REACH MUSK-OX RAPID. 801 



the eastern side of the hills, and two snow birds 

 were seen which had not changed their wintry 

 plumage ; yet the mosquitos, at a temperature of 

 40°, were quite lively enough to execute with 

 their usual skill the neat operation of cupping. 

 About the time that the boat arrived, we were 

 joined by our friend M c Leod. He remained with 

 us through the night ; and gave an account of 

 his hunting excursions, in which the superiority 

 of his rifle-shooting had, it seems, perfectly 

 astonished the Indians : as well it might, for at 

 that work he would have rivalled a Kentuckian. 



July i. As we had now overtaken the Indians, 



it was useless to hurry on, and I gladly permitted 

 the men to rest till noon. The boat then took 

 us to the ice on Musk Ox Lake, and at 4 p. m. 

 we reached Musk Ox Rapid, the point from which 

 I had returned the previous year. Several Indians 

 who were encamped here paddled to us in their 

 small canoes, and assailed our ears with the 

 familiar but annoying cry of " Etthen-oolah, 

 Etthen-ta-houty,"— no deer, the deer are gone 

 away ; and begged I would give them a little 

 tobacco, for they were " hungry for a smoke." 

 It appeared that the scarcity of animals had 

 driven Akaitcho a short distance to the north, 

 where he was forced to live upon the flesh of 

 the musk ox, the flavour of which is not a 



