272 



Journal of a Voyage through the 



CHAPTER XIII. 



Leave the Friendly Village. Attentions of the natives at our 

 ■ departure. Stop to divide our provisions. Begin to 

 ascend the mountains. Circumstances of the ascent. Jour- 

 ney continued. Arrive at the place from whence .we set 

 out by land. Meet with Indians there. Find the canoe, 

 and all the other articles in a state of perfect security and 

 preservation. Means employed to compel the restoration 

 of articles which were afterwards stolen. Proceed on our 

 homeward-bound voyage. Some account of the natives 

 on the river. The canoe is run on a rock, Circum- 

 stances oj the voyage. Enter the Peace River. State- 

 ment of courses. Continue our route. Circumstances of 

 it. Proceed onwards, in a small canoe, zuith an Indian, 

 to the lower fort, leaving the rest of the people to folloiv 

 me. Arrive at Fort Chepewyan. The voyage concluded. 



"1793.' \ ^ T eleven in the morning we left this place, which 

 I called Friendly Village, accompanied by every man be- 

 longing to it, who attended us about a mile, when we took 

 a cordial leave of them ; and if we might judge from ap- 

 pearances, they parted from us with regret. 



In a short time we halted, to make a division of our fish, 

 and each man had about twenty pounds weight of it, ex- 

 cept Mr. Mack ay and myself, who were content with 

 shorter allowance, that we might have less weight to carry. 

 We had also a little flour, and some pemmican. Having 

 completed this arrangement with all possible expedition, 

 we proceeded onwards, the ground rising gradually, as we 

 continued our route. When we were clear of the wood, 

 we saw the mountain towering above, and apparently of 

 impracticable ascent. We soon came to the fork of the 

 river, which was at the foot of the precipice, where the 

 ford was three feet deep, and very rapid. Our young In- 

 dian, though much recovered, was still too weak to cross 

 the water, and with some difficulty I carried him over on 

 my back. 



It was now one in the afternoon, and we had to ascend 

 the summit of the first mountain before night came on, in 

 order to look for water. I left the sick Indian, with hh 



