92 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



tention of sending the first party off on 

 Monday the 4th of June. I was anxious to 

 get the Indians to move on before, but they 

 lingered about the house, evidently with the 

 intention of picking up such articles as we 

 might deem unnecessary to take. When 

 Akaitcho was made acquainted with my 

 purpose of sending away a party of men, he 

 came to inform me that he would appoint 

 two hunters to accompany them, and at the. 

 same time requested that Dr. Richardson, 

 or as he called him, the Medicine Chief, 

 might be sent with his own band. These 

 Indians set a great value upon medicine, 

 and made many demands upon Dr. Richard- 

 son on the prospect of his departure. He 

 had to make up little packets of the diffe- 

 rent articles in his chest, not only for the 

 leader but for each of the minor chiefs, who 

 carefully placed them in their medicine 

 bags, noting in their memories the directions 

 he gave for their use. The readiness with 

 which their requests for medical assistance 

 were complied with, was considered by them 

 as a strong mark of our good intentions 



