Mat, 1859. ARTICLES IN THEIR POSSESSION. 265 



with fear, and could not, or would not, say 

 anything except " Kammik toomee :" we tried 

 every means of allaying their fears, but their 

 wits seemed paralyzed, and we could get no 

 information. We asked where they got the 

 wood ? They purchased it from their countrymen. 

 Did they know the Great River ? Yes, but it 

 was a long way off. Were there natives there 

 now ? Yes. They even denied all knowledge 

 of white people having died upon their shores. 

 A fine young man came out of the hut, but we 

 could learn nothing of him ; they said they 

 had nothing to barter, except what we saw, 

 although we tempted them by displaying our 

 store of knives and needles. 



The wind was strong and fair, and the morn- 

 ing intensely cold, and as I could not hope to 

 overcome the fears of these poor people without 

 encamping, and staying perhaps a day with 

 them, I determined to push on, and presented 

 the old lady with a needle as a parting gift. 



The principal articles which caught my atten- 

 tion here were eight or ten fir poles, varying in 

 length from 5 to 10 feet, and up to 2i inches 

 in diameter (these were converted into spear 

 handles and tent poles), a kayak paddle con- 

 structed out of the blades of two ash oars, and 

 two large snow shovels 4 feet long, made of 



