104 



Journal of a Voyage through the 



small of the back, with two cuts across his head. Thft 

 murderer, who had been my hunter throughout the winter, 

 had fled ; and it was pretended that several relations of 

 the deceased were gone in pursuit of him. The history 

 of this unfortunate event is as follows : — 



These two men had been comrades for four years ; 

 the murderer had three wives ; and the young man who 

 was killed, becoming enamoured of one of them, the hus- 

 band consented to yield her to him, with the reserved 

 power of claiming her as his property, when it should be 

 his pleasure. This connection was uninterrupted for near 

 three years, when, whimsical as it may appear, the hus- 

 band became jealous, and the public amour was suspended. 

 The parties, however, made their private assignations, 

 which caused the woman to be so ill treated by her hus- 

 band, that the paramour was determined to take her away 

 by force ; and this project ended in his death. This is a 

 very common practice among the Indians, and generally 

 terminates in very serious and fatal quarrels. In conse- 

 quence of this event all the Indians went away in great 

 apparent hurry and confusion, and in the evening not 

 one of them was to be seen about the fort. 



The Beaver and Rocky Mountain Indians, who traded 

 with us in this river, dklnot exceed an hundred and fifty 

 men, capable of bearing arms ; two thirds of whom called 

 themselves Beaver Indians. The latter differ only from 

 the former, as they have, more or less, imbibed the cus- 

 toms and manners of the Knistenaux. As I have already 

 observed, they are passionately fond of liquor, and in the 

 moments of their festivity will barter any thing they have 

 in their possession for it. 



Though the Beaver Indians made their peace with the 

 Knistenaux, at Peace Point, as already mentioned, yet 

 they did not secure a state of amity from others of the same 

 nation, who had driven away the natives of the Saskatchi- 

 wine and Missinipy Rivers, and joined at the head water 

 of the latter, called the Beaver River : from thence they 

 proceeded West by the Slave Lake just described, on their 

 war excursions, which they often repeated, even till the 

 Beaver Indians had procured arms, which was in the year 

 1782. If it so happened that they missed them, they pro- 

 ceeded Westward till they were certain of wreaking their 

 vengeance on those of the Rocky Mountain, who being 

 without arms, became an easy prey to their blind and sav- 



