North-West Continent of America. 



193 



distance, who was relieved every hour. The weather was 

 cloudy, with showers of rain. 



Tuesday 25. At one I called up the other watch, and 

 laid down to a small portion of broken rest. At five I 

 arose, and as the situation which we left yesterday was 

 preferable to that which we then occupied, I determined 

 to return to it. On our arrival Mr. Mackay informed me 

 that the men had expressed their dissatisfaction to him in 

 a very unreserved manner, and had in very strong terms 

 declared their resolution to follow me no further in my 

 proposed enterprize. I did not appear, however, to have 

 received such communications from him, and continued 

 to employ my whole thoughts in contriving means to bring 

 about a reconciliation with the natives, which alone would 

 enable me to procure guides, without whose assistance it 

 would be impossible for me to proceed, when my darling 

 project would end in disappointment. 



At twelve we saw a nlan coming with the stream upon a 

 raft, and he must have discovered us before we perceived 

 him, as he was working very hard to get to the opposite 

 shore, where he soon landed, and instantly fled into the 

 woods. I now had a meridional altitude, which gave 60. 

 23. natural horizon (the angle being more than the sextant 

 could measure with the artificial horizon) one mile and an 

 half distant ; and the eye five feet above the level of the 

 water, gave 52. 47. 51. North latitude. 



While I was thus employed, the men loaded the canoe 

 without having received any orders from me, and as this 

 was the first time they had ventured to act in such a de- 

 cided manner, I naturally concluded, that they had pre- 

 concerted a plan for their return. I thought it prudent, 

 however, to take no notice of this transaction, and to wait 

 the issue of future circumstances. At this moment our 

 Indians perceived a person in the edge of the woods above 

 us, and they were immediately dispatched to discover who 

 it was. After a short absence they returned with a young 

 woman whom we had seen before : her language was not 

 clearly comprehended by us, so that we could not learn 

 from her, at least with any degree of certainty, the cause 

 of this unfortunate alarm that had taken place among the 

 natives. She told us that her errand was, to fetch some 

 things which she had left behind her and one of the dogs 

 whom we found here, appeared to acknowledge her as his 

 mistress. We treated her with great kindness, gave her 



2 A 



