In the Arctic Rt giona. 



yards through the willow thicket on the banks of the 

 stream, we entered upon an extensive marsh, varied 

 only by a distant line of willows, which marks the 

 course of ;i creek or branch Of the river. The branch 

 we navigated to-day is almost five hundred yards wide. 

 The exhalations from the marshy soil produced a low 

 fog, although the sky above was perfectly clear. In 

 the course of the day we passed an Indian encamp- 

 ment of three tents, whose inmates appeared to be in 

 a st ill more miserable condition than those we saw 

 yesterday. Tiny had just finished the ceremony ot 

 conjuration over some of their sick companions ; and 

 a dog, which was recently killed as a sacrifice to some 

 deity, was hanging to a tree, where it would be left (I 

 was told) when they moved their encampment. 



We continued our voyage up the river, to the 20th, 

 with little variation of scenery or incident, traveling 

 in that time about thirty miles. The near approach 



of winter was marked by severe frosts, which continued 

 all day, unless when the sun chanced to be unusually 

 bright, and the geese and ducks were observed to take 

 a southerly course in large flocks. On the morning of 

 the 20th we came to a party of [ndians, encamped 

 behind the bank of the river, on tic borders ot' a small 



marshy lake, for the purpose of killing water-fowl. 

 lleiv we were gratified with the view of a very Lai 

 lent. Its length was about forty feet, its breadth 



QO 



