164 MAUFELLY VISITS HIS WIFE. 



arid emaciated appearance too painfully indicated. 

 I knew them both : one, indeed, had been with 

 me to the Copper-mine River, on Sir J. Frank- 

 lin's first expedition. With the usual apathy of 

 their nature, they evinced no marks of satisfac- 

 tion or surprise at seeing me ; but received 

 their tobacco, and smoked it as coolly as if it had 

 been given by some gentleman of the country 

 in the regular routine of a trading expedition. 

 Their silence and seriousness soon, however, un- 

 derwent an extraordinary change, when they 

 heard some half dozen expressions which I had 

 been accustomed to use on the former occasion. 

 They laughed immoderately ; kept repeating the 

 words ; talked quickly among themselves, and 

 seemed greatly delighted. They were supplied 

 with presents for my old friends Akaitcho and 

 his brother Humpy; and as they were going, 

 the interpreter came with a request on behalf of 

 Maufelly, who was afraid, he said, to ask me in 

 person lest I should be displeased, that I would 

 give him leave only to go and see his wife, who 

 had favoured him with a child in his absence, 

 undertaking faithfully to return before we should 

 be ready in the morning. To this there could 

 be no objection ; and I shall not easily forget 

 the poor fellow's transports as he leapt into the 

 canoe with his countrymen, and began to sing 

 and shout in imitation of the Canadians. 



