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North-West Continent of America, 131 



people had not been here, or did not adhere to the truth. 

 By the number of trees which appeared to have been felled 

 with axes, we discovered that the Knisteneaux, or some 

 tribes who are known to employ that instrument, had passed 

 this way. We passed through a snare inclosure, but saw 

 no animals, though the country was very much intersected 

 by their tracks. 



Saturday 25. It rained throughout the night, and till 

 twelve this day ; while the business of preparing great and 

 small poles, and putting the canoe in order, &c. caused us 

 to remain here till five in the afternoon. I now attached a 

 knife, with a steel, flint, beads, and other trifling articles 

 to a pole, which I erected, and left as a token of amity to 

 the natives. When I was making this arrangement, one 

 of my attendants, whom I have already described under 

 the title of the Cancre, added to my assortment a small, 

 round piece of green wood, chewed at one end in the form 

 of a brush, which the Indians use to pick the marrow out 

 6f bones. This, he informed me, was an emblem of a coun- 

 try abounding in animals. The water had risen during 

 our stay here, one foot and an half perpendicular height. 



We now embarked, and our course was North- West 

 one mile and three quarters. There were mountains on 

 all sides of us, which were covered with snow : one in 

 particular, on the South side of the river, rose to a great 

 height. We continued to proceed West three quarters of 

 a mile, North- West one mile, and West-South- West a 

 quarter of a mile, when we encamped for the night. The 

 Cancre killed a small elk. 



Sunday 26. The weather was clear and sharp, and be- 

 tween three and four in the morning we renewed our 

 voyage, our first course being West by South three miles 

 and an half, when the men complained of the cold in their 

 fingers, as they were obliged to push on the canoe with 

 the poles. Here a small river flowed in from the North. 

 We now continued to steer West-South-West a quarter 

 of a mile, West-North-West a mile and an half, and West 

 two miles, when we found ourselves on a parallel with a 

 chain of mountains on both sides the river, running South 

 and North. The river, both yesterday and die early part 

 of to-day, was from four to eight hundred yards wide, and 

 full of islands, but was at this time diminished to about 

 two hundred yards broad, and free from islands, with a 

 smooth but strong current. . Our next course was South- 



