NORTHERN OCEAN 147 



journey; assuring him [112] not only of the future esteem of 1771. 

 the present Governor of Prince of Wales's Fort, but also of *^' 

 that of all his successors as long as he lived ; and that even the 

 Hudson's Bay Company themselves would be ready to acknow- 

 ledge his assiduity and perseverance, in conducting a business 

 which had so much the appearance of proving advantageous 

 to them. After some conversation of this kind, and a good 

 deal of intreaty, he at length consented to proceed, and 

 promised to make all possible haste. Though it was then 

 late in the afternoon, he gave orders for moving, and accord- 29th. 

 ingly we walked about seven miles that night, and put up on 

 another island in Peshew Lake. The preceding afternoon the 

 Indians had killed a few deer ; but our number was then so 

 great, that eight or ten deer would scarcely afford us all a 

 taste. These deer were the first we had seen since our leaving 

 the neighbourhood of Thelewey-aza-yeth ; so that we had 

 lived all the time on the dried meat which had been prepared 

 before we left that place in April. 



The thirtieth proved bad, rainy weather ; we walked, how- 30th. 

 ever, about ten miles to the Northward, when we arrived on 

 the North side of Peshew Lake, and put up. Here Matonab- 

 bee immediately began to make every necessary arrangement 

 for facilitating the executing of our design ; and as he had 

 promised to make all possible haste, he thought it expedient 

 to leave most of his wives and all his children in the care of 

 some Indians, then in our company, who had his orders to 

 proceed to the [113] Northward at their leisure; and who, at 

 a particular place appointed by him, were to wait our return 

 from the Copper-mine River, Having formed this resolution, 

 Matonabbee selected two of his young wives who had no 

 children, to accompany us ; and in order to make their loads 

 as light as possible, it was agreed that we should not take 

 more ammunition with us than was really necessary for our 

 support, till we might expect again to join those Indians and 

 the women and children. The same measures were also 



