302 UNITE WITH MR. M c LEOD's PARTY. 



delicacy even to a Yellow Knife Indian, who 

 certainly is not fastidious in his taste. 



Soon after we encamped, Mr. M c Leod's party 

 also came up, thus uniting our force ; and, as 

 there was still daylight, a part of the baggage 

 was carried forward, and the boat safely moored 

 in the eddy below the upper rapid. 



July 2nd. — Some Indians with pemmican 

 were yet missing; having, as it was supposed, 

 loitered behind to hunt : the rest were directed 

 to go with the interpreter, and deposit their 

 respective charges at the north end of the port- 

 age, there to be released from their servitude — 

 an intimation which was received with wonderful 

 satisfaction, as they were yet puzzled to compre- 

 hend why we should take such pains to plunge 

 into the dangers which they considered as as- 

 suredly awaiting us. The desire to rescue our 

 fellow-creatures from calamity or death, and still 

 more the thirst of enterprise and the zeal of 

 discovery, were notions far beyond the conception 

 of these rude children of nature, whose only 

 desires are for food and raiment, and whose pity 

 is a merely animal sympathy, which ceases with 

 the presence of the object that excites it. It 

 seems a harsh assertion, yet I have met with 

 very few indications of what may be called pure 

 benevolence among these people. Akaitcho 

 himself may, perhaps, be an exception : but in 



