North-West Continent of America. 145 



use their expression, the Stinking Lake, where they trade 

 with people like us, that come there in vessels as big as 

 islands. They added, that the people to the Westward, 

 as they have been told, are very numerous. Those who 

 inhabit the other branch they stated as consisting of about 

 forty families, while they themselves did not amount to 

 more than a fourth of that number ; and were almost con- 

 tinually compelled to remain in their strong holds, where 

 they sometimes perished with cold and hunger, to secure 

 themselves from their enemies, who never failed to attack 

 them whenever an opportunity presented itself. 



This account of the country, from a people who I had 

 every reason to suppose were well acquainted with every 

 part of it, threatened to disconcert the project on which 

 my heart was set, and in which my whole mind was oc- 

 cupied. It occurred to me, however, that from fear, or 

 other motives, they might be tardy in their communica- 

 tion ; I therefore assured them, that if they would direct 

 me to the river which I described to them, I would come 

 in large vessels, like those that their neighbours had des- 

 cribed, to the mouth of it, and bring them arms and ammu- 

 nition in exchange* for the produce of their country ; so 

 that they might be able to defend themselves against their 

 enemies, and no longer remain in that abject, distressed, 

 and fugitive state in which they then lived. I added also, 

 that in the mean time, if they would, on my return, ac- 

 company me below the mountains, to a country which 

 was very abundant in animals, I would furnish them, and 

 their companions, with every thing they might want ; and 

 make peace between them and the Beaver Indians. But 

 all these promises did not appear to advance the object of 

 my inquiries, and they still persisted in their ignorance 

 of any such river as I had mentioned, that discharged 

 itself into the sea. 



In this state of perplexity and disappointment, various 

 projects presented themselves to my mind, which were 

 no sooner formed, than they were discovered to be im- 

 practicable, and were consequently abandoned. At one 

 time I thought of leaving the canoe, and every thing it 

 contained, to go over land, and pursue that chain of con- 

 nection by which these people obtain their iron-work : but 

 a very brief course of reflection convinced me that it 

 would be impossible for us to carry provisions for our 

 support through any considerable part of such a journey, 



