220 A JOURNEY TO THE 



177 1. During the early part of September, the weather was in 



epem ^^- ^^^^^.^1 cold, With Hiuch sleet and snow; which seemed to 

 [204] promise that the Winter would set in early. Deer at 

 this time being very plentiful, and the few woods we met with 

 affording tent-poles and firing, the Indians proposed to remain 

 where we were some time, in order to dress skins, and provide 

 our Winter clothing ; also to make snow-shoes and temporary 

 sledges, as well as to prepare a large quantity of dried meat 

 and fat to carry with us ; for by the accounts of the Indians, 

 they have always experienced a great scarcity of deer, and 

 every other kind of game, in the direction they proposed we 

 should go when we left Point Lake. 



Toward the middle of the month, the weather became 

 quite mild and open, and continued so till the end of it ; but 

 there was so much constant and incessant rain, that it rotted 



28th, most of our tents. On the twenty-eighth, however, the wind 

 settled in the North West quarter, when the weather grew so 



3otb. cold, that by the thirtieth all the ponds, lakes, and other 

 standing waters, were frozen over so hard that we were 

 enabled to cross them on the ice without danger. 



Among the various superstitious customs of those people, 

 it is worth remarking, and ought to have been mentioned in 

 its proper place, that immediately after my companions had 

 killed the Esquimaux at the Copper River, they considered 

 themselves in a state of uncleanness, which induced them to 

 practise some very curious and unusual ceremonies. [205] In 

 the first place, all who were absolutely concerned in the murder 

 were prohibited from cooking any kind of victuals, either for 

 themselves or others. As luckily there were two in company 

 who had not shed blood, they were employed always as cooks 

 till we joined the women. This circumstance was exceedingly 

 favourable on my side ; for had there been no persons of the 

 above description in company, that task, I was told, would 

 have fallen on me ; which would have been no less fatiguing 

 and troublesome, than humiliating and vexatious. 



