NORTHERN OCEAN 163 



capable of receiving an impression, the path is as plain and 1771. 

 well-beaten, as any bye foot-path in England. By the side of-*"^' 

 this path there are, in different parts, several large, flat, or 

 table stones, which are covered with many thousands of small 

 pebbles. These the Copper Indians say have been gradually 

 increased by passengers going to and from the mines ; and on 

 its being observed to us that it was the [133] universal custom 

 for every one to add a stone to the heap, each of us took up 

 a small stone in order to increase the number, for good luck. 



Just as we arrived at the foot of the Stony Mountains, 

 three of the Indians turned back ; saying, that from every 

 appearance, the remainder of the journey seemed likely to be 

 attended with more trouble than would counterbalance the 

 pleasure they could promise themselves by going to war with 

 the Esquimaux. 



On the fifth, as the weather was so bad, with constant sth. 

 snow, sleet, and rain, that we could not see our way, we did 

 not offer to move : but the sixth proving moderate, and quite 6th. 

 fair till toward noon, we set out in the morning, and walked 

 about eleven miles to the North West ; when perceiving bad 

 weather at hand, we began to look out for shelter among the 

 rocks, as we had done the four preceding nights, having 

 neither tents nor tentpoles with us. The next morning 

 fifteen more of the Indians deserted us, being quite sick of the 

 road, and the uncommon badness of the weather. Indeed, 

 though these people are all enured to hardships, yet their 

 complaint on the present occasion was not without reason : 

 for, from our leaving Congecathawhachaga we had scarcely 

 a dry garment of any kind, or any thing to screen us from the 

 inclemency of the weather, except rocks and [134] caves; the 

 best of which were but damp and unwholesome lodging. In 

 some the water was constantly dropping from the rock that 

 formed the roof, which made our place of retreat little better 

 than the open air ; and we had not been able to make one spark 

 of fire (except what was sufficient to light a pipe) from the 



