360 



A JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



it if possible from Fort Providence, or the other forts in Slave Lake, 

 and send it immediately to them by the hunters who accompanied 

 him thither. I also requested him to ascertain from Akaitcho and the 

 other leading Indians, where their different parties would be hunting 

 in the months of September and October, and to leave this inform- 

 ation in a letter at Fort Enterprise, for our guidance in finding 

 them, as we should require their assistance. Mr. Wentzel was fur- 

 nished with a list of the stores that had been promised to Akaitcho 

 and his party as a remuneration for their services, as well as with an 

 official request to the North- West Company that these goods might 

 be paid to them on their next visit to Fort Providence, which they 

 expected to make in the latter part of November. I desired him to 

 mention this circumstance to the Indians as an encouragement to 

 their exertion in our behalf, and to promise them an additional 

 reward for the supply of provision they should collect at Fort 

 Enterprise. 



If Mr. Wentzel met the Hook, or any of his party, he was in- 

 structed to assure them that he was provided with the necessary 

 documents to get them payment for any meat they should put en 

 cache for our use ; and to acquaint them, that we fully relied on 

 their fulfilling every part of the agreement they had made with us. 

 Whenever the Indians, whom he was to join at the Copper Moun- 

 tains, killed any animals on their way to Fort Enterprise, he was 

 requested to put en cache whatever meat could be spared, placing 

 conspicuous marks to guide us to them ; and I particularly begged 

 he would employ them in hunting in our service, immediately after 

 his arrival at the house. 



When Mr. Wentzel' s party had been supplied with ammunition, 

 our remaining stock consisted of one thousand balls, and a little 

 more than the requisite proportion of powder. A bag of small shot 

 was missing, and we afterwards discovered that the Canadians had 



