118 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



house, as knowing it to belong to the white people. 

 At the close of this conversation Akaitcho ex- 

 claimed with a smile, *' I see now that you have 

 really no goods left, (the rooms and stores being 

 completely stripped,) and therefore I shall not 

 trouble you any more, but use my best endea- 

 vours to prepare provision for you, and I think if 

 the animals are tolerably numerous, we may get 

 plenty before you can embark on the river." 



Whilst the Indians were packing up this morn- 

 ing, one of the women absconded. She belongs 

 to the Dog-rib tribe, and had been taken by force 

 from her relations by her present husband, who 

 has treated her very harshly. The fellow was in 

 my room when his mother announced the depar- 

 ture of his wife, and received the intelligence with 

 great composure, as weU as the seasonable reproof 

 ot Akaitcho. " You are rightly served," said the 

 chief to him, ''and will now have to carry aU 

 your things yourself, instead of having a wife to 

 drag them." One hunter remained after the de- 

 parture of the other Indians 



On the 5th the Dog-rib woman presented her- 

 selt on a hill at some distance from the house, 

 but was afraid to approach us, until the inter- 

 preter went and told her that neither we nor the 

 Indian who remained with us, would prevent her 



