48 ACROSS THE SUB-ARCTICS OF CANADA. 



During the morning of the 17th some gun-shots were 

 heard not far distant across the grassy marsh, and turn- 

 ing our canoes in that direction we soon met several 

 bark canoes manned by Chippewyan Indian hunters. 

 Fra^ois, being the only man in our party who could 

 understand or talk with them, was much in demand, 

 and he was instructed to ask them the shortest way 

 through the delta towards Chippewyan. Indian like, 

 he entered into conversation with the strangers for ten 

 minutes or so, doubtless chiefly about their wives and 



daughters, and then with a 

 wave of the hand said, " We 

 go dis way." So that way 

 we went, and by three o'clock 

 in the afternoon found our- 

 selves in the open waters of 

 Lake Athabasca. Two hours 

 later we had crossed the end 

 of the Lake and drawn up 

 our canoes on the rocky shore 

 in front of Fort Chippewyan. 

 It was Saturday evening, and 

 the distance travelled thus far 



since launching the canoes, was, according to Mr. Ogilvie, 

 430 miles. As we were already aware, Dr. McKay, the 

 Hudson's Bay Company's agent, was not at the Fort, but 

 we were received by the assistant trader, Pierre Mer- 

 credie, a half-breed, and shown to a camping-ground in 

 front of the Fort, or otherwise on Main Street of the 

 town. During the evening we had the pleasure of meet- 

 ing Mrs. McKay and her children, and also Mr. Russell, 

 an American naturalist, who was sojourning at this place 

 on his way down the Mackenzie River. 



AN ENGLISH-CREE TRAPPER. 



