North-West Continent of America. 



69 



ielligence as would prevent him from seeing Athabasca 

 this season. We left him with the Indian, and pitched 

 our tents at the same place where we had passed the night 

 on the fifth of last month. The English Chief came along 

 with the Indian to our fire ; and the latter informed us that 

 the native who went down part of the river with us had 

 passed there, and that we should meet with three lodges 

 of his tribe above the river of the Bear Lake. Of the river 

 to the Westward he knew nothing but from the relation of 

 others. This was the first night since our departure from 

 Athabasca, when it was sufficiently dark to render the 

 stars visible. 



Sunday 2. We set off at three this morning with the 

 towing-line. I walked with my Indians, as they went 

 faster than the canoe, and particularly as I suspected that 

 they wanted to arrive at the huts of the natives before me. 

 Irj our way, I observed several small springs of mineral 

 water running from the foot of the mountain, and along the 

 beach I saw several lumps of iron ore. When we came 

 to the river of the Bear Lake, I ordered one of the young 

 Indians to wait for my canoe, and I took my place in their 

 small canoe. This river is about two hundred and fifty 

 yards broad at this place, the water clear and of a greenish 

 colour. When I landed on the opposite shore, I discor 

 vered that the natives had been there very lately from the 

 print of their feet in the sand. We continued walking till 

 five in the afternoon, when we saw several smokes along 

 the shore. As we naturally concluded, that these were 

 certain indications where we should meet the natives who 

 were the objects of our search, we quickened our pace ; 

 but, in our progress, experienced a very sulphureous smell, 

 and at length discovered that the whole bank was on fire 

 for a very considerable distance. It proved to be a coal 

 mine, to which the fire had communicated from an ojd 

 Indian encampment. The beach was covered with coals, 

 and the English chief gathered some of the softest he could 

 find, as a black dye ; it being the mineral, as he informed 

 me, with which the natives render their quills black. 



Here we waited for the large canoe, which arrived an hour 

 after us. At half past ten we saw several Indian marks, 

 which consisted of pieces of bark fixed on poles, and point- 

 ing to the woods, opposite to which is an old beaten road, 

 that bore the marks of being lately frequented ; the beach 

 also was covered with tracks. At a small distance were 



