OP THE POLAR SEA. 3W 



goes badly," he said, " all are poor, you are poor, 

 the traders appear to be poor, I and my party 

 are poor likewise ; and since the goods have not 

 come in, we cannot have them. I do not regret 

 having supplied you with provisions, for a Copper 

 Indian can never permit white men to suffer from 

 want of food on his lands, without flying to their 

 aid. I trust, however, that we shall, as you say, 

 receive what is due next autumn ; and at all 

 events," he added, in a tone of good-humour, 

 " it is the first time that the white people have 

 been indebted to the Copper Indians." We 

 assured him the supplies should certainly be sent 

 to him by the autumn, if not before. He then 

 cheerfully received the small present we made to 

 himself; and, although, we could give a few 

 things only to those who had been most active in 

 our service, the others, who, perhaps, thought 

 themselves equally deserving, did not murmur at 

 being left out in the distribution. Akaitcho after- 

 wards expressed a strong desire, that we should 

 represent the character of his nation in a favour- 

 able light to our countrymen. " I know," he 

 said, " you writedown every occurrence in your 

 books ; but probably you have only noticed the 

 bad things we have said and done, and have 

 omitted to mention the good." In the course of 

 the desultory conversation which ensued, he saul. 



