212 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 
rienced Canadian voyagers to accompany us to 
the sea, in consequence of their dread of the 
Esquimaux ; who, he informed us, had already 
destroyed the crew of one canoe, which had been 
sent under Mr. Livingstone, to open a trading 
communication with those who reside near the 
mouth of the Mackenzie River ; and he also men- 
tioned, that the same tribe had driven away the 
canoes under Mr. Clark’s direction, going to 
them on a similar object, to which circumstance 
have alluded in my remarks at Isle a la Crosse. 
This was unpleasant information; but we were 
comforted by Mr, Stuart’s assurance that himself 
and his partners would use every endeavour to re- 
move their fears, as well as to promote our views 
in every other way; and he undertook, as 
necessary part of our equipment in the spring, 
to prepare the bark and other materials for com- 
structing two canoes at this post. ai 
Mr. Stuart informed us that the residents at Fott 
Chipewyan, from the recent sickness of their In- 
dian hunters, had been reduced to subsist entirely 
on the produce of their fishing-nets, which did not 
then yield more than a bare sufficiency for theit 
Support; and he kindly proposed to us to-remaill 
with him until the spring ; but, as we were most 
desirous to gain all the information we could as 
early as possible, and Mr, Stuart assured us that 
