vading them. I obtained, however, no addition, to^what I already knew,
but that the country below"uis, as far as he was acquainted withritv
aboundèdin animals, and that the river produced plenty: of fifh^'
Our canoe was now become fo weak, leaky, and unmanageable, that
it became a matter of abfolute neceflity to co~nftru& a new :one; and I
had been informed, that if we delayed that important work till we1 got
further down the river, we fhould not be able to procure bark. Ltl^ere-
fore difpatched two of my people, with an Indian, in fearch oF that ne-
celfary material. The weather was fo -Ckki&y that I cöüld not get an
obfervation.*
I paffed the fell; of the day in conV&rfin'g with thefé péopté: they cofi-
fifted of feven families, containing eighteen" men; they wefè' clad in
leather, and had fome beaver and rabbit-fkin blarikets._ They had not
been long arrived in this part of the cddntry. Vhe'fef they propoffcd to
pafs the fummer, to eatch filh for their winter provifiori: for this purpofe
they were preparing machines fimilar to that which We found in'the firft
Indian houfe we faw and defcribed. The filh which they take in them
are large, and only vifit this part of the- river at certain feaforis» ’ï ’hefe
people differ very little, if at all, either in their appearance, language, ot
manners, from the Rocky-Mouiitain Indians. Themeh whom I lent in
fearch o f bark, returned with a certain quantity^ of it, but of a very indifferent
kind. ’ We were not gratified with the arrival of any of the natives
whom we expefted from a lower part of the river. ;
•* TBe obfefvation, already mentioned, I got on my return.
CHAP.
C H A P T E R VIII.
'-Renew our dccompmied ly V& ffi& fik titieV Account c ftiw jts .
' StateffM nm^AfiMrive at afuMerfahean houfe? Seefiveral natives.
Brief dijcrtptwn b f them. ** 'Acc^okm i f ‘our cSnprenafMtk them. Sara
h~ btftefrUtibes.' ^tlkfcr'ipiioh'of"them.TMvr^conau$)‘ The account
which they'gave of the country. narrative'of % female prifoner.
Theperplexities of my ftuatioh; Specimen of the language oftwojribes.
Change the plan' dffrtiy '‘jaiirhbj:' Return up ikitiVeV\' Succejfioh of
' dangers and difficulties. Land on ah ifiand to build another ^ahoeV'^
A t fix in the morning we proceeded on our voyage, with two of the
Indians, one of them in a fmall pointed canoe, made after the fafhion of
' the Efquimaux, and the other in our own. This precaution was necef-
fary in a two-fold point of view, as the fmall canoe/could be lent ahead
to fpeak to any of tlie natives that might "be feen down the river, and,
thus divided, would riot be eafy for them both to make their efcape.
Mr. Mackay alfo embarked with the Indian, which feemed to afford him
great' fatisfa&ion, and He was thereby enabled to keep "us company
with^dimmutiohd
*793*
* June.
Saturday 22.
Our courfes were South-South-Eaft a mile and an half, South-Eaft
K k ' ' 1 half