added alf©,:that in the mean time, if^fe)R M?-^Id]i©n my return, ,acdc«ni
pany. niehlAlow the mountains, to;a!hountEy which was . very ajaundaritdn
animals, I wouliiTprnilb. them, and- the»l companions, with every thing
they might want; and make peace.between .them and th&Beaver Indians;
But all thefe promifes.did not appear to< advance the. objeft) of: p y ini
quiries; and they ftili perfifted in their ignoranGpiof\ any fucb.tiver^as
I had mentioned,,that difcharged itfelf into the fea.
In. this ftate ofiperplexity and difappointme-ntj^vaFiQnss pregeQis^pr.el
fented themfelves to my mindy wW#ht^e!ndr^0^^formed?thah they
were diJhpYered.to«be.impra&icabLe, and.werp:c@idequend^;abaiidon@Gk
A t one time I thou|prt of leaving the canoej andceyery tKingritpcont&kred,
to,go over- .lands and.purine that.chain .of^©tpnexioqHbsyj.which tb"efe
people obtain them-iron-work; but a.veryibriefcemrle pf pflediiion eohr
vinced me that it would be-impoflible for us to carry,,prQt^fon^for. our
fupportthroughany confiderable part pf fuch,-a jouppi^i as well as ,prer
fents, to, fecure usakind reeeptioni among, the natives^
for the fervice o f the hunters, and'to defend; ourfelyes, againfl any-a^l;;®f
hoflility. At another! time my folicitude for theifiiesefs'ofjtbe xxpedi-
tipn incited a with to remain with the, native^ sfcd^go to, the fea* by «the
way they had defcribed; but theaccompliftiment of fuch a journey,;even
if no accident fhould interpofe, would have required a. portion of time
which it was not in my power to bellow. In. my .prefen t. ftate of information,
to proceed further up the river was . confidered as a.frujtlefs.wafte of
toilfome exertion; and to return urifuGcefsful>after all pur,labour, fuf-
ferings,. and dangers, was an idea too painful to indulge. Befides, I
could not yet abandon the hope that *the Indians might not yet be: fufficiently
ficiêntïy eortipofed and cönfident, to difclofè their real knowledge of the
Country ^freely-and- fully to me. Nor was I altogether without my
dpubts.refpeBing tiae:fidelity of my'interpreter, who being very much
tired of the voyage,- might be induced to withhold thofe communications
whicli w’ould induce me fc© continue it. I therefore continued my
Attentions'to the natives; regaled, them with fucli provifions as I had,
indulged .their, phildrep with a tafte of fugar, and determined to fufpend
myu tcpnyerfetiom.with them till the .following ihoroingb On my ex-
p re {lingua deSreto partake^ of their fi(h, they brought pae a few dried
tiout, wdlh'cured; that had been taken in the river which they lately
Jfe.ft. , Orie Afkhelmen alfb brought me five beaver fkins, as a prëfent.
Thêjdd^titude that pofleftedi my mind-interrupted myrepofó; when
thé dawn appeared Ihad already-quitted niy? bed;, and was waiting with
impatience;, for another conference with thé natives; The fun, how-
!§vpr, had rifen before they left their leafy bowers, whither they had retired;
with their children, having mod hofpitably refigned their beds, and
the partners'of them, to the folipitatiOns of my young men.
I now repeated my inquiries, but my perplexity was not removed by any
.favourable.variation in their anfwers1. Abbiit nine; however, one o f them,
ftjll remaining at rnyfireyin cbnverfation with thèinterpretérs, I underftood
enbügh of his language to know that he mentioned fomething about a
.great river, at the fame time pointing Cgnificantly up that which was before
us.' Op my inquiring of the interpreter refpeélirig that expreflion,
.1 was informed that hfe knew of'a large river that runs towards the midday
Tun,, a branch óf 'which; flowed'.near' the' fource o f that which we
D d 2 were
Monday 10.