In the Arctic Regions. 33 
yards through the willow thicket on the banks of the 
stream, we entered upon an extensive marsh, varied 
only by a distant line of willows, which marks the 
course of a creek or branch of the river. The branch 
we navigated to-day is almost five hundred yards wide. 
The exhalations from the marshy soil produced a low 
fog, although the sky above was perfectly clear. In 
the course of the day we passed an Indian encamp- 
nent of three tents, whose inmates appeared to be in 
a still more miserable condition than those we saw 
yesterday. They had just finished the ceremony ot 
conjuration over some of their sick companions ; and 
a dog, which was recently killed as a sacrifice to some 
deity, was hanging to a tree, where it would be left (I 
was told) when they moved their encampment. 
We continued our voyage up the river, to the 20th, 
with little variation of scenery or incident, traveling 
in that time about. thirty miles. The near approach 
of winter was marked by severe frosts, which continued 
all day, unless when the sun chanced to be unusually 
bright, and the geese and ducks were observed to take 
a southerly course in large flocks. On the morning of 
the 20th we came to a party of Indians, encamped 
behind the bank of the river, on the borders of a small 
marshy lake, for the purpose of killing water-fowl. 
Here we were gratified with the view of a very large. 
tent. Its length was ae forty feet, its breadth 
