104 Thirty Years 
The wind and swell having subsided in the after- 
noon, we re-embarked, and steered towards the western 
point of the Big Island of Mackenzie, and when four 
miles distant from it, had forty-two fathoms soundings. 
Passing between this island and a promontory of the 
main shore, termed Big Cape, we entered into a deep 
bay, which receives the waters from several rivers that 
come from the northward ; and we immediately per- 
ceived a decrease in the temperature of the water, 
from 59° to 48°. We coasted along the eastern side 
of the day, its western shore being always visible, but 
the canoes were exposed to the hazard of being broken 
by the numerous sudden rocks, which were scattered 
in our track. "We encamped for the night on a rocky 
island, and by eight A. M. on the following morning, 
arrived at Fort Providence, which is situated twenty- 
one miles from the entrance of the bay. The post is 
exclusively occupied by the North-West Company, 
the Hudson’s Bay Company having no settlement to. 
. the northward of Great Slave Lake. We found Mr. 
Wentzel and our interpreter Jean Baptiste Adam 
here, with one of the Indian guides: but the chief of. 
the tribe and his hunters were encamped with their 
families, some miles from the fort, in a good situation 
for fishing. Our arrival was announced to him by a 
fire on the top of a hill, and before night a messenger 
