154 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



August 1. — This morning the Indians set 

 out, intending to wait for us at the mouth 

 of the Yellow-Knife River. We remained 

 behind to pack our stores in bales of eighty 

 pounds each, an operation which could not 

 be done in the presence of these Indians, as 

 they are in the habit of begging for every 

 thing they see. Our stores consisted of 

 two barrels of gunpowder, one hundred and 

 forty pounds of ball and small shot, four 

 fowling-pieces, a few old trading guns, eight 

 pistols, twenty-four Indian daggers, some 

 packages of knives, chisels, axes, nails, and 

 fastenings for a boat ; a few yards of cloth, 

 some blankets, needles, looking-glasses, and 

 beads ; together with nine fishing-nets, hav- 

 ing meshes of different sizes. Our provision 

 was two casks of flour, two hundred dried 

 rein-deer tongues, some dried moose-meat, 

 portable soup, and arrow-root, sufficient in 

 the whole for ten days' consumption, besides 

 two cases of chocolate and two canisters of 

 tea. We engaged another Canadian voyager 

 at this place, and the expedition then con- 

 sisted of twenty-eight persons, including 



