and after the time of their courtship is over, the bucks separate from
the does; the former proceed to the Westward, to take shelter in the
woods during the Winter, and the latter keep out in the barren ground
the whole year. This, though a general rule, is not without some
exceptions; for I have frequently seen many does in the woods, though
they bore no proportion to the number of bucks. This rule, therefore,
only stands good respecting the deer to the North of Churchill River;
for the deer to the Southward live promiscuously among the woods, as
well as in the plains, and along the banks of rivers, lakes, &c. the
whole year.
The old buck's horns are very large, with many branches, and always drop
off in the month of November, which is about the time they begin to
approach the woods. This is undoubtedly wisely ordered by Providence,
the better to enable them to escape from their enemies through the
woods; otherwise they would become an easy prey to wolves and other
beasts, and be liable to get entangled among the trees, even in ranging
about in search of food. The same opinion may probably be admitted of
the Southern deer, which always reside among {199} the woods; but the
Northern deer, though by far the smallest in this country, have much the
largest horns, and the branches are so long, and at the same time spread
so wide, as to make them more liable to be entangled among the
under-woods, than any other species of deer that I have noticed. The
young bucks in those parts do not shed their horns so soon as the old
ones: I have frequently seen them killed at or near Christmas, and could
discover no appearance of their horns being loose. The does do not shed
their horns till the Summer; so that when the buck's horns are ready to
drop off, the horns of the does are all hairy, and scarcely come to
their full growth.
[Sidenote: 1771. August.]
The deer in those parts are generally in motion from East to West, or
from West to East, according to the season, or the prevailing winds; and
that is the principal reason why the Northern Indians are always
shifting their station. From November till May, the bucks continue to
the Westward, among the woods, when their horns begin to sprout; after
which they proceed on to the Eastward, to the barren grounds; and the
does that have been on the barren ground all the Winter, are taught by
instinct to advance to the Westward to meet them, in order to propagate
their species. Immediately after the rutting season is over, they
separate, as hath been mentioned above. The old vulgar saying, so
generally received among the lower class of people in England,
concerning the bucks shedding their yards, or more properly the glands
of the {200} _penis_, yearly, whether it be true in England or not, is
certainly not true in any of the countries bordering on Hudson's Bay. A
long residence among the Indians has enabled me to confirm this
assertion with great confidence, as I have seen deer killed every day
throughout the year; and when I have mentioned this circumstance to the
Indians, either Northern or Southern, they always assured me that they
never observed any such symptoms. With equal truth I can assert, and
that from ocular demonstration, that the animal which is called the
Alpine Hare in Hudson's Bay, actually undergoes something similar to
that which is vulgarly ascribed to the English deer. I have seen and
handled several of them, who had been killed just after they had coupled
in the Spring, with the _penises_ hanging out, dried up, and shrivelled,
like the navel-string of young animals; and on examination I always
found a passage through them for the urine to pass. I have thought
proper to give this remark a place in my Journal, because, in all
probability, it is not generally known, even to those gentlemen who have
made natural history their chief study; and if their researches are of
any real utility to mankind, it is surely to be regretted that
Providence should have placed the greatest part of them too remote from
want to be obliged to travel for ocular proofs of what they assert in
their publications; they are therefore wisely content to stay at home,
and enjoy the blessings with which they are endowed, resting satisfied
to collect such information for their own amusement, and the
gratification of the public, as those {201} who are necessitated to be
travellers are able or willing to give them. It is true, and I am sorry
it is so, that I come under the latter description; but hope I have not,
or shall not, in the course of this Journal, advance any thing that will
not stand the test of experiment, and the skill of the most competent
judges.
[Sidenote: 1771. September.]
After leaving White Stone Lake, we continued our course in the South
West quarter, seldom walking more than twelve miles a day, and
frequently not half that distance.
[Sidenote: 3d.]
On the third of September, we arrived at a small river belonging to
Point Lake, but the weather at this time proved so boisterous, and there
was so much rain, snow, and frost, alternately, that we were obliged to
wait several days before we could cross it in our canoes; and the water
was too deep, and the current too rapid, to attempt fording it. During
this interruption, however, our time was not entirely lost, as deer were
so plentiful that the Indians killed numbers of them, as well for the
sake of their skins, as for their flesh, which was at present in
excellent order, and the skins in proper season for the sundry uses for
which they are destined.
[Sidenote: 7th.]
[Sidenote: 8th.]
In the afternoon of the seventh, the weather became fine and moderate,
when we all were ferried across the river; and the next morning shaped
our course to the {202} South West, by the side of Point Lake. After
three days journey, which only consisted of about eighteen miles, we
came to a few small scrubby woods,[88] which were the first that we had
seen from the twenty-fifth of May, except those we had perceived at the
Copper-mine River.
[Sidenote: 1771. September.]
One of the Indian's wives, who for some time had been in a consumption,
had for a few days past become so weak as to be incapable of travelling,
which, among those people, is the most deplorable state to which a human
being can possibly be brought. Whether she had been given over by the
doctors, or that it was for want of friends among them, I cannot tell,
but certain it is, that no expedients were taken for her recovery; so
that, without much ceremony, she was left unassisted, to perish
above-ground.
Though this was the first instance of the kind I had seen, it is the
common, and indeed the constant practice of those Indians; for when a
grown person is so ill, especially in the Summer, as not to be able to
walk, and too heavy to be carried, they say it is better to leave one
who is past recovery, than for the whole family to sit down by them and
starve to death; well knowing that they cannot be of any service to the
afflicted. On those occasions, therefore, the friends or relations of
the sick generally leave them some victuals and water; and, if the
situation of the place will afford it, a little firing. When {203} those
articles are provided, the person to be left is acquainted with the road
which the others intend to go; and then, after covering them well up
with deer skins, &c. they take their leave, and walk away crying.
Sometimes persons 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. Instances of this kind are seldom
known. The poor woman above mentioned, however, came up with us three
several times, after having been left in the manner described. At
length, poor creature! she dropt behind, and no one attempted to go back
in search of her.
A custom apparently so unnatural is perhaps not to be found among any
other of the human race: if properly considered, however, it may with
justice be ascribed to necessity and self-preservation, rather than to
the want of humanity and social feeling, which ought to be the
characteristic of men, as the noblest part of the creation. Necessity,
added to national custom, contributes principally to make scenes of this
kind less shocking to those people, than they must appear to the more
civilized part of mankind.
[Sidenote: 1771. September.]
During the early part of September, the weather was in general cold with
much sleet and snow; which seemed to {204} promise that the Winter would
set in early. Deer at this time being very plentiful, and the few woods
we met with affording tent-poles and firing, the Indians proposed to
remain where we were some time, in order to dress skins, and provide our
Winter clothing; also to make snow-shoes and temporary sledges, as well
as to prepare a large quantity of dried meat and fat to carry with us;
for by the accounts of the Indians, they have always experienced a great
scarcity of deer, and every other kind of game, in the direction they
proposed we should go when we left Point Lake.
[Sidenote: 28th.]
[Sidenote: 30th.]
Toward the middle of the month, the weather became quite mild and open,
and continued so till the end of it; but there was so much constant and
incessant rain, that it rotted most of our tents. On the twenty-eighth,
however, the wind settled in the North West quarter, when the weather
grew so cold, that by the thirtieth all the ponds, lakes, and other
standing waters, were frozen over so hard that we were enabled to cross
them on the ice without danger.
Among the various superstitious customs of those people, it is worth
remarking, and ought to have been mentioned in its proper place, that
immediately after my companions had killed the Esquimaux at the Copper
River, they considered themselves in a state of uncleanness, which
induced them to practise some very curious and unusual ceremonies. {205}
In the first place, all who were absolutely concerned in the murder were
prohibited from cooking any kind of victuals, either for themselves or
others. As luckily there were two in company who had not shed blood,
they were employed always as cooks till we joined the women. This
circumstance was exceedingly favourable on my side; for had there been
no persons of the above description in company, that task, I was told,
would have fallen on me; which would have been no less fatiguing and
troublesome, than humiliating and vexatious.
[Sidenote: 1771. September.]
When the victuals were cooked, all the murderers took a kind of red
earth, or oker, and painted all the space between the nose and chin, as
well as the greater part of their cheeks, almost to the ears, before
they would taste a bit, and would not drink out of any other dish, or
smoke out of any other pipe, but their own; and none of the others
seemed willing to drink or smoke out of theirs.
We had no sooner joined the women, at our return from the expedition,
than there seemed to be an universal spirit of emulation among them,
vying who should first make a suit of ornaments for their husbands,
which consisted of bracelets for the wrists, and a band for the
forehead, composed of porcupine quills and moose-hair, curiously wrought
on leather.
The custom of painting the mouth and part of the cheeks before each
meal, and drinking and smoking out {206} of their own utensils, was
strictly and invariably observed, till the Winter began to set in; and
during the whole of that time they would never kiss any of their wives
or children. They refrained also from eating many parts of the deer and
other animals, particularly the head, entrails, and blood; and during
their uncleanness, their victuals were never sodden in water, but dried
in the sun, eaten quite raw, or broiled, when a fire fit for the purpose
could be procured.
When the time arrived that was to put an end to these ceremonies, the
men, without a female being present, made a fire at some distance from
the tents, into which they threw all their ornaments, pipe-stems, and
dishes, which were soon consumed to ashes; after which a feast was
prepared, consisting of such articles as they had long been prohibited
from eating; and when all was over, each man was at liberty to eat,
drink, and smoke as he pleased; and also to kiss his wives and children
at discretion, which they seemed to do with more raptures than I had
ever known them do it either before or since.
[Sidenote: October. 6th.]
[Sidenote: 1771. October.]
October came in very roughly, attended with heavy falls of snow, and
much drift. On the sixth at night, a heavy gale of wind from the North
West put us in great disorder; for though the few woods we passed had
furnished us with tent-poles and fewel, yet they did not afford us the
least shelter whatever. The wind blew with such {207} violence, that in
spite of all our endeavours, it overset several of the tents, and mine,
among the rest, shared the disaster, which I cannot sufficiently lament,
as the but-ends of the weather tent-poles fell on the quadrant,[89] and
though it was in a strong wainscot case, two of the bubbles, the index,
and several other parts were broken, which rendered it entirely useless.
This being the case, I did not think it worth carriage, but broke it to
pieces, and gave the brass-work to the Indians, who cut it into small
lumps, and made use of it instead of ball.
[Sidenote: 23d.]
On the twenty-third of October, several Copper and a few Dog-ribbed
Indians came to our tents laden with furrs, which they sold to some of
my crew for such iron-work as they had to give in exchange. This visit,
I afterwards found, was by appointment of the Copper Indians whom we had
seen at Congecathawhachaga, and who, in their way to us, had met the
Dog-ribbed Indians, who were also glad of so favourable an opportunity
of purchasing some of those valuable articles, though at a very
extravagant price: for one of the Indians in my company, though not
properly of my party, got no less than forty beaver skins, and sixty
martins, for one piece of iron which he had stole when he was last at
the Fort.[AV]
[Sidenote: 1771. October.]
{208} One of those strangers had about forty beaver skins, with which he
intended to pay Matonabbee an old debt; but one of the other Indians
seized the whole, notwithstanding he knew it to be in fact Matonabbee's
property. This treatment, together with many other insults, which he had
received during my abode with him, made him renew his old resolution of
leaving his own country, and going to reside with the Athapuscow
Indians.
[Sidenote: 1771. October.]
As the most interesting part of my journey was now over, I did not think
it necessary to interfere in his private affairs; and therefore did not
endeavour to influence him either one way or the other: out of
complaisance, therefore, rather than any thing else, I told him, that I
thought such behaviour very uncourteous, especially in a man of his rank
and dignity. As to the reason of his determination, I did not think it
worth while to enquire into it; but, by his discourse with the other
Indians, I soon understood that they all intended to make an excursion
into the country of the Athapuscow Indians, in order to kill moose and
beaver. The former of those animals are never found in the Northern
Indian territories; and the latter are so scarce in those Northern
parts, that during the whole Winter of one thousand seven hundred and
seventy, {209} I did not see more than two beaver houses. Martins are
also scarce in those parts; for during the above period, I do not think
that more than six or eight were killed by all the Indians in my
company. This exceedingly small number, among so 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 scarcity of the
martins. It is true, that our moving so frequently from place to place,
did at times make it not an object worth while to build traps; but had
they taken the advantage of all favourable opportunities, and been
possessed of half the industry of the Company's servants in the Bay,
they might with great ease have caught as many hundreds, if not some
thousands; and when we consider the extent of ground which we walked
over in that time, such 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 those parts, and few of the Northern
Indians chuse to kill either the wolf or the quiquehatch, under a notion
that they are something more than common animals. Indeed, I have known
some of them so bigotted to this opinion, that having by chance killed a
quiquehatch by a gun which had been set for a fox, they have left it
where it was killed, and would not take off its skin. Notwithstanding
this {210} silly notion, which is too frequently to be observed among
those people, it generally happens that there are some in every gang who
are less scrupulous, so that none of those furrs are ever left to rot;
and even those who make a point of not killing the animals themselves,
are ready to receive their skins from other Indians, and carry them to
the Fort for trade.
[Sidenote: 30th.]
[Sidenote: November. 1st.]
By the thirtieth of October, all our clothing, snowshoes, and temporary
sledges, being completed, we once more began to prepare for moving, and
on the following day set out, and walked five or six miles to the
Southward.
[Sidenote: 5th.]
[Sidenote: 1771. November.]
From the first to the fifth of November we walked on the ice of a large
lake, which, though very considerable both in length and breadth, is not
distinguished by any general name; on which account I gave it the name
of No Name Lake.[90] On the South side of this lake we found some wood,
which was very acceptable, being the first that we had seen since 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
East to West. It is said to abound with fine fish; but the weather at
the time we crossed it was so cold, as to render it impossible to sit on
the ice any {211} length of time to angle. A few exceedingly fine trout,
and some very large pike, however, were caught by my companions.
When we arrived on the South side of the above lake, we shaped our
course to the South West; 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 against the weather,
than we had had it in our power to do for some time past.
[Sidenote: 10th.]
On the tenth of November, we arrived at the edge of the main woods; at
which time the Indians began to make proper sledges, some snow-shoes,
&c. after which we proceeded again to the South West. But deer and all
other kinds of game were so scarce the whole way, that, except a few
partridges, nothing was killed by any in company: we had, nevertheless,
plenty of the provision which had been prepared at Point Lake.
[Sidenote: 20th.]
[Sidenote: 1771. November.]
On the twentieth of the same month, we arrived at Anaw'd Whoie,[91] or
the Indian Lake. In our way we crossed part of Methy Lake,[92] and
walked near eighty miles on a small river belonging to it, which empties
itself into the Great Athapuscow[93] Lake.[AW] While we were walking
{212} on the above little river, the Indians set fishing-nets under the
ice every night; but their labour was attended with so little success,
that all they caught served only as a delicacy, or to make a little
change in our diet; for the quantity was too trifling to occasion any
considerable saving of our other provisions.
Anaw'd Lake, though so small as not to exceed twenty miles wide in the
broadest part, is celebrated by the natives for abounding with plenty of
fish during the Winter; accordingly the Indians set all their nets,
which were not a few, and met with such success, that in about ten days
the roes only were as much as all the women could haul after them.
Tittimeg and barble, with a few small pike, were the only fish caught at
this part; the roes of which, particularly those of the tittimeg, are
more esteemed by the Northern Indians, to take with them on a journey,
than the fish itself; for about two pounds weight of these roes, when
well bruised, 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 pleasing to the eye, and no less agreeable to the palate.
[Sidenote: 1771. November.]
The land round this lake is very hilly, though not mountainous, and
chiefly consists of rocks and loose stones; there must, however, be a
small portion of soil {213} on the surface, as it is in most parts well
clothed with tall poplars, pines, fir, and birch; particularly in the
vallies, where the poplars, pine, and birch seem to thrive best; but the
firs were as large, and in as flourishing a state, on the very summit of
the hills, as in any other part.
Rabbits[94] were here so plentiful, particularly on the South and South
East side of the lake, that several of the Indians caught twenty or
thirty in a night with snares; and the wood-partridges[95] were so
numerous in the fir trees, and so tame, that I have known an Indian kill
near twenty of them in a day with his bow and arrows. The Northern
Indians call this species of the partridge Day; and though their flesh
is generally very black and bitter, occasioned by their feeding on the
brush of the fir tree, yet they make a variety, or change of diet, and
are thought exceedingly good, particularly by the natives, who, though
capable of living so hard, and at times eating very ungrateful food, are
nevertheless as fond of variety as any people whom I ever saw; and will
go as great lengths, according to their circumstances, to gratify their
palates, as the greatest epicure in England. As a proof of this
assertion, I have frequently known Matonabbee, and others who could
afford it, for the sake of variety only, send some of their young men to
kill a few partridges at the expence of more ammunition than would have
killed deer sufficient to have maintained their families many days;
whereas the partridges were always eaten up at one meal: and to {214}
heighten the luxury on these occasions, the partridges are boiled in a
kettle of sheer fat, which it must be allowed renders them beyond all
description finer flavoured than when boiled in water or common broth. I
have also eat deer-skins boiled in fat, which were exceedingly good.
[Sidenote: 1771. November.]
As during our stay at Anaw'd Lake several of the Indians were sickly,
the doctors undertook to administer relief; particularly to one man, who
had been hauled on a sledge by his brother for two months. His disorder
was the dead palsey, which affected one side, from the crown of his head
to the sole of his foot. Besides this dreadful disorder, he had some
inward complaints, with a total loss of appetite; so that he was reduced
to a mere skeleton, and so weak as to be scarcely capable of speaking.
In this deplorable condition, he was laid in the center of a large
conjuring-house, made much after the manner as that which has been
already described. And that nothing might be wanting toward his
recovery, the same man who deceived me in swallowing a bayonet in the
Summer, now offered to swallow a large piece of board, about the size of
a barrel-stave, in order to effect his recovery. The piece of board was
prepared by another man, and painted according to the direction of the
juggler, with a rude representation of some beast of prey on one side,
and on the reverse was painted, according to their rude method, a
resemblance of the sky.
{215} Without entering into a long detail of the preparations for this
feat, I shall at once proceed to observe, that after the conjurer had
held the necessary conference with his invisible spirits, or shadows, he
asked if I was present; for he had heard of my saying that I did not see
him swallow the bayonet fair; and on being answered in the affirmative,
he desired me to come nearer; on which the mob made a lane for me to
pass, and I advanced close to him, and found him standing at the
conjuring-house door as naked as he was born.
[Sidenote: 1771. November.]