OF THE POLAR SEA. 254 
their aged and sick people. The only instance 
that came under our personal notice was attended 
with some palliating circumstances :—An old wo- 
man arrived at Fort Chipewyan, during our resi- 
dence, with her son, a little boy about ten years 
old, both of whom had been deserted by their 
relations, and left in an encampment, when much 
reduced by sickness: two or three days after their 
departure the woman gained a little strength, and, 
with the assistance of the boy, was enabled to 
paddle a canoe to the fishing station of this post, 
where they were supported for some days, until 
they were enabled to proceed in search of some 
other relations, who, they expected, would treat 
them with more kindness. I learned, that the 
woman bore an extremely bad character, and 
had even been guilty of infanticide, and that 
her ey considered her rsediences merited 
the desertion. 
' This tribe, since its present intimate connexion 
with the traders, has discontinued its: war excur- 
sions against the Esquimaux, but they still speak 
of that nation in terms of the most inveterate 
hatred. We have only conversed with four men 
who have been engaged in any of those expedi- 
tions ; all these confirm the statements of Black- 
meat respecting the sea-coast. Our observations 
concerning the half-breed population in this 
