CHAPTER XVI. 



Lion Reef.— Seals.— Mountains.— Ducks and Divers.— Daily routine.— 

 Flaxman's Island.— Ice.— Large Drift Wood.— Bury Pemmican.— Dog 

 Seen.— Native Huts.— Presents. — Ethnographic distinctions. — Euro- 

 pean Knife.— Send up Rockets.— Native wonder.— Oomiaks' mimic 

 manoeuvres. — Esquimaux Family. — Whales. — Herschel Island. — 

 Wind shifts suddenly.— Difficulties.— Calton Point.— Esquimaux 

 bring Fish. — Tracking.— Paradoxical Barrows. — Land near Sabine 

 Point.— Huts and Women.— Buy a frock from a Lady. — Thefts.— 

 Compasses affected.- Approach to Mackenzie.— Tracking up River.— 

 Change in Vegetation.— Bear and Deer Tracks. — Erect a Cross. — 

 Indian visitor.— Peel River. — Mr. Hardisty visits us.— Proceed to Fort 

 M'Pherson.— Changed phase of existence. — Departure of Mr. Pullen. 



Annual Despatch.— Indian Paint and Decoration. — Loucheux or 



Quarrellers.— Rat Indians.- Gluttony.— Indian Betrothals.— Forty 

 skins for one. — Indian Currency.— Esquimaux and Indian Feuds. 



On the Lion Reef, where we slept on the night of 

 the 14th, a multitude of seals were collected, so 

 perfectly still, that in the dusk we at first mistook 

 them for driftwood ; but their tumultuous rush into 

 the water on our approach, enhghtened us as to their 

 vitality. We observed the Romanzoff Mountains 

 from this place, which is island and reef combined : 

 they are apparently about thirty miles from the sea, 

 their spurs extending far into the plains around. 

 A rise and fall of tide amounting to eighteen inches. 



