Journal of a Voyage through the 



all our hidden stores of provisions, and arrived about two- 

 in the afternoon of Sunday, August the 4th, at the place 

 which we had left a month before. 



A considerable number of Indians were encamped on 

 the opposite side of the small river, and in consequence of 

 the weather, confined to their lodges : as they must have 

 heard of, if not seen, us, and our arms being out of order 

 from the rain, I was not satisfied with our. situation ; but 

 did not wish to create an alarm. We, therefore, kept in 

 the edge of the wood,, and called to them, win they 

 turned out like so many furies, with their arms in their 

 hands, and threatening destruction if we dared to approach 

 their habitations. W e remained in our station till their 

 passion and apprehensions had subsided, when our inter- 

 preter gave them the necessary information respecting us. 

 They proved to be strangers to us, but were the relations 

 of those whom we had already seen here, and who, as they 

 told us, were upon an island at some distance up the river. 

 A messenger was accordingly sent to inform them of our 

 arrival. 



Monday 5. On examining the canoe, and our property, 

 which we had left behind, we found it in perfect safety ; 

 nor was there the print of a foot near the spot. We now 

 pitched our tent, and made a blazing fire, and I treated 

 myself, as well as the people, with a dram ; but we had 

 been so long without tasting any spirituous liquor* that we 

 had lost all relish for it. The Indians now arrived from 

 above, and were rewarded for the care they had taken of 

 our property with such articles as were acceptable to them* 



At nine this morning I sent five men in the canoe, for 

 the various articles we had left below, and they soon re- 

 turned with them, and except some bale goods, which had 

 got wet, they were in good order, particularly the provi- 

 sions, of which we were now in great need. 



Many of the natives arrived both from the upper and 

 lower parts of the river, each of whom was dressed in a 

 beaver robe. I purchased fifteen of them ; and they pre- 

 ferred large knives in exchange. It is an extraordinary 

 circumstance that these people, who might have taken all 

 the property we left behind vis, without the least fear of 

 detection, should leave that untouched, and purloin any 

 of our utensils, which our confidence in their honesty gave 

 them a ready opportunity of taking. In fact, several ar- 

 ticles were missing, and as I was very anxious to avoid a. 



