134 Thirty Years 



tion, as the two hunters, who had been sent out to 

 look for him, returned at sunset without having seen 

 him. Akaitcho arrived with his party, and we were 

 greatly disappointed at finding they had stored up 

 only fifteen reindeer for us. St. Germain informed us, 

 that having heard of the death of the chiefs brother- 

 in-law, they had spent several days in bewailing his 

 loss, instead of hunting. We learned also, that the 

 decease of this man had caused another party of the 

 tribe, who had been sent by Mr. Wentzel to prepare 

 provision for us on the banks of the Copper-Mine 

 River, to remove to the shores of the Great Bear Lake, 

 distant from our proposed route. Mortifying as these 

 circumstances were, they produced less painful sensa- 

 tions than we experienced in the evening, by the re- 

 fusal of Akaitcho to accompany us in the proposed de- 

 scent of the Copper Mine River. When Mr. Wentzel, 

 by my direction, communicated to him my intention 

 of proceeding at once on that service, he desired a con- 

 ference with me upon the subject, which being imme- 

 diately granted, he began by stating, that the very 

 attempl would be rash and dangerous, as the weather 



was cold, the leavea were falling, some geese had 



passed to the southward, and the winter would shortly 

 set in ; and that, as he considered the lives of all who 

 went on such a journey would be forfeited, he neither 

 would go himself, nor permit his hunters to accompany 



