An Expedition down the Begh-ula. 41 



dragged the canoe to land, and with some trouble I suc- 

 ceeded in making the Indians turnback. They were ordered 

 to re-embark, but refused. Seeing that they would not, I 

 ranged them in a line along the beach with their guns pre- 

 sented, so as to prevent the Esquimaux from landing. The 

 beach at this place was low and flat, the mud knee deep, ice 

 in large sheets, with snow and water immediately in the 

 back ground, not a stick of drift-wood and the position 

 perfectly untenable. The Indians were clamouring to be 

 off. some of them who had been at Peel River recognized 

 many of the Esquimaux as recent frequenters of that post, 

 and " Brulez " also informed me that he had seen the gun 

 and horn of the missing Indian with one of the Esquimaux. 

 Finding that with these crews I should never be able to 

 get back with the canoes, even if they had agreed to 

 remain, I at length very reluctantly consented to accomp- 

 any them, and we accordingly set out with all the property, 

 leaving behind only what was too cumbrous to be carried, 

 viz., our stock of dried meat and pemican (5 pieces), track- 

 ing line, kettle, tent, oil-cloth, a tin pan, &c. It is but 

 just to state that throughout, the Iroquois and " Crashey " 

 the Esquimaux interpreter, were the only two who duly 

 supported me. Had the conduct of the others, from the first, 

 been equally satisfactory, it is my firm belief that we could 

 have passed on and returned despite of the Esquimaux, not- 

 withstanding their notoriously bad character and that they 

 were well armed with guns and other weapons. Their chief 

 object was to get possession of our guns and stock of 

 ammunition which, added to their own, would have made 

 them rather formidable in the event of an encounter with 

 the Peel River brigade. While occupied in giving out 

 the tobacco, ammunition and other trading goods, a number 

 of Esquimaux had landed above and below where we were ; 

 those in front of us were prevented from landing by the 

 Iroquois and interpreter. The whole proceedings, after I 

 decided on saving the ammunition, &c, occupied but a 

 few minutes, and it was only on consenting to abandon the 

 canoes that I could at all prevail on the Indians to remain. 



