LBUrpee] an adventurer FROM HUDSON BAY 103 



20. Thursday. Travelled 7 miles W.S.W.: A Branch of Sas- 

 katchewan Eiver bears West; distance 2 miles. 



21. Friday. Travelled 8 miles S.W.b,.W., passed some Hillocks 

 named Birch Hills, and Younger Brothers, that bore South; Woods ap- 

 pear to be growing on them : passed through some low swamps. Thickets 

 & Ponds: Eed Deer are numerous; also Grizzle Bears of the fierce kind; 

 but as yet we have seen none. Buffalo dung very plenty : Natives killed 

 many Eed Deer: plenty of food; although the Eed Deer is coarse food, 

 it goes well down after feeding so long on fish. 



22. Saturday. Travelled 9 miles S.W.b.S., came to a branch of 

 Saskatchewan Eiver,^ where we put up. The Eiver here is about fifty 

 yards wide, & a strong current: It abounds with small fish named 

 Wepitsesish, much like a Guiniad in size and shape ; Another fish named 

 Nonahchekesish or little sucking fish ; & another kind about a foot long : 

 They all readily take hook baited with flesh. They inform'd me of an- 

 other fish named Mithcowepitesish, or red toothed fish, something like a 

 trout. Here we met with a Leader named Commeseskew, with 14 tents 

 full of natives ; They heard of Buffalo up this branch.^ 



23. Sunday. Crossed the branch in temporary Canoes with bended 

 sticks, & covered with parchment skins:' We put upon the opposite 

 side : Hunters killed 2 Buffalo : The Natives all promise faithfully to 

 go down to the Forts next year, & not to trade with the Pedlars : but they 

 are such notorious liars there is no believing them. However, I shall 

 preserve part of my goods until my return, to try wjiat influence that 

 will have: I find they consider an Englishman's going with them as a 

 person sent to collect Furs; & not as an encouragement to them to trap 

 furs, & come down to the Settlements. 



24. Monday. We did not proceed : This day 'Hunters saw several 

 Horses up the branch of the other side : They are all in general afraid, 

 supposing the horses to belong to the Snake Indians * with whom they 

 are always at variance. 



25. Tuesday. We proceeded; Our course about S.W.b.S., distance 

 9 miles: Travelling through a hilly, short grass country: A few small 



1 South Saskatchewan river. 



'Andrew Graham adds this note: — "The above Leader was at York Fort 

 last summer with 4 canoes. Query. WTiere were the others. Answer: 1 

 suppose traded with the Canadians ,if they had collected any furs." 



3 " Bull-boats." See note to Hendry (R.S.C., 1907, II, 329). 



* These could hardly be the true Snakes, or Shoshones, whose usual habitat 

 was the Yellowstone country. Alexander Henry, the younger, refers to Snake 

 Indians in the Red River country, and Dr. Coues suggests that these may have 

 been Sioux. Possibly Cooking's Snakes may also respond to the same identi- 

 fication, though somewhat out of Sioux territory. 



