138 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



habitants live principally on the fish, which 

 the lake at certain seasons furnishes in great 

 abundance ; of these, the white fish, trout, 

 and poisson inconnu are considered the best. 

 They also procure moose, buffalo, and rein- 

 deer meat occasionally from their hunters ; 

 but these animals are generally found at the 

 distance of several days' walk from the 

 forts. The Indians who trade here are 

 Chipewyans. Beavers, martens, foxes, and 

 musk-rats, are caught in numbers in the 

 vicinity of this great body of water. The 

 musquitoes here were still a serious annoy- 

 ance to us, but less numerous than before. 

 They were in some degree replaced by a 

 small sandfly, whose bite is succeeded by 

 a copious flow of blood, and considerable 

 swelling, but is attended with incomparably 

 less irritation, than the puncture of the 

 musquito. 



On the 27th of July we embarked at four 

 A.M., and proceeded along the south shore 

 of the lake, through a narrow channel, 

 formed by some islands, beyond the conflu- 

 ence of the principal branch of the Slave 



