advantages which they expected to reap by my discoveries, I know not;
but I must confess that their civility far exceeded what I could expect
from so uncivilized a tribe, and I was exceedingly sorry that I had
nothing of value to offer them. However, such articles as I had, I
distributed among them, and they were thankfully received by them.
Though they have some European commodities among them, which they
purchase from the Northern Indians, the same articles from the hands of
an Englishman were more prized. As I was the first whom they had ever
seen, and in all probability might be the last, it was curious to see
how they flocked about me, and expressed as much desire to examine me
from top to toe, as an European Naturalist would a non-descript animal.
They, however, found and pronounced me to be a perfect human being,
except in the colour of my hair {122} and eyes: the former, they said,
was like the stained hair of a buffaloe's tail, and the latter, being
light, were like those of a gull. The whiteness of my skin also was, in
their opinion, no ornament, as they said it resembled meat which had
been sodden in water till all the blood was extracted. On the whole, I
was viewed as so great a curiosity in this part of the world, that
during my stay there, whenever I combed my head, some or other of them
never failed to ask for the hairs that came off, which they carefully
wrapped up, saying, "When I see you again, you shall again see your
hair."
[Sidenote: 23d.]
The day after our arrival at Congecathawhachaga, Matonabbee dispatched
his brother, and several Copper Indians, to Copper-mine River, with
orders to acquaint any Indians they might meet, with the reason of my
visiting those parts, and also when they might probably expect us at
that river. By the bearers of this message I sent a present of tobacco
and some other things, to induce any strangers they met to be ready to
give us assistance, either by advice, or in any other way which might be
required.
[Sidenote: 1771. June.]
As Matonabbee and the other Indians thought it advisable to leave all
the women at this place, and proceed to the Copper-mine River without
them, it was thought necessary to continue here a few days, to kill as
many deer as would be sufficient for their support during {123} our
absence. And notwithstanding deer were so plentiful, yet our numbers
were so large, and our daily consumption was so great, that several days
elapsed before the men could provide the women with a sufficient
quantity; and then they had no other way of preserving it, than by
cutting it in thin slices and drying it in the Sun. Meat, when thus
prepared, is not only very portable, but palatable; as all the blood and
juices are still remaining in the meat, it is very nourishing and
wholesome food; and may, with care, be kept a whole year without the
least danger of spoiling. It is necessary, however, to air it frequently
during the warm weather, otherwise it is liable to grow mouldy: but as
soon as the chill air of the fall begins, it requires no farther trouble
till next Summer.
[Sidenote: 1771. June.]
We had not been many days at Congecathawhachaga before I had reason to
be greatly concerned at the behaviour of several of my crew to the
Copper Indians. They not only took many of their young women, furrs, and
ready-dressed skins for clothing, but also several of their bows and
arrows, which were the only implements they had to procure food and
raiment, for the future support of themselves, their wives, and
families. It may probably be thought, that as these weapons are of so
simple a form, and so easily constructed, they might soon be replaced,
without any other trouble or expense than a little labour; but this
supposition can only hold good in places where proper materials are
easily procured, which was not the case here: {124} if it had, they
would not have been an object of plunder. In the midst of a forest of
trees, the wood that would make a Northern Indian a bow and a few
arrows, or indeed a bow and arrows ready made, are not of much value; no
more than the man's trouble that makes them: but carry that bow and
arrows several hundred miles from any woods and place where those are
the only weapons in use, their intrinsic value will be found to
increase, in the same proportion as the materials which are made are
less attainable.[AG]
To do Matonabbee justice on this occasion, I must say that he
endeavoured as much as possible to persuade his countrymen from taking
either furrs, clothing, or bows, from the Copper Indians, without making
them some satisfactory return; but if he did not encourage, neither did
he endeavour to hinder them from taking as many women as they pleased.
Indeed, the Copper Indian women seem to be much esteemed by our Northern
traders; for what reason I know not, as they are in reality the same
people in every respect; and their language differs not so much as the
dialects of some of the nearest counties in England do from each other.
[Sidenote: 1771. June.]
It is not surprising that a plurality of wives is customary among these
people, as it is so well adapted to {125} their situation and manner of
life. In my opinion no race of people under the Sun have a greater
occasion for such an indulgence. Their annual hunt, in quest of furrs,
is so remote from any European settlement, as to render them the
greatest travellers in the known world; and as they have neither horse
nor water carriage, every good hunter is under the necessity of having
several persons to assist in carrying his furrs to the Company's Fort,
as well as carrying back the European goods which he receives in
exchange for them. No persons in this country are so proper for this
work as the women, because they are inured to carry and haul heavy loads
from their childhood, and to do all manner of drudgery; so that those
men who are capable of providing for three, four, five, six, or more
women, generally find them humble and faithful servants, affectionate
wives, and fond and indulgent mothers to their children. Though custom
makes this way of life sit apparently easy on the generality of the
women, and though, in general, the whole of their wants seem to be
comprized in food and clothing only, yet nature at times gets the better
of custom, and the spirit of jealousy makes its appearance among them:
however, as the husband is always arbitrator, he soon settles the
business, though perhaps not always to the entire satisfaction of the
parties.
Much does it redound to the honour of the Northern Indian women when I
affirm, that they are the mildest and most virtuous females I have seen
in any part of North {126} America; though some think this is more owing
to habit, custom, and the fear of their husbands, than from real
inclination. It is undoubtedly well known that none can manage a
Northern Indian woman so well as a Northern Indian man; and when any of
them have been permitted to remain at the Fort, they have, for the sake
of gain, been easily prevailed on to deviate from that character; and a
few have, by degrees, become as abandoned as the Southern Indians, who
are remarkable throughout all their tribes for being the most debauched
wretches under the Sun. So far from laying any restraint on their
sensual appetites, as long as youth and inclination last, they give
themselves up to all manner of even incestuous debauchery; and that in
so beastly a manner when they are intoxicated, a state to which they are
peculiarly addicted, that the brute creation are not less regardless of
decency. I know that some few Europeans, who have had little opportunity
of seeing them, and of enquiring into their manners, have been very
lavish in their praise; but every one who has had much intercourse with
them, and penetration and industry enough to study their dispositions,
will agree, that no accomplishments whatever in a man, is sufficient to
conciliate the affections, or preserve the chastity of a Southern Indian
woman.[AH]
[Sidenote: 1771. June.]
{127} The Northern Indian women are in general so far from being like
those I have above described, that it is very {128} uncommon to hear of
their ever being guilty of incontinency, not even those who are confined
to the sixth or even eighth part of a man.
It is true, that were I to form my opinion of those women from the
behaviour of such as I have been more particularly acquainted with, I
should have little reason to say much in their favour; but impartiality
will not {129} permit me to make a few of the worst characters a
standard for the general conduct of all of them. Indeed it is but
reasonable to think that travellers and interlopers will be always
served with the worst commodities, though perhaps they pay the best
price for what they have.
[Sidenote: 1771. June.]
[Sidenote: 1771. June.]
It may appear strange, that while I am extolling the chastity of the
Northern Indian women, I should acknowledge that it is a very common
custom among the men of this country to exchange a night's lodging with
each other's wives. But this is so far from being considered as an act
which is criminal, that it is esteemed by them as one of the strongest
ties of friendship between two families; and in case of the death of
either man, the other considers himself bound to support the children of
the deceased. Those people are so far from viewing this engagement as a
mere ceremony, like most of our Christian god-fathers and god-mothers,
who, notwithstanding their vows are made in the most solemn manner, and
in the presence of both God and man, scarcely ever afterward remember
what they have promised, that there is not an instance of a Northern
Indian having once neglected the duty which he is supposed to have taken
upon himself to perform. The Southern Indians, with all their bad
qualities, are remarkably humane and charitable to the widows and
children of departed friends; and as their situation and manner of life
enable them to do more acts of charity with less trouble {130} than
falls to the lot of a Northern Indian, few widows or orphans are ever
unprovided for among them.
Though the Northern Indian men make no scruple of having two or three
sisters for wives at one time, yet they are very particular in observing
a proper distance in the consanguinity of those they admit to the
above-mentioned intercourse with their wives. The Southern Indians are
less scrupulous on those occasions; for among them it is not at all
uncommon for one brother to make free with another brother's wife or
daughter;[AI] but this is held in abhorrence by the Northern Indians.
[Sidenote: 1771. July.]
[Sidenote: 1st.]
[Sidenote: 1771. July.]
{131} By the time the Indians had killed as many deer as they thought
would be sufficient for the support of the women during our absence, it
was the first of July; and during this time I had two good observations,
both by meridional and double altitudes; the mean of which determined
the latitude of Congecathawhachaga[65] to be 68° 46' North; and its
longitude, by account, was 24° 2' West from Prince of Wales's Fort, or
118° 15' West of the meridian of London.
[Sidenote: 2d.]
On the second, the weather proved very bad, with much snow and sleet;
about nine o'clock at night, however, it grew more moderate, and
somewhat clearer, so that we set out, and walked about ten miles to the
North by West, when we lay down to take a little sleep. At our departure
from Congecathawhachaga, several Indians who had entered the war list,
rather chose to stay behind with the women; but their loss was amply
supplied by Copper Indians, who accompanied us in the double capacity of
guides and warriors.
[Sidenote: 3d.]
On the third the weather was equally bad with that of the preceding day;
we made shift, however, to walk ten or eleven miles in the same
direction we had done the day before, and at last were obliged to put
up, not being able to see our way for snow and thick drift. By putting
up, no more is to be understood than that we got to leeward of a {132}
great stone, or into the crevices of the rocks, where we regaled
ourselves with such provisions as we had brought with us, smoked our
pipes, or went to sleep, till the weather permitted us to proceed on our
journey.
[Sidenote: 4th.]
[Sidenote: 1771. July.]
On the fourth, we had rather better weather, though constant light snow,
which made it very disagreeable under foot. We nevertheless walked
twenty-seven miles to the North West, fourteen of which were on what the
Indians call the Stony Mountains; and surely no part of the world better
deserves that name. On our first approaching these mountains, they
appeared to be a confused heap of stones, utterly inaccessible to the
foot of man: but having some Copper Indians with us who knew the best
road, we made a tolerable shift to get on, though not without being
obliged frequently to crawl on our hands and knees. Notwithstanding the
intricacy of the road, there is a very visible path the whole way across
these mountains, even in the most difficult parts: and also on the
smooth rocks, and those parts which are capable of receiving an
impression, the path is as plain and well-beaten, as any bye foot-path
in England. By the side of this path there are, in different parts,
several large, flat, or table stones, which are covered with many
thousands of small pebbles. These the Copper Indians say have been
gradually increased by passengers going to and from the mines; and on
its being observed to us that it was the {133} universal custom for
every one to add a stone to the heap, each of us took up a small stone
in order to increase the number, for good luck.
Just as we arrived at the foot of the Stony Mountains, three of the
Indians turned back; saying, that from every appearance, the remainder
of the journey seemed likely to be attended with more trouble than would
counterbalance the pleasure they could promise themselves by going to
war with the Esquimaux.
[Sidenote: 5th.]
[Sidenote: 6th.]
[Sidenote: 1771. July.]
On the fifth, as the weather was so bad, with constant snow, sleet, and
rain, that we could not see our way, we did not offer to move: but the
sixth proving moderate, and quite fair till toward noon, we set out in
the morning, and walked about eleven miles to the North West; when
perceiving bad weather at hand, we began to look out for shelter among
the rocks, as we had done the four preceding nights, having neither
tents nor tent-poles with us. The next morning fifteen more of the
Indians deserted us, being quite sick of the road, and the uncommon
badness of the weather. Indeed, though these people are all enured to
hardships, yet their complaint on the present occasion was not without
reason: for, from our leaving Congecathawhachaga we had scarcely a dry
garment of any kind, or any thing to screen us from the inclemency of
the weather, except rocks and {134} caves; the best of which were but
damp and unwholesome lodging. In some the water was constantly dropping
from the rock that formed the roof, which made our place of retreat
little better than the open air; and we had not been able to make one
spark of fire (except what was sufficient to light a pipe) from the
time of our leaving the women on the second instant; it is true, in some
places there was a little moss, but the constant sleet and rain made it
so wet, as to render it as impossible to set fire to it as it would be
to a wet sponge.
We had no sooner entered our places of retreat, than we regaled
ourselves with some raw venison which the Indians had killed that
morning; the small stock of dried provisions we took with us when we
left the women being now all expended.
Agreeably to our expectations, a very sudden and heavy gale of wind came
on from the North West, attended with so great a fall of snow, that the
oldest Indian in company said, he never saw it exceeded at any time of
the year, much less in the middle of Summer. The gale was soon over, and
by degrees it became a perfect calm: but the flakes of snow were so
large as to surpass all credibility, and fell in such vast quantities,
that though the shower only lasted nine hours, we were in danger of
being smothered in our caves.
[Sidenote: 7th.]
[Sidenote: 1771. July.]
{135} On the seventh, we had a fresh breeze at North West, with some
flying showers of small rain, and at the same time a constant warm
sunshine, which soon dissolved the greatest part of the new-fallen snow.
Early in the morning we crawled out of our holes, which were on the
North side of the Stony Mountains, and walked about eighteen or twenty
miles to the North West by West. In our way we crossed part of a large
lake on the ice, which was then far from being broken up. This lake I
distinguished by the name of Buffalo, or Musk-Ox Lake,[66] from the
number of those animals[67] that we found grazing on the margin of it;
many of which the Indians killed, but finding them lean, only took some
of the bulls' hides for shoe-soals. At night the bad weather returned,
with a strong gale of wind at North East, and very cold rain and sleet.
[Sidenote: 1771. July.]
This was the first time we had seen any of the musk-oxen since we left
the Factory. It has been observed that we saw a great number of them in
my first unsuccessful attempt, before I had got an hundred miles from
the Factory; and indeed I once perceived the tracks of two of those
animals within nine miles of Prince of Wales's Fort. Great numbers of
them also were met with in my second journey to the North: several of
which my companions killed, particularly on the seventeenth of July one
thousand seven hundred and seventy. They are also found at times in
considerable numbers near the sea-coast of Hudson's Bay, {136} all the
way from Knapp's Bay to Wager Water, but are most plentiful within the
Arctic Circle. In those high latitudes I have frequently seen many herds
of them in the course of a day's walk, and some of those herds did not
contain less than eighty or an hundred head. The number of bulls is very
few in proportion to the cows; for it is rare to see more than two or
three full-grown bulls with the largest herd: and from the number of the
males that are found dead, the Indians are of opinion that they kill
each other in contending for the females. In the rutting season they are
so jealous of the cows, that they run at either man or beast who offers
to approach them; and have been observed to run and bellow even at
ravens, and other large birds, which chanced to light near them. They
delight in the most stony and mountainous parts of the barren ground,
and are seldom found at any great distance from the woods. Though they
are a beast of great magnitude, and apparently of a very unwieldy
inactive structure, yet they climb the rocks with great ease and
agility, and are nearly as sure-footed as a goat: like it too, they will
feed on any thing; though they seem fondest of grass, yet in Winter,
when that article cannot be had in sufficient quantity, they will eat
moss, or any other herbage they can find, as also the tops of willows
and the tender branches of the pine tree. They take the bull in August,
and bring forth their young the latter end of May, or beginning of June;
and they never have more than one at a time.
[Sidenote: 1771. July.]
{137} The musk-ox, when full grown, is as large as the generality, or at
least as the middling size, of English black cattle;[AJ] but their legs,
though large, are not so long; nor is their tail longer than that of a
bear; and, like the tail of that animal, it always bends downward and
inward, so that it is entirely hid by the long hair of the rump and hind
quarters: the hunch on their shoulders is not large, being little more
in proportion than that of a deer: their hair is in some parts very
long, particularly on the belly, sides, and hind quarters; but the
longest hair about them, particularly the bulls, is under the throat,
extending from the chin to the lower part of the chest, between the
fore-legs; it there hangs down like a horse's mane inverted, and is full
as long, which makes the animal have a most formidable appearance. It is
of the hair from this part that the Esquimaux make their musketto {138}
wigs, and not from the tail, as is asserted by Mr. Ellis;[AK] their
tails, and the hair which is on them, being too short for that purpose.
In Winter they are provided with a thick fine wool, or furr, that grows
at the root of the long hair, and shields them from the intense cold to
which they are exposed during that season; but as the Summer advances,
this furr loosens from the skin, and, by frequently rolling themselves
on the ground, it works out to the end of the hair, and in time drops
off, leaving little for their Summer clothing except the long hair. The
season is so short in those high latitudes, that the new fleece begins
to appear, almost as soon as the old one drops off; so that by the time
the cold becomes severe, they are again provided with a Winter-dress.
The flesh of the musk-ox noways resembles that of the Western buffalo,
but is more like that of the moose or elk; and the fat is of a clear
white, slightly tinged with a light azure. The calves and young heifers
are good eating; but the flesh of the bulls both smells and tastes so
strong of musk, as to render it very disagreeable: even the knife that
cuts the flesh of an old bull will smell so strong of musk, that nothing
but scouring the blade quite bright can remove it, and the handle will
retain the scent for a long time. Though no part of a bull is free from
this smell, yet the parts of generation, in particular the _urethra_,
are by far the most strongly impregnated. The {139} urine itself must
contain the scent in a very great degree; for the sheaths of the bull's
_penis_ are corroded with a brown gummy substance, which is nearly as
high-scented with musk as that said to be produced by the civet cat; and
after having been kept for several years, seems not to lose any of its
quality.
[Sidenote: 8th.]
[Sidenote: 1771. July.]
On the eighth, the weather was fine and moderate, though not without
some showers of rain. Early in the morning we set out, and walked
eighteen miles to the Northward. The Indians killed some deer; so we put
up by the side of a small creek, that afforded a few willows, with which
we made a fire for the first time since our leaving Congecathawhachaga;
consequently it was here that we cooked our first meal for a whole week.
This, as may naturally be supposed, was well relished by all parties,
the Indians as well as myself. And as the Sun had, in the course of the
day, dried our clothing, in spite of the small showers of rain, we felt
ourselves more comfortable than we had done since we left the women. The
place where we lay that night, is not far from Grizzled Bear Hill; which
takes its name from the numbers of those animals that are frequently
known to resort thither for the purpose of bringing forth their young in
a cave that is found there. The wonderful description which the Copper
Indians gave of this place exciting the curiosity of several of my
companions as well as myself, we went to view it; but on our arrival at
it {140} found little worth remarking about it, being no more than a
high lump of earth, of a loamy quality, of which kind there are several
others in the same neighbourhood, all standing in the middle of a large
marsh, which makes them resemble so many islands in a lake. The sides of
these hills are quite perpendicular; and the height of Grizzled Bear
Hill, which is the largest, is about twenty feet above the level ground
that surrounds it. Their summits are covered with a thick sod of moss
and long grass, which in some places projects over the edge; and as the
sides are constantly mouldering away, and washing down with every shower
of rain during the short Summer, they must in time be levelled with the
marsh in which they are situated. At present those islands, as I call
them, are excellent places of retreat for the birds which migrate there
to breed; as they can bring forth their young in perfect safety from
every beast except the Quiquehatch,[68] which, from the sharpness of its
claws and the amazing strength of its legs, is capable of ascending the
most difficult precipices.
[Sidenote: 1771. July.]