214 Thirty Years 
Zé 
places very shallow. The banks, bottom, and adja- 
cent hills, are formed of a mixture of sand and clay. 
The ground was overspread with small willows and the 
dwarf birch, both too diminutive for fuel ; and the 
stream brought down no drift wood. We were morti- 
fied to find the nets only procured one salmon and 
five white fish, and that we had to make another in- 
road upon our dried meat. 
August 1—At two this morning the hunters re- 
turned with two small deer and a brown bear, Au- 
gustus and Junius arrived at the same time, having 
traced the river twelve miles further up, without dis- 
- covering any vestige of inhabitants. We had now 
an opportunity of gratifying our curiosity respecting 
the bear so much dreaded by the Indians, and of whose 
strength and ferocity we had heard such terrible ac- 
counts. It proved to be a lean male of a yellowish 
brown color, and not longer than a common black 
bear. It made a feeble attempt to defend itself, and 
was easily despatched. The flesh was brought to the 
tent, but our fastidious voyagers supposing, from its 
leanness, the animal had been sickly, declined eating 
it ; the officers, however, being less scrupulous, boiled 
the paws, and ound them excellent. 
We embarked at ten A.M. and proceeding down 
the river, took on board another deer that had been 
killed by Credit last evening. We then ran along 
