177^* SAMUEL HEARNE. 299 



which determined the latitude of Conoecathawha- 

 chaga to be 68° 46' N., and its longitude was 24° 2' 

 W. from Prmce of Wales's Fort, or US'' 15' W. of 

 the meridian of London." 



On the 13th of the same month he reached the 

 Copper Mine River, and on the 15th commenced 

 his survey of it. The Indians that accompanied 

 him live in constant hostility with the Esquimaux 

 inhabiting the lower part of the river, and now 

 prepared to attack them in their tents, to which 

 they approached on the 17th about one o'clock in 

 the morning, '^ when finding all the Esquimaux 

 quiet in their tents, they rushed forth from their 

 ambuscade and fell on the poor unsuspecting 

 creatures, unperceived till close at the very eves 

 of their tents, when they soon began the bloody 

 massacre, while I stood neuter in the rear." It 

 seems that the little horde consisted of about 

 twenty persons, men, women, and children, who 

 were all put to death in the most barbarous and 

 inhuman manner. 



Another small tribe of Esquimaux escaped the 

 brutal fury of the Indians : but " they threw all 

 the tents and tent-poles into the river, destroyed 

 a vast quantity of dried salmon, musk-oxen flesh, 

 and other provisions ; broke all the stone kettles ; 

 and in fact did all the mischief they possibly 

 could to distress the poor creatures they could not 

 murder, and who were standing as the woeful 

 spectators of their great or perhaps irreparable? 

 loss." 



