154 A JOURNEY TO THE 



1771. most of the principal Indians who accompanied me, as well as 

 June. ]\y^a^|.Qj^abbee and myself, who were presented with some of the 

 very best. 



It is natural to suppose, that immediately after our arrival 

 the Copper Indians would be made acquainted with the nature 

 and intention of our journey. This was no sooner done than 

 they expressed their entire approbation, and many of them 

 seemed willing and desirous of giving every assistance ; par- 

 ticularly by lending us several canoes, which they assured us 

 would be very useful in the remaining part of our journey, 

 and contribute both to our ease and dispatch. It must be 

 observed, that these canoes were not entirely entrusted to my 

 crew, but carried by the owners themselves who accompanied 

 us ; as it would have been very uncertain where to have found 

 them at our return from the Copper River. 



Agreeably to my instructions, I smoked my calumet of 

 peace with the principal of the Copper Indians, who seemed 

 highly pleased on the occasion ; and, from a conversation held 

 on the subject of my journey, I found they were delighted 

 with the hopes of having an European settlement in their 

 neighbourhood, and seemed to have no idea that any impedi- 

 ment could prevent such a scheme from being carried into 

 execution. Climates and [121] seasons had no weight with 

 them ; nor could they see where the difficulty lay in getting to 

 them ; for though they acknowledged that they had never seen 

 the sea at the mouth of the Copper River clear of ice, yet they 

 could see nothing that should hinder a ship from approaching 

 it ; and they innocently enough observed, that the water was 

 always so smooth between the ice and shore, that even small 

 boats might get there with great ease and safety. How a ship 

 was to get between the ice and the shore, never once occurred 

 to them. 



Whether it was from real motives of hospitality, or from 

 the great advantages which they expected to reap by my dis- 

 coveries, I know not ; but I must confess that their civility 



