108 _ Thirty Years 
forfeiture of all the advantages which might be anti- 
cipated from the expedition would be a certain conse- 
quence, if any quarrel arose between his party and the 
Esquimaux. I also communicated to him that owing 
to the distance we had traveled, we had now few more 
stores than were necessary for the use of our own 
party, a part. of these, however, should be forthwith 
presented to him; on his return, he and his party 
should be remunerated with cloth, ammunition, to- 
‘bacco, and some useful iron materials, besides having 
their debts to the North-West Company discharged, 
The chief, whose name is Akaitcho or Big-foot, 
replied by a renewal of his assurances, that he and his 
party would attend us to the end of our journey, and 
that they would do their utmost to provide us with 
the means of subsistence. He admitted that his tribe 
made war upon the Esquimaux, but said they were 
now desirous of peace, and unanimous in their opinion 
as to the necessity of all who accompanied us abstain- 
ing from every act of enmity against that nation. 
He added, however, that the Esquimaux were very 
treacherous, and therefore recommended that we should 
advance towards them with caution. 
The communication which the chief and the guides 
then gave respecting the route to the Copper-Mine 
River, and its course to the sea, coincided in every 
: oh | oa 11 fe soa . ea a 
