ihoiild have continued oérfoute along this fide of the fiver, but we had
a a i t e ourihuiiteA fmcecyéfterdëy manning. We accordingly em-
batted before three, and at five traverfed the-river, when we daw two of
them coming down m fearch of us. Theykad killed no-other animals
fchah olne beaver, and a few hares-.' According to their account, thé
woods Were fo thick that it Was impoffible to follow the game through
them. They had fete feveral of the ntóves encampments, at no gife^t
diftance froth, the river; ’and itwas thei^«|anioiMW:^«y'had:difc©\iéi»i
ns in oar paffage dowarifc,- and had taken ,'cafb; tó droid us jf-whieh
accounted for the frnall number we had fee® on our return.
I r e b e lle d the Emghfo chief to return with me to the other fiafc o f the
river, in order, th a t he anight whofe
tracks and habitations we had leen there; butire was backward in cforhply-
fog with my defire, and propofedtb lend the young m en; b u t »1 could not
tosft to them, and at th e fame time was becemorather doubtfol Df lnm.
They were Hill afraid left Jlh o u ld o b ta in fuch aocountsrifthe:other rivef
as would induce me to travel overland t e d v s r a d -tó
-called upoh to acdompany me. I was, indeed, inforraed b y OBerof any
-own people, «hat the: fimgbfh chtöf,;Wswives(and^dompani©ns,:had deta?-
-mined to leave me ©n this ftdeoEfche -Slave Lake, in Order fo g o to -tbe
ycömïtry o f ’the Beaver Indians* and 'that about tube middle :of the'- wintel
he would tetuwato that la te , where'he jhad appointed to meet forne o f
his relations, who, during the laft fpring, had been engaged in wferli ]
We now traverfed the river, -and continued -to track the Indians till
>paft twelve, when we loft all (traces-of them; in confequerfce,as we imagined,
of their having croffed -to the Eafter»,fide. We faw feveral
dogs on. both Ihores; and one o f the youeg Indians killed a wolf,
wbiph, the men ate .with' great,-fiftisfofUon: we ihori alfo, fifteen
young geele that were now begmning to fly. It was eight, when we
took purtevenin^titetioW) having l o f t h o u r s in making our trayerfet;
There was no interruption o f the fine weather during the courfe of this
day.
We proceeded on our voyage at three this morning, and difpatched
the two young Indians acroft tfie river, that we might, net rafts any d f the
natives that ftiould be on the batiks dïth We law many places where
fires had been lately made along the beach, as well as fire running in the
woods. At. four: we-. arrived at an encampmeM? Wrifeb had been left
this morning. Their tracks were obfervable in feveral places in the
woods, and as it might' be prefumed that they could not be at any
great diftance, it was propofed to jthe.chief. to accompany roe in feareb
o f them. We accordingly, though with fame hefitation on his part, penetrated
feveral miles into the woods, but without difcovering the objects
o f our refearch. The fire had fpxead all over the country, and had
burned aboiit three inches o f the black, ligbtlfoil, winch coveoed a body
o f cpld day,: that was fo hard as not to receive the leaft irapreE&on pf
our feet. A t ten we returned fropt ,our unfiiccef&ful excurfion. In the
mean time the hunters had killeddeven geefe. : There -were feveral
fhowersof rain, accompanied with gufts of wind apd thunder,: ; The
nets had been fet during our -abfence.
The nets were taken up, but not one fHh was found in them; and at
. half
Wednef. is .
Thurfd. 13.