North-West Continent of Amenta. 



213 



miles. I thought it prudent, by way of security, to sub- 

 mit to the same inconveniences I have already described, 

 and shared the beaver robe of one of my guides during the 

 night. 



Sunday 7. I was so busily employed in collecting intel- 

 ligence from our conductors, that I last night forgot to 

 wind up my time-piece, and it was the only instance of 

 such an act of negligence since I left Fort Chepewyan, on 

 the 11th of last October. At five we quitted our station, 

 and proceeded across two mountains, covered with spruce, 

 poplar, white birch, and other trees. We then descended 

 into a level country, where we found a good road, through 

 woods of cypress. We then came to two small lakes, at 

 the distance of about fourteen miles. Course about West. 

 Through them the river passes, and our road kept in a pa- 

 rallel line with it on a range of elevated ground. On ob- 

 serving sane people before us, our guides hastened to 

 meet them, and, on their approach, one of them stepped 

 forward with an axe in his hand. This party consisted 

 only of a man, two women, and the same number of chil- 

 dren. The eldest of the women, who probably was the 

 man's mother, was engaged, when we joined them, in 

 clearing a circular spot, of about five feet in diameter, of 

 the weeds that infested it ; nor did our arrival interrupt 

 her employment, which was sacred to the memory of the 

 dead. The spot to which her pious care was devoted, 

 contained the grave of an husband, and a son, and when- 

 ever she passed this way, she always stopped to pay this 

 tribute of affection. 



As soon as we had taken our morning allowance, we set 

 forwards, and about three we perceived more people before 

 us. After some alarm we came up with them. They con- 

 sisted of seven men, as many women, and several chil- 

 dren. Here I was under the necessity of procuring an- 

 other guide, and we continued our route on the same side 

 of the river, till six in the evening, when we crossed it. 

 It was knee deep, and about an hundred yards over. I 

 .wished now to stop for the night, as we were all of us very 

 much fatigued, but our guide recommended us to proceed 

 onwards to a family of his friends, at a small distance from 

 thence, where we arrived at half past seven. He had gone 

 forward, and procured us a welcome and quiet reception. 

 There being a net hanging to dry, I requested the man to 

 prepare and set it in the water, which he did with great 



