90 J our rial of a Voyagt through the 



East one mile, South-West by South three miles, West 

 by South one mile, South-South- W^est two miles, South 

 four miles, South- West seven miles and an half, South by 

 West one mile, North-North- West two miles and an half, 

 South five miles and a quarter, South-West one mile and 

 an half, North-East by East three miles and an half, and 

 South-East by East one mile. 



We overtook Mr. Findlay, with his canoes, who was en- 

 camped near the fort of which he was going to take the 

 charge, during the ensuing winter, and made, every neces- 

 sary preparative for a becoming appearance on our arrival 

 the following morning. Although I bad been since the- 

 year 1787 in the Athabasca country, I had never yet seen 

 a single native of that part of it which we had now reached. 



At six o'clock in the morning of the 20th, we landed be- 

 fore the house, amidst the rejoicing and firing of the peo- 

 ple, who were animated with the prospect of again indulg- 

 ing themselves in the luxury of rum, of which they had 

 been deprived since the beginning of May ; as it is a prac- 

 tice throughout the North-West, neither to sell or give 

 any rum to the natives during the summer. There was 

 at this time only one Chief with his people, the other two 

 being hourly expected with their bands: and on the 21st 

 and 22d, they all arrived except the war Chief and fifteen 

 men. As they very soon expressed their desire of the ex- 

 pected regale, I called them together, to the number of 

 forty-two hunters, or men capable of bearing arms, to offer 

 some advice, which would be equally advantageous to 

 them and to us, and I strengthened my admonition with a 

 nine gallon cask of reduced rum, and a quantity of tobacco. 

 At the same time I observed, that as 1 should not often 

 visit them, I had instanced a greater degree of liberality 

 than they had been accustomed to. 



The number of people belonging to this establishment 

 amounts to about three hundred, of which sixty are hunt- 

 ers. Although they appear from their language to be of 

 the same stock as the Chepewyans, they differ from them 

 in appearance, manners, and customs, as they have adopted 

 those of their enemies, the Knisteneaux : they speak their 

 language, as well as cut their hair, paint, and dress like 

 them, and possess their immoderate fondness for liquor 

 and tobacco. This description,, however, can be applied 

 only to the men, as the women are less adorned even than 

 those. of the Chepewyan tribes. We could not observe, 



