196 



Journal of a Voyage through the 



The old man informed me, that some of the native* 

 whom I had seen here were gone up the river, and those 

 whom I saw below had left their late station to gather a 

 root in the plains, which, when dried, forms a consider- 

 able article in their winter stock of provisions. He had a 

 woman, he said, with him, who used to see us walking 

 along the small adjoining river, but when he called her he 

 received no answer, so that she had probably fled to join 

 her people. He informed me, also, that he expected a 

 considerable number of his tribe to come on the upper part 

 of the river to catch fish for their present support, and to 

 cure them for their winter store ; among whom he had a 

 son and two brothers. 



In consequence of these communications, I deemed it 

 altogether unnecessary to lose any more time at this place, 

 and I informed the old man that he must accompany me 

 for the purpose of introducing us to his friends and rela- 

 tions, and that if we met with his son or brothers, I depend- 

 ed upon him to persuade them, or some of their party, to 

 attend us as guides in our meditated expedition. He ex- 

 pressed his wishes to be excused from this service, and in 

 other circumstances we should not have insisted on it, but, 

 situated as we were, we could not yield to his request. 



At seven in the morning we left this place, which I 

 named Deserter's River, or Creek. Our blind guide was, 

 however, so averse to continuing with us, that I was under 

 the very disagreeable necessity of ordering the men to carry 

 him into the canoe ; and this was the first act during my 

 voyage, that had the semblance of violent dealing. He 

 continued to speak in a very loud tone, while he remain- 

 ed, according to his conjecture, near enough to the camp 

 to be heard, but in a language that our interpreters did not 

 understand. On asking him what he said, and why he 

 did not speak in a language known to us, he replied, that 

 the woman understood him better in that which he spoke, 

 and he requested her, if she heard him, to come for him 

 to the carrying-place, where he expected we should leave 

 him. 



At length our canoe was become so leaky, that it was, 

 absolutely unfit for service ; and it was the unremitting 

 employment of one person to keep her clear of water : we, 

 therefore, inquired of the old man where we could con- 

 veniently obtain the articles necessary to build a new one j 



