TRAVELLING. 265 



into their kayaks. They enter a river which conducts them to a 

 lake, or rather series of lakes, and descend another stream which 

 joins the sea in Harrison Bay, within a day's journey and a half 

 of the Colville. Whilst passing these streams and lakes they are 

 enabled to supply themselves abundantly with fish of large size by 

 nets ; a few birds are also taken, and occasionally a deer. About 

 the eleventh day they encamp on a small island, within half a day's 

 journey of the bartering place, and the different parties probably 

 wait for each other there to enter the river in company. 



The Colville River is described as having four mouths, the 

 western of which is very shallow, but the second is a good deep 

 channel, and is therefore followed until they get into the un- 

 divided stream, on the left or west bank of which they see the tents 

 of their friends, the Nu-na-tang'-meun. Six, eight, or ten days, 

 for precise numbers could not be obtained, are spent in bartering, 

 dancing, and revelry on a flat piece of ground on which the tents 

 of the two parties are ranged opposite each other between two 

 slight eminences, about a bow-shot apart. The scene is looked 

 forward to by every one with pleasant anticipations, and is spoken 

 of as one of such great excitement that they hardly sleep during 

 the time it lasts. 



About the 26th of July this friendly meeting is dissolved, the 

 Nu-na-tang'-meun ascending the Colville homewards, and the others 

 descending its eastern mouth to pursue their journey to O-lik'-to, 

 Point Berens. In consequence of their occupying a great deal of 

 time in hunting to provide supplies for the remainder of the journey, 

 they spend four or five days in this short distance, which does not 

 exceed twenty miles. Proceeding from Point Berens they travel 

 four sleeps, as marked in red ink on the chart, to a place called 

 Ting-o-wai'-ak (Boulder Island of Franklin), where the tents are 

 pitched and the women and children left. Three boats are then 

 selected, and additional benches placed in each for tho accommo- 

 dation of its crew, now increased to fifteen, including one or two 

 women. The fifth sleep is within a short distance of Barter Point, 

 from which they start prepared for a hostile or a friendly meeting, 

 as the case may be, but it is uniformly the latter, at least of late 

 years. The conduct of tho Point Barrow people in their inter- 

 course with those of the Mackenzie, or rather Demarcation Point, 

 seems to be very wary, as if they constantly kept in mind that they 

 were the weaker party, and in tho country of strangers. They 

 describe themselves as taking up a position opposito the plaeo of 

 barter on a small island to which they can retreat on any alarm, 

 and cautiously advance from it making signs of friendship. They 



