DEPARTURE FROM CHIPEWYAN. DIFFICULTIES OF THE VARIOUS NAVIGATIONS OF
THE RIVERS AND LAKES, AND OF THE PORTAGES. SLAVE LAKE AND FORT
PROVIDENCE. SCARCITY OF PROVISIONS, AND DISCONTENT OF THE CANADIAN
VOYAGERS. DIFFICULTIES WITH REGARD TO THE INDIAN GUIDES. REFUSAL TO
PROCEED. VISIT OF OBSERVATION TO THE UPPER PART OF COPPER-MINE RIVER.
RETURN TO THE WINTER QUARTERS OF FORT ENTERPRISE.
DEPARTURE FROM CHIPEWYAN.
July 18, 1820.
Early this morning the stores were distributed to the three canoes. Our
stock of provision unfortunately did not amount to more than sufficient
for one day’s consumption exclusive of two barrels of flour, three
cases of preserved meats, some chocolate, arrowroot, and portable soup,
which we had brought from England and intended to reserve for our
journey to the coast the next season. Seventy pounds of moose meat and
a little barley were all that Mr. Smith was enabled to give us. It was
gratifying however to perceive that this scarcity of food did not
depress the spirits of our Canadian companions who cheerfully loaded
their canoes and embarked in high glee after they had received the
customary dram. At noon we bade farewell to our kind friend Mr. Smith.
The crews commenced a lively paddling song on quitting the shore which
was continued until we had lost sight of the houses. We soon reached
the western boundary of the lake and at two entered the Stony River,
one of the discharges of the Athabasca Lake into the Slave Lake and,
having a favouring current, passed swiftly along. This narrow stream is
confined between low swampy banks which support willows, dwarf birch,
and alder. At five we passed its conflux with the Peace River. The
Slave River, formed by the union of these streams, is about
three-quarters of a mile wide. We descended this magnificent river with
much rapidity and, after passing through several narrow channels,
formed by an assemblage of islands, crossed a spot where the waters had
a violent whirling motion which, when the river is low, is said to
subside into a dangerous rapid; on the present occasion no other
inconvenience was felt than the inability of steering the canoes which
were whirled about in every direction by the eddies until the current
carried them beyond their influence. We encamped at seven on the swampy
bank of the river but had scarcely pitched the tents before we were
visited by a terrible thunderstorm; the rain fell in torrents and the
violence of the wind caused the river to overflow its banks so that we
were completely flooded. Swarms of mosquitoes succeeded the storm and
their tormenting stings, superadded to other inconveniences, induced us
to embark and, after taking a hasty supper, to pursue our voyage down
the stream during the night.
At six on the following morning we passed the Reindeer Islands and at
ten reached the entrance of the Dog River where we halted to set the
fishing nets. These were examined in the evening but, to our
mortification, we obtained only four small trout and were compelled to
issue part of our preserved meats for supper. The latitude of the mouth
of Dog River was observed 59° 52′ 16″ North.
DIFFICULTIES OF THE VARIOUS NAVIGATIONS OF THE RIVERS AND LAKES, AND OF
THE PORTAGES.
The nets were taken up at daylight but they furnished only a solitary
pike. We lost no time in embarking and crossed the crooked channel of
the Dog Rapid when two of the canoes came in such violent contact with
each other that the sternmost had its bow broken off. We were
fortunately near the shore or the disabled canoe would have sunk. The
injury being repaired in two hours we again embarked and, having
descended another rapid, arrived at the Cassette Portage of four
hundred and sixty paces, over which the cargoes and canoes were carried
in about twenty-six minutes. We next passed through a narrow channel
full of rapids, crossed the Portage d’Embarras of seventy yards, and
the portage of the Little Rock of three hundred yards, at which another
accident happened to one of the canoes by the bowman slipping and
letting it fall upon a rock and breaking it in two. Two hours were
occupied in sewing the detached pieces together and covering the seam
with pitch but, this being done, it was as effective as before. After
leaving this place we soon came to the next portage of two hundred and
seventy-three paces; and shortly afterwards to the Mountain Portage of
one hundred and twenty, which is appropriately named as the path leads
over the summit of a high hill. This elevated situation commands a very
grand and picturesque view for some miles along the river which at this
part is about a mile wide.
We next crossed a portage of one hundred and twenty yards; and then the
Pelican Portage of eight hundred paces. Mr. Back took an accurate
sketch of the interesting scenery which the river presents at this
place. After descending six miles farther we came to the last portage
on the route to Slave Lake which we crossed and encamped in its lower
end. It is called “_The Portage of the Drowned_” and it received that
name from a melancholy accident which took place many years ago. Two
canoes arrived at the upper end of the portage in one of which there
was an experienced guide. This man, judging from the height of the
river, deemed it practicable to shoot the rapid and determined upon
trying it. He accordingly placed himself in the bow of his canoe,
having previously agreed that, if the passage was found easy, he
should, on reaching the bottom of the rapid, fire a musket as a signal
for the other canoe to follow. The rapid proved dangerous and called
forth all the skill of the guide and the utmost exertion of his crew
and they narrowly escaped destruction. Just as they were landing an
unfortunate fellow, seizing the loaded fowling-piece, fired at a duck
which rose at the instant. The guide, anticipating the consequences,
ran with the utmost haste to the other end of the portage but he was
too late: the other canoe had pushed off and he arrived only to witness
the fate of his comrades. They got alarmed in the middle of the rapid,
the canoe was upset, and every man perished.
The various rapids we passed this day are produced by an assemblage of
islands and rocky ledges which obstruct the river and divide it into
many narrow channels. Two of these channels are rendered still more
difficult by accumulations of drift timber, a circumstance which has
given a name to one of the portages. The rocks which compose the bed of
the river and the numerous islands belong to the granite formation. The
distance made today was thirteen miles.
July 21.
We embarked at four A.M. and pursued our course down the river. The
rocks ceased at the last portage and below it the banks are composed of
alluvial soil which is held together by the roots of trees and shrubs
that crown their summits. The river is about a mile wide and the
current is greatly diminished. At eight we landed at the mouth of the
Salt River and pitched our tents, intending to remain there that and
the next day for the purpose of fishing. After breakfast, which made
another inroad on our preserved meats, we proceeded up the river in a
light canoe to visit the salt springs, leaving a party behind to attend
the nets. This river is about one hundred yards wide at its mouth. Its
waters did not become brackish until we had ascended it seven or eight
miles but, when we had passed several rivulets of fresh water which
flowed in, the main stream became very salt, at the same time
contracting its width to fifteen or twenty yards. At a distance of
twenty-two miles, including the windings of the river, the plains
commence. Having pitched the tent at this spot we set out to visit the
principal springs and had walked about three miles when the mosquitoes
compelled us to give up our project. We did not see the termination of
the plains toward the east, but on the north and west they are bounded
by an even ridge about six or seven hundred feet in height. Several
salt springs issue from the foot of this ridge and spread their waters
over the plain which consists of tenacious clay. During the summer much
evaporation takes place and large heaps of salt are left behind
crystallised in the form of cubes. Some beds of grayish compact gypsum
were exposed on the sides of the hills.
The next morning after filling some casks with salt for our use during
winter we embarked to return, and had descended the river a few miles
when, turning round a point, we perceived a buffalo plunge into the
river before us. Eager to secure so valuable a prize we instantly
opened a fire upon him from four muskets and in a few minutes he fell,
but not before he had received fourteen balls. The carcass was towed to
the bank and the canoe speedily laden with meat. After this piece of
good fortune we descended the stream merrily, our voyagers chanting
their liveliest songs. On arrival at the mouth of the river we found
that our nets had not produced more than enough to supply a scanty meal
to the men whom we had left behind, but this was now of little
importance as the acquisition of meat we had made would enable us to
proceed without more delay to Slave Lake. The _poisson inconnu_
mentioned by Mackenzie is found here. It is a species of the Genus
Salmo, and is said by the Indians to ascend from the Arctic Sea but,
being unable to pass the cascade of the Slave River, is not found
higher than this place. In the evening a violent thunderstorm came on
with heavy rain, thermometer 70°.
At a very early hour on the following morning we embarked and continued
to paddle against a very strong wind and high waves under the shelter
of the bank of the rivers until two P.M. when, having arrived at a more
exposed part of the stream, the canoes took in so much water that we
were obliged to disembark on a small island. The river here is from one
mile and a quarter to one mile and three-quarters wide. Its banks are
of moderate height, sandy, and well wooded.
SLAVE LAKE AND FORT PROVIDENCE.
July 24.
We made more progress notwithstanding the continuance of the wind. The
course of the river is very winding, making in one place a circuit of
seven or eight miles round a peninsula which is joined to the west bank
by a narrow isthmus. Near the foot of this elbow a long island occupies
the centre of the river which it divides into two channels. The
longitude was obtained near to it 113° 25′ 36″ and variation 27° 25′
14″ North, and the latitude 60° 54′ 52″ North, about four miles farther
down. We passed the mouth of a broad channel leading to the north-east
termed La Grande Rivière de Jean, one of the two large branches by
which the river pours its waters into the Great Slave Lake; the flooded
delta at the mouth of the river is intersected by several smaller
channels through one of which, called the Channel of the Scaffold, we
pursued our voyage on the following morning and by eight A.M. reached
the establishment of the North-West Company on Moose-Deer Island. We
found letters from Mr. Wentzel, dated Fort Providence, a station on the
north side of the lake, which communicated to us that there was an
Indian guide waiting for us at that post; but that the chief and the
hunters who were to accompany the party had gone to a short distance to
hunt, having become impatient at our delay.
Soon after landing I visited the Hudson’s Bay post on the same island
and engaged Pierre St. Germain, an interpreter for the Copper Indians.
We regretted to find the posts of both the Companies extremely bare of
provision but, as the gentlemen in charge had despatched men on the
preceding evening to a band of Indians in search of meat and they
promised to furnish us with whatever should be brought, it was deemed
advisable to wait for their return as the smallest supply was now of
importance to us. Advantage was taken of the delay to repair
effectually the canoe which had been broken in the Dog Rapid. On the
next evening the men arrived with the meat and enabled Mr. McLeod of
the North-West Company to furnish us with four hundred pounds of dried
provisions. Mr. McVicar of the Hudson’s Bay Company also supplied one
hundred and fifty pounds. This quantity we considered would be
sufficient until we could join the hunters. We also obtained three
fishing-nets, a gun, and a pair of pistols, which were all the stores
these posts could furnish, although the gentlemen in charge were much
disposed to assist us.
Moose-Deer Island is about a mile in diameter and rises towards the
centre about three hundred feet above the lake. Its soil is in general
sandy, in some parts swampy. The varieties of the northern berries grow
abundantly on it. The North-West Company’s fort is in latitude 61° 11′
8″ North, longitude 113° 51′ 37″ West, being two hundred and sixty
statute miles distant from Fort Chipewyan by the river course. The
variation of the compass is 25° 40′ 47″ East. The houses of the two
Companies are small and have a bleak northern aspect. There are vast
accumulations of driftwood on the shores of the lake, brought down by
the river, which afford plenty of fuel. The inhabitants live
principally on the fish, which the lake at certain seasons furnishes in
great abundance; of these the white-fish, trout, and _poisson inconnu_
are considered the best. They also procure moose, buffalo, and reindeer
meat occasionally from their hunters; but these animals are generally
found at the distance of several days’ walk from the forts. The Indians
who trade here are Chipewyans. Beavers, martens, foxes, and muskrats
are caught in numbers in the vicinity of this great body of water. The
mosquitoes here were still a serious annoyance to us but less numerous
than before. They were in some degree replaced by a small sandfly,
whose bite is succeeded by a copious flow of blood and considerable
swelling but is attended with incomparably less irritation than the
puncture of the mosquito.
On the 27th of July we embarked at four A.M. and proceeded along the
south shore of the lake through a narrow channel, formed by some
islands, beyond the confluence of the principal branch of the Slave
River; and as far as Stony Island, where we breakfasted. This island is
merely a rock of gneiss that rises forty or fifty feet above the lake
and is precipitous on the north side. As the day was fine and the lake
smooth we ventured upon paddling across to the Reindeer Islands, which
were distant about thirteen miles in a northern direction, instead of
pursuing the usual track by keeping farther along the south shore which
inclines to the eastward from this point. These islands are numerous
and consist of granite, rising from one hundred to two hundred feet
above the water. They are for the most part naked; but towards the
centres of the larger ones there is a little soil and a few groves of
pines. At seven in the evening we landed upon one of them and encamped.
On the following morning we ran before a strong breeze and a heavy
swell for some hours, but at length were obliged to seek shelter on a
large island adjoining to Isle a la Cache of Mackenzie, where the
following observations were obtained: latitude 61° 50′ 18″ North,
longitude 113° 21′ 40″ West, and variation 31° 2′ 06″ East.
The wind and swell having subsided in the afternoon we reembarked and
steered towards the western point of the Big Island of Mackenzie and,
when four miles distant from it, had forty-two fathoms soundings.
Passing between this island and a promontory of the main shore, termed
Big Cape, we entered into a deep bay which receives the waters from
several rivers that come from the northward; and we immediately
perceived a decrease in the temperature of the waters from 59 to 48°.
We coasted along the eastern side of the bay, its western shore being
always visible, but the canoes were exposed to the hazard of being
broken by the numerous sunken rocks which were scattered in our track.
We encamped for the night on a rocky island and by eight A.M. on the
following morning arrived at Fort Providence which is situated
twenty-one miles from the entrance of the bay. The post is exclusively
occupied by the North-West Company, the Hudson’s Bay Company having no
settlement to the northward of Great Slave Lake. We found Mr. Wentzel
and our interpreter Jean Baptiste Adam here with one of the Indian
guides: but the chief of the tribe and his hunters were encamped with
their families some miles from the fort in a good situation for
fishing. Our arrival was announced to him by a fire on the top of a
hill, and before night a messenger came to communicate his intention of
seeing us next morning. The customary present of tobacco and some other
articles was immediately sent to him.
Mr. Wentzel prepared me for the first conference with the Indians by
mentioning all the information they had already given to him. The
duties allotted to this gentleman were the management of the Indians,
the superintendence of the Canadian voyagers, the obtaining and the
general distribution of the provision, and the issue of the other
stores. These services he was well qualified to perform, having been
accustomed to execute similar duties during a residence of upwards of
twenty years in this country. We also deemed Mr. Wentzel to be a great
acquisition to our party as a check on the interpreters, he being one
of the few traders who speak the Chipewyan language.
As we were informed that external appearances made lasting impressions
on the Indians we prepared for the interview by decorating ourselves in
uniform and suspending a medal round each of our necks. Our tents had
been previously pitched and over one of them a silken union flag was
hoisted. Soon after noon on July 30th several Indian canoes were seen
advancing in a regular line and, on their approach, the chief was
discovered in the headmost which was paddled by two men. On landing at
the fort the chief assumed a very grave aspect and walked up to Mr.
Wentzel with a measured and dignified step, looking neither to the
right nor to the left at the persons who had assembled on the beach to
witness his debarkation, but preserving the same immovability of
countenance until he reached the hall and was introduced to the
officers. When he had smoked his pipe, drank a small portion of spirits
and water himself, and issued a glass to each of his companions, who
had seated themselves on the floor, he commenced his harangue by
mentioning the circumstances that led to his agreeing to accompany the
Expedition, an engagement which he was quite prepared to fulfil. He was
rejoiced he said to see such great chiefs on his lands; his tribe were
poor but they loved white men who had been their benefactors; and he
hoped that our visit would be productive of much good to them. The
report which preceded our arrival he said had caused much grief to him.
It was at first rumoured that a great medicine chief accompanied us who
was able to restore the dead to life; at this he rejoiced; the prospect
of again seeing his departed relatives had enlivened his spirits, but
his first communication with Mr. Wentzel had removed these vain hopes
and he felt as if his friends had a second time been torn from him. He
now wished to be informed exactly of the nature of our Expedition.
In reply to this speech, which I understood had been prepared for many
days, I endeavoured to explain the objects of our mission in a manner
best calculated to ensure his exertions in our service. With this view
I told him that we were sent out by the greatest chief in the world who
was the sovereign also of the trading companies in the country; that he
was the friend of peace and had the interest of every nation at heart.
Having learned that his children in the north were much in want of
articles of merchandise, in consequence of the extreme length and
difficulty of the present route, he had sent us to search for a passage
by the sea which, if found, would enable large vessels to transport
great quantities of goods more easily to their lands. That we had not
come for the purpose of traffic but solely to make discoveries for
their benefit as well as that of every other people. That we had been
directed to inquire into the nature of all the productions of the
countries we might pass through and particularly respecting their
inhabitants. That we desired the assistance of the Indians in guiding
us and providing us with food; finally that we were most positively
enjoined by the great chief to recommend that hostilities should cease
throughout this country, and especially between the Indians and the
Esquimaux, whom he considered his children in common with other natives
and, by way of enforcing the latter point more strongly, I assured him
that a forfeiture of all the advantages which might be anticipated from
the Expedition would be a certain consequence if any quarrel arose
between his party and the Esquimaux. I also communicated to him that,
owing to the distance we had travelled, we had now few more stores than
was necessary for the use of our own party, a part of these, however,
should be forthwith presented to him; on his return he and his party
should be remunerated with cloth, ammunition, and tobacco, and some
useful iron materials, besides having their debts to the North-West
Company discharged.
The chief whose name is Akaitcho or Big-foot replied by a renewal of
his assurances that he and his party would attend us to the end of our
journey, and that they would do their utmost to provide us with the
means of subsistence. He admitted that his tribe had made war upon the
Esquimaux but said they were now desirous of peace and unanimous in
their opinion as to the necessity of all who accompanied us abstaining
from every act of enmity against that nation. He added however that the
Esquimaux were very treacherous and therefore recommended that we
should advance towards them with caution.
The communications which the chief and the guides then gave respecting
the route to the Copper-Mine River and its course to the sea coincided
in every material point with the statements which were made by Boileau
and Black Meat at Chipewyan, but they differed in their descriptions of
the coast. The information however, collected from both sources, was
very vague and unsatisfactory. None of his tribe had been more than
three days’ march along the sea-coast to the eastward of the river’s
mouth.
As the water was unusually high this season the Indian guides
recommended our going by a shorter route to the Copper-Mine River than
that they had first proposed to Mr. Wentzel, and they assigned as a
reason for the change that the reindeer would be sooner found upon this
track. They then drew a chart of the proposed route on the floor with
charcoal, exhibiting a chain of twenty-five small lakes extending
towards the north, about one-half of them connected by a river which
flows into Slave Lake near Fort Providence. One of the guides named
Keskarrah drew the Copper-Mine River running through the Upper Lake in
a westerly direction towards the Great Bear Lake and then northerly to
the sea. The other guide drew the river in a straight line to the sea
from the above-mentioned place but, after some dispute, admitted the
correctness of the first delineation. The latter was elder brother to
Akaitcho and he said that he had accompanied Mr. Hearne on his journey
and, though very young at the time, still remembered many of the
circumstances and particularly the massacre committed by the Indians on
the Esquimaux.
They pointed out another lake to the southward of the river, about
three days’ journey distant from it, on which the chief proposed the
next winter’s establishment should be formed as the reindeer would pass
there in the autumn and spring. Its waters contained fish and there was
a sufficiency of wood for building as well as for the winter’s
consumption. These were important considerations and determined me in
pursuing the route they now proposed. They could not inform us what
time we should take in reaching the lake until they saw our manner of
travelling in the large canoes, but they supposed we might be about
twenty days, in which case I entertained the hope that, if we could
then procure provision, we should have time to descend the Copper-Mine
River for a considerable distance, if not to the sea itself, and return
to the lake before the winter set in.
It may here be proper to mention that it had been my original plan to
descend the Mackenzie’s River and to cross the Great Bear Lake, from
the eastern side of which, Boileau informed me, there is a
communication with the Copper-Mine River by four small lakes and
portages; but under our present circumstances this course could not be
followed because it would remove us too far from the establishments at
the Great Slave Lake to receive the supplies of ammunition and some
other stores in the winter which were absolutely necessary for the
prosecution of our journey, or to get the Esquimaux interpreter whom we
expected. If I had not deemed these circumstances paramount I should
have preferred the route by Bear Lake.
Akaitcho and the guides having communicated all the information they
possessed on the different points to which our questions had been
directed I placed my medal round the neck of the chief, and the
officers presented theirs to an elder brother of his and the two
guides, communicating to them that these marks of distinction were
given as tokens of our friendship and as pledges of the sincerity of
our professions. Being conferred in the presence of all the hunters
their acquisition was highly gratifying to them, but they studiously
avoided any great expression of joy because such an exposure would have
been unbecoming the dignity which the senior Indians assume during a
conference. They assured us however of their being duly sensible of
these tokens of our regard and that they should be preserved during
their lives with the utmost care. The chief evinced much penetration
and intelligence during the whole of this conversation, which gave us a
favourable opinion of his intellectual powers. He made many inquiries
respecting the Discovery ships under the command of Captain Parry which
had been mentioned to him, and asked why a passage had not been
discovered long ago, if one existed. It may be stated that we gave a
faithful explanation to all his inquiries, which policy would have
prompted us to do if a love of truth had not; for whenever these
northern nations detect a falsehood in the dealings of the traders they
make it an unceasing subject of reproach, and their confidence is
irrecoverably lost.
We presented to the chief, the two guides, and the seven hunters who
had engaged to accompany us some cloth, blankets, tobacco, knives,
daggers, besides other useful iron materials, and a gun to each; also a
keg of very weak spirits and water which they kept until the evening as
they had to try their guns before dark and make the necessary
preparations for commencing the journey on the morrow. They however did
not leave us so soon, as the chief was desirous of being present with
his party at the dance which was given in the evening to our Canadian
voyagers. They were highly entertained by the vivacity and agility
displayed by our companions in their singing and dancing, and
especially by their imitating the gestures of a Canadian who placed
himself in the most ludicrous postures and, whenever this was done, the
gravity of the chief gave way to violent bursts of laughter. In return
for the gratification Akaitcho had enjoyed he desired his young men to
exhibit the Dog-Rib Indian dance; and immediately they ranged
themselves in a circle and, keeping their legs widely separated, began
to jump simultaneously sideways; their bodies were bent, their hands
placed on their hips, and they uttered forcibly the interjection tsa at
each jump. Devoid as were their attitudes of grace and their music of
harmony we were much amused by the novelty of the exhibition.
In the midst of this scene an untoward accident occurred which for a
time interrupted our amusements. The tent, in which Dr. Richardson and
I lodged having caught fire from some embers that had been placed in it
to expel the mosquitoes, was entirely burnt. Hepburn, who was sleeping
within it close to some powder, most providentially awoke in time to
throw it clear of the flame and rescue the baggage before any material
injury had been received. We dreaded the consequences of this disaster
upon the fickle minds of the Indians and wished it not to be
communicated to them. The chief however was soon informed of it by one
of his people and expressed his desire that no future misfortune should
be concealed from him. We found that he was most concerned to hear that
the flag had been burnt, but we removed his anxiety on that point by
the assurance that it could easily be repaired. We were advised by Mr.
Wentzel to recommence the dancing after this event lest the Indians
should imagine, by our putting a stop to it, that we considered the
circumstance as an unfavourable commencement of our undertaking. We
were however deeply impressed with a grateful sense of the Divine
Providence in averting the threatened destruction of our stores, which
would have been fatal to every prospect of proceeding forward this
season.
August 1.
This morning the Indians set out, intending to wait for us at the mouth
of the Yellow-Knife River. We remained behind to pack our stores in
bales of eighty pounds each, an operation which could not be done in
the presence of these Indians as they are in the habit of begging for
everything they see. Our stores consisted of two barrels of gunpowder,
one hundred and forty pounds of ball and small shot, four
fowling-pieces, a few old trading guns, eight pistols, twenty-four
Indian daggers, some packages of knives, chisels, nails, and fastenings
for a boat; a few yards of cloth, some blankets, needles,
looking-glasses, and beads, together with nine fishing-nets, having
meshes of different sizes. Our provision was two casks of flour, two
hundred dried reindeer tongues, some dried moose-meat, portable soup,
and arrowroot, sufficient in the whole for ten days’ consumption,
besides two cases of chocolate, and two canisters of tea. We engaged
another Canadian voyager at this place and the Expedition then
consisted of twenty-eight persons, including the officers, and the
wives of three of our voyagers, who were brought for the purpose of
making shoes and clothes for the men at the winter establishment; there
were also three children belonging to two of these women.[18]
[18] The following is the list of the officers and men who composed
the Expedition on its departure from Fort Providence:
John Franklin, Lieutenant of the Royal Navy and Commander.
John Richardson, M.D., Surgeon of the Royal Navy.
Mr. George Back, of the Royal Navy, Admiralty Midshipman.
Mr. Robert Hood, of the Royal Navy, Admiralty Midshipman.
Mr. Frederick Wentzel, Clerk to the North-West Company.
John Hepburn, English seaman.
CANADIAN VOYAGERS:
Joseph Peltier,
Matthew Pelonquin, dit Crédit,
Solomon Belanger,
Joseph Benoit,
Joseph Gagné,
Pierre Dumas,
Joseph Forcier,
Ignace Perrault,
Francois Samandré,
Gabriel Beauparlant,
Vincenza Fontano,
Registe Vaillant,
Jean Baptiste Parent,
Jean Baptiste Belanger,
Jean Baptiste Belleau,
Emanuel Cournoyée,
Michel Teroahaute, an Iroquois.
INTERPRETERS:
Pierre St. Germain,
Jean Baptiste Adam,
Chipewyan Bois Brulés.
Our observations place Fort Providence in latitude 62° 17′ 19″ North,
longitude 114° 9′ 28″ West; the variation of the compass is 33° 35′ 55″
East and the dip of the needle 86° 38′ 02″. It is distant from
Moose-Deer Island sixty-six geographic miles. This is the last
establishment of the traders in this direction, but the North-West
Company have two to the northward of it on the Mackenzie River. It has
been erected for the convenience of the Copper and Dog-Rib Indians who
generally bring such a quantity of reindeer meat that the residents are
enabled, out of their superabundance, to send annually some provision
to the fort at Moose-Deer Island. They also occasionally procure moose
and buffalo meat, but these animals are not numerous on this side of
the lake. Few furs are collected. _Les poissons inconnus_, trout, pike,
carp, and white-fish are very plentiful, and on these the residents
principally subsist. Their great supply of fish is procured in the
latter part of September and the beginning of October, but there are a
few taken daily in the nets during the winter. The surrounding country
consists almost entirely of coarse-grained granite, frequently
enclosing large masses of reddish felspar. These rocks form hills which
attain an elevation of three hundred or four hundred feet about a mile
behind the house; their surface is generally naked but in the valleys
between them grow a few spruce, aspen, and birch trees, together with a
variety of shrubs and berry-bearing plants.
On the afternoon of the 2nd of August we commenced our journey, having,
in addition to our three canoes, a smaller one to convey the women; we
were all in high spirits, being heartily glad that the time had at
length arrived when our course was to be directed towards the
Copper-Mine River and through a line of country which had not been
previously visited by any European. We proceeded to the northward along
the eastern side of a deep bay of the lake, passing through various
channels formed by an assemblage of rocky islands; and at sunset
encamped on a projecting point of the north main shore eight miles from
Fort Providence. To the westward of this arm, or bay of the lake, there
is another deep bay that receives the waters of a river which
communicates with Great Marten Lake where the North-West Company had
once a post established. The eastern shores of the Great Slave Lake are
very imperfectly known: none of the traders have visited them and the
Indians give such loose and unsatisfactory accounts that no estimation
can be formed of its extent in that direction. These men say there is a
communication from its eastern extremity by a chain of lakes with a
shallow river which discharges its waters into the sea. This stream
they call the Thloueetessy, and report it to be navigable for Indian
canoes only. The forms of the south and western shores are better known
from the survey of Sir Alexander Mackenzie and in consequence of the
canoes having to pass and repass along these borders annually between
Moose-Deer Island and Mackenzie’s River. Our observations made the
breadth of the lake between Stony Island and the north main shore sixty
miles less than it is laid down in Arrowsmith’s map; and there is also
a considerable difference in the longitude of the eastern side of the
bay, which we entered.
This lake, owing to its great depth, is seldom completely frozen over
before the last week in November and the ice, which is generally seven
feet thick, breaks up about the middle of June, three weeks later than
that of the Slave River. The only known outlet to this vast body of
water which receives so many streams on its north and south shores is
the Mackenzie River.
August 3.
We embarked at three A.M. and proceeded to the entrance of the
Yellow-Knife River of the traders, which is called by the natives
Begholodessy or River of the Toothless Fish. We found Akaitcho and the
hunters with their families encamped here. There were also several
other Indians of his tribe who intended to accompany us some distance
into the interior. This party was quickly in motion after our arrival
and we were soon surrounded by a fleet of seventeen Indian canoes. In
company with them we paddled up the river, which is one hundred and
fifty yards wide, and in an hour came to a cascade of five feet where
we were compelled to make a portage of one hundred and fifty-eight
yards. We next crossed a dilatation of the river, about six miles in
length, upon which the name of Lake Prosperous was bestowed. Its
shores, though scantily supplied with wood, are very picturesque.
Akaitcho caused himself to be paddled by his slave, a young man of the
Dog-Rib nation whom he had taken by force from his friends; when he
thought himself however out of reach of our observation he laid aside a
good deal of his state and assisted in the labour; and after a few
days’ further acquaintance with us he did not hesitate to paddle in our
presence or even carry his canoe on the portages. Several of the canoes
were managed by women who proved to be noisy companions, for they
quarrelled frequently, and the weakest was generally profuse in her
lamentations, which were not at all diminished when the husband
attempted to settle the difference by a few blows from his paddle.
An observation near the centre of the lake gave 114° 13′ 39″ West and
33° 8′ 06″ East variation.
Leaving the lake we ascended a very strong rapid and arrived at a range
of three steep cascades situated in the bend of the river. Here we made
a portage of one thousand three hundred yards over a rocky hill which
received the name of the Bowstring Portage from its shape. We found
that the Indians had greatly the advantage of us in this operation; the
men carried their small canoes, the women and children the clothes and
provisions, and at the end of the portage they were ready to embark,
whilst it was necessary for our people to return four times before they
could transport the weighty cargo with which we were burdened. After
passing through another expansion of the river and over the Steep
Portage of one hundred and fifteen yards we encamped on a small rocky
isle, just large enough to hold our party, and the Indians took
possession of an adjoining rock. We were now thirty miles from Fort
Providence.
As soon as the tents were pitched the officers and men were divided
into watches for the night, a precaution intended to be taken
throughout the journey, not merely to prevent our being surprised by
strangers but also to show our companions that we were constantly on
our guard. The chief, who suffered nothing to escape his observation,
remarked that he should sleep without anxiety among the Esquimaux for
he perceived no enemy could surprise us.
After supper we retired to rest but our sleep was soon interrupted by
the Indians joining in loud lamentations over a sick child whom they
supposed to be dying. Dr. Richardson however immediately went to the
boy and administered some medicine which relieved his pain and put a
stop to their mourning. The temperatures this day were at four A.M.
54°, three P.M. 72°, at seven P.M. 65°.
On the 4th we crossed a small lake and passed in succession over the
Blueberry Cascade and Double Fall Portages where the river falls over
ridges of rocks that completely obstruct the passages for canoes. We
came to three strong rapids beyond these barriers, which were
surmounted by the aid of the poles and lines, and then to a bend of the
river in which the cascades were so frequent that to avoid them we
carried the canoes into a chain of small lakes. We entered them by a
portage of nine hundred and fifty paces, and during the afternoon
traversed three other grassy lakes and encamped on the banks of the
river, at the end of the Yellow-Knife Portage, of three hundred and
fifty paces. This day’s work was very laborious to our men. Akaitcho
however had directed his party to assist them in carrying their burdens
on the portages, which they did cheerfully. This morning Mr. Back
caught several fish with a fly, a method of fishing entirely new to the
Indians, and they were not more delighted than astonished at his skill
and success. The extremes of temperature today were 54 and 65°.
SCARCITY OF PROVISIONS, AND DISCONTENT OF THE CANADIAN VOYAGERS.
On August 5th we continued the ascent of the river, which varied much
in breadth, as did the current in rapidity. It flows between high rocky
banks on which there is sufficient soil to support pines, birch, and
poplars. Five portages were crossed, then the Rocky Lake, and we
finished our labours at the end of the sixth portage. The issue of
dried meat for breakfast this morning had exhausted all our stock, and
no other provision remained but the portable soups and a few pounds of
preserved meat. At the recommendation of Akaitcho the hunters were
furnished with ammunition and desired to go forward as speedily as
possible to the part where the reindeer were expected to be found, and
to return to us with any provision they could procure. He also assured
us that in our advance towards them we should come to some lakes
abounding in fish. Many of the Indians, being likewise in distress for
food, decided on separating from us and going on at a quicker pace than
we could travel.
Akaitcho himself was always furnished with a portion at our meals as a
token of regard which the traders have taught the chiefs to expect and
which we willingly paid.
The next morning we crossed a small lake and a portage before we
entered the river; shortly afterwards the canoes and cargoes were
carried a mile along its banks to avoid three very strong rapids, and
over another portage into a narrow lake; we encamped on an island in
the middle of it to set the nets; but they only yielded a few fish and
we had a very scanty supper as it was necessary to deal out our
provision sparingly. The longitude 114° 27′ 03″ West and variation 33°
00′ 04″ East were observed.
We had the mortification of finding the nets entirely empty next
morning, an untoward circumstance that discouraged our voyagers very
much; and they complained of being unable to support the fatigue to
which they were daily exposed on their present scanty fare. We had seen
with regret that the portages were more frequent as we advanced to the
northward and feared that their strength would fail if provision were
not soon obtained. We embarked at six, proceeded to the head of the
lake, and crossed a portage of two thousand five hundred paces leading
over ridges of sandhills which nourished pines of a larger size than we
had lately seen. This conducted us to Mossy Lake whence we regained the
river after traversing another portage. The Birch and Poplar Portages
next followed, and beyond these we came to a part where the river takes
a great circuit and its course is interrupted by several heavy falls.
The guide therefore advised us to quit it and proceed through a chain
of nine lakes extending to the north-east which we did and encamped on
Icy Portage where the nets were set. The bottom of the valley through
which the track across this portage led was covered with ice four or
five feet thick, the remains of a large iceberg which is annually
formed there by the snow drifting into the valley and becoming
consolidated into ice by the overflowing of some springs that are warm
enough to resist the winter’s cold. The latitude is 63° 22′ 15″ North,
longitude 114° 15′ 30″ West.
We were alarmed in the night by our fire communicating to the dry moss
which, spreading by the force of a strong wind, encircled the
encampment and threatened destruction to our canoes and baggage. The
watch immediately aroused all the men who quickly removed whatever
could be injured to a distant part and afterwards succeeded in
extinguishing the flame.
August 8.
During this day we crossed five portages, passing over a very bad road.
The men were quite exhausted with fatigue by five P.M. when we were
obliged to encamp on the borders of the fifth lake, in which the
fishing-nets were set. We began this evening to issue some portable
soup and arrowroot which our companions relished very much; but this
food is too unsubstantial to support their vigour under their daily
exhausting labour, and we could not furnish them with a sufficient
quantity even of this to satisfy their desires. We commenced our
labours on the next day in a very wet uncomfortable state as it had
rained through the night until four A.M. The fifth grassy lake was
crossed and four others, with their intervening portages, and we
returned to the river by a portage of one thousand four hundred and
fifteen paces. The width of the stream here is about one hundred yards,
its banks are moderately high and scantily covered with wood. We
afterwards twice carried the cargoes along its banks to avoid a very
stony rapid and then crossed the first Carp Portage in longitude 114°
2′ 01″ West, variation of the compass 32° 30′ 40″ East, and encamped on
the borders of Lower Carp Lake.
The chief having told us that this was a good lake for fishing we
determined on halting for a day or two to recruit our men, of whom
three were lame and several others had swelled legs. The chief himself
went forward to look after the hunters and promised to make a fire as a
signal if they had killed any reindeer. All the Indians had left us in
the course of yesterday and today to seek these animals except the
guide Keskarrah.
August 10.
The nets furnishing only four carp we embarked for the purpose of
searching for a better spot and encamped again on the shores of the
same lake. The spirits of the men were much revived by seeing some
recent traces of reindeer at this place, which circumstance caused them
to cherish the hope of soon getting a supply of meat from the hunters.
They were also gratified by finding abundance of blueberries near the
encampment, which made an agreeable and substantial addition to their
otherwise scanty fare. We were teased by sandflies this evening
although the thermometer did not rise above 45°. The country through
which we had travelled for some days consists principally of granite,
intermixed in some spots with mica-slate, often passing into
clay-slate. But the borders of Lower Carp Lake where the gneiss
formation prevails are composed of hills having less altitude, fewer
precipices, and more rounded summits. The valleys are less fertile,
containing a gravelly soil and fewer trees, so that the country has
throughout a more barren aspect.
August 11.
Having caught sufficient trout, white-fish, and carp yesterday and this
morning to afford the party two hearty meals, and the men having
recovered from their fatigue, we proceeded on our journey, crossed the
Upper Carp Portage, and embarked on the lake of that name where we had
the gratification of paddling for ten miles. We put up at its
termination to fish by the advice of our guide and the following
observations were then taken: longitude 113° 46′ 35″ West, variation of
the compass 36° 45′ 30″ East, dip 87° 11′ 48″. At this place we first
perceived the north end of our dipping-needle to pass the perpendicular
line when the instrument was faced to the west.
We had scarcely quitted the encampment next day before an Indian met us
with the agreeable communication that the hunters had made several
fires which were certain indications of their having killed reindeer.
This intelligence inspired our companions with fresh energy and they
quickly traversed the next portage and paddled through the Reindeer
Lake; at the north side of it we found the canoes of our hunters and
learned from our guide that the Indians usually leave their canoes here
as the water communication on their hunting grounds is bad. The
Yellow-Knife River had now dwindled into an insignificant rivulet and
we could not trace it beyond the next lake except as a mere brook. The
latitude of its source 64° 1′ 30″ North, longitude 113° 36′ 00″ West,
and its length is one hundred and fifty-six statute miles. Though this
river is of sufficient breadth and depth for navigating in canoes yet I
conceive its course is too much interrupted by cascades and rapids for
its ever being used as a channel for the conveyance of merchandise.
Whilst the crews were employed in making a portage over the foot of
Prospect Hill we ascended to the top of it and, as it is the highest
ground in the neighbourhood, its summit, which is about five hundred
feet above the water, commands an extensive view.
Akaitcho who was here with his family pointed out to us the smoke of
the distant fires which the hunters had made. The prospect is agreeably
diversified by an intermixture of hill and valley and the appearance of
twelve lakes in different directions. On the borders of these lakes a
few thin pine groves occur, but the country in general is destitute of
almost every vegetable except a few berry-bearing shrubs and lichens,
and has a very barren aspect. The hills are composed of gneiss but
their acclivities are covered with a coarse gravelly soil. There are
many large loose stones both on their sides and summits composed of the
same materials as the solid rock.
We crossed another lake in the evening, encamped and set the nets. The
chief made a large fire to announce our situation to the hunters.
DIFFICULTIES WITH REGARD TO THE INDIAN GUIDES. REFUSAL TO PROCEED.
August 13.
We caught twenty fish this morning but they were small and furnished
but a scanty breakfast for the party. Whilst this meal was preparing
our Canadian voyagers, who had been for some days past murmuring at
their meagre diet and striving to get the whole of our little provision
to consume at once, broke out into open discontent, and several of them
threatened they would not proceed forward unless more food was given to
them. This conduct was the more unpardonable as they saw we were
rapidly approaching the fires of the hunters and that provision might
soon be expected. I therefore felt the duty incumbent on me to address
them in the strongest manner on the danger of insubordination and to
assure them of my determination to inflict the heaviest punishment on
any that should persist in their refusal to go on, or in any other way
attempt to retard the Expedition. I considered this decisive step
necessary, having learned from the gentlemen most intimately acquainted
with the character of the Canadian voyagers that they invariably try
how far they can impose upon every new master and that they will
continue to be disobedient and intractable if they once gain any
ascendancy over him. I must admit however that the present hardships of
our companions were of a kind which few could support without
murmuring, and no one could witness without a sincere pity for their
sufferings.
After this discussion we went forward until sunset. In the course of
the day we crossed seven lakes and as many portages. Just as we had
encamped we were delighted to see four of the hunters arrive with the
flesh of two reindeer. This seasonable supply, though only sufficient
for this evening’s and the next day’s consumption, instantly revived
the spirits of our companions and they immediately forgot all their
cares. As we did not after this period experience any deficiency of
food during this journey they worked extremely well and never again
reflected upon us as they had done before for rashly bringing them into
an inhospitable country where the means of subsistence could not be
procured.
Several blue fish resembling the grayling were caught in a stream which
flows out of Hunter’s Lake. It is remarkable for the largeness of the
dorsal fin and the beauty of its colours.
August 14.
Having crossed the Hunter’s Portage we entered the Lake of the same
name in latitude 64° 6′ 47″ North, longitude 113° 25′ 00″ West; but
soon quitted it by desire of the Indian guide and diverged more to the
eastward that we might get into the line upon which our hunters had
gone. This was the only consideration that could have induced us to
remove to a chain of small lakes connected by long portages. We crossed
three of these and then were obliged to encamp to rest the men. The
country is bare of wood except a few dwarf birch bushes which grow near
the borders of the lakes, and here and there a few stunted pines, and
our fuel principally consisted of the roots of decayed pines which we
had some difficulty to collect in sufficient quantity for cooking. When
this material is wanting the reindeer lichen and other mosses that grow
in profusion on the gravelly acclivities of the hills are used as
substitutes. Three more of the hunters arrived with meat this evening
which supply came very opportunely as our nets were unproductive. At
eight P.M. a faint Aurora Borealis appeared to the southward, the night
was cold, the wind strong from North-West.
We were detained some time in the following morning before the
fishing-nets, which had sunk in the night, could be recovered.
After starting we first crossed the Orkney Lake, then a portage which
brought us to Sandy Lake and here we missed one of our barrels of
powder which the steersman of the canoe then recollected had been left
the day before. He and two other men were sent back to search for it in
the small canoe. The rest of the party proceeded to the portage on the
north side of the Grizzly-Bear Lake, where the hunters had made a
deposit of meat, and there encamped to await their return which
happened at nine P.M. with the powder. We perceived from the direction
of this lake that considerable labour would have been spared if we had
continued our course yesterday, instead of striking off at the guide’s
suggestion, as the bottom of this lake cannot be far separated from
either Hunter’s Lake or the one to the westward of it. The chief and
all the Indians went off to hunt accompanied by Pierre St. Germain the
interpreter. They returned at night bringing some meat and reported
that they had put the carcasses of several reindeer _en cache_. These
were sent for early next morning and, as the weather was unusually
warm, the thermometer at noon being 77°, we remained stationary all day
that the women might prepare the meat for keeping by stripping the
flesh from the bones and drying it in the sun over a slow fire. The
hunters were again successful and by the evening we had collected the
carcasses of seventeen deer. As this was a sufficient store to serve us
until we arrived at Winter Lake the chief proposed that he and his
hunters should proceed to that place and collect some provision against
our arrival. He also requested that we would allow him to be absent ten
days to provide his family with clothing as the skin of the reindeer is
unfit for that purpose after the month of September. We could not
refuse to grant such a reasonable request but caused St. Germain to
accompany him that his absence might not exceed the appointed time.
Previous to his departure the chief warned us to be constantly on our
guard against the grizzly bears which he described as being numerous in
this vicinity and very ferocious; one had been seen this day by an
Indian, to which circumstance the lake owes its appellation. We
afterwards learned that the only bear in this part of the country is
the brown bear and that this by no means possesses the ferocity which
the Indians, with their usual love of exaggeration, ascribe to it. The
fierce grizzly bear which frequents the sources of the Missouri is not
found on the barren grounds.
The shores of this lake and the neighbouring hills are principally
composed of sand and gravel; they are much varied in their outline and
present some picturesque scenery.
The following observations were taken here: latitude 64° 15′ 17″ North,
longitude 113° 2′ 39″ West; variation of the compass 36° 50′ 47″ East;
and dip of the needle 87° 20′ 35″.
On August the 17th, having finished drying the meat which had been
retarded by the heavy showers of rain that fell in the morning, we
embarked at one P.M. and crossed two lakes and two portages. The last
of these was two thousand and sixty-six paces long and very rugged so
that the men were much fatigued. On the next day we received the flesh
of four reindeer by the small canoe which had been sent for it and
heard that the hunters had killed several more deer on our route. We
saw many of these animals as we passed along; and our companions,
delighted with the prospect of having food in abundance, now began to
accompany their paddling with singing, which they had discontinued ever
since our provisions became scarce. We passed from one small lake to
another over four portages, then crossed a lake about six miles in
diameter and encamped on its border where, finding pines, we enjoyed
the luxury of a good fire, which we had not done for some days. At ten
P.M. the Aurora Borealis appeared very brilliant in an arch across the
zenith from north-west to south-east which afterwards gave place to a
beautiful corona borealis.
August 19.
After crossing a portage of five hundred and ninety-five paces, a small
lake and another portage of two thousand paces, which occupied the
crews seven hours, we embarked on a small stream running towards the
north-west which carried us to the lake where Akaitcho proposed that we
should pass the winter. The officers ascended several of the loftiest
hills in the course of the day, prompted by a natural anxiety to
examine the spot which was to be their residence for many months. The
prospect however was not then the most agreeable as the borders of the
lake seemed to be scantily furnished with wood and that of a kind too
small for the purposes of building.
We perceived the smoke of a distant fire which the Indians suppose had
been made by some of the Dog-Ribbed tribe who occasionally visit this
part of the country.
Embarking at seven next morning we paddled to the western extremity of
the lake and there found a small river which flows out of it to the
South-West. To avoid a strong rapid at its commencement we made a
portage and then crossed to the north bank of the river where the
Indians recommended that the winter establishment should be erected,
and we soon found that the situation they had chosen possessed all the
advantages we could desire. The trees were numerous and of a far
greater size than we had supposed them to be in a distant view, some of
the pines being thirty or forty feet high and two feet in diameter at
the root. We determined on placing the house on the summit of the bank
which commands a beautiful prospect of the surrounding country. The
view in the front is bounded at the distance of three miles by
round-backed hills; to the eastward and westward lie the Winter and
Round-rock Lakes which are connected by the Winter River whose banks
are well clothed with pines and ornamented with a profusion of mosses,
lichens, and shrubs.
In the afternoon we read divine service and offered our thanksgiving to
the Almighty for His goodness in having brought us thus far on our
journey; a duty which we never neglected when stationary on the
Sabbath.
The united length of the portages we had crossed since leaving Fort
Providence is twenty-one statute miles and a half and, as our men had
to traverse each portage four times, with a load of one hundred and
eighty pounds, and return three times light, they walked in the whole
upwards of one hundred and fifty miles. The total length of our voyage
from Chipewyan is five hundred and fifty-three miles.[19]
[19] Stony and Slave Rivers: 260 statute miles.
Slave Lake: 107 statute miles.
Yellow-Knife River: 156.5 statute miles.
Barren country between the source of the Yellow-Knife River and Fort
Enterprise: 29.5 statute miles.
Total: 553 statute miles.
A fire was made on the south side of the river to inform the chief of
our arrival, which, spreading before a strong wind, caught the whole
wood, and we were completely enveloped in a cloud of smoke for the
three following days.
On the next morning our voyagers were divided into two parties, the one
to cut the wood for the building of a storehouse and the other to fetch
the meat as the hunters procured it. An interpreter was sent with
Keskarrah the guide to search for the Indians who had made the fire
seen on Saturday, from whom we might obtain some supplies of provision.
An Indian was also despatched to Akaitcho with directions for him to
come to this place directly and bring whatever provision he had as we
were desirous of proceeding without delay to the Copper-Mine River. In
the evening our men brought in the carcasses of seven reindeer which
two hunters had shot yesterday and the women commenced drying the meat
for our journey. We also obtained a good supply of fish from our nets
today.
A heavy rain on the 23rd prevented the men from working either at the
building or going for meat; but on the next day the weather was fine
and they renewed their labours. The thermometer that day did not rise
higher than 42° and it fell to 31° before midnight. On the morning of
the 25th we were surprised by some early symptoms of the approach of
winter; the small pools were frozen over and a flock of geese passed to
the southward. In the afternoon however a fog came on which afterwards
changed into rain and the ice quickly disappeared. We suffered great
anxiety all the next day respecting John Hepburn who had gone to hunt
before sunrise on the 25th and had been absent ever since. About four
hours after his departure the wind changed and a dense fog obscured
every mark by which his course to the tents could be directed, and we
thought it probable he had been wandering in an opposite direction to
our situation as the two hunters who had been sent to look for him
returned at sunset without having seen him. Akaitcho arrived with his
party and we were greatly disappointed at finding they had stored up
only fifteen reindeer for us. St. Germain informed us that, having
heard of the death of the chief’s brother-in-law, they had spent
several days in bewailing his loss instead of hunting. We learned also
that the decease of this man had caused another party of the tribe, who
had been sent by Mr. Wentzel to prepare provision for us on the banks
of the Copper-Mine River, to remove to the shores of the Great Bear
Lake, distant from our proposed route. Mortifying as these
circumstances were they produced less painful sensations than we
experienced in the evening by the refusal of Akaitcho to accompany us
in the proposed descent of the Copper-Mine River. When Mr. Wentzel, by
my direction, communicated to him my intention of proceeding at once on
that service he desired a conference with me upon the subject which,
being immediately granted, he began by stating that the very attempt
would be rash and dangerous as the weather was cold, the leaves were
falling, some geese had passed to the southward, and the winter would
shortly set in and that, as he considered the lives of all who went on
such a journey would be forfeited, he neither would go himself nor
permit his hunters to accompany us. He said there was no wood within
eleven days’ march, during which time we could not have any fire as the
moss which the Indians use in their summer excursions would be too wet
for burning in consequence of the recent rains; that we should be forty
days in descending the Copper-Mine River, six of which would be
expended in getting to its banks, and that we might be blocked up by
the ice in the next moon; and during the whole journey the party must
experience great sufferings for want of food as the reindeer had
already left the river.
He was now reminded that these statements were very different from the
account he had given both at Fort Providence and on the route hither;
and that up to this moment we had been encouraged by his conversation
to expect that the party might descend the Copper-Mine River
accompanied by the Indians. He replied that at the former place he had
been unacquainted with our slow mode of travelling and that the
alteration in his opinion arose from the advance of winter.
We now informed him that we were provided with instruments by which we
could ascertain the state of the air and water and that we did not
imagine the winter to be so near as he supposed; however we promised to
return on discovering the first change in the season. He was also told
that, all the baggage being left behind, our canoes would now of course
travel infinitely more expeditiously than anything he had hitherto
witnessed. Akaitcho appeared to feel hurt that we should continue to
press the matter further and answered with some warmth: “Well, I have
said everything I can urge to dissuade you from going on this service
on which it seems you wish to sacrifice your own lives as well as the
Indians who might attend you: however if after all I have said you are
determined to go some of my young men shall join the party because it
shall not be said that we permitted you to die alone after having
brought you hither; but from the moment they embark in the canoes I and
my relatives shall lament them as dead.”
We could only reply to this forcible appeal by assuring him and the
Indians who were seated around him that we felt the most anxious
solicitude for the safety of every individual and that it was far from
our intention to proceed without considering every argument for and
against the proposed journey.
We next informed him that it would be very desirable to see the river
at any rate, that we might give some positive information about its
situation and size in our next letters to the Great Chief; and that we
were very anxious to get on its banks for the purpose of observing an
eclipse of the sun which we described to him and said would happen in a
few days. He received this communication with more temper than the
preceding, though he immediately assigned as a reason for his declining
to go that “the Indians must now procure a sufficient quantity of
deer-skins for winter clothing for themselves, and dresses for the
Canadians who would need them if they had to travel in the winter.”
Finding him so averse to proceed and feeling at the same time how
essential his continuance with us was, not only to our future success
but even to our existence during the winter, I closed the conversation
here, intending to propose to him next morning some modification of the
plan which might meet his approbation. Soon after we were gone however
he informed Mr. Wentzel, with whom he was in the habit of speaking
confidentially, that, as his advice was neglected, his presence was
useless and he should therefore return to Fort Providence with his
hunters after he had collected some winter provision for us. Mr.
Wentzel having reported this to me the night was passed in great
anxiety and, after weighing all the arguments that presented themselves
to my mind, I came reluctantly to the determination of relinquishing
the intention of going any distance down the river this season. I had
considered that, could we ascertain what were the impediments to the
navigation of the Copper-Mine River, what wood grew on its banks, if
fit for boat building, and whether drift timber existed where the
country was naked, our operations next season would be much
facilitated; but we had also cherished the hope of reaching the sea
this year for the Indians in their conversations with us had only
spoken of two great rapids as likely to obstruct us. This was a hope
extremely painful to give up for, in the event of success, we should
have ascertained whether the sea was clear of ice and navigable for
canoes, have learned the disposition of the Esquimaux, and might have
obtained other information that would have had great influence on our
future proceedings.
I must confess however that my opinion of the probability of our being
able to attain so great a desideratum this season had been somewhat
altered by the recent changes in the weather although, had the chief
been willing to accompany us with his party, I should have made the
attempt, with the intention however of returning immediately upon the
first decided appearance of winter.
On the morning of August 27th, having communicated my sentiments to the
officers on the subject of the conference last evening, they all agreed
that the descent to the sea this season could not be attempted without
hazarding a complete rupture with the Indians; but they thought that a
party should be sent to ascertain the distance and size of the
Copper-Mine River. These opinions being in conformity with my own I
determined on despatching Messrs. Back and Hood on that service in a
light canoe as soon as possible.
We witnessed this morning an instance of the versatility of our Indian
companions which gave us much uneasiness as it regarded the safety of
our faithful attendant Hepburn. When they heard on their arrival last
night of his having been so long absent they expressed the greatest
solicitude about him, and the whole party immediately volunteered to go
in search of him as soon as daylight permitted. Their resolutions
however seem to have been changed in consequence of the subsequent
conversation we had with the chief, and we found all of them indisposed
to proceed on that errand this morning; and it was only by much
entreaty that three of the hunters and a boy were prevailed upon to go.
They fortunately succeeded in their search and we were infinitely
rejoiced to see Hepburn return with them in the afternoon, though much
jaded by the fatigue he had undergone. He had got bewildered, as we had
conjectured, in the foggy weather on the 25th, and had been wandering
about ever since except during half an hour that he slept yesterday. He
had eaten only a partridge and some berries for his anxiety of mind had
deprived him of appetite; and of a deer which he had shot he took only
the tongue, and the skin to protect himself from the wind and rain.
This anxiety we learned from him was occasioned by the fear that the
party which was about to descend the Copper-Mine River might be
detained until he was found, or that it might have departed without
him. He did not entertain any dread of the white bears of whose numbers
and ferocious attacks the Indians had been constantly speaking since we
had entered the barren grounds. Our fears for his safety however were
in a considerable degree excited by the accounts we had received of
these animals. Having made a hearty supper he retired to rest, slept
soundly, and arose next morning in perfect health.
On the 28th of August Akaitcho was informed of our intention to send a
party to the river and of the reasons for doing so, of which he
approved when he found that I had relinquished the idea of going
myself, in compliance with the desire which he and the Indians had
expressed; and he immediately said two of the hunters should go to
provide them with food on the journey and to serve as guides. During
this conversation we gathered from him for the first time that there
might still be some of his tribe near to the river from whom the party
could get provision. Our next object was to despatch the Indians to
their hunting-ground to collect provision for us, and to procure the
fat of the deer for our use during the winter, and for making the
pemmican we should require in the spring. They were therefore furnished
with some ammunition, clothing, and other necessary articles, and
directed to take their departure as soon as possible.
Akaitcho came into our tent this evening at supper and made several
pertinent inquiries respecting the eclipse of which we had spoken last
night. He desired to know the effect that would be produced and the
cause of it, which we endeavoured to explain and, having gained this
information, he sent for several of his companions that they might also
have it repeated to them. They were most astonished at our knowing the
time at which this event should happen and remarked that this knowledge
was a striking proof of the superiority of the whites over the Indians.
We took advantage of this occasion to speak to them respecting the
Supreme Being, who ordered all the operations of nature, and to impress
on their minds the necessity of paying strict attention to their moral
duties, in obedience to His will. They readily assented to all these
points and Akaitcho assured us that both himself and his young men
would exert themselves in obtaining provision for us in return for the
interesting communications we had just made to them.
Having received a supply of dried meat from the Indian lodges we were
enabled to equip the party for the Copper-Mine River, and at nine A.M.
on the 29th Mr. Back and Mr. Hood embarked on that service in a light
canoe with St. Germain, eight Canadians, and one Indian. We could not
furnish them with more than eight days’ provision which, with their
blankets, two tents, and a few instruments, composed their lading. Mr.
Back, who had charge of the party, was directed to proceed to the river
and, if when he arrived at its banks the weather should continue to be
mild and the temperature of the water was not lower than 40 degrees, he
might embark and descend the stream for a few days to gain some
knowledge of its course, but he was not to go so far as to risk his
being able to return to this place in a fortnight with the canoe. But
if the weather should be severe and the temperature of the water below
40° he was not to embark but return immediately and endeavour to
ascertain the best track for our goods to be conveyed thither next
spring.
We had seen that the water decreases rapidly in temperature at this
season and I feared that if he embarked to descend the river when it
was below 40° the canoe might be frozen in and the crew have to walk
back in very severe weather.
As soon as the canoe had started Akaitcho and the Indians took their
departure also, except two of the hunters who stayed behind to kill
deer in our neighbourhood, and old Keskarrah and his family who
remained as our guests.
The fishing-nets were this day transferred from the river in which they
had been set since our arrival to Winter Lake, whither the fish had
removed, and the fishermen built a log-hut on its borders to reside in
that they might attend more closely to their occupation.
The month of September commenced with very disagreeable weather. The
temperature of the atmosphere ranged between 39 and 31° during the
first three days, and that of the water in the river decreased from 49
to 44°. Several reindeer and a large flight of white geese passed to
the southward. These circumstances led us to fear for the comfort, if
not for the safety, of our absent friends. On the 4th of September we
commenced building our dwelling-house, having cut sufficient wood for
the frame of it.
In the afternoon of September the 6th we removed our tent to the summit
of a hill about three miles distant for the better observing the
eclipse, which was calculated to occur on the next morning. We were
prevented however from witnessing it by a heavy snow-storm, and the
only observation we could then make was to examine whether the
temperature of the atmosphere altered during the eclipse, but we found
that both the mercurial and spirit thermometers remained steadily at
30° for a quarter of an hour previous to its commencement, during its
continuance, and for half an hour subsequent to its termination; we
remarked the wind increased very much and the snow fell in heavier
flakes just after the estimated time of its commencement. This
boisterous weather continued until three P.M. when the wind abated and
the snow changed to rain.
VISIT OF OBSERVATION TO THE UPPER PART OF COPPER-MINE RIVER.
As there was now no immediate occasion for my remaining on the spot,
the eclipse being over and the Indians having removed to their hunting
grounds, Dr. Richardson and I determined on taking a pedestrian
excursion to the Copper-Mine River, leaving Mr. Wentzel in charge of
the men and to superintend the buildings. On the morning of September
the 9th we commenced our journey under the guidance of old Keskarrah,
and accompanied by John Hepburn and Samandré, who carried our blankets,
cooking utensils, hatchets, and a small supply of dried meat. Our guide
led us from the top of one hill to the top of another, making as
straight a course to the northward as the numerous lakes with which the
country is intersected, would permit. At noon we reached a remarkable
hill with precipitous sides, named by the Copper Indians the Dog-Rib
Rock, and its latitude, 64° 34′ 52″ South, was obtained. The
canoe-track passes to the eastward of this rock but we kept to the
westward as being the more direct course. From the time we quitted the
banks of the Winter River we saw only a few detached clumps of trees;
but after we passed the Dog-Rib Rock even these disappeared and we
travelled through a naked country. In the course of the afternoon
Keskarrah killed a reindeer and loaded himself with its head and skin,
and our men also carried off a few pounds of its flesh for supper; but
their loads were altogether too great to permit them to take much
additional weight. Keskarrah offered to us as a great treat the raw
marrow from the hind legs of the animal, of which all the party ate
except myself and thought it very good. I was also of the same opinion
when I subsequently conquered my then too fastidious taste. We halted
for the night on the borders of a small lake which washed the base of a
ridge of sandhills about three hundred feet high, having walked in
direct distance sixteen miles.
There were four ancient pine-trees here which did not exceed six or
seven feet in height but whose branches spread themselves out for
several yards and we gladly cropped a few twigs to make a bed and to
protect us from the frozen ground, still white from a fall of snow
which took place in the afternoon. We were about to cut down one of
these trees for firewood but our guide solicited us to spare them and
made us understand by signs that they had been long serviceable to his
nation and that we ought to content ourselves with a few of the smaller
branches. As soon as we comprehended his request we complied with it
and our attendants, having with some trouble grubbed up a sufficient
quantity of roots of the dwarf birch to make a fire, we were enabled to
prepare a comfortable supper of reindeer’s meat which we despatched
with the appetites which travelling in this country never fails to
ensure. We then stretched ourselves out on the pine brush and, covered
by a single blanket, enjoyed a night of sound repose. The small
quantity of bed-clothes we carried induced us to sleep without
undressing. Old Keskarrah followed a different plan; he stripped
himself to the skin and, having toasted his body for a short time over
the embers of the fire, he crept under his deer-skin and rags,
previously spread out as smoothly as possible and, coiling himself up
in a circular form, fell asleep instantly. This custom of undressing to
the skin even when lying in the open air is common to all the Indian
tribes. The thermometer at sunset stood at 29°.
Resuming our journey next morning we pursued a northerly course but had
to make a considerable circuit round the western ends of two lakes
whose eastern extremities were hidden from our view. The march was very
uncomfortable as the wind was cold and there was a constant fall of
snow until noon; our guide too persisted in taking us over the summit
of every hill that lay in the route so that we had the full benefit of
the breeze.
We forded two streams in the afternoon flowing between small lakes and,
being wet, did not much relish having to halt whilst Keskarrah pursued
a herd of reindeer; but there was no alternative as he set off and
followed them without consulting our wishes. The old man loaded himself
with the skin and some meat of the animal he killed in addition to his
former burden; but after walking two miles, finding his charge too
heavy for his strength, he spread the skin on the rock and deposited
the meat under some stones, intending to pick them up on our return.
We put up at sunset on the borders of a large lake, having come twelve
miles. A few dwarf birches afforded us but a scanty fire yet, being
sheltered from the wind by a sandy bank, we passed the night
comfortably though the temperature was 30°. A number of geese passed
over us to the southward. We set off early next morning and marched at
a tolerably quick pace. The atmosphere was quite foggy and our view was
limited to a short distance. At noon the sun shone forth for a few
minutes and the latitude 64° 57′ 7″ was observed. The small streams
that we had hitherto crossed run uniformly to the southward.
At the end of sixteen miles and a half we encamped amongst a few dwarf
pines and were much rejoiced at having a good fire as the night was
very stormy and cold. The thermometer fluctuated this day between 31
and 35°. Though the following morning was foggy and rainy we were not
sorry to quit the cold and uncomfortable beds of rock upon which we had
slept and commence our journey at an early hour. After walking about
three miles we passed over a steep sandy ridge and found the course of
the rivulets running towards the north and north-west. Our progress was
slow in the early part of the morning and we were detained for two
hours on the summit of a hill exposed to a very cold wind whilst our
guide went in an unsuccessful pursuit of some reindeer. After walking a
few miles farther the fog cleared away and Keskarrah pointed out the
Copper-Mine River at a distance and we pushed towards it with all the
speed we could put forth. At noon we arrived at an arm of Point Lake,
an extensive expansion of the river, and observed the latitude 65° 9′
06″ North. We continued our walk along the south end of this arm for
about a mile farther and then halted to breakfast amidst a cluster of
pines. Here the longitude 112° 57′ 25″ was observed. After breakfast we
set out and walked along the east side of the arm towards the main body
of the lake, leaving Samandré to prepare an encampment amongst the
pines against our return. We found the main channel deep, its banks
high and rocky, and the valleys on its borders interspersed with
clusters of spruce-trees. The latter circumstance was a source of much
gratification to us. The temperature of its surface water was 41°, that
of the air being 43°. Having gained all the information we could
collect from our guide and from personal observation we retraced our
steps to the encampment, and on the way back Hepburn and Keskarrah shot
several waveys (_Anas hyperborea_) which afforded us a seasonable
supply, our stock of provision being nearly exhausted. These birds were
feeding in large flocks on the crow-berries which grew plentifully on
the sides of the hills. We reached the encampment after dark, found a
comfortable hut prepared for our reception, made an excellent supper,
and slept soundly though it snowed hard the whole night.
The hills in this neighbourhood are higher than those about Fort
Enterprise; they stand however in the same detached manner without
forming connected ranges; and the bottom of every valley is occupied
either by a small lake or a stony marsh. On the borders of such of
these lakes as communicate with the Copper-Mine River there are a few
groves of spruce-trees, generally growing on accumulations of sand on
the acclivities of the hills.
We did not quit the encampment on the morning of September 13th until
nine o’clock in consequence of a constant fall of snow; but at that
hour we set out on our return to Fort Enterprise and, taking a route
somewhat different from the one by which we came, kept to the eastward
of a chain of lakes. Soon after noon the weather became extremely
disagreeable; a cold northerly gale came on attended by snow and sleet,
and the temperature fell very soon from 43° to 34°. The waveys, alarmed
at the sudden change, flew over our heads in great numbers to a milder
climate. We walked as quickly as possible to get a place that would
furnish some fuel and shelter; but the fog occasioned us to make
frequent halts from the inability of our guide to trace his way. At
length we came to a spot which afforded us plenty of dwarf birches but
they were so much frozen and the snow fell so thick that upwards of two
hours were wasted in endeavouring to make a fire, during which time our
clothes were freezing upon us. At length our efforts were crowned with
success and after a good supper we laid or rather sat down to sleep,
for the nature of the ground obliged us to pass the night in a
demi-erect position with our backs against a bank of earth. The
thermometer was 16° at six P.M.
After enjoying a more comfortable night’s rest than we had expected we
set off at daybreak, the thermometer then standing at 18°. The ground
was covered with snow, the small lakes were frozen, and the whole scene
had a wintry appearance. We got on but slowly at first owing to an old
sprained ankle which had been very troublesome to me for the last three
days and was this morning excessively painful. In fording a rivulet
however the application of cold water gave me immediate relief and I
walked with ease the remainder of the day. In the afternoon we rejoined
our track outwards and came to the place where Keskarrah had made his
deposit of provision, which proved a very acceptable supply as our
stock was exhausted. We then crossed some sandhills and encamped amidst
a few small pines, having walked thirteen miles.
The comfort of a good fire made us soon insensible to the fatigue we
had experienced through the day in marching over the rugged stones
whose surface was rendered slippery by the frost. The thermometer at
seven P.M. stood at 27°.
RETURN TO THE WINTER QUARTERS OF FORT ENTERPRISE.
We set off at sunrise next morning and our provision being expended
pushed on as fast as we could to Fort Enterprise where we arrived at
eight P.M., almost exhausted by a harassing day’s march of twenty-two
miles. A substantial supper of reindeer steaks soon restored our
vigour. We had the happiness of meeting our friends Mr. Back and Mr.
Hood who had returned from their excursion on the day succeeding that
on which we set out; and I received from them the following account of
their journey.
They proceeded up the Winter River to the north end of the Little
Marten Lake and then the guide, being unacquainted with the route by
water to the Copper-Mine River, proposed that the canoe should be left.
Upon this they ascended the loftiest hill in the neighbourhood to
examine whether they could discover any large lakes or water
communication in the direction where the guide described the river to
be. They only saw a small rivulet which was too shallow for the canoe
and also wide of the course and, as they perceived the crew would have
to carry it over a rugged hilly track, they judiciously decided on
leaving it and proceeding forward on foot. Having deposited the canoe
among a few dwarf birch bushes they commenced their march, carrying
their tents, blankets, cooking utensils, and a part of the dried meat.
St. Germain however had previously delineated with charcoal a man and a
house on a piece of bark which he placed over the canoe and the few
things that were left to point out to the Dog-Ribs that they belonged
to white people.
The party reached the shores of Point Lake through which the
Copper-Mine River runs on the 1st of September. The next day was too
stormy for them to march but on the 3rd they proceeded along its shores
to the westward round a mountainous promontory and, perceiving the
course of the lake extending to the West-North-West, they encamped near
some pines and then enjoyed the luxury of a good fire for the first
time since their departure from us. The temperature of the water in the
lake was 35° and of the air 32°, but the latter fell to 20° in the
course of that night. As their principal object was to ascertain
whether any arm of the lake branched nearer to Fort Enterprise than the
part they had fallen upon, to which the transport of our goods could be
more easily made next spring, they returned on its borders to the
eastward, being satisfied by the appearance of the mountains between
south and west that no further examination was necessary in that
direction; and they continued their march until the 6th at noon without
finding any part of the lake inclining nearer the fort. They therefore
encamped to observe the eclipse which was to take place on the
following morning but, a violent snowstorm rendering the observation
impossible, they commenced their return and after a comfortless and
laborious march regained their canoe on the 10th and, embarking in it,
arrived the same evening at the house.
Point Lake varied, as far as they traced, from one to three miles in
width. Its main course was nearly east and west, but several arms
branched off in different directions. I was much pleased with the able
manner in which these officers executed the service they had been
despatched upon, and was gratified to learn from them that their
companions had conducted themselves extremely well and borne the
fatigues of their journey most cheerfully. They scarcely ever had more
than sufficient fuel to boil the kettle and were generally obliged to
lie down in their wet clothes and consequently suffered much from cold.
The distance which the parties travelled in their journey to and from
Point Lake may be estimated at one hundred and ten statute miles which,
being added to the distances given in the preceding pages, amount to
one thousand five hundred and twenty miles that the Expedition
travelled in 1820 up to the time of its residence at Fort Enterprise.