404 Thirty Years 
~ 
fortunately terminated without bloodshed. We could 
not, however, gain any satisfactory account of the 
movements of the Esquimaux. The only answers to 
our repeated questions on these points were, that the 
Esquimaux came in sixty canoes to Red River, and 
that they supposed them to have gone down the 
eastern channel, for the purpose of fishing near its 
mouth, The chief, however, informed us that he had 
mentioned our coming to their lands this spring, and 
that they had received the intelligence without com- 
ment; but from his not having alluded to this com- 
munication until the question was pressed upon him, 
and from the manner of his. answering our inquiries, I 
thought it doubtful whether such a communication 
had really been made. 
We had been led to expect much information from 
the Loucheux respecting the channels of the river, and 
the coast on the east and west side near its mouth, but 
we were greatly disappointed. They were ignorant of 
the channel we ought to follow in order to arrive at 
the western mouth of the river ; and the only intelli- 
gence they gave us respecting the coast on that side 
was, that the Esquimaux represented it to be almost 
constantly beset by ice. They said also that they 
were unacquainted with the tribes who reside to the 
westward. Several of the party had been down the 
eastern channel, of which they made a rude sketch ; 
