24. 



Journal of a Voyage through the 



Sunday 5. The sun set last night at fifty-three minutes 

 past nine, by my watch, and rose at seven minutes before 

 two this morning : we embarked soon alter, steering North- 

 North- West, through islands for five miles, and West 

 four miles. The river then increased in breadth, and 

 the current began to slacken in a small degree ; after the 

 continuation of our course, we perceived a ridge of high 

 mountains before us % covered with snow, West-South- 

 West ten miles, and at three-quarters past seven o'clock, 

 we saw several smokes on the North shore, which we 

 made every exertion to approach. . As we drew nearer, 

 we discovered the natives running about in great apparent 

 confusion; some were making to the woods, and others 

 hurrying to their canoes. Our hunters landed before us,, 

 and addressed the few that had not escaped, in the Chepe- 

 wyan language, which, so great was their confusion and 

 terror, they did not appear toTinderstand. But when they 

 perceived that it was impossible to avoid us, as we were 

 all landed, they made us signs to keep at a distance, with 

 which we complied, and not only unloaded our canoe, but 

 pitched our tents, before we made any attempt to approach 

 them. During this interval, the English chief and his 

 young men were employed in reconciling them to our arri- 

 val : and when they had recovered from their alarm, of 

 hostile intention, it appeared that some of them perfectly 

 comprehended the language of our Indians ; so that they 

 were at length persuaded, though not without evident signs 

 of reluctance and apprehension, to come to us. Their 

 reception, however, soon dissipated their fears, and they 

 hastened-to call their fugitive companions from their hid- 

 ing places. 



There were five families, consisting of twenty-five or 

 thirty persons, and of two different tribes, the Slave and 

 Dog-rib Indians. We made them smoke, though it was 

 evident they did not know the use of tobacco ; we likewise 

 supplied them with grog ; but I am disposed to think, that 

 they accepted our civilities rather from fear than inclina- 

 tion. We acquired a more effectual influence over them 

 by the distribution of knives, beads, awls, rings, gartering, 

 fire-steels, flints, and hatchets ; so that they became more 

 familiar even than we expected, for we could not keep them 

 out of our tents : though I did not observe that they at- 

 tempted to purloin an} r thing. 



