North-West Continent of America. 55 



The spawn is also carefully preserved and dried in the 

 same manner. We obtained as many fish from them as 

 the canoe could conveniently contain, and some strings of 

 beads were the price paid for them, an article which they 

 preferred to every other. Iron they held in little or no 

 estimation. 



During the two hours that I remained here I employed 

 the English Chief in a continual state of inquiry concern- 

 ing these people. The information that resulted from this 

 conference was as follows : 



This nation, or tribe, is very numerous, with whom the 

 Esquimaux had been continually at variance, a people 

 who take every advantage of attacking those who are not 

 in a state to defend themselves ; and though they had 

 promised friendship, had lately, in the most treacherous 

 manner, butchered some of their people. As a proof of 

 this circumstance, the relations of the deceased showed 

 us, that they had cut off their hair on the occasion. They 

 also declared their determination to withdraw all confidence 

 in future from the Esquimaux, and to collect:them selves 

 in a formidable body, that they might be enabled to re- 

 venge the death of their friends. 



From their account, a strong party ci Esquimaux occa- 

 sionally ascends this river, in large canoes, in search of 

 flint stones, which they employ to point their spears and 

 arrows. They were now at their lake due East from the 

 spot where we then were, which was at no great distance 

 over land, where they kill the rein-deer, and that they 

 would soon begin to catch big fish for the winter stock. 

 We could not, however, obtain any information respect- 

 ing the lake in the direction in which we were. To the 

 Eastward and Westward where they saw it, the ice breaks 

 up, but soon freezes again. 



. The Esquimaux informed them that they saw large 

 canoes full of white men to the Westward, eight or ten 

 winters ago, firom whom they obtained iron in exchange 

 for leather. The lake where they met these canoes, is 

 called by them Belhoullay Toe y or White Man's Lake. 

 They also represented the Esquimaux as dressing like 

 themselves. They wear their hair short, and have two 

 holes perforated, one on each side of the mouth, in a line 

 with the under lip, in which they place long beads that 

 they find in the lake. Their bows are somewhat different 

 from those used by the natives we had seen, and they em- 



