North-West Continent of America, 



201 



the fore and afternoon, that gave a mean of 1. 37. 42. 

 Achrometer slow apparent time, which, with an observed 

 immersion of Jupiter's first satellite, made our longitude / 

 122. 48 West of Greenwich. 



The blind old man gave a very favourable account of 

 us to his friends, and they all three were very merry to- 

 gether during the whole of the afternoon. That our 

 guide, however, might not escape from us during the 

 night, I determined to watch him. 



Sunday 30. Our strangers conducted themselves with 

 great good-humour throughout the day. According to 

 their information we should find their friends above and 

 below the carrying-place. They mentioned, also, that 

 some of them were not of their tribe, but are allied to the 

 people of the sea coast, who trade with the white men. 

 I had a meridian altitude, that gave 53. 3. 17. North lati- 

 tude. 



July, Monday 1. Last night I had the first watch, 

 when one of my Indians proposed to sit up with me, as 

 he understood, from the old man's conversation, that he 

 intended, in the course of the night, to make his escape* 

 Accordingly at eleven I extinguished my light, and sat 

 quietly in my tent, from whence I could observe the mo- 

 tions of the natives. About twelve, though the night 

 was rather dark, I observed the old man creeping on his 

 hands and knees towards the water side. We accordingly 

 followed him very quietly to the canoe, and he would have 

 gone away with it, if he had not been interrupted in his 

 design. On upbraiding him for his treacherous conduct, 

 when he had been treated with so much kindness by us, he 

 denied the intention of which we accused him, and declared 

 that his sole object was to assuage his thirst. At length, 

 however, he acknowledged the truth, and when we brought 

 him to the fire, his friends who now awoke, on being in- 

 formed of what had passed, reprobated his conduct, and 

 asked him how he could expect that the white people 

 would return to this country, if they experienced such un- 

 grateful treatment. The guide said, for his part, he was 

 not a woman, and would never run away through fear. 

 But notwithstanding this courageous declaration, at one 

 I awakened Mr. Mackay, related to him what had passed, 

 and requested him not to indulge himself in sleep till I 

 should rise. It was seven before I awoke, and on quit- 

 ting mvtent I was surprised at not seeing the guide and 



2b 



