406 Thirty Years 



"We landed, at their request, to purchase fish ; yet, 

 after the bargain had been completed, an old woman 

 stepped forward, and would only allow of our receiv- 

 ing two fish : she maintained her point and carried off 

 the rest in spite of all remonstrance. The natives 

 were all clothed in new leathern dresses, and looked 

 much neater, and in better health, than last autumn. 

 Being anxious to reach the Red River, we continued 

 rowing against the wind until after midnight. On 

 reaching that place, the ground proved too wet for us 

 to encamp ; we, therefore, proceeded a short distance 

 lower down, and put up under some sandstone cliffs, 

 where there was but just room for the tents. As we 

 were now on the borders of the Esquimaux territory, 

 we devoted the following morning to cleaning the 

 arms ; and a gun, dagger, and ammunition, were is- 

 sued to each person. We had no reason, indeed, to 

 apprehend hostility from the Esquimaux, after the 

 messages they had sent to Fort, Franklin, but vigi- 

 lance and precaution are never to be omitted in inter- 

 course with strange tribes. 



Embarking at two in the afternoon of the 3rd, 

 we soon entered the expansion of the river whence the 

 different channels branch off, and Fid ring along the 

 western Bhore, we came to the head of a branch that 

 flowed towards the Rocky Mountain range. Being 

 anxious not to take the eastern detachment out of 



