INTO THE UNKNOWN WILDERNESS 



ing us again. From them, we now inquired for the Height 

 of Land portage, and were pleased to learn that .it was near 

 at hand. Having obtained as much information from these 

 fellows as we could, and arranged once more for three or 

 four of them to assist us over in the morning, we pitched our 

 own camp on a neighboring island. 



During the evening most of the Indians paddled across 

 to where we were, and from some of them sketch-maps and 

 useful information were obtained; but their attention was 

 chiefly devoted to filling our men with alarming stories 

 of the fearful dangers and certain disasters which we would 

 ■encounter should we attempt to pursue the route we were 

 following. They said we would meet with great impassable 

 ■canyons, and that the country through which it led was 

 inhabited by savage tribes of Eskimos, who would undoubt- 

 edly eat us. -These and similar stories produced a deep 

 impression on the minds of some of our men, and might have 

 given rise to serious trouble, and even the disorganizing of 

 the whole party. Jim went to my brother, and with a sad 

 face unbosomed his trouble. He said that if he were a single 

 man he would not feel so badly, but having a family depend- 

 ent on him, he could not run into such destruction as he now 

 learned awaited us. The rest of the men — excepting, per- 

 haps, Francois, who cared for nothing — were equally affected, 

 and it was with some difficulty we managed to, reassure them. 

 We told them that these Indians were a set of miserable liars, 

 and were only trying to prevent us from going into their 

 hunting grounds; that I had lived with the Eskimos for 

 nearly two years, and had found them to be far better people 

 than these Indians who were trying to deceive them. We 

 referred them to Moberly, the untrustworthy and false, as a 

 sample of their tribe, and at length persuaded them into 

 ■disbelieving the stories. 



On the morning of the 18th, accompanied by five native 

 Indians, we arrived at our portage, near the northern extrem- 



71 



