140 A JOURNEY TO THE 



1771. in order to meet their former husbands, from [103] whom 

 ^^' they had been sometime before taken by force. This affair 

 made more noise and bustle than I could have supposed ; and 

 Matonabbee seemed entirely disconcerted, and quite inconsol- 

 able for the loss of his wife. She was certainly by far the 

 handsomest of all his flock, of a moderate size, and had a fair 

 complexion ; she apparently possessed a mild temper, and 

 very engaging manners. In fact, she seemed to have every 

 good quality that could be expected in a Northern Indian 

 woman, and that could render her an agreeable companion to 

 an inhabitant of this part of the world. She had not, how- 

 ever, appeared happy in her late situation ; and chose rather 

 to be the sole wife of a sprightly young fellow of no note, 

 (though very capable of maintaining her,) than to have the 

 seventh or eighth share of the affection of the greatest man 

 in the country. I am sorry to mention an incident which 

 happened while we were building the canoes at Clowey, and 



fication is almost certainly wrong. The shores of the southern half of Artillery 

 Lake are wooded, while the Cat Lake of Hearne was three days' journey at 

 least north of the southern edge of the barren lands. I think, therefore, that 

 the Peshew or Cat Lake of this map is the lake which was named by Sir 

 George Back, Clinton-Colden Lake, and which is known by this name on our 

 present maps. Besides, though this argument may have little weight, Hearne's 

 map shows Partridge and Cat Lakes in approximately the same positions in 

 latitude as Partridge Lake (Kasba) and Clinton-Colden Lake respectively. On 

 the Cook and Mackenzie maps, Cat Lake is shown as Cheesadawd Lake, which 

 is certainly the same word as Tchize-ta, which Abbe Petitot says means Gite- 

 du-Lynx or Home-of-the-Wild-Cat Lake. Petitot, however, states that this 

 is the name of the lake which is now known as Walmsley Lake. Rt. Rev. J. 

 Lofthouse, Bishop of Keewatin, also informs me that the Chipewyan name for 

 Wild Cat or Lynx Lake is Seeza-tua. Another complication is brought in by 

 the Pennant map, which leaves Hearne's Cat Lake unnamed, and applies the 

 name Peshew (Cat) Lake to the Lake known on Hearne's map as No-name 

 Lake. This is much more nearly in the position of Walmsley Lake of the 

 present maps. It is therefore difficult to avoid the conclusion that Hearne 

 trusted to his memory for the names of these lakes, and that his memory failed 

 him here. It is quite possible that after crossing Partridge Lake the Indians 

 changed their course, for some reason or other, and turned west or south of 

 west to Walmsley Lake, and that in the excitement of meeting Keelshies, just 

 from Churchill with a two-quart keg of brandy, Hearne neglected to make note 

 of the change in the course.] 



