342 BCiENCB IN Rupert's land. 



fill, and when lighted, they do not allow a single whiff to escape, but 

 swallow it, withholding respiration until the pipe is finished. The 

 effect of this upon their nervous system is great. They often fall on 

 the ground completely exhausted, and for a few minutes tremble like 

 an aspen leaf. The heavy beards of the men, and the fair complex- 

 ions of all, astonished my Indians greatly, and in their surprise they 

 called them * Mannoli Conde,' like the white people. They were all 

 exceedingly well dressed in deer-skin clothing, with the hair outside, 

 which being new, and nicely ornamented with white fur, gave them a 

 clean and very comfortable appearance. Their little Kiyachs were 

 beautifully made, and the men were armed with deadly-looking knives, 

 spears and arrows, all of their own manufacture. The Indians are in 

 great dread of them ; and so afraid of ray safety were two different 

 parties that I met on my way down, that a man from each of them, 

 who could speak a little Eskimos, volunteered to accompany me, and 

 their freely rendered services proved invaluable to me. Poor fellows, 

 they will never see this ; but I cannot refrain from paying them here 

 my tribute of gratitude and thanks. 



" At Peel's River I met with a large number of Loucheux Indians, 

 all of whom received me most kindly, and listened attentively. These 

 are a part of the great family who reach to the Youcan and beyond ;, 

 but from their longer association with the whites, many of the darker 

 traits that belong to their brethren on the Youcan, pertain, if at all, 

 in a much milder form, to them and to the Indians at Lapienes House. 



" I leJt my canoe and Indians, as well as those who had accompa- 

 nied me, at the Fort ; and taking two others who knew the way, I 

 pursued the journey on foot over the Rocky Mountains to Lapienes 

 House. This part of the journey fatigued me exceedingly, not so 

 much from the distance (which was only from 75 to 100 miles,) as. 

 from the badness of the walking, intense heat of the sun, and myriad* 

 of the most voracious mosquitos that I have encountered in the country. 

 There were several rivers to ford, which from the melting snows and 

 recent rains, were just at their height. Fortunately they were neither 

 very deep nor wide, or my stature and strength would have been 

 serious impediments to my getting over them. 



"At Lapienes House I met Mr. Jones, who was my companion from 

 Red River to Fort Simpson. He had come up in charge of the You- 

 con boat, and kindly granted me a passage. I had fortunately a 

 bundle of Canadian newspapers in my carpet bag, some of them 



