the houfe, or any of the out-offices. From appearances they are very local, and feldom ftray far from their habi- tations even in Summer, and in Winter they are feldom feen on the furface of the fnow; a great proof of their being provident in Summer to lay by a flock for that feafon. Pinnated Quadrupeds* With refpe parts of Hudfon’s Bay, but moil numerous to the North. Some of thofe animals are beautifully fpeckled, black and white ; others are of a dirty grey. The former are ge- nerally fmall, but fome of the latter arrive at an amazing fize, and their fkins are of great ufe to the Efquimaux ; as it is of them they cover their canoes, make all their boot-legs and fhoes, befides many other parts of their clothing.. The Seal-fkins are alfo of great ufe to thofe 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-fifhery. The defh and fat of the Seal is alfo more efteemed by the Efqui- maux than thofe of any other marine animal, falmon not excepted. Befides thefe, the Sea-Unicorn is known to frequent Sea't-7nI* . ^ 1 corn. Hudfon’s Bay and Straits, but I never law one of them. Their horns are frequently purchafed from our friendly Efquimaux, who probably get them in the way of barter from thofe tribes that reiide more to the North; but I never. A JOURNEY TO THE never could be informed by the natives whether their fhins are like thofe of the Whale, or hairy like thofe of the Seal- ; I fuppofe the former. Species of Fijh . The Fifii that inhabit the fait water of Hudfon’s Bay are but few : — the Black Whale, White Whale, Salmon, and a fmall fifh called Kepling, are the only fpecies of fea-fifh in thofe parts *, The Black Whale is fcmetimes found as far 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, particularly near Marble Ifiand, they are more plentiful ; but notwithftanding the Company carried on a fifhery in that quarter, from the year one thoufand .feven hundred and fixty-five till one thoufand feven hun- dred and feventy-two, they were fo far from making it anfwer their expectations, that they funk upwards of twenty thoufand pounds ; which is the lefs to be wondered at, when we confider the great inconveniencies and expences * In the Fall of the year 1768, a fine rock cod was drove on fhore in a high gale of wind, and was eaten at the Governor’s table ; Meffrs. William Wales and J ofeph Dymond, who went out to obferve the tranfit of Venus which -.happened on the 3d of June 1769, partook of it ■, but I never heard of one being caught with a hook, nor ever law an entire filh of that defeription in thofe .parts: their jaw-bones are, however, frequently found on the fhores. m NORTHERN] OCEAN, they laboured under in fuch an undertaking. For as it was impofilble to profecute it from England, all the people employed on that fervice were obliged to refide at their fettlement all the year at extravagant wages, exclusive of their maintenance. The harpooners had no lefs than fifty pounds per annum (landing wages, and none of the crew lefs than from fifteen to twenty-five pounds ; which, to- gether with the Captains falaries, wear and tear of their vefiels, and other contingent expences, made it appear on calculation, that if there were a certainty of loading the vefiels every year, the Company could not clear themfelves. On the contrary, during the feven years they perfevered in that undertaking, only four Black Whales were taken near Marble I Hand ; and, except one, they were fo final!, that they would not have been deemed payable fifh in the Greenland fervice *. But the Hudfon’s Bay Company, with a liberality that does honour to them, though per- fectly acquainted with the rules obferved in the Greenland fervice, gave the fame premium for a fucking fifh, as for one of the greatejfi magnitude, White W hales are very plentiful in thofe parts, par- ticularly from Chefterfield’s Inlet to York Fort, or Hay's * I have heard that no Whale caught by our Greenland (hips is called a Pay-fiih; that is, that no emolument arifes to the harpooner that ft r ikes k ; uniefs the longeft blade of the bone, ufuaily called Whale-bone, meafures fix feet: whereas thofe killed in Hudibn’s Bay feldom meafured more than four feet and an half, 3/ E River, White Whale, 394 A TOURNEY TO THE •S River, on the Weft fide of the Bay ; and from Cape Smith to Siude River on the Eaft fide. On the Weft coaft they are generally found in the greateft numbers at the mouths of the principal rivers ; fuch as Seal River, Churchill, Port Nelfon, and Hay’s Rivers. But the Eaft ftde of the Bay not being fo well known, Whale River is the only part they are known to frequent in very confiderable num- bers. Some years ago the Company had a fettlement at this river, called Richmond Fort ; but all their endeavours to eftablifh a profitable fifhery here proved ineffectual, and the few Indians who reforted to it with furrs proving very inadequate to the expences, the Company determined to evacuate it. Accordingly, after keeping up this fettle- ment for upward of twelve years, and finking many thou- fands of pounds, they ordered it to be burnt, for the more eafily getting the fpikes and other iron-work. This was in the year one thoufand feven hundred and fifty- eight. At the old eftablifhed Factories on the Weft fide of the Bay, the Company have been more fuccefsful in the White Whale fifhery, particularly at Churchill, where fuch of the Company’s fervants as cannot be employed during that feafon to more benefit for the Company, are fent on that duty, and in fome fuccefsful years they fend home from eight to thirteen tons of fine oil. To encourage a fpirit of induftry among thofe employed on this fervice, the Company allows a gratuity, not only to the harpoon- ers, but to every man that fails in the boats ; and this 2 gratuity NORTHERN OCEAN. 39? gratuity is fo ample as to infpire them with emulation, as they well know that the more they kill, the greater will be their emolument. Salmon are in Tome feafons very numerous on the North Weft fide of Hudfon’s Bay, particularly at Knapp’s Bay and Whale Cove. At the latter I once found them fo plentiful, that had we been provided with a fufficient number of nets, calks, and fait, we might foon have loaded the veffel with them. But this is feldom the cafe,, for in fome years they are fo fcarce, that it is with diffi- culty a few meals of them can be procured during our flay at thofe harbours. They are in fome years fo plentiful near Churchill River, that I have known upward of two hundred fine fifli taken out of four fmall nets in one tide within a quarter of a mile of the Fort ; but in other years they are fo fcarce, that barely that number have been taken in upward of twenty nets during the whole feafon, which generally begins the latter end of June, and ends about the middle or latter end of Auguft. Befide the fifh already mentioned, I know of no other that inhabits the fait water except the Kepling, which is a fmall fifh about the fize of a fmelt, but moll excellent eating. In fome years they refort to the fhores near Church- ill River in fuch multitudes to fpawn, and fuch numbers of them are left dry among the rocks^ as at times to be 3 E 2 quite Salmon. Kepling. 396 Shell Fiflu A JOURNEY TO THE quite offenfive. In other feafons they are fo fcarce, that hardly a meal can be procured. The fame remark may be made on ahnoft every fpecies of game, which conftitutes the greateft part of the fare of the people refiding in thofe parts. For infbance, in fome years, hundreds of deer may eafily be killed within a mile of York Fort ; and in others, there is not one to be feen within twenty or thirty miles. One day thoufands and tens of thoufands of geefe are feen, but the next they all raife flight, and go to the North to breed. Salmon, as I have lately obferved, is fo plentiful in fome years at Church- ill River, that it might be procured in any quantity ; at others, fo fcarce as to be thought a great delicacy. In fadt, after twenty years refidence in this country, I am pcrfuaded that whoever relies much on the produce of the different feafons, will frequently be deceived, and oc~ cafionally expofe himfelf and men to great want. To remedy this evil, it is moft prudent for thofe in command to avail themfelves of plentiful feafons, and cure a fufficient quantity of the leaf!; perifhable food, parti- Shell Fijh. Shell Fish of a variety of kinds are alfo found in fome parts of Hudfon’s Bay. Mufcles in particular are in great abundance on the rocky fhores near Churchill River, and what is vulgarly called the Periwinkle are very plentiful on northern ocean. 3 97 on the rocks which dry at low-water. Small Crabs and Star-fifh are frequently thrown on the fhore by the furf in heavy gales of wind ; and the empty fhells or Wilks, fnall Scallops, Cockles, and many other kinds, are to be found on the beaches in great plenty. The fame may be faid of the interior parts of the country, where the banks of the lakes and rivers abound with empty fhells of various kinds; but the fifla themfelves have never been difcovered by the natives. Frogs , Grubs , and other Infeffs. Frogs of various colours are numerous in thofe parts Frogs, as far North as the latitude 6i°. They always frequent the margins of lakes, ponds, rivers, and fwamps : and as the Winter approaches, they burrow under the tnofs, at a confiderable diflance from the water, where they remain in a frozen ftate till the Spring. I have frequently feen them dug up with the mofs, (when pitching tents in Win- ter,) frozen as hard as ice: in which ftate the legs are as eaiily broken off as a pipe-ftem, without giving the lead: fenfation to the animal; but by wrapping them up in warm fkins, and expofing them to a flow fire, they foon recover life, and the mutilated animal gains its ufual activity ; but if they are permitted to freeze again, they are pail all recovery, and are never more known to come to life. The fame may be faid of the various fpecies of Spiders* 398 A JOURNEY TO THE Spiders and Grubs. Eagles. Spiders, and all the Grub kind, which are very numerous in thofe parts. I have feen thoufands of them dug up with the mofs, when we were pitching our tents in the Winter ; all of which were invariably enclofed in a thick web, which Nature teaches them to fpin on thofe occa- lions ; yet they were apparently all frozen as hard as ice. The Spiders, if let fall from any height on a hard fub- fiance, would rebound like a grey pea ; and all the Grub kind are fo hard frozen as to be as eafily broken as a piece of ice of the fame fize -y yet when expofed to a flow heat, even in the depth of Winter, they will foon come to life, and in a fhort time recover their ufual motions. Birds . The feathered creation that refort to thofe parts in the different feafons are numerous, but fuch as brave the fevere Winter are but few in number, and fhall be parti- cularly noticed in their proper places. Eagles of feveral forts are found in the country bor- dering on Hudfon’s Bay during the Summer ; but none, except the common brown Fifhing Eagle, ever frequent the Northern parts. They always make their appear- ance in thofe dreary regions about the latter end of March or beginning of April, and build their nefls in lofty trees, in the crevices of inacceffible rocks near the banks I NORTHERN OCEAN. banks of rivers. They lay but two eggs, (which are white,) and frequently bring but one young. They ge- nerally feed on fifh, which they catch as they are fwim- ming near the furface ; but they are very deftru&ive to the mufk rat and hares, as alfo to geefe and ducks, when in a moulting Hate, and frequently kill young beaver. Their nefts are very large, frequently fix feet in diameter ; and before their young can fly, are fo provi- dent, that the Indians frequently take a moft excellent meal of fifh, flefh, and fowl from their larder. Though they bring forth their young fo early as the latter end of May, or the beginning 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 bufhel of fifh in a day. They are never known to breed on the barren grounds to the North of Churchill River, though many of the lakes and rivers in thofe parts abound with variety of fifh. This is probably owing to the want of trees or high rocks to build in. The Northern Indians are very partial to the quill-feathers of the Eagle, as well as to thofe of the hawk, to wing or plume their arrows withy out of a fuperftitious notion that they have a greater eftedt than if winged with the feathers of geefe, cranes, crows, or other birds, that in fa A/ee Alr.i/ ^ro/rr . /A/'fl/ty .'/jone/t, e///eA e.Je/ yore A - /Arf'e/- y Arf Ar/y/?/^ /A/e <■ //e/oy.j . ^ ^ 5 % Fathoms ^ Albany Rnaiiv 0 5^ Fathoms die Great Pooler I. SliiJWg Island XwtBlutfW ’ South. Sond Inn if Rout Bruili I. Ti-aping1 Island Hnntiii)/ Tent Hudsons Bay. North America, dat.63°.N. Zon.33'.W.from /London , Haunted /'an A Scale of' 13 Mil London JPtth/ishcd./an'j dij’i/H.by tilde// K- Dorics. S/rond. an wi 'V * |jj£: *