North-West Continent of America. 2£1 



not choose to accept for the otter-skin, they shook their 

 heads, and very distinctly answered " No, no." And to 

 mark their refusal of any thing we asked from them, they 

 emphatically employed the same British monosyllable. In 

 one of the canoes which had left us, there was a seal, that 

 I wished to purchase, but could not persuade the natives 

 to part with it. They had also a fish, which I now saw 

 for the first time* It was about eighteen inches in length, 

 of the shape and appearance of a trout, with strong, sharp 

 teeth. We saw great numbers of the animals which we 

 had taken for sea otters, but I was now disposed to think 

 that a great part of them, at least, must have been seals. 



The natives having left us, we made afire to warm our- 

 selves, and as for supper, there was but little of that, for 

 our whole daily allowance did not amount to what was suf- 

 ficient for a single meal. The weather was clear through- 

 out the day, which was succeeded by a fine moon-light 

 night. I directed the people to keep watch by two in turn, 

 and laid myself down in my cloak. 



Monday 22. This morning the weather was clear and 

 pleasant ; nor had any thing occurred to disturb us through- 

 out the night. One solitary Indian, indeed, came to us 

 with about half a pound of boiled seal's flesh, and the head 

 of a small salmon, for which he asked an handkerchief, 

 but afterwards accepted a few beads. As this man came 

 alone, I concluded that no general plan had been formed 

 among the natives to annoy us, but this opinion did not 

 altogether calm the apprehensions of my people. 



Soon after eight in the morning, I took five altitudes 

 for time, and the mean of them was 36° 48 1 at six in the af- 

 ternoon, 58. 34. time, by the watch, which makes the 

 aerometer slow apparent time l h 21 m 44 s . 



Two canoes now arrived from the same quarter as the 

 rest, with several men, and our young Indian along with 

 them. They brought a very few small sea-otter skins, 

 out of season, with some pieces of raw seal's flesh. The 

 former were of no value, but hunger compelled some of 

 my people to take the latter, at an extravagant price. Mr. 

 Mack ay lighted a bit of touch wood with a burning-glass, 

 in the cover of his tobacco-box, which so surprised the 

 natives, that they exchanged the best of their otter skins 

 for it. The young man was now very anxious to persuade 

 our people to depart, as the natives he said, were as nu- 

 merous as musquitoes, and of very malignant character* 



