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 establish-
ment 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 deroche,) 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
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