286 A JOURNEY TO THE 



1772. settled, apparently to the entire satisfaction of all parties, we 



nth resumed our journey on the eleventh of May, and that at a much 

 brisker pace than we could probably have done when all the 

 old people and young children were with us. In the afternoon 

 of the same day we met some other Northern Indians, who 

 were also going to the Fort with furrs ; those joined our party, 

 and at night we all pitched our tents by the side of a river that 

 ■ empties itself into Doo-baunt Lake. This day all of us threw 

 away our snow-shoes, as the ground was so bare in most places 

 as not to require any such assistance ; but sledges were occasion- 

 ally serviceable for some time, particularly when we walked on 

 the ice of rivers or lakes. 



i2th. [292] The weather on the twelfth was so exceedingly hot 

 and sultry, and the v/ater so deep on the top of the ice of the 

 above-mentioned river, as to render walking on it not only very 

 troublesome, but dangerous ; so after advancing about five 

 miles we pitched our tents, and the warm weather being likely 

 to continue, the Indians immediately began to build their 

 canoes, which were completed with such expedition, that in 



i8th. the afternoon of the eighteenth we again set forward on our 

 journey, but the day being pretty far spent, we only walked 

 about four miles, and put up for the night. 



19th. The morning of the nineteenth was fine pleasant weather ; 

 and as all the water was drained off from the top of the ice, it 

 rendered walking on it both safe and easy ; accordingly we set 

 out pretty early, and that day walked upwards of twenty miles 

 to the East North East on the above-mentioned river.' The 

 next day proved so cold, that after walking about fifteen miles, 

 we were obliged to put up ; for having left Doo-baunt River, 



[1 The river down which the party was travelling at this time would appear 

 to have been a tributary of the Dubawnt River from the west. Unfortunately 

 when I descended the Dubawnt River there were no Chipewyan Indians in the 

 party, so that I was not able to learn the local names of the various lakes and 

 natural features encountered, nor anything of the geography of the country 

 beyond the range of vision, so that doubtless many streams joined the main 

 river without being noticed by me. This is probably one of them.] 



