when we had palled them, to return ftcohei I psopofed that one of them
fliould remain with u$, while t wo o f my; people fliould /leave their loads
behind and accompany the other to the:lodges. But they would not ftay
to near our perfuafions, and. were foOn out of light.
| I now defired the Gancre^ to ieave his- burden/take a fmall quantity;
of pravifion, with his arms and
told my men to oome 'on as fall: as they could, and that I would wait for
them as n as I had formed an'acquaintance^,with the natives c^f -the
«country before us.- We accordingly followed our guides with all the
expedition in -our power, but did not overtake them-,till I'v|c^anle'f0 a
rfamil.gpf n a t B t i n g of-^oSe man, two women, and fix c£ikke4
y^th whoin'we fqn«d;them. Thefje people betrayed, no ftgns qf;fear^t
our appearance* and-the man willingly cotiverfed with my •interpreter
to whom he made himfelf more intelligible/ than , our- guides had been
able to dou They,- however, had informed him. o f the, ofcqqfit'.of our
Jonrhey.. He pointed out to us one of his wivys', who was a qative of the
fea eoafi/which was not a very great diftance item fis. j .This, woman
was more inClined: to corpulency than any we had yet feen, y?as», qBIow
flaturej With an oblong; face, grey eyes, and a fitatjrifh nofe. She was decorated
with ornaments of various kinds, fuch-as large blue beads,' Cither
pendant from her ears, encircling her neck, or braided in her hair i lfie
alfo wore bracCletsof brafs, copper, and horn. Hergarments confided:
o f a kind o f tunic/ which was; covered: with a robe »of matted bark,
fringed round the bottom with Ikin of the fea otter. , [None of the women
whom I. had feen fince we crofted the mountain wore this kind, of funic;
their blankets being merely girt round the waift. She had learned t|ie
language
language? o.f her hufband’s tribe, and confirmed his account^ that we were
at no great diftance from the fea. They .were on their way, fhe laid,
to the great river to fith. Age, feemed to, he an ..objeft of great veneration
among thefe pe:opfe?,|pa§|hfy c^rrifd .an;;pf|::frppan.|^turns on their
hacks who was quite blind and, infirm from the, very advanced period of
feec life,
Our .people1 .having jpiped us .and, refted themfel-yes, I re quelled our
guides to prpceed, when the elder o^fhem.tql^ me that be Ihould not gp
.any .fyrther/hut that thefe people yyiulcf fejicl a hpy;it9 accompany his
brother, and I begap to think myfelf rather fortunate> that we. were, not
deferted b^itheip all.
About noon we parted, and in two hour^pjeame up \^ith two mep
and their families; when we firft faw them they ivere fitting down, as i f
to reft themfelves but no fponqr did, they perceiye us than they rofe up
•and feized their arms. The hoys who were behind us immediately rap
forwards and fpoke to them, when they laid by,their arms and received
us as' friends. They had been eating green berries and dried filh, , We
had, indeed, fcarcely joined them, when a woman and a boy came from
the river with water, which they very hpfpitably gave us to drink. The
people of this party had a very fickly appearance, which might haye
been the,qonfequence of, difeafe, or that indolepce,;which is fo natural tp
•them, or of both. One of. the women had a tattooed line along the chin,
of the fame length as her mouth.: S
The lads now informed me. that they would go no. further, but that
thefe