448 Tliirty Yeurs 



young men, who had been hunting, and who after- 

 wards sent their wives to bring us a part of the spoils 

 of their chase. They remained near the tents the 

 greater part of the night, and testified their delight by 

 dancing and sins-in^. An old woman, whose hair was 

 silvered by age, made a prominent figure in these 

 exhibitions. 



The information we obtained from them confirmed 

 that which we had received from the last party, name- 

 ly, that they procure the iron, knives, and beads, 

 M i7ti? y through two channels, but principally from a 

 party of Esquimaux who reside a great distance to 

 the westward, and to meet whom they send their 

 young men every spring with furs, seal-skins, and oil, 

 to exchange for those articles ; and also from the In- 

 dians who come every year from the interior to trade 

 with them by a river that was directly opposite our 

 encampment ; which I have, therefore, named the 

 Mountain Indian River. These Indians leave their 

 families and canoes at two days' march from the mouth 

 of the river, and the men come alone, bringing no 

 more goods than they intend to barter. They were 

 represented to be tall Btout men, clothed in deer-skins, 

 •and Bpeaking a language very dissimilar to their own. 



They also said that the Esquimaux to the westward, 



speak a dialect so different from theirs, that at the 

 first opening of the communication, which was so re- 



