forward, without stopping, until they came to a favourable spot for
hunting, which they expected to do about thirty or forty miles below
our present encampment. Akaiteho accompanied them, but previous
to setting off he renewed his charge that we should be on our guard
against the bears, which was occasioned by the hunters having fired
at one this morning as they were descending a rapid in their canoe.
As their small canoes would only carry five persons, two of the hunters
had to walk in turns along the banks.
In our rambles round the encampment, we witnessed with
pleasure the progress which vegetation had made within the last few
warm days; most of the trees had put forth their leaves, and several
flowers ornamented the moss-covered ground; many of the smaller
summer birds were observed in the, woods, and a variety of ducks,
gulls, and plovers, sported on the banks of the river. It is about
three hundred yards wide at this part, is deep and flows over a bed
of alluvial sand. We caught some trout of considerable size with
our lines, and a few white fish in the nets, which maintained us,
with a little assistance from the pemmican. The repair of our canoes
was completed this evening. Before embarking I issued an order
that no rapid should in future be descended until the bowman had
examined it, and decided upon its being safe to run. Wherever the
least danger was to be apprehended, or the crew had to disembark
for the purpose of lightening the canoe, the ammunition, guns and
instruments, were always to be put out and carried along the bank,
that we might be provided with the means of subsisting ourselves, in
case of any accident befalling the canoes.
The situation of our encampment was ascertained to be 65° 43' 28"
H., longitude 114° 26' 45" W., and the variation 42° IT 22" E.
At four in the morning of July 4th we embarked and descended a
succession of very agitated rapids, but took the precaution of landing
the articles mentioned yesterday, wherever there appeared any
hazard; notwithstanding all our precautions the leading canoe struck
with great force against a stone, and the bark was split, but this
injury was easily repaired, and we regretted only the loss of time.
At eleven we came to an expansion of the river where the current
ran with less force, and an accumulation of drift ice had, in consequence,
barred the channel; over this the canoes and cargoes were
carried. The ice in many places adhered to the banks, and projected
in wide ledges several feet thick over the stream, which had hollowed
them out beneath. On one occasion as the people were embarking
from one of these ledges, it suddenly gave way, and three men were
precipitated into the water, but were rescued without further
damage than a sound ducking, and the canoe fortunately (and narrowly)
escaped being crushed. Perceiving one of the Indians sitting
on the east bank of the river, we landed, and having learned from
him that Akaiteho and the hunters had gone in pursuit of a herd of
musk oxen, we encamped, having come twenty-four miles and a half.
In the afternoon they brought us the agreeable intelligence of
having killed eight cows, of which four were full grown. All the
party where immediately despatched to bring in this seasonable
supply. A young cow, irritated by the firing of the hunters, ran
down to the river, and passed close to me when walking at a short
distance from the tents. I fired and wounded it, when the animal
instantly turned, and ran at me, but I avoided its fury by jumping
aside and getting upon an elevated piece of ground. In the mean
time some people came from the tents, and it took to flight.
The musk oxen, like the buffalo, herd together in bands, and
generally frequent the barren grounds during the summer months,
keeping near the rivers, but retire to the woods in winter. They
seem to be less watchful than most other wild animals, and when
grazing are not difficult to approach, provided the hunters go against
the wind; when two or three men get so near a herd as to fire at
them from different points, these animals instead of separating or 2 u s