114 Thirty Years 



were advised by Mr. Wentzel to recommence the 

 dancing after this event, lest the Indians should ima- 

 gine, by our putting a stop to it, that we considered 

 the circumstance as an unfavorable commencement of 

 our undertaking. We were, however, deeply impress- 

 ed with a grateful sense of the Divine Providence, in 

 averting the threatened destruction of our stores, 

 which would have been fatal to every prospect of pro- 

 ceeding forward this season. 



August 1. — This morning the Indians set out, in- 

 tending to wait for us at the mouth of the Yellow- 

 Knife River. We remained behind to pack our stores, 

 in bales of eighty pounds each, an operation which 

 could not be done in the presence of these Indians, as 

 they are in the habit of begging for every thing they 

 see. Our stores consisted of two barrels of gunpow- 

 der, one hundred and forty pounds of ball and small 

 shot, four fowling pieces, afewold trading guns, eight 

 pistols, twenty-four Indian daggers, some packages of 

 knives, chisels, axes, nails, and fastenings for a boal ; 

 a few yards <>1 - cloth, some blankets, needles, looking- 

 B, and beads ; together with nine fishing nets, 

 having meshes of different sizes. Our provision was 

 two casks of flour, two hundred dried reindeer tongues, 



Borne dried moose meat, portable soup, and arrow-root, 



sufficient in the whole for ti n days' consumption, be- 



of eh ic In I e, and two canisters of tea. 



