NORTHERN OCEAN 291 



solved by the heat and moisture of the stomach, proves a 1772. 

 strong and nourishing food ; whereas the former being entirely'""^' 

 deprived of those qualities, can by no means have an equal 

 claim to that character. Most of the Europeans, however, 

 are fonder of it than they are of that cured by the 

 [298] Northern Indians, The same maybe said to the lean 

 parts of the beast, which are first dried, and then reduced 

 into a kind of pov/der. That done by the Northern Indians 

 is entirely free from smoke, and quite soft and mellow in the 

 mouth : whereas that which is prepared by the Southern tribes 

 is generally as bitter as soot with smoke, and is as hard as the 

 scraps of horn, &c. which are burnt to make hardening for 

 the cutlers. I never knew, that any European was so fond 

 of this as they are of that made by the Northern Indians. 



On the ninth, as we were continuing our course to the 9th. 

 Factory, which then lay in the South East quarter, we saw 

 several smokes to the North East, and the same day spoke 

 with many Northern Indians, who were going to Knapp's Bay 

 to meet the Churchill sloop. Several of those Indians had 

 furrs with them, but having some time before taken up goods 

 on trust at Prince of Wales's Fort, were taking that method 

 to delay the payment of them. Defrauds of this kind have 

 been practised by many of those people with great success, 

 ever since the furr-trade has been established with the 

 Northern Indians at Knapp's Bay ; by which means debts 

 to a considerable amount are annually lost to the Company, 

 as well as their Governor in the Bay. 



Being desirous of improving every opportunity that the 

 fine weather afforded, we did not lose much time in conversa- 

 tion with those Indians, but proceeded on our course [299] to 

 the South East, while they continued theirs to the North East. 



For many days after leaving those people, we had the 

 good fortune to meet with plenty of provisions ; and as the 

 weather was for a long time remarkably fine and pleasant, 

 our circumstances were altered so much for the better, that 



