OF THE POLAR SEA. 



71 



on their recent passage to this place, by 

 discharging those men who were less will- 

 ing to undertake the journey; of these, 

 three were Englishmen, one American, and 

 three Canadians. When the numbers were 

 completed, which we had been recom- 

 mended by the traders to take as a protec- 

 tion against the Esquimaux, we had sixteen 

 Canadian-voyagers, and our worthy and 

 only English attendant John Hepburn, be- 

 sides the two interpreters whom we were 

 to receive at the Great Slave Lake ; we 

 were also accompanied by a Chipewyan 

 woman. An equipment of goods was given 

 to each of the men who had been engaged 

 at this place, similar to what had been fur- 

 nished to the others at Cumberland ; and 

 when this distribution had been made, the 

 remainder were made up into bales, pre- 

 paratory to our departure, on the following 

 day. We were cheerfully assisted in these 

 and all our occupations by Mr. Smith, who 

 evinced an anxious desire to supply our 

 wants as far as his means permitted. 



Mr. Hood having brought up the dipping 



