[ BURPEE] YORK FACTORY TO THE BLACKFEET COUNTRY 325 
13. Saturday. Paddled 28 miles. The River wide with small 
Islands; Banks low and small woods; our course to-day $.W. 
14. Sunday. Paddled 25 miles S.W. The River in general good 
water. Indians caught a good many large Pike. 
15. Monday. Paddled 24 miles S.W.b.S. met four Canoes of In- 
dians in the French interest the Leader’s name Monkonsko. He behaved 
civilly and informed me that I was on the Confines of the dry inland 
country, called by the Natives the Muscuty Tuskee; and that I should 
soon see a French House. L 
16. Tuesday. Paddled 20 miles S.W.b.S. then came to Othenume 
Lake.* 
17. Wednesday. Paddled 20 miles S.W.b.S.; than came to a River. 
Othenume Lake is a good day’s paddle either way; and the woods around 
it are tall and well grown timber. 
18. Thursday. Paddled 26 miies up the river; good water for a 
Canoe; the river wide, banks high, and no woods to be seen; no pro- 
visions to be got but fish. 
19. Friday. Paddled 26 miles up the river. 
20. Saturday. Paddled 6 miles S.W.b.S. and after dragging our 
Canoes ? miles thro’ a Swampy drain intermixed with Willows, came 
to Nelson River and paddled on until we came to a small branch. The 
River is 16 poles wide, water deep and current runs Eastward, and low 
banks with poplars and willows. 
21. Sunday. Paddled two miles up the River, and then came to 
_Keiskatchewan? River, on which the French have two houses, one of 
which we expect to see to-morrow; paddled up it 8 miles West; passed 
a large lake, which helps to supply the River. 
22. Monday. The Musketoes are now intolerable, giving us neither 
peace day nor night; paddled 14 miles up the River West, when we 
came to a French house.* On our arrival two Frenchmen came to the 

1Cocking’s Oteatowan Sockoegan—nresent Moose Lake, north of Cedar 
Lake, on the Lower Saskatchewan. 
2For various spellings, and origin of the name, see Dr. Coues’ foot-note, 
pp. 461-2, Henry-Thompson Journals. 
3“ Basquea,” as he calls it when he visits the place on his return jour- 
ney—Fort Poskoyac, built by the younger La Vérendrye about the year 
1748; visited by Boucher de Niverville in his exploration of the Saskatche- 
wan in 1851; and occupied by Saint-Luc de La Corne at the time of Hendry’s 
journey. Cocking says in his Journal, under date July 31, 1772: “ Pro- 
ceeded & came to Basquia. Here at a small river where the Natives killed 
Guiniads with hand nets. Many Natives had been here lately. This is a 
iong frequented place where the Canadians rendezvous & trade with the 
