OF THE POLAR SEA. 187 



set in ; and that, as he considered the lives 

 of all who went on such a journey would be 

 forfeited, he neither would go himself nor 

 permit his hunters to accompany us. He 

 said there was no wood within eleven days' 

 march, during which time we could not 

 have any fire, as the moss which the Indians 

 use in their summer excursions, would be 

 too wet for burning, in consequence of the 

 recent rains; that we should be forty days 

 in descending the Copper-Mine River, six 

 of which would be expended in getting to 

 its banks, and that we might be blocked up 

 by the ice in the next moon; and during 

 the whole journey the party must experience 

 great suffering for want of food, as the rein- 

 deer had already left the river. 



He was now reminded that these state- 

 ments were very different from the account 

 he had given, both at Fort Providence and 

 on the route hither; and that up to this 

 moment, we had been encouraged by his 

 conversation to expect that the party might 

 descend the Copper-Mine River, accompa- 

 nied by the Indians. He replied, that at 



