58 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



with a message from the Hook, the chief 

 next to Akaitcho in authority amongst the 

 Copper Indians. His band was between 

 West Marten and Great Bear Lakes, and 

 he offered to provide a quantity of dried 

 meat for us on the banks of the Copper- 

 Mine River in the beginning of summer, 

 provided we sent him goods and ammuni- 

 tion. It was in his power to do this with- 

 out inconvenience, as he generally spends 

 the summer months on the banks of the 

 river, near the Copper Mountain; but we 

 had no goods to spare, and I could not ven- 

 ture to send any part of our small stock of 

 ammunition until I saw what the necessities 

 of our own party required. I told them, 

 however, that I would gladly receive either 

 provisions or leather when we met, and 

 would pay for them by notes on the North- 

 West Company's post; but to prevent any 

 misunderstanding with Mr. Weeks, I re- 

 quested them to take their winter's collec- 

 tion of furs to Fort Providence before they 

 went to the Copper-Mine River. They 

 assured me that the Hook would watch 



