182 Thirty Years 
bank, is the low rocky island which the Esquimaux 
deserted. We caught forty excellent fish of the sal- 
mon and white fish species in a single net below the 
rapid. We had not seen any trees during this day’s 
journey; our fuel consisted of small willows and 
pieces of dried wood that were picked up near to the 
encampment, The ground is well clothed with grass, 
and nourishes most of the shrubs and berry-bearing 
plants that we have seen north of Fort Enterprize ; 
and the country altogether has a richer appearance 
than the barren lands of the Copper Indians. We 
had a distinct view of the sea from the summit of a 
hill behind the tents; it appeared choked with ice 
and full of islands. “ 
On the morning of the 16th three men were sent up 
the river to search for dried wood to make floats for 
the nets. Adam, the interpreter, was also despatched 
with a Canadian to inform Akaitcho of the flight of 
the Esquimaux. We were preparing to go down to 
the sea in one of the canoes, leaving Mr. Back to, await 
the return of the men who were absent ; but just as 
the crew were putting the canoe in the water, Adam 
arrived in the utmost consternation, and informed us 
that a party of Esquimaux were pursuing the men 
whom he had sent to collect floats. The orders for 
embarking were instantly countermanded,.and we 
went with a party of men to their rescue. We soon 
