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Journal of a Voyage through the 



the least appearance of houses, though it would be impos- 

 sible to have seen them, if there had been any, at the dis- 

 tance of twenty yards, from the thickness of the woods. 

 My men were anxious to stop for the night ; indeed the 

 fatigue they had suffered justified the proposal, and I left 

 them to their choice ; but as the anxiety of my mind im- 

 pelled me forwards, they continued to follow me, till I 

 found myself at the edge of the woods ; and, notwithstand- 

 ing the remonstrances that were made, I proceeded, feeling 

 rather than seeing my way, till I arrived at an house, and 

 soon discovered several fires, in small huts, with people 

 busily employed in cooking their fish. I walked into one 

 of them without the least ceremony, threw down my bur- 

 den, and, after shaking hands with some of the people, sat 

 down upon it. They received me without the least ap- 

 pearance of surprise, but soon made signs for me to go up 

 to the large house, which was erected, on upright posts, at 

 some distance from the ground. A broad piece of timber 

 with steps cut in it, led to the scaffolding even with the 

 floor, and by this curious kind of ladder I entered the house 

 at one end ; and having passed three fires, at equal dis- 

 tances in the middle of the building, I was received by 

 several people, sitting upon a very wide board, at the upper 

 end of it. I shook hands with them, and seated myself 

 beside a man, the dignity of whose countenance induced 

 me to give him that preference. I soon discovered one of 

 my guides seated a little above me, with a neat mat spread 

 before him, which I supposed to be the place of honour, 

 and appropriated to strangers. In a short time my people 

 arrived, and placed themselves near me, when the man by 

 whom I sat, immediately rose, and fetched, from behind 

 a plank of about four feet wide, a quantity of roasted sal- 

 mon. He then directed a mat to be placed before me and 

 Mr. Mackay, who was now sitting by me. When this 

 ceremony was performed, he brought a salmon for each of 

 us, and half an one to each of my men. The same plank 

 served also as a screen for the beds, whither the women 

 and children were already retired ; but whether that cir- 

 cumstance took place on our arrival, or was the natural 

 consequence of the late hour of the night, I did not dis- 

 cover. The signs of our protector seemed to denote, that 

 we might sleep in the house, but as we did not understand 

 him with a sufficient degree of certainty, I thought it pru- 

 dent, from the fear of giving offence, to order the men to 



