North-West Continent of America. 



r 



remain here for some time. I then ordered the nets to 

 beset, as it was absolutely necessary that the stores pro- 

 vided for our future voyage should remain untouched. 

 The fish we now caught were carp, poisson ^inconnu, white 

 $sh, and trout. 



Wednesday 10. It rained during the greatest part of the 

 preceding night, and the weather did not clear up till the 

 afternoon of this day. This circumstance had very much 

 weakened the ice, and I sent two of the Indians on an hunt- 

 ing party to a lake at the distance of nine miles, which, 

 ihey informed me, was frequented by animals of various 

 kinds. Our fishery this day was not so abundant as it had 

 been on the preceding afternoon. 



" Thursday 11. The weather was fine and clear, with a 

 strong westerly wind. The women were employed in gather- 

 ing berries of different sorts, of which there are a great plen- 

 ty; and I accompanied one of my people to a small adjacent 

 island, where we picked up some dozens of swan, geese, 

 and duck-eggs ; we also killed a couple of ducks and a 

 goose. 



In the evening the Indians returned, without having 

 seen any of the larger animals. A swan and a grey crane 

 were the only fruits of their expedition. We caught no 

 other fish but a small quantity of pike, which is too com- 

 mon to be a favourite food with the people of the country* 

 The ice moved a little to the eastward. 



Friday 12. The weather continued the same as yester- 

 day, and the musquitoes began to visit us in great num- 

 bers. The ice moved again in the same direction, and I 

 ascended an hill, but could not perceive that it was broken 

 in the middle of the lake. The hunters killed a goose and 

 three ducks. 



Saturday 13. The weather was cloudy, and the wind 

 changeable till about sun-set, when it settled in the north. 

 \t drove back the ice which was now very much broken 

 along the shore, and covered our nets. One of the hunters 

 who had .been at the Slave River the preceding evening, 

 returned with three beavers and fourteen geese. He was 

 accompanied by three families of Indians, who left Atha- 

 basca the same day as myself : they did not bring me any 

 fowl • and they pleaded in excuse, that they had travelled 

 with so much expedition, as to prevent them from procur- 

 ing sufficient provisions for themselves. By a meridian 

 * Fish that were unknown. 



