CHAPTER VIII.

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Transcriber's notes:

There are several inconsistencies in spelling and punctuation in the

original. Some corrections have been made for obvious typographical

errors; they have been noted individually in the text. All changes made

by the transcriber are enumerated in braces, for example {1}; details of

corrections and comments are listed at the end of the text. Note that

many of the errors were introduced in the third edition, as

cross-referencing the second edition has shown.

In the original, the "Mc" in Scottish names is given as "M" followed by

what looks like a left single quotation mark (Unicode 2018). This has

been changed to "Mc" throughout the text.

Specific spellings that differ from their modern versions and have been

retained in this text are "Saskatchawan" (modern "Saskatchewan"),

"Esquimaux" (modern "Eskimo") and "musquito" (modern "mosquito").

Text in italics in the original is shown between _underlines_. For this

text version, the oe-ligature (Unicode 0153) has been rendered as "oe".

Footnote 3 in chapter VIII contains several instances of [·0] as a

transliteration of the symbol for "Sun" (Unicode 2609).

* * * * *

NARRATIVE OF A JOURNEY

TO THE SHORES OF THE

POLAR SEA,

IN

THE YEARS 1819-20-21-22.

BY

JOHN FRANKLIN, Capt. R.N., F.R.S., M.W.S.,

AND COMMANDER OF THE EXPEDITION.

PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY OF THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE EARL BATHURST.

THIRD EDITION.

TWO VOLS.--VOL. II.

LONDON:

JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE-STREET.

MDCCCXXIV.

LONDON:

PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES,

Northumberland-Court.

CONTENTS

OF

THE SECOND VOLUME.

CHAPTER VIII.

Page

Transactions at Fort Enterprise--Mr. Back's Narrative of his

Journey to Chipewyan, and Return 1

CHAPTER IX.

Continuation of Proceedings at Fort Enterprise--Some Account

of the Copper Indians--Preparations for the Journey to the

Northward 76

CHAPTER X.

Departure from Fort Enterprise--Navigation of the Copper-Mine

River--Visit to the Copper Mountain--Interview with the

Esquimaux--Departure of the Indian Hunters--Arrangements made

with them for our Return 122

CHAPTER XI.

Navigation of the Polar Sea, in two Canoes, as far as Cape

Turnagain, to the Eastward, a distance exceeding Five Hundred

and Fifty Miles--Observations on the probability of a

North-West Passage 193

CHAPTER XII.

Journey across the barren grounds--Difficulty and delay in

crossing Copper-Mine River--Melancholy and fatal Results

thereof--Extreme Misery of the whole Party--Murder of Mr.

Hood--Death of several of the Canadians--Desolate State of

Fort Enterprise--Distress suffered at that Place--Dr.

Richardson's Narrative--Mr. Back's Narrative--Conclusion 237

JOURNEY TO THE SHORES

OF

THE POLAR SEA.

* * * * *

CHAPTER VIII.

Transactions at Fort Enterprise--Mr. Back's Narrative of his

Journey to Chipewyan and Return.

1820. September.

During our little expedition to the Copper-Mine River, Mr. Wentzel had

made great progress in the erection of our winter-house, having nearly

roofed it in. But before proceeding to give an account of a ten months'

residence at this place, henceforth designated Fort Enterprise, I may

premise, that I shall omit many of the ordinary occurrences of a North

American winter, as they have been already detailed in so able and

interesting a manner by Ellis[1], and confine myself principally to the

circumstances which had an influence on our progress in the ensuing

summer. The observations on the magnetic needle, the temperature of the

atmosphere, the Aurora Borealis, and other meteorological phenomena,

together with the mineralogical and botanical notices, being less

interesting to the general reader, are omitted in this edition.

[1] Voyage to Hudson's Bay in the Dobbs and California.

The men continued to work diligently at the house, and by the 30th of

September had nearly completed it for our reception, when a heavy fall

of rain washed the greater part of the mud off the roof. This rain was

remarked by the Indians as unusual, after what they had deemed so

decided a commencement of winter in the early part of the month. The

mean temperature for the month was 33-3/4°, but the thermometer had sunk

as low as 16°, and on one occasion rose to 53°.

Besides the party constantly employed at the house, two men were

appointed to fish, and others were occasionally sent for meat, as the

hunters procured it. This latter employment, although extremely

laborious, was always relished by the Canadians, as they never failed to

use a prescriptive right of helping themselves to the fattest and most

delicate parts of the deer. Towards the end of the month, the rein-deer

began to quit the barren grounds, and came into the vicinity of the

house, on their way to the woods; and the success of the hunters being

consequently great, the necessity of sending for the meat considerably

retarded the building of the house. In the mean time we resided in our

canvas tents, which proved very cold habitations, although we maintained

a fire in front of them, and also endeavoured to protect ourselves from

the piercing winds by a barricade of pine branches.

On the 6th of October, the house being completed, we struck our tents,

and removed into it. It was merely a log-building, fifty feet long, and

twenty-four wide, divided into a hall, three bed rooms and a kitchen.

The walls and roof were plastered with clay, the floors laid with planks

rudely squared with the hatchet, and the windows closed with parchment

of deer-skin. The clay, which from the coldness of the weather, required

to be tempered before the fire with hot water, froze as it was daubed

on, and afterwards cracked in such a manner as to admit the wind from

every quarter; yet, compared with the tents, our new habitation appeared

comfortable; and having filled our capacious clay-built chimney with

fagots, we spent a cheerful evening before the invigorating blaze. The

change was peculiarly beneficial to Dr. Richardson, who, having, in one

of his excursions, incautiously laid down on the frozen side of a hill

when heated with walking, had caught a severe inflammatory sore throat,

which became daily worse whilst we remained in the tents, but began to

mend soon after he was enabled to confine himself to the more equable

warmth of the house. We took up our abode at first on the floor, but our

working party, who had shown such skill as house carpenters, soon proved

themselves to be, with the same tools, (the hatchet and crooked knife,)

excellent cabinet makers, and daily added a table, chair, or bedstead,

to the comforts of our establishment. The crooked knife generally made

of an old file, bent and tempered by heat, serves an Indian or Canadian

voyager for plane, chisel, and auger. With it the snow-shoe and

canoe-timbers are fashioned, the deals of their sledges reduced to the

requisite thinness and polish, and their wooden bowls and spoons

hollowed out. Indeed, though not quite so requisite for existence as the

hatchet, yet without its aid there would be little comfort in these

wilds.

On the 7th we were gratified by a sight of the sun, after it had been

obscured for twelve days. On this and several following days the

meridian sun melted the light covering of snow or hoar frost on the

lichens, which clothe the barren grounds, and rendered them so tender as

to attract great herds of rein-deer to our neighbourhood. On the

morning of the 10th I estimated the numbers I saw during a short walk,

at upwards of two thousand. They form into herds of different sizes,

from ten to a hundred, according as their fears or accident induce them

to unite or separate.

The females being at this time more lean and active, usually lead the

van. The haunches of the males are now covered to the depth of two

inches or more with fat, which is beginning to get red and high

flavoured, and is considered a sure indication of the commencement of

the rutting season. Their horns, which in the middle of August were yet

tender, have now attained their proper size, and are beginning to lose

their hairy covering which hangs from them in ragged filaments. The

horns of the rein-deer vary, not only with its sex and age, but are

otherwise so uncertain in their growth, that they are never alike in any

two individuals. The old males shed their's about the end of December;

the females retain them until the disappearance of the snow enables them

to frequent the barren grounds, which may be stated to be about the

middle or end of May, soon after which period they proceed towards the

sea-coast and drop their young. The young males lose their horns about

the same time with the females or a little earlier, some of them as

early as April. The hair of the rein-deer falls in July, and is

succeeded by a short thick coat of mingled clove, deep reddish, and

yellowish browns; the belly and under parts of the neck, _&c._,

remaining white. As the winter approaches the hair becomes longer, and

lighter in its colours, and it begins to loosen in May, being then much

worn on the sides, from the animal rubbing itself against trees and

stones. It becomes grayish and almost white, before it is completely

shed. The Indians form their robes of the skins procured in autumn, when

the hair is short. Towards the spring the larvæ of the oestrus attaining

a large size, produce so many perforations in the skins, that they are

good for nothing. The cicatrices only of these holes are to be seen in

August, but a fresh set of _ova_ have in the mean time been

deposited[2].

[2] "It is worthy of remark, that in the month of May a very great

number of large larvæ exist under the mucous membrane at the root

of the tongue, and posterior part of the nares and pharynx. The

Indians consider them to belong to the same species with the

oestrus, that deposits its ova under the skin: to us the larvæ of

the former appeared more flattened than those of the latter.

Specimens of both kinds, preserved in spirits, were destroyed by

the frequent falls they received on the portages."--DR.

RICHARDSON'S _Journal_.

The rein-deer retire from the sea-coast in July and August, rut in

October on the verge of the barren grounds, and shelter themselves in

the woods during the winter. They are often induced by a few fine days

in winter, to pay a transitory visit to their favourite pastures in the

barren country, but their principal movement to the northward commences

generally in the end of April, when the snow first begins to melt on the

sides of the hills, and early in May, when large patches of the ground

are visible, they are on the banks of the Copper-Mine River. The females

take the lead in this spring migration, and bring forth their young on

the sea-coast about the end of May or beginning of June. There are

certain spots or passes well known to the Indians, through which the

deer invariably pass in their migrations to and from the coast, and it

has been observed that they always travel against the wind. The

principal food of the rein-deer in the barren grounds, consists of the

_cetraria nivalis_ and _cucullata_, _cenomyce rangiferina_,

_cornicularia ochrileuca_, and other lichens, and they also eat the hay

or dry grass which is found in the swamps in autumn. In the woods they

feed on the different lichens which hang from the trees. They are

accustomed to gnaw their fallen antlers, and are said also to devour

mice.

The weight of a full grown barren-ground deer, exclusive of the offal,

varies from ninety to one hundred and thirty pounds. There is, however,

a much larger kind found in the woody parts of the country, whose

carcase weighs from two hundred to two hundred and forty pounds. This

kind never leaves the woods, but its skin is as much perforated by the

gad-fly as that of the others; a presumptive proof that the smaller

species are not driven to the sea-coast solely by the attacks of that

insect. There are a few rein-deer occasionally killed in the spring,

whose skins are entire, and these are always fat, whereas the others are

lean at that season. This insect likewise infests the red-deer

(_wawaskeesh_,) but its ova are not found in the skin of the moose, or

buffalo, nor, as we have been informed, of the sheep and goat that

inhabit the Rocky Mountains, although the rein-deer found in those

parts, (which are of an unusually large kind,) are as much tormented by

them as the barren-ground variety.

The herds of rein-deer are attended in their migrations by bands of

wolves, which destroy a great many of them. The Copper Indians kill the

rein-deer in the summer with the gun, or taking advantage of a

favourable disposition of the ground, they enclose a herd upon a neck of

land, and drive them into a lake, where they fall an easy prey; but in

the rutting season and in the spring, when they are numerous on the

skirts of the woods, they catch them in snares. The snares are simple

nooses, formed in a rope made of twisted sinew, which are placed in the

aperture of a slight hedge, constructed of the branches of trees. This

hedge is so disposed as to form several winding compartments, and

although it is by no means strong, yet the deer seldom attempt to break

through it. The herd is led into the labyrinth by two converging rows of

poles, and one is generally caught at each of the openings by the noose

placed there. The hunter, too, lying in ambush, stabs some of them with

his bayonet as they pass by, and the whole herd frequently becomes his

prey. Where wood is scarce, a piece of turf turned up answers the

purpose of a pole to conduct them towards the snares.

The rein-deer has a quick eye, but the hunter by keeping to leeward and

using a little caution, may approach very near; their apprehensions

being much more easily roused by the smell than the sight of any unusual

object. Indeed their curiosity often causes them to come close up and

wheel around the hunter; thus affording him a good opportunity of

singling out the fattest of the herd, and upon these occasions they

often become so confused by the shouts and gestures of their enemy, that

they run backwards and forwards with great rapidity, but without the

power of making their escape.

The Copper Indians find by experience that a white dress attracts them

most readily, and they often succeed in bringing them within shot, by

kneeling and vibrating the gun from side to side, in imitation of the

motion of a deer's horns when he is in the act of rubbing his head

against a stone.

The Dog-Rib Indians have a mode of killing these animals, which though

simple, is very successful. It was thus described by Mr. Wentzel, who

resided long amongst that people. The hunters go in pairs, the foremost

man carrying in one hand the horns and part of the skin of the head of a

deer, and in the other a small bundle of twigs, against which he, from

time to time, rubs the horns, imitating the gestures peculiar to the

animal. His comrade follows treading exactly in his footsteps, and

holding the guns of both in a horizontal position, so that the muzzles

project under the arms of him who carries the head. Both hunters have a

fillet of white skin round their foreheads, and the foremost has a strip

of the same kind round his wrists. They approach the herd by degrees,

raising their legs very slowly, but setting them down somewhat suddenly,

after the manner of a deer, and always taking care to lift their right

or left feet simultaneously. If any of the herd leave off feeding to

gaze upon this extraordinary phenomenon, it instantly stops, and the

head begins to play its part by licking its shoulders, and performing

other necessary movements. In this way the hunters attain the very

centre of the herd without exciting suspicion, and have leisure to

single out the fattest. The hindmost man then pushes forward his

comrade's gun, the head is dropt, and they both fire nearly at the same

instant. The herd scampers off, the hunters trot after them; in a short

time the poor animals halt to ascertain the cause of their terror, their

foes stop at the same instant, and having loaded as they ran, greet the

gazers with a second fatal discharge. The consternation of the deer

increases, they run to and fro in the utmost confusion, and sometimes a

great part of the herd is destroyed within the space of a few hundred

yards.

A party who had been sent to Akaitcho returned, bringing three hundred

and seventy pounds of dried meat, and two hundred and twenty pounds of

suet, together with the unpleasant information, that a still larger

quantity of the latter article had been found and carried off, as he

supposed, by some Dog-ribs, who had passed that way.

The weather becoming daily colder, all the lakes in the neighbourhood of

the house were completely, and the river partially, frozen over by the

middle of the month. The rein-deer now began to quit us for more

southerly and better-sheltered pastures. Indeed, their longer residence

in our neighbourhood would have been of little service to us, for our

ammunition was almost completely expended, though we had dealt it of

late with a very sparing hand to the Indians. We had, however, already

secured in the store-house the carcases of one hundred deer, together

with one thousand pounds of suet, and some dried meat; and had,

moreover, eighty deer stowed up at various distances from the house. The

necessity of employing the men to build a house for themselves, before

the weather became too severe, obliged us to put the latter _en cache_,

as the voyagers term it, instead of adopting the more safe plan of

bringing them to the house. Putting a deer _en cache_, means merely

protecting it against the wolves, and still more destructive wolverenes,

by heavy loads of wood or stones; the latter animal, however, sometimes

digs underneath the pile, and renders the precaution abortive.

On the 18th, Mr. Back and Mr. Wentzel set out for Fort Providence,

accompanied by Beauparlant, Belanger, and two Indians, Akaiyazza and

Thoolezzeh, with their wives, the Little Forehead, and the Smiling

Marten. Mr. Back had volunteered to go and make the necessary

arrangements for transporting the stores we expected from Cumberland

House, and to endeavour to obtain some additional supplies from the

establishments at Slave Lake. If any accident should have prevented the

arrival of our stores, and the establishments at Moose-Deer Island

should be unable to supply the deficiency, he was, if he found himself

equal to the task, to proceed to Chipewyan. Ammunition was essential to

our existence, and a considerable supply of tobacco was also requisite,

not only for the comfort of the Canadians, who use it largely, and had

stipulated for it in their engagements, but also as a means of

preserving the friendship of the Indians. Blankets, cloth, and

iron-work, were scarcely less indispensible to equip our men for the

advance next season.

Mr. Wentzel accompanied Mr. Back, to assist him in obtaining from the

traders, on the score of old friendship, that which they might be

inclined to deny to our necessities. I forwarded by them letters to the

Colonial Office and Admiralty, detailing the proceedings of the

Expedition up to this period.

On the 22d we were surprised by a visit from a dog; the poor animal was

in low condition, and much fatigued. Our Indians discovered, by marks on

his ears, that he belonged to the Dog-ribs. This tribe, unlike the

Chipewyans and Copper Indians, had preserved that useful associate of

man, although from their frequent intercourse with the latter people,

they were not ignorant of the prediction alluded to in a former page.

One of our interpreters was immediately despatched, with an Indian, to

endeavour to trace out the Dog-ribs, whom he supposed might be concealed

in the neighbourhood from their dread of the Copper Indians; although we

had no doubt of their coming to us, were they aware of our being here.

The interpreter, however, returned without having discovered any traces

of strange Indians; a circumstance which led us to conclude, that the

dog had strayed from his masters a considerable time before.

Towards the end of the month the men completed their house, and took up

their abode in it. It was thirty-four feet long and eighteen feet wide;

was divided into two apartments, and was placed at right angles to the

officers' dwelling, and facing the store-house: the three buildings

forming three sides of a quadrangle.

On the 26th Akaitcho and his party arrived, the hunting in this

neighbourhood being terminated for the season, by the deer having

retired southward to the shelter of the woods.

The arrival of this large party was a serious inconvenience to us, from

our being compelled to issue them daily rates of provision from the

store. The want of ammunition prevented us from equipping and sending

them to the woods to hunt; and although they are accustomed to subsist

themselves for a considerable part of the year by fishing, or snaring

the deer, without having recourse to fire-arms, yet, on the present

occasion, they felt little inclined to do so, and gave scope to their

natural love of ease, as long as our store-house seemed to be well

stocked. Nevertheless, as they were conscious of impairing our future

resources, they did not fail, occasionally, to remind us that it was not

their fault, to express an ardent desire to go hunting, and to request a

supply of ammunition, although they knew that it was not in our power to

give it.

The summer birds by this time had entirely deserted us, leaving, for our

winter companions, the raven, cinereous crow, ptarmigan, and snow-bird.

The last of the water-fowl that quitted us was a species of diver, of

the same size with the _colymbus arcticus_, but differing from it in the

arrangement of the white spots on its plumage, and in having a yellowish

white bill. This bird was occasionally caught in our fishing nets.

The thermometer during the month of October, at Fort Enterprise, never

rose above 37°, or fell below 5°; the mean temperature for the month

was 23°.

In the beginning of October a party had been sent to the westward to

search for birch to make snow-shoe frames, and the Indian women were

afterwards employed in netting the shoes and preparing leather for

winter-clothing to the men. Robes of rein-deer skins were also obtained

from the Indians, and issued to the men who were to travel, as they are

not only a great deal lighter than blankets, but also much warmer, and

altogether better adapted for a winter in this climate. They are,

however, unfit for summer use, as the least moisture causes the skin to

spoil, and lose its hair. It requires the skins of seven deer to make

one robe. The finest are made of the skins of young fawns.

The fishing, having failed as the weather became more severe, was given

up on the 5th. It had procured us about one thousand two hundred _white

fish_, from two to three pounds each. There are two other species of

_Coregoni_ in Winter Lake, _Back's grayling_ and the _round fish_; and a

few _trout_, _pike_, _methye_, and _red carp_, were also occasionally

obtained from the nets. It may be worthy of notice here, that the fish

froze as they were taken out of the nets, in a short time became a solid

mass of ice, and by a blow or two of the hatchet were easily split

open, when the intestines might be removed in one lump. If in this

completely frozen state they were thawed before the fire, they recovered

their animation. This was particularly the case with the carp, and we

had occasion to observe it repeatedly, as Dr. Richardson occupied

himself in examining the structure of the different species of fish, and

was, always in the winter, under the necessity of thawing them before he

could cut them. We have seen a carp recover so far as to leap about with

much vigour, after it had been frozen for thirty-six hours.

From the 12th to the 16th we had fine, and for the season, warm weather;

and the deer, which had not been seen since the 26th of October,

reappeared in the neighbourhood of the house, to the surprise of the

Indians, who attributed their return to the barren grounds to the

unusual mildness of the season. On this occasion, by melting some of our

pewter cups, we managed to furnish five balls to each of the hunters,

but they were all expended unsuccessfully, except by Akaitcho, who

killed two deer.

By the middle of the month Winter River was firmly frozen over, except

the small rapid at its commencement, which remained open all the winter.

The ice on the lake was now nearly two feet thick. After the 16th we

had a succession of cold, snowy, and windy weather. We had become

anxious to hear of the arrival of Mr. Back and his party at Fort

Providence. The Indians, who had calculated the period at which a

messenger ought to have returned from thence to be already passed,

became impatient when it had elapsed, and with their usual love of evil

augury tormented us by their melancholy forebodings. At one time they

conjectured that the whole party had fallen through{1} the ice; at

another, that they had been way-laid and cut off by the Dog-ribs. In

vain did we urge the improbability of the former accident, or the

peaceable character of the Dog-ribs, so little in conformity with the

latter. "The ice at this season was deceitful," they said, "and the

Dog-ribs, though unwarlike, were treacherous." These assertions, so

often repeated, had some effect upon the spirits of our Canadian

voyagers, who seldom weigh any opinion they adopt; but we persisted in

treating their fears as chimerical, for had we seemed to listen to them

for a moment, it is more than probable that the whole of our Indians

would have gone to Fort Providence in search of supplies, and we should

have found it extremely difficult to have recovered them.

The matter was put to rest by the appearance of Belanger on the morning

of the 23d, and the Indians, now running into the opposite extreme, were

disposed to give us more credit for our judgment than we deserved. They

had had a tedious and fatiguing journey to Fort Providence, and for some

days were destitute of provisions.

Belanger arrived alone; he had walked constantly for the last

six-and-thirty hours, leaving his Indian companions encamped at the last

woods, they being unwilling to accompany him across the barren grounds

during the storm that had prevailed for several days, and blew with

unusual violence on the morning of his arrival. His locks were matted

with snow, and he was incrusted with ice from head to foot, so that we

scarcely recognised him when he burst in upon us. We welcomed him with

the usual shake of the hand, but were unable to give him the glass of

rum which every voyager receives on his arrival at a trading post.

As soon as his packet was thawed, we eagerly opened it to obtain our

English letters. The latest were dated on the preceding April. They came

by way of Canada, and were brought up in September to Slave Lake by the

North-West Company's canoes.

We were not so fortunate with regard to our stores; of ten pieces, or

bales of 90lbs. weight, which had been sent from York Factory by

Governor Williams, five of the most essential had been left at the Grand

Rapid on the Saskatchawan, owing, as far as we could judge from the

accounts that reached us, to the misconduct of the officer to whom they

were intrusted, and who was ordered to convey them to Cumberland-House.

Being overtaken by some of the North-West Company's canoes, he had

insisted on their taking half of his charge as it was intended for the

service of Government. The North-West gentlemen objected, that their

canoes had already got a cargo in, and that they had been requested to

convey our stores from Cumberland House only, where they had a canoe

waiting for the purpose. The Hudson's-Bay officer upon this deposited

our ammunition and tobacco upon the beach, and departed without any

regard to the serious consequences that might result to us from the want

of them. The Indians, who assembled at the opening of the packet, and

sat in silence watching our countenances, were necessarily made

acquainted with the non-arrival of our stores, and bore the intelligence

with unexpected tranquillity. We took care, however, in our

communications with them to dwell upon the more agreeable parts of our

intelligence, and they seemed to receive particular pleasure on being

informed of the arrival of two Esquimaux interpreters at Slave Lake, on

their way to join the party. The circumstance not only quieted their

fears of opposition from the Esquimaux on our descent to the sea next

season, but also afforded a substantial proof of our influence in being

able to bring two people of that nation from such a distance.

Akaitcho, who is a man of great penetration and shrewdness, duly

appreciated these circumstances; indeed he has often surprised us by his

correct judgment of the character of individuals amongst the traders or

of our own party, although his knowledge of their opinions was, in most

instances, obtained through the imperfect medium of interpretation. He

was an attentive observer, however, of every action, and steadily

compared their conduct with their pretensions.

By the newspapers we learned the demise of our revered and lamented

sovereign George III., and the proclamation of George IV. We concealed

this intelligence from the Indians, lest the death of their Great Father

might lead them to suppose that we should be unable to fulfil our

promises to them.

The Indians who had left Fort Providence with Belanger arrived the day

after him, and, amongst other intelligence, informed Akaitcho of some

reports they had heard to our disadvantage. They stated that Mr. Weeks,

the gentleman in charge of Fort Providence, had told them, that so far

from our being what we represented ourselves to be, the officers of a

great King, we were merely a set of dependant wretches, whose only aim

was to obtain subsistence for a season in the plentiful country of the

Copper Indians; that, out of charity we had been supplied with a portion

of goods by the trading Companies, but that there was not the smallest

probability of our being able to reward the Indians when their term of

service was completed. Akaitcho, with great good sense, instantly came

to have the matter explained, stating at the same time, that he could

not credit it. I then pointed out to him that Mr. Wentzel, with whom

they had long been accustomed to trade, had pledged the credit of his

Company for the stipulated rewards to the party that accompanied us, and

that the trading debts due by Akaitcho, and his party had already been

remitted, which was of itself a sufficient proof of our influence with

the North-West Company. I also reminded Akaitcho, that our having caused

the Esquimaux to be brought up at a great expense, was evidence of our

future intentions, and informed him that I should write to Mr. Smith,

the senior trader in the department, on the subject, when I had no

doubt that a satisfactory explanation would be given. The Indians

retired from the conference apparently satisfied, but this business was

in the end productive of much inconvenience to us, and proved very

detrimental to the progress of the Expedition. In conjunction also with

other intelligence conveyed in Mr. Back's letters respecting the

disposition of the traders towards us, particularly a statement of Mr.

Weeks, that he had been desired not to assist us with supplies from his

post, it was productive of much present uneasiness to me.

On the 28th St. Germain, the interpreter, set out with eight Canadian

voyagers and four Indian hunters to bring up our stores from Fort

Providence. I wrote by him to Mr. Smith, at Moose-Deer Island, and Mr.

Keith, at Chipewyan, both of the North-West Company, urging them in the

strongest manner to comply with the requisition for stores, which Mr.

Back would present. I also informed Mr. Simpson, principal agent in the

Athabasca for the Hudson's Bay Company, who had proffered every

assistance in his power, that we should gladly avail ourselves of the

kind intentions expressed in a letter which I had received from him.

We also sent a number of broken axes to Slave Lake to be repaired. The

dog that came to us on the 22d of October, and had become very familiar,

followed the party. We were in hopes that it might prove of some use in

dragging their loads, but we afterwards learned, that on the evening

after their departure from the house, they had the cruelty to kill and

eat it, although they had no reason to apprehend a scarcity of

provision. A dog is considered to be delicate eating by the voyagers.

The mean temperature of the air for November was -0°.7. The greatest

heat observed was 25° above, and the least 31° below, zero.

On the 1st of December the sky was clear, a slight appearance of stratus

only being visible near the horizon; but a kind of snow fell at

intervals in the forenoon, its particles so minute as to be observed

only in the sunshine. Towards noon the snow became more apparent, and

the two limbs of a prismatic arch were visible, one on each side of the

sun near its place in the heavens, the centre being deficient. We have

frequently observed this descent of minute icy spiculæ when the sky

appears perfectly clear, and could even perceive that its silent but

continued action, added to the snowy covering of the ground.

Having received one hundred balls from Fort Providence by Belanger, we

distributed them amongst the Indians, informing the leader at the same

time, that the residence of so large a party as his at the house,

amounting, with women and children, to forty souls, was producing a

serious reduction in our stock of provision. He acknowledged the justice

of the statement, and promised to remove as soon as his party had

prepared snow-shoes and sledges for themselves. Under one pretext or

other, however, their departure was delayed until the 10th of the month,

when they left us, having previously received one of our fishing-nets,

and all the ammunition we possessed. The leader left his aged mother and

two female attendants to our care, requesting that if she died during

his absence, she might be buried at a distance from the fort, that he

might not be reminded of his loss when he visited us.

Keskarrah, the guide, also remained behind, with his wife and daughter.

The old man has become too feeble to hunt, and his time is almost

entirely occupied in attendance upon his wife, who has been long

affected with an ulcer on the face, which has nearly destroyed her nose.

Lately he made an offering to the water spirits, whose wrath he

apprehended to be the cause of her malady. It consisted of a knife, a

piece of tobacco, and some other trifling articles, which were tied up

in a small bundle, and committed to the rapid with a long prayer. He

does not trust entirely, however, to the relenting of the spirits for

his wife's cure, but comes daily to Dr. Richardson for medicine.

Upon one occasion he received the medicine from the Doctor with such

formality, and wrapped it up in his rein-deer robe with such

extraordinary carefulness, that it excited the involuntary laughter of

Mr. Hood and myself. The old man smiled in his turn, and as he always

seemed proud of the familiar way in which we were accustomed to joke

with him, we thought no more upon the subject. But he unfortunately

mentioned the circumstance to his wife, who imagined in consequence,

that the drug was not productive of its usual good effects, and they

immediately came to the conclusion that some bad medicine had been

intentionally given to them. The distress produced by this idea, was in

proportion to their former faith in the potency of the remedy, and the

night was spent in singing and groaning. Next morning the whole family

were crying in concert, and it was not until the evening of the second

day that we succeeded in pacifying them. The old woman began to feel

better, and her faith in the medicine was renewed.

While speaking of this family, I may remark that the daughter, whom we

designated Green-stockings from her dress, is considered by her tribe to

be a great beauty. Mr. Hood drew an accurate portrait of her, although

her mother was averse to her sitting for it. She was afraid, she said,

that her daughter's likeness would induce the Great Chief who resided in

England to send for the original. The young lady, however, was

undeterred by any such fear. She has already been an object of contest

between her countrymen, and although under sixteen years of age, has

belonged successively to two husbands, and would probably have been the

wife of many more, if her mother had not required her services as a

nurse.

The weather during this month, was the coldest we experienced during our

residence in America. The thermometer sunk on one occasion to 57° below

zero, and never rose beyond 6° above it; the mean for the month

was -29°.7. During these intense colds, however, the atmosphere was

generally calm, and the wood-cutters and others went about their

ordinary occupations without using any extraordinary precautions, yet

without feeling any bad effects. They had their rein-deer shirts on,

leathern mittens lined with blankets, and furred caps; but none of them

used any defence for the face, or needed any. Indeed we have already

mentioned that the heat is abstracted most rapidly from the body during

strong breezes, and most of those who have perished from cold in this

country, have fallen a sacrifice to their being overtaken on a lake or

other unsheltered place, by a storm of wind. The intense colds, were,

however, detrimental to us in another way. The trees froze to their very

centres and became as hard as stones, and more difficult to cut. Some of

the axes were broken daily, and by the end of the month we had only one

left that was fit for felling trees. By intrusting it only to one of the

party who had been bred a carpenter, and who could use it with

dexterity, it was fortunately preserved until the arrival of our men

with others from Fort Providence.

A thermometer, hung in our bed-room at the distance of sixteen feet from

the fire, but exposed to its direct radiation, stood even in the

day-time occasionally at 15° below zero, and was observed more than once

previous to the kindling of the fire in the morning, to be as low as 40°

below zero. On two of these occasions the chronometers 2149 and 2151,

which during the night lay under Mr. Hood's and Dr. Richardson's

pillows, stopped while they were dressing themselves.

The rapid at the commencement of the river remained open in the

severest weather, although it was somewhat contracted in width. Its

temperature was 32°, as was the surface of the river opposite the house,

about a quarter of a mile lower down, tried at a hole in the ice,

through which water was drawn for domestic purposes. The river here was

two fathoms and a half deep, and the temperature at its bottom was at

least 42° above zero. This fact was ascertained by a spirit thermometer;

in which, probably, from some irregularity in the tube, a small portion

of the coloured liquor usually remained at 42° when the column was made

to descend rapidly. In the present instance the thermometer standing at

47° below zero, with no portion of the fluid in the upper part of the

tube, was let down slowly into the water, but drawn cautiously and

rapidly up again, when a red drop at +42° indicated that the fluid had

risen to that point or above it. At this period the daily visits of the

sun were very short, and owing to the obliquity of his rays, afforded us

little warmth or light. It is half past eleven before he peeps over a

small ridge of hills opposite to the house, and he sinks in the horizon

at half past two. On the 28th Mr. Hood, in order to attain an

approximation to the quantity of terrestrial refraction, observed the

sun's meridian altitude when the thermometer stood at 46° below zero,

at the imminent hazard of having his fingers frozen.

He found the sextant had changed its error considerably, and that the

glasses had lost their parallelism from the contraction of the brass. In

measuring the error he perceived that the diameter of the sun's image

was considerably short of twice the semi-diameter; a proof of the

uncertainty of celestial observations made during these intense frosts.

The results of this and another similar observation are given at the

bottom of the page[3].

[3] "The observed meridian altitude of [·0] upper limb was 2° 52' 51".

Temperature of the air -45° 5'{2}. By comparing this altitude,

corrected by the mean refraction and parallax, with that deduced

from the latitude which was observed in autumn, the increase of

refraction is found to be 6' 50", the whole refraction, therefore,

for the altitude 2° 52' 51" is 21' 49". Admitting that the

refraction increases in the same ratio as that of the atmosphere

at a mean state of temperature, the horizontal refraction will be

47' 22". But the diameter of the sun measured immediately after

the observation, was only 27' 7", which shews an increase of

refraction at the lower limb of 3' 29". The horizontal refraction

calculated with this difference, and the above-mentioned ratio, is

56' 3", at the temperature -45° 5'. So that in the parallel 68°

42', where if there was no refraction, the sun would be invisible

for thirty-four days, his upper limb, with the refraction 56' 3",

is, in fact, above the horizon at every noon.

The wind was from the westward a moderate breeze, and the air

perfectly clear. January 1st, 1821. Observed meridian altitude of

[·0] lower limb 2° 35' 20". [·0] apparent diameter 29° 20'. For

apparent altitude 2° 35' 20", the mean refraction is 16' 5"

(Mackay's Tables), and the true, found as detailed above, is 20'

8": which increasing in the same ratio as that of the atmosphere,

at a mean state of temperature, is 41' 19" at the horizon. But the

difference of refraction at the upper and lower limbs, increasing

also in that ratio, gives 55' 16" for the horizontal refraction.

Temperature of the air -41°. Wind north, a light breeze, a large

halo visible about the sun. January 15th, 1821.--Observed an

apparent meridian altitude [·0] lower limb 4° 24' 57". [·0]

apparent diameter 31' 5". For apparent altitude 4° 24' 57", the

mean refraction is 10' 58" (Mackay's Tables), and the true, found

as detailed above, is 14' 39", which, increasing in the same ratio

as that of the atmosphere at a mean state of temperature, is 43'

57" at the horizon. But the difference of refraction between the

upper and lower limbs increasing also in that ratio, gives 48' 30"

for the horizontal refraction.

Temperature of the air -35°, a light air from the westward, very

clear.

The extreme coldness of the weather rendered these operations

difficult and dangerous; yet I think the observations may be

depended upon within 30", as will appear by their approximate

results in calculating the horizontal refraction; for it must be

considered that an error of 30", in the refraction in altitude,

would make a difference of several minutes in the horizontal

refraction."--MR. HOOD'S _Journal_.

The aurora appeared with more or less brilliancy on twenty-eight nights

in this month, and we were also gratified by the resplendent beauty of

the moon, which for many days together performed its circle round the

heavens, shining with undiminished lustre, and scarcely disappearing

below the horizon during the twenty-four hours.

During many nights there was a halo round the moon, although the stars

shone brightly, and the atmosphere appeared otherwise clear. The same

phenomenon{3} was observed round the candles, even in our bed-rooms; the

diameter of the halo increasing as the observer receded from the light.

These halos, both round the moon and candles, occasionally exhibited

faintly some of the prismatic colours.

As it may be interesting to the reader to know how we passed our time at

this season of the year, I shall mention briefly, that a considerable

portion of it was occupied in writing up our journals. Some newspapers

and magazines, that we had received from England with our letters, were

read again and again, and commented upon, at our meals; and we often

exercised ourselves with conjecturing the changes that might take place

in the world before we could hear from it again. The probability of our

receiving letters, and the period of their arrival, were calculated to a

nicety. We occasionally paid the woodmen a visit, or took a walk for a

mile or two on the river.

In the evenings we joined the men in the hall, and took a part in their

games, which generally continued to a late hour; in short, we never

found the time to hang heavy upon our hands; and the peculiar

occupations of each of the officers afforded them more employment than

might at first be supposed. I re-calculated the observations made on our

route; Mr. Hood protracted the charts, and made those drawings of birds,

plants, and fishes, which cannot appear in this work, but which have

been the admiration of every one who has seen them. Each of the party

sedulously and separately recorded their observations on the aurora; and

Dr. Richardson contrived to obtain from under the snow, specimens of

most of the lichens in the neighbourhood, and to make himself acquainted

with the mineralogy of the surrounding country.

The Sabbath was always a day of rest with us; the woodmen were required

to provide for the exigencies of that day on Saturday, and the party

were dressed in their best attire. Divine service was regularly

performed, and the Canadians attended, and behaved with great decorum,

although they were all Roman Catholics, and but little acquainted with

the language in which the prayers were read. I regretted much that we

had not a French Prayer-Book, but the Lord's Prayer and Creed were

always read to them in their own language.

Our diet consisted almost entirely of rein-deer meat, varied twice a

week by fish, and occasionally by a little flour, but we had no

vegetables of any description. On the Sunday mornings we drank a cup of

chocolate, but our greatest luxury was tea (without sugar,) of which we

regularly partook twice a-day. With rein-deer's fat, and strips of

cotton shirts, we formed candles; and Hepburn acquired considerable

skill in the manufacture of soap, from the wood-ashes, fat, and salt.

The formation of soap was considered as rather a mysterious operation by

our Canadians, and, in their hands, was always supposed to fail if a

woman approached the kettle in which the ley{4} was boiling. Such are

our simple domestic details.

On the 30th, two hunters came from the leader, to convey ammunition to

him, as soon as our men should bring it from Fort Providence.

The men, at this time, coated the walls of the house on the outside,

with a thin mixture of clay and water, which formed a crust of ice,

that, for some days, proved impervious to the air; the dryness of the

atmosphere, however, was such, that the ice in a short time evaporated,

and gave admission to the wind as before. It is a general custom at the

forts to give this sort of coating to the walls at Christmas time. When

it was gone, we attempted to remedy its defect, by heaping up snow

against the walls.

1821, January 1.

This morning our men assembled, and greeted us with the customary

salutation on the commencement of the new year. That they might enjoy a

holiday{5}, they had yesterday collected double the usual quantity of

fire-wood, and we anxiously expected the return of the men from Fort

Providence, with some additions to their comforts. We had stronger hope

of their arrival before the evening, as we knew that every voyager uses

his utmost endeavour to reach a post upon, or previous to, the _jour de

l'an_, that he may partake of the wonted festivities. It forms, as

Christmas is said to have done among our forefathers, the theme of their

conversation for months before and after the period of its arrival. On

the present occasion we could only treat them with a little flour and

fat; these were both considered as great luxuries, but still the feast

was defective from the want of rum, although we promised them a little

when it should arrive.

The early part of January proved mild, the thermometer rose to 20° above

zero, and we were surprised by the appearance of a kind of damp fog

approaching very nearly to rain. The Indians expressed their

astonishment at this circumstance, and declared the present to be one of

the warmest winters they had ever experienced. Some of them reported

that it had actually rained in the woody parts of the country. In the

latter part of the month, however, the thermometer again descended

to -49°, and the mean temperature for the month proved to be -15°.6.

Owing to the fogs that obscured the sky the aurora was visible only upon

eighteen nights in the month.

On the 15th seven of our men arrived from Fort Providence with two kegs

of rum, one barrel of powder, sixty pounds of ball, two rolls of

tobacco, and some clothing. They had been twenty-one days on their march

from Slave Lake, and the labour they underwent was sufficiently evinced

by their sledge-collars having worn out the shoulders of their coats.

Their loads weighed from sixty to ninety pounds each, exclusive of their

bedding and provisions, which at starting must have been at least as

much more. We were much rejoiced at their arrival, and proceeded

forthwith to pierce the spirit cask, and issue to each of the household

the portion of rum which had been promised on the first day of the year.

The spirits, which were proof, were frozen, but after standing at the

fire for some time they flowed out of the consistency of honey. The

temperature of the liquid, even in this state, was so low as instantly

to convert into ice the moisture which condensed on the surface of the

dram-glass. The fingers also adhered to the glass, and would, doubtless,

have been speedily frozen had they been kept in contact with it; yet

each of the voyagers swallowed his dram without experiencing the

slightest inconvenience, or complaining of tooth-ache.

After the men had retired, an Indian, who had accompanied them from

Fort Providence, informed me that they had broached the cask on their

way up and spent two days in drinking. This instance of breach of trust

was excessively distressing to me; I felt for their privations and

fatigues, and was disposed to seize every opportunity of alleviating

them, but this, combined with many instances of petty dishonesty with

regard to meat, shewed how little confidence could be put in a Canadian

voyager when food or spirits were in question. We had been indeed made

acquainted with their character on these points by the traders; but we

thought that when they saw their officers living under equal if not

greater privations than themselves, they would have been prompted by

some degree of generous feeling to abstain from those depredations

which, under ordinary circumstances, they would scarcely have blushed to

be detected in.

As they were pretty well aware that such a circumstance could not long

be concealed from us, one of them came the next morning with an artful

apology for their conduct. He stated, that as they knew it was my

intention to treat them with a dram on the commencement of the new year,

they had helped themselves to a small quantity on that day, trusting to

my goodness for forgiveness; and being unwilling to act harshly at this

period, I did forgive them, after admonishing them to be very

circumspect in their future conduct.

The ammunition, and a small present of rum, were sent to Akaitcho.

On the 18th Vaillant, the woodman, had the misfortune to break his axe.

This would have been a serious evil a few weeks sooner, but we had just

received some others from Slave Lake.

On the 27th Mr. Wentzel and St. Germain arrived with the two Esquimaux,

Tattannoeuck and Hoeootoerock, (the belly and the ear.) The English

names, which were bestowed upon them at Fort Churchill in commemoration

of the months of their arrival there, are Augustus and Junius. The

former speaks English.

We now learned that Mr. Back proceeded with Beauparlant to Fort

Chipewyan, on the 24th of December, to procure stores, having previously

discharged J. Belleau from our service at his own request, and according

to my directions. I was the more induced to comply with this man's

desire of leaving us, as he proved to be too weak to perform the duty of

bowman which he had undertaken.

Four dogs were brought up by this party, and proved a great relief to

our wood-haulers during the remainder of the season.

By the arrival of Mr. Wentzel, who is an excellent musician, and

assisted us (_con amore_) in our attempts to amuse the men, we were

enabled to gratify the whole establishment with an occasional dance. Of

this amusement the voyagers were very fond, and not the less so, as it

was now and then accompanied by a dram as long as our rum lasted.

On the 5th of February, two Canadians came from Akaitcho for fresh

supplies of ammunition. We were mortified to learn that he had received

some further unpleasant reports concerning us from Fort Providence, and

that his faith in our good intentions was somewhat shaken. He expressed

himself dissatisfied with the quantity of ammunition we had sent him,

accused us of an intention of endeavouring to degrade him in the eyes of

his tribe, and informed us that Mr. Weeks had refused to pay some notes

for trifling quantities of goods and ammunition that had been given to

the hunters who accompanied our men to Slave Lake.

Some powder and shot, and a keg of diluted spirits were sent to him with

the strongest assurances of our regard.

On the 12th, another party of six men was sent to Fort Providence, to

bring up the remaining stores. St. Germain went to Akaitcho for the

purpose of sending two of his hunters to join this party on its route.

On comparing the language of our two Esquimaux with a copy of St. John's

Gospel, printed for the use of the Moravian Missionary Settlements on

the Labrador coast, it appeared that the Esquimaux who resort to

Churchill speak a language essentially the same with those who frequent

the Labrador coast. The Red Knives, too, recognise the expression

_Teyma_, used by the Esquimaux when they accost strangers in a friendly

manner, as similarly pronounced by Augustus, and those of his race who

frequent the mouth of the Copper-Mine River.

The tribe to which Augustus belongs resides generally a little to the

northward of Churchill. In the spring, before the ice quits the shores,

they kill seal, but during winter they frequent the borders of the large

lakes near the coast, where they obtain fish, rein-deer, and musk-oxen.

There are eighty-four grown men in the tribe, only seven of whom are

aged. Six Chiefs have each two wives; the rest of the men have only one,

so that the number of married people may amount to one hundred and

seventy. He could give me no certain data whereby I might estimate the

number of children.

Two great Chiefs, or _Ackhaiyoot_, have complete authority in directing

the movements of the party, and in distributing provisions. The

_Attoogawnoeuck_, or lesser Chiefs, are respected principally as senior

men. The tribe seldom suffers from want of food, if the Chief moves to

the different stations at the proper season. They seem to follow the

eastern custom respecting marriage. As soon as a girl is born, the young

lad who wishes to have her for a wife goes to her father's tent, and

proffers himself. If accepted, a promise is given which is considered

binding, and the girl is delivered to her betrothed husband at the

proper age.

They consider their progenitors to have come from the moon. Augustus has

no other idea of a Deity than some confused notions which he has

obtained at Churchill.

When any of the tribe are dangerously ill, a conjurer is sent for, and

the bearer of the message carries a suitable present to induce his

attendance. Upon his arrival he encloses himself in the tent with the

sick man, and sings over him for days together without tasting food; but

Augustus, as well as the rest of the uninitiated, are ignorant of the

purport of his songs, and of the nature of the Being to whom they are

addressed. The conjurers practise a good deal of jugglery in swallowing

knives, firing bullets through their bodies, _&c._, but they are at

these times generally secluded from view, and the bystanders believe

their assertions, without requiring to be eye-witnesses of the fact.

Sixteen men and three women amongst Augustus' tribe are acquainted with

the mysteries of the art. The skill of the latter is exerted only on

their own sex.

Upon the map being spread before Augustus, he soon comprehended it, and

recognised Chesterfield Inlet to be "the opening into which salt waters

enter at spring tides, and which receives a river at its upper end." He

termed it _Kannoeuck Kleenoeuck_. He has never been farther north

himself than Marble Island, which he distinguishes as being the spot

where the large ships were wrecked, alluding to the disastrous

termination of Barlow and Knight's Voyage of Discovery[4]. He says,

however, that Esquimaux of three different tribes have traded with his

countrymen, and that they described themselves as having come across

land from a northern sea. One tribe, who named themselves

_Ahwhacknanhelett_, he supposes may come from Repulse Bay; another,

designated _Ootkooseek-kalingmoeoot_, or Stone-Kettle Esquimaux, reside

more to the westward; and the third, the _Kang-orr-moeoot_, or White

Goose Esquimaux, describe themselves as coming from a great distance,

and mentioned that a party of Indians had killed several of their tribe

on the summer preceding their visit. Upon comparing the dates of this

murder with that of the last massacre which the Copper Indians have

perpetrated on these harmless and defenceless people, they appear to

differ two years; but the lapse of time is so inaccurately recorded,

that this difference in their accounts is not sufficient to destroy

their identity; besides the Chipewyans, the only other Indians who could

possibly have committed the deed, have long since ceased to go to war.

If this massacre should be the one mentioned by the Copper Indians, the

Kang-orr-moeoot must reside near the mouth of the Anatessy, or River of

Strangers.

[4] See Introduction to HEARNE'S _Journey_, page xxiv.

The winter habitations of the Esquimaux, who visit Churchill are built

of snow, and judging from one constructed by Augustus to-day, they are

very comfortable dwellings. Having selected a spot on the river, where

the snow was about two feet deep, and sufficiently compact, he commenced

by tracing out a circle twelve feet in diameter. The snow in the

interior of the circle was next divided with a broad knife, having a

long handle, into slabs three feet long, six inches thick, and two feet

deep, being the thickness of the layer of snow. These slabs were

tenacious enough to admit of being moved about without breaking, or even

losing the sharpness of their angles, and they had a slight degree of

curvature, corresponding with that of the circle from which they were

cut. They were piled upon each other exactly like courses of hewn stone

around the circle which was traced out, and care was taken to smooth the

beds of the different courses with the knife, and to cut them so as to

give the wall a slight inclination inwards, by which contrivance the

building acquired the properties of a dome. The dome was closed somewhat

suddenly and flatly by cutting the upper slabs in a wedge-form, instead

of the more rectangular shape of those below. The roof was about eight

feet high, and the last aperture was shut up by a small conical piece.

The whole was built from within, and each slab was cut so that it

retained its position without requiring support until another was placed

beside it, the lightness of the slabs greatly facilitating the

operation. When the building was covered in, a little loose snow was

thrown over it, to close up every chink, and a low door was cut through

the walls with a knife. A bed-place was next formed and neatly faced up

with slabs of snow, which was then covered with a thin layer of pine

branches, to prevent them from melting by the heat of the body. At each

end of the bed a pillar of snow was erected to place a lamp upon, and

lastly, a porch was built before the door, and a piece of clear ice was

placed in an aperture cut in the wall for a window.

The purity of the material of which the house was framed, the elegance

of its construction, and the translucency of its walls, which

transmitted a very pleasant light, gave it an appearance far superior to

a marble building, and one might survey it with feelings somewhat akin

to those produced by the contemplation of a Grecian temple, reared by

Phidias; both are triumphs of art, inimitable in their kinds.

Annexed there is a plan of a complete Esquimaux snow-house and kitchen

and other apartments, copied from a sketch made by Augustus, with the

names of the different places affixed. The only fire-place is in the

kitchen, the heat of the lamps sufficing to keep the other apartments

warm:--

[Illustration]

REFERENCES TO THE PLAN.

A. _Ablokeyt_, steps.

B. _Pahloeuk_, porch.

C. _Wadl-leek_, passage.

D. _Haddnoeweek_, for the reception of the sweepings of the house.

E. G. _Tokheuook_, antechamber, or passage.

F. _Annarroeartoweek._

H. _Eegah_, cooking-house.

I. _Eegah-natkah_, passage.

K. _Keidgewack_, for piling wood upon.

L. _Keek kloweyt_, cooking side.

M. _Keek loot_, fire-place built of stone.{6}

N. _Eegloo_, house.

O. _Kattack_, door.

P. _Nattoeuck_, clear space in the apartment.

a. d. _Eekput_, a kind of shelf where the candle stands; and

b. c. a pit where they throw their bones, and other offal of their

provision.

Q. _Eegl-luck_, bed-place.

R. _Eegleeteoet_, bed-side or sitting-place.

S. bed-place, as on the other side.{7}

T. _Kietgn-nok_, small pantry.

U. _Hoergloack_, store-house{8} for provisions.

Several deer were killed near the house, and we received some supplies

from Akaitcho. Parties were also employed in bringing in the meat that

was placed _en cache_ in the early part of the winter. More than one

half of these _caches_, however, had been destroyed by the wolves and

wolverenes; a circumstance which, in conjunction with the empty state of

our store-house, led us to fear that we should be much straitened for

provisions before the arrival of any considerable number of rein-deer in

this neighbourhood.

A good many ptarmigan were seen at this time, and the women caught some

in snares, but not in sufficient quantity to make any further alteration

in the rations of deers' meat that were daily issued. They had already

been reduced from eight, to the short allowance of five pounds.

Many wolves prowled nightly about the house, and even ventured upon the

roof of the kitchen, which is a low building, in search of food;

Keskarrah shot a very large white one, of which a beautiful and correct

drawing was made by Mr. Hood.

The temperature in February was considerably lower than in the preceding

month, although not so low as in December, the mean being -25°.3. The

greatest temperature was 1° above zero, and the lowest 51° below.

On the 5th of March the people returned from Slave Lake, bringing the

remainder of our stores, consisting of a cask of flour, thirty-six

pounds of sugar, a roll of tobacco, and forty pounds of powder. I

received a letter from Mr. Weeks, wherein he denied that he had ever

circulated any reports to our disadvantage; and stated that he had done

every thing in his power to assist us, and even discouraged Akaitcho

from leaving us, when he had sent him a message, saying, that he wished

to do so, if he was sure of being well received at Fort Providence.

We mentioned the contents of the letter to the Indians, who were at the

house at the time, when one of the hunters, who had attended the men on

their journey, stated, that he had heard many of the reports against us

from Mr. Weeks himself, and expressed his surprise that he should

venture to deny them. St. Germain soon afterwards arrived from Akaitcho,

and informed us, that he left him in good humour, and, apparently, not

harbouring the slightest idea of quitting us.

On the 12th, we sent four men to Fort Providence; and, on the 17th Mr.

Back arrived from Fort Chipewyan, having performed, since he left us, a

journey of more than one thousand miles on foot. I had every reason to

be much pleased with his conduct on this arduous undertaking; but his

exertions may be best estimated by the perusal of the following

narrative.

"On quitting Fort Enterprise, with Mr. Wentzel and two Canadians,

accompanied by two hunters and their wives, our route lay across the

barren hills. We saw, during the day, a number of deer, and,

occasionally, a solitary white wolf; and in the evening halted near a

small knot of pines. Owing to the slow progress made by the wives of the

hunters, we only travelled the first day a distance of seven miles and a

half. During the night we had a glimpse of the fantastic beauties of the

Aurora Borealis, and were somewhat annoyed by the wolves, whose nightly

howling interrupted our repose. Early the next morning we continued our

march, sometimes crossing small lakes (which were just frozen enough to

bear us,) and at other times going large circuits, in order to avoid

those which were open. The walking was extremely bad throughout the day;

for independent of the general unevenness of the ground, and the

numberless large stones which lay scattered in every direction, the

unusual warmth of the weather had dissolved the snow, which not only

kept us constantly wet, but deprived us of a firm footing, so that the

men, with their heavy burdens, were in momentary apprehension of

falling. In the afternoon a fine herd of deer was descried, and the

Indians, who are always anxious for the chase, and can hardly be

restrained from pursuing every animal they see, set out immediately. It

was late when they returned, having had good success, and bringing with

them five tongues, and the shoulder of a deer. We made about twelve

miles this day. The night was fine, and the Aurora Borealis so vivid,

that we imagined, more than once, that we heard a rustling noise like

that of autumnal leaves stirred by the wind; but after two hours of

attentive listening, we were not entirely convinced of the fact. The

coruscations were not so bright, nor the transition from one shape and

colour to another so rapid, as they sometimes are; otherwise, I have no

doubt, from the midnight silence which prevailed, that we should have

ascertained this yet undecided point.

"The morning of the 20th was so extremely hazy that we could not see ten

yards before us; it was, therefore, late when we started, and during our

journey the hunters complained of the weather, and feared they should

lose the track of our route. Towards the evening it became so thick that

we could not proceed; consequently, we halted in a small wood, situated

in a valley, having only completed a distance of six miles.

"The scenery consisted of high hills, which were almost destitute of

trees, and lakes appeared in the valleys. The cracking of the ice was so

loud during the night as to resemble thunder, and the wolves howled

around us. We were now at the commencement of the woods, and at an early

hour, on the 21st, continued our journey over high hills for three

miles, when the appearance of some deer caused us to halt, and nearly

the remainder of the day was passed in hunting them. In the evening we

stopped within sight of Prospect Hill, having killed and concealed six

deer. A considerable quantity of snow fell during the night.

"The surrounding country was extremely rugged; the hills divided by deep

ravines, and the valleys covered with broken masses of rocks and stones;

yet the deer fly (as it were,) over these impediments with apparent

ease, seldom making a false step, and springing from crag to crag with

all the confidence of the mountain goat. After passing Rein-Deer Lake,

(where the ice was so thin as to bend at every step for nine miles,) we

halted, perfectly satisfied with our escape from sinking into the water.

While some of the party were forming the encampment one of the hunters

killed a deer, a part of which was concealed to be ready for use on our

return. This evening we halted in a wood near the canoe track, after

having travelled a distance of nine miles. The wind was S.E. and the

night cloudy, with wind and rain.

"On the 24th and 25th we underwent some fatigue from being obliged to go

round the lakes, which lay across our route, and were not sufficiently

frozen to bear us. Several rivulets appeared to empty themselves into

the lakes, no animals were killed, and few tracks seen. The scenery

consisted of barren rocks and high hills, covered with lofty pine,

birch, and larch trees.

"_October 26_.--We continued our journey, sometimes on frozen lakes, and

at other times on high craggy rocks. When we were on the lakes we were

much impeded in our journey by different parts which were unfrozen.

There was a visible increase of wood, consisting of birch and larch, as

we inclined to the southward. About ten A.M. we passed Icy Portage,

where we saw various tracks of the moose, bear, and otter; and after a

most harassing march through thick woods and over fallen trees, we

halted a mile to the westward of Fishing Lake; our provisions were now

almost expended; the weather was cloudy with snow.

"On the 27th we crossed two lakes, and performed a circuitous route,

frequently crossing high hills to avoid those lakes which were not

frozen; during the day one of the women made a hole through the ice, and

caught a fine pike, which she gave to us; the Indians would not partake

of it, from the idea (as we afterwards learnt,) that we should not have

sufficient for ourselves: 'We are accustomed to starvation,' said they,

'but you are not.' In the evening, we halted near Rocky Lake. I

accompanied one of the Indians to the summit of a hill, where he shewed

me a dark horizontal cloud, extending to a considerable distance along

the mountains in the perspective, which he said was occasioned by the

Great Slave Lake, and was considered as a good guide to all the hunters

in the vicinity. On our return we saw two untenanted bears' dens.

"The night was cloudy with heavy snow, yet the following morning we

continued our tedious march; many of the lakes remained still open, and

the rocks were high and covered with snow, which continued to fall all

day, consequently we effected but a trifling distance, and that too with

much difficulty. In the evening we halted; having only performed about

seven miles. One of the Indians gave us a fish which he had caught,

though he had nothing for himself; and it was with much trouble that he

could be prevailed upon to partake of it. The night was again cloudy

with snow. On the 29th we set out through deep snow and thick woods; and

after crossing two small lakes stopped to breakfast, sending the women

on before, as they had already complained of lameness, and could not

keep pace with the party. It was not long before we overtook them on the

banks of a small lake, which though infinitely less in magnitude than

many we had passed, yet had not a particle of ice on its surface. It was

shoal, had no visible current, and was surrounded by hills. We had

nothing to eat, and were not very near an establishment where food could

be procured; however, as we proceeded, the lakes were frozen, and we

quickened our pace stopping but twice for the hunters to smoke.

Nevertheless the distance we completed was but trifling, and at night we

halted near a lake, the men being tired, and much bruised from

constantly falling amongst thick broken wood and loose stones concealed

under the snow. The night was blowing and hazy with snow.

"On the 30th we set out with the expectation of gaining the Slave Lake

in the evening; but our progress was again impeded by the same causes as

before, so that the whole day was spent in forcing our way through thick

woods and over snow-covered swamps. We had to walk over pointed and

loose rocks, which sliding from under our feet, made our path dangerous,

and often threw us down several feet on sharp-edged stones lying beneath

the snow. Once we had to climb a towering, and almost perpendicular,

rock, which not only detained us, but was the cause of great anxiety for

the safety of the women who being heavily laden with furs, and one of

them with a child at her back, could not exert themselves with the

activity which such a task required. Fortunately nothing serious

occurred, though one of them once fell with considerable violence.

During the day one of the hunters broke through the ice, but was soon

extricated; when it became dark we halted near the Bow String Portage,

greatly disappointed at not having reached the lake. The weather was

cloudy, accompanied with thick mist and snow. The Indians expected to

have found here a bear in its den, and to have made a hearty meal of its

flesh: indeed it had been the subject of conversation all day, and they

had even gone so far as to divide it, frequently asking me what part I

preferred; but when we came to the spot--oh! lamentable! it had already

fallen a prey to the devouring appetites of some more fortunate hunters,

who had only left sufficient evidence that such a thing had once

existed, and we had merely the consolation of realizing an old proverb.

One of our men, however, caught a fish which with the assistance of some

weed scraped from the rocks, (_tripe de roche_,) which forms a glutinous

substance, made us a tolerable supper; it was not of the most choice

kind, yet good enough for hungry men. While we were eating it I

perceived one of the women busily employed scraping an old skin, the

contents of which her husband presented us with. They consisted of

pounded meat, fat, and a greater proportion of Indians' and deers' hair

than either; and though such a mixture may not appear very alluring to

an English stomach, it was thought a great luxury after three days'

privation in these cheerless regions of America. Indeed had it not been

for the precaution and generosity of the Indians, we must have gone

without sustenance until we reached the Fort.

"On the 1st of November our men began to make a raft to enable us to

cross a river which was not even frozen at the edges. It was soon

finished, and three of us embarked, being seated up to the ankles in

water. We each took a pine branch for a paddle, and made an effort to

gain the opposite shore, in which, after some time, (and not without

strong apprehensions of drifting into the Slave Lake,) we succeeded. In

two hours the whole party was over, with a comfortable addition to it in

the shape of some fine fish, which the Indians had caught: of course we

did not forget to take these friends with us, and after passing several

lakes, to one of which we saw no termination, we halted within eight

miles to the fort. The Great Slave Lake was not frozen.

"In crossing a narrow branch of the lake I fell through the ice, but

received no injury; and at noon we arrived at Fort Providence, and were

received by Mr. Weeks, a clerk of the North-West Company, in charge of

the establishment. I found several packets of letters for the officers,

which I was desirous of sending to them immediately; but as the Indians

and their wives complained of illness and inability to return without

rest, a flagon of mixed spirits was given them, and their sorrows were

soon forgotten. In a quarter of an hour they pronounced themselves

excellent hunters, and capable of going any where; however, their

boasting ceased with the last drop of the bottle, when a crying scene

took place, which would have continued half the night, had not the magic

of an additional quantity of spirits dried their tears, and once more

turned their mourning into joy. It was a satisfaction to me to behold

these poor creatures enjoying themselves, for they had behaved in the

most exemplary and active manner towards the party, and with a

generosity and sympathy seldom found even in the more civilized parts of

the world: and the attention and affection which they manifested towards

their wives, evinced a benevolence of disposition and goodness of nature

which could not fail to secure the approbation of the most indifferent

observer.

"The accounts I here received of our goods were of so unsatisfactory a

nature, that I determined to proceed, as soon as the lake was frozen, to

Moose-Deer Island, or if necessary to the Athabasca Lake; both to

inform myself of the grounds of the unceremonious and negligent manner

in which the Expedition had been treated, and to obtain a sufficient

supply of ammunition and other stores, to enable it to leave its present

situation, and proceed for the attainment of its ultimate object.

"_November 9_.--I despatched to Fort Enterprise one of the men, with the

letters and a hundred musquet-balls, which Mr. Weeks lent me on

condition that they should be returned the first opportunity. An Indian

and his wife accompanied the messenger. Lieutenant Franklin was made

acquainted with the exact state of things; and I awaited with much

impatience the freezing of the lake.

"_November 16_.--A band of Slave Indians came to the fort with a few

furs and some bear's grease. Though we had not seen any of them, it

appeared that they had received information of our being in the country,

and knew the precise situation of our house, which they would have

visited long ago, but from the fear of being pillaged by the Copper

Indians. I questioned the chief about the Great Bear and Marten Lakes,

their distance from Fort Enterprise, &c.; but his answers were so vague

and unsatisfactory that they were not worth attention; his description

of Bouleau's Route, (which he said was the shortest and best, and

abundant in animals,) was very defective, though the relative points

were sufficiently characteristic, had we not possessed a better route.

He had never been at the sea; and knew nothing about the mouth of the

Copper-Mine River. In the evening he made his young men dance, and

sometimes accompanied them himself. They had four feathers in each hand.

One commenced moving in a circular form, lifting both feet at the same

time, similar to jumping sideways. After a short time a second and a

third joined, and afterwards the whole band was dancing, some in a state

of nudity, others half dressed, singing an unmusical wild air with (I

suppose,) appropriate words; the particular sounds of which were, ha!

ha! ha! uttered vociferously, and with great distortion of countenance,

and peculiar attitude of body, the feathers being always kept in a

tremulous motion. The ensuing day I made the chief acquainted with the

object of our mission, and recommended him to keep at peace with his

neighbouring tribes, and to conduct himself with attention and

friendship towards the whites. I then gave him a medal, telling him it

was the picture of the King, whom they emphatically term 'their Great

Father.'

"_November 18_.--We observed two mock moons at equal distances from the

central one; and the whole were encircled by a halo: the colour of the

inner edge of the large circle was a light red, inclining to a faint

purple.

"_November 20_.--Two parhelia were observable with a halo; the colours

of the inner edge of the circle were a bright carmine and red lake,

intermingled with a rich yellow, forming a purplish orange; the outer

edge was pale gamboge.

"_December 5_.--A man was sent some distance on the lake, to see if it

was sufficiently frozen for us to cross. I need scarcely mention my

satisfaction, when he returned with the pleasing information that it

was.

"_December 7_.--I quitted Fort Providence, being accompanied by Mr.

Wentzel, Beauparlant, and two other Canadians, provided with dogs and

sledges. We proceeded along the borders of the lake, occasionally

crossing deep bays; and at dusk encamped at the _Gros Cap_, having

proceeded twenty-five miles.

"_December 8_.--We set out on the lake with an excessively cold

north-west wind, and were frequently interrupted by large pieces of ice

which had been thrown up by the violence of the waves during the

progress of congelation, and at dusk we encamped on the Rein-Deer

Islands.

"The night was fine, with a faint Aurora Borealis. Next day the wind

was so keen, that the men proposed conveying me in a sledge that I might

be the less exposed, to which, after some hesitation, I consented.

Accordingly a rein-deer skin and a blanket were laid along the sledge,

and in these I was wrapped tight up to the chin, and lashed to the

vehicle, just leaving sufficient play for my head to perceive when I was

about to be upset on some rough projecting piece of ice. Thus equipped,

we set off before the wind (a favourable circumstance on a lake), and

went on very well until noon; when the ice being driven up in ridges, in

such a manner as to obstruct us very much, I was released; and I confess

not unwillingly, though I had to walk the remainder of the day.

"There are large openings in many parts where the ice had separated; and

in attempting to cross one of them, the dogs fell into the water, and

were saved with difficulty. The poor animals suffered dreadfully from

the cold, and narrowly escaped being frozen to death. We had quickened

our pace towards the close of the day, but could not get sight of the

land; and it was not till the sun had set that we perceived it about

four miles to our left, which obliged us to turn back, and head the

wind. It was then so cold, that two of the party were frozen almost

immediately about the face and ears. I escaped, from having the good

fortune to possess a pair of gloves made of rabbits' skin, with which I

kept constantly chafing the places which began to be affected. At six

P.M. we arrived at the fishing-huts near Stony Island, and remained the

night there. The Canadians were not a little surprised at seeing us whom

they had already given up for lost--nor less so at the manner by which

we had come--for they all affirmed, that the lake near them was quite

free from ice the day before.

"_December 10_.--At{9} an early hour we quitted the huts, lashed on

sledges as before, with some little addition to our party; and at three

hours thirty minutes P.M. arrived at the North-West Fort on Moose-Deer

Island, where I was received by Mr. Smith, with whom I had been

acquainted at the Athabasca. He said he partly expected me. The same

evening I visited Messrs. McVicar and McAuley{10} at Hudson's Bay Fort,

when I found the reports concerning our goods were but too true, there

being in reality but five packages for us. I also was informed that two

Esquimaux, Augustus the chief, and Junius his servant, who had been sent

from Fort Churchill by Governor Williams, to serve in the capacity of

interpreters to the Expedition, were at the Fort. These men were short

of stature but muscular, apparently good-natured, and perfectly

acquainted with the purpose for which they were intended. They had built

themselves a snow-house on an adjacent island, where they used

frequently to sleep. The following day I examined the pieces, and to my

great disappointment found them to consist of three kegs of spirits,

already adulterated by the voyagers who had brought them; a keg of

flour, and thirty-five pounds of sugar, instead of sixty. The ammunition

and tobacco,{11} the two greatest requisites, were left behind.

"I lost no time in making a demand from both parties; and though their

united list did not furnish the half of what was required, yet it is

possible that every thing was given by them which could be spared

consistently with their separate interests, particularly by Mr. McVicar,

who in many articles gave me the whole he had in his possession. These

things were sent away immediately for Fort Enterprise, when an

interpreter arrived with letters from Lieutenant Franklin, which

referred to a series of injurious reports said to have been propagated

against us by some one at Fort Providence.

"Finding a sufficiency of goods could not be provided at Moose-Deer

Island, I determined{12} to proceed to the Athabasca Lake, and ascertain

the inclinations of the gentlemen there. With this view I communicated

my intentions to both parties; but could only get dogs enough from the

North-West Company to carry the necessary provisions for the journey.

Indeed Mr. Smith informed me plainly he was of opinion that nothing

could be spared at Fort Chipewyan; that goods had never been transported

so long a journey in the winter season, and that the same dogs could not

possibly go and return; besides, it was very doubtful if I could be

provided with dogs there; and finally, that the distance was great, and

would take sixteen days to perform it. He added that the provisions

would be mouldy and bad, and that from having to walk constantly on

snow-shoes, I should suffer a great deal of misery and fatigue.

Notwithstanding these assertions, on the 23d of December I left the

Fort, with Beauparlant and a Bois-brulé, each having a sledge drawn by

dogs, laden with pemmican. We crossed an arm of the lake, and entered

the Little Buffalo River, which is connected with the Salt River, and is

about fifty yards wide at its junction with the lake--the water is

brackish. This route is usually taken in the winter, as it cuts off a

large angle in going to the Great Slave River. In the afternoon we

passed two empty fishing-huts, and in the evening encamped amongst some

high pines on the banks of the river, having had several snow-showers

during the day, which considerably{13} impeded the dogs, so that we had

not proceeded more than fifteen miles.

"_December 24_ and _25_.--We continued along the river, frequently

making small portages to avoid going round the points, and passed some

small canoes, which the Indians had left for the winter. The snow was so

deep that the dogs were obliged to stop every ten minutes to rest; and

the cold so excessive, that both the men were badly frozen on both sides

of the face and chin. At length, having come to a long meadow, which the

dogs could not cross that night, we halted in an adjoining wood, and

were presently joined by a Canadian, who was on his return to the fort,

and who treated us with some fresh meat in exchange for pemmican. During

the latter part of the day we had seen numerous tracks of the moose,

buffalo, and marten.

"_December 26_.--The weather was so cold that we were compelled to run

to prevent ourselves from freezing; our route lay across some large

meadows which appeared to abound in animals, though the Indians around

Slave Lake are in a state of great want. About noon we passed a

sulphur-stream, which ran into the river; it appeared to come from a

plain about fifty yards distant. There were no rocks near it, and the

soil through which it took its course was composed of a reddish clay. I

was much galled by the strings of the snow-shoes during the day, and

once got a severe fall, occasioned by the dogs running over one of my

feet, and dragging me some distance, my snow-shoe having become

entangled with the sledge. In the evening we lost our way, from the

great similarity of appearance in the country, and it was dark before we

found it again, when we halted in a thick wood, after having come about

sixteen miles from the last encampment. Much snow fell during the night.

"At an early hour on the 27th of December, we continued our journey over

the surface of a long but narrow lake, and then through a wood, which

brought us to the _grand detour_ on the Slave River. The weather was

extremely cloudy, with occasional falls of snow, which tended greatly to

impede our progress, from its gathering in lumps between the dogs' toes;

and though they did not go very fast, yet my left knee pained me so

much, that I found it difficult to keep up with them. At three P.M. we

halted within nine miles of the Salt River, and made a hearty meal of

mouldy pemmican.

"_December 28_ and _29_.--We had much difficulty in proceeding, owing to

the poor dogs being quite worn out, and their feet perfectly raw. We

endeavoured to tie shoes on them, to afford them some little relief,

but they continually came off when amongst deep snow, so that it

occupied one person entirely to look after them. In this state they were

hardly of any use among the steep ascents of the portages, when we were

obliged to drag the sledges ourselves. We found a few of the rapids

entirely frozen. Those that were not had holes and large spaces about

them, from whence issued a thick vapour, and in passing this we found it

particularly cold; but what appeared most curious was the number of

small fountains which rose through the ice, and often rendered it

doubtful which way we should take. I was much disappointed at finding

several falls (which I had intended to sketch) frozen almost even with

the upper and lower parts of the stream; the ice was connected by a thin

arch, and the rushing of the water underneath might be heard at a

considerable distance. On the banks of these rapids there was a constant

overflowing of the water, but in such small quantities as to freeze

before it had reached the surface of the central ice, so that we passed

between two ridges of icicles, the transparency of which was beautifully

contrasted by the flakes of snow and the dark green branches of the

over-hanging pine.

"Beauparlant complained bitterly of the cold whilst among the rapids,

but no sooner had he reached the upper part of the river than he found

the change of the temperature so great, that he vented his indignation

against the heat.--"Mais c'est terrible," said he, to be frozen and

sun-burnt in the same day. The poor fellow, who had been a long time in

the country, regarded it as the most severe punishment that could have

been inflicted on him, and would willingly have given a part of his

wages rather than this disgrace had happened; for there is a pride

amongst "Old Voyagers," which makes them consider the state of being

frost-bitten as effeminate, and only excusable in a "Pork-eater," or one

newly come into the country. I was greatly fatigued, and suffered acute

pains in the knees and legs, both of which were much swollen when we

halted a little above the Dog River.

"_December 30_ and _31_.--Our journey these days was by far the most

annoying we had yet experienced; but, independent of the vast masses of

ice that were piled on one another, as well as the numerous open places

about the rapids (and they did not a little impede us,) there was a

strong gale from the north-west, and so dreadfully keen, that our time

was occupied in rubbing the frozen parts of the face, and in attempting

to warm the hands, in order to be prepared for the next operation.

Scarcely was one place cured by constant friction than another was

frozen; and though there was nothing pleasant about it, yet it was

laughable enough to observe the dexterity which was used in changing the

position of the hand from the face to the mitten, and _vice versâ_. One

of the men was severely affected, the whole side of his face being

nearly raw. Towards sunset I suffered so much in my knee and ankle, from

a recent sprain, that it was with difficulty I could proceed with

snow-shoes to the encampment on the Stony Islands. But in this point I

was not singular: for Beauparlant was almost as bad, and without the

same cause.

1821. January 1.

"We set out with a quick step, the wind still blowing fresh from the

north-west, which seemed in some measure to invigorate the dogs; for

towards sunset they left me considerably behind. Indeed my legs and

ankles were now so swelled, that it was excessive pain to drag the

snow-shoes after me. At night we halted on the banks of Stony River,

when I gave the men a glass of grog, to commemorate the new year; and

the next day, January 2, we arrived at Fort Chipewyan, after a journey

of ten days and four hours--the shortest time in which the distance had

been performed at the same season. I found Messrs. G. Keith and S.

McGillivray in charge of the fort, who were not a little surprised to

see me. The commencement of the new year is the rejoicing season of the

Canadians, when they are generally intoxicated for some days. I

postponed making any demand till this time of festivity should cease;

but on the same day I went over to the Hudson's Bay Fort, and delivered

Lieutenant Franklin's letters to Mr. Simpson. If they were astonished on

one side to see me, the amazement was still greater on the other; for

reports were so far in advance, that we were said to have already fallen

by the spears of the Esquimaux.

"_January 3_.--I made a demand from both parties for supplies; such as

ammunition, gun-flints, axes, files, clothing, tobacco, and spirits. I

stated to them our extreme necessity, and that without their assistance

the Expedition must be arrested in its progress. The answer from the

North-West gentlemen was satisfactory enough; but on the Hudson's Bay

side I was told, "that any farther assistance this season entirely

depended on the arrival of supplies expected in a few weeks from a

distant establishment." I remained at Fort Chipewyan five weeks, during

which time some laden sledges did arrive, but I could not obtain any

addition to the few articles I had procured at first. A packet of

letters for us, from England, having arrived, I made preparations for

my return, but not before I had requested both Companies to send next

year, from the depôts, a quantity of goods for our use, specified in

lists furnished to them.

"The weather, during my abode at Chipewyan, was generally mild, with

occasional heavy storms, most of which were anticipated by the activity

of the Aurora Borealis; and this I observed had been the case between

Fort Providence and the Athabasca in December and January, though not

invariably so in other parts of the country. One of the partners of the

North-West Company related to me the following singular story:--'He was

travelling in a canoe in the English River, and had landed near the

Kettle Fall, when the coruscations of the Aurora Borealis were so vivid

and low, that the Canadians fell on their faces, and began praying and

crying, fearing they should be killed; he himself threw away his gun and

knife, that they might not attract the flashes, for they were within two

feet from the earth, flitting along with incredible swiftness, and

moving parallel to its surface. They continued for upwards of five

minutes, as near as he could judge, and made a loud rustling noise, like

the waving of a flag in a strong breeze. After they had ceased, the sky

became clear, with little wind.'

"_February 9_.--Having got every thing arranged, and had a hearty

breakfast with a _coupe de l'eau de vie_, (a custom amongst the

traders,) I took my departure, or rather attempted to do so, for on

going to the gate there was a long range of women, who came to bid me

farewell. They were all dressed (after the manner of the country) in

blue or green cloth, with their hair fresh greased, separated before,

and falling down behind, not in careless tresses, but in a good sound

tail, fastened with black tape or riband. This was considered a great

compliment, and the ceremony consisted in embracing the whole party.

"I had with me four sledges, laden with goods for the Expedition, and a

fifth belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company. We returned exactly by the

same route, suffering no other inconvenience but that arising from the

chafing of the snow-shoe, and bad weather. Some Indians, whom we met on

the banks of the Little Buffalo River, were rather surprised at seeing

us, for they had heard that we were on an island, which was surrounded

by Esquimaux. The dogs were almost worn out, and their feet raw, when,

on February the 20th, we arrived at Moose-Deer Island with our goods all

in good order. Towards the end of the month two of our men arrived with

letters from Lieutenant Franklin, containing some fresh demands, the

major part of which I was fortunate enough to procure without the least

trouble. Having arranged the accounts and receipts between the Companies

and the Expedition, and sent every thing before me to Fort Providence, I

prepared for my departure; and it is but justice to the gentlemen of

both parties at Moose-Deer Island to remark, that they afforded the

means of forwarding our stores in the most cheerful and pleasant manner.

"_March 5_.--I took leave of the gentlemen at the forts, and, in the

afternoon, got to the fisheries near Stony Island, where I found Mr.

McVicar, who was kind enough to have a house ready for my reception; and

I was not a little gratified at perceiving a pleasant-looking girl

employed in roasting a fine joint, and afterwards arranging the table

with all the dexterity of an accomplished servant.

"_March 6_.--We set out at daylight, and breakfasted at the Rein-Deer

Islands. As the day advanced, the heat became so oppressive, that each

pulled off his coat and ran till sunset, when we halted with two men,

who were on their return to Moose-Deer Island. There was a beautiful

Aurora Borealis in the night; it rose about N.b.W., and divided into

three bars, diverging at equal distances as far as the zenith, and then

converging until they met in the opposite horizon; there were some

flashes at right angles to the bars.

"_March 7_.--We arrived at Fort Providence, and found our stores safe

and in good order. There being no certainty when the Indian, who was to

accompany me to our house, would arrive, and my impatience to join my

companions increasing as I approached it, after making the necessary

arrangements with Mr. Weeks respecting our stores, on March the 10th I

quitted the fort, with two of our men, who had each a couple of dogs and

a sledge laden with provision. On the 13th we met the Indian, near Icy

Portage, who was sent to guide me back. On the 14th we killed a deer,

and gave the dogs a good feed; and on the 17th, at an early hour, we

arrived at Fort Enterprise, having travelled about eighteen miles a-day.

I had the pleasure of meeting my friends all in good health, after an

absence of nearly five months, during which time I had travelled one

thousand one hundred and four miles, on snow-shoes, and had no other

covering at night, in the woods, than a blanket and deer-skin, with the

thermometer frequently at -40°, and once at -57°; and sometimes passing

two or three days without tasting food."