It consisted of fifteen voyagers, three of them
conducting dog sledges, Baldhead and Basil, two Indian hunters with their
wives, Akaiyazzeh a sick Indian and his wife, together with Angelique and
Roulante, so that the party amounted to twenty-three exclusive of
children.
The burdens of the men were about eighty pounds each, exclusive of their
personal baggage which amounted to nearly as much more. Most of them
dragged their loads upon sledges but a few preferred carrying them on
their backs. They set off in high spirits.
After breakfast the Indians struck their tents, and the women, the boys,
and the old men who had to drag sledges, took their departure. It was
three P.M. however before Akaitcho and the hunters left us. We issued
thirty balls to the leader and twenty to each of the hunters and guides
with a proportionate quantity of powder, and gave them directions to make
all the provision they could on their way to Point Lake. I then desired
Mr. Wentzel to inform Akaitcho in the presence of the other Indians that
I wished a deposit of provision to be made at this place previous to next
September as a resource should we return this way. He and the guides not
only promised to see this done but suggested that it would be more secure
if placed in the cellar or in Mr. Wentzel's room. The Dog-Ribs, they
said, would respect anything that was in the house as knowing it to
belong to the white people. At the close of this conversation Akaitcho
exclaimed with a smile, "I see now that you have really no goods left
(the rooms and stores being completely stripped) and therefore I shall
not trouble you any more but use my best endeavours to prepare provision
for you, and I think if the animals are tolerably numerous we may get
plenty before you can embark on the river."
Whilst the Indians were packing up this morning one of the women
absconded. She belongs to the Dog-Rib tribe and had been taken by force
from her relations by her present husband who treated her very harshly.
The fellow was in my room when his mother announced the departure of his
wife and received the intelligence with great composure as well as the
seasonable reproof of Akaitcho. "You are rightly served," said the chief
to him, "and will now have to carry all your things yourself instead of
having a wife to drag them." One hunter remained after the departure of
the other Indians.
On the 5th the Dog-Rib woman presented herself on a hill at some distance
from the house, but was afraid to approach us until the interpreter went
and told her that neither we nor the Indian who remained with us would
prevent her from going where she pleased. Upon this she came to solicit a
fire-steel and kettle. She was at first low-spirited from the non-arrival
of a countrywoman who had promised to elope with her, but had probably
been too narrowly watched. The Indian hunter however, having given her
some directions as to the proper mode of joining her own tribe, she
became more composed and ultimately agreed to adopt his advice of
proceeding at once to Fort Providence instead of wandering about the
country all summer in search of them at the imminent hazard of being
starved.
On the 7th the wind, shifting to the southward, dispersed the clouds
which had obscured the sky for several days and produced a change of
temperature under which the snow rapidly disappeared. The thermometer
rose to 73 degrees, many flies came forth, mosquitoes showed themselves
for the first time, and one swallow made its appearance. We were the more
gratified with these indications of summer that St. Germain was enabled
to commence the repair of the canoes, and before night had completed the
two which had received the least injury. Augustus killed two deer today.
On the 10th the dip of the magnetic needle, being observed, showed a
decrease of 22 minutes 44 seconds since last autumn. The repairs of the
third canoe were finished this evening.
The snow was now confined to the bases of the hills and our Indian hunter
told us the season was early. The operations of nature however seemed to
us very tardy. We were eager to be gone and dreaded the lapse of summer
before the Indians would allow it had begun.
On the 11th the geese and ducks had left the vicinity of Fort Enterprise
and proceeded to the northward. Some young ravens and whiskey-johns made
their appearance at this time.
On the 12th Winter River was nearly cleared of ice and on the 13th the
men returned, having left Dr. Richardson on the borders of Point Lake.
Dr. Richardson informed me by letter that the snow was deeper in many
parts near his encampment than it had been at any time last winter near
Fort Enterprise, and that the ice on Point Lake had scarcely begun to
decay. Although the voyagers were much fatigued on their arrival, and had
eaten nothing for the last twenty-four hours, they were very cheerful and
expressed a desire to start with the remainder of the stores next
morning. The Dog-Rib woman, who had lingered about the house since the
6th of June, took alarm at the approach of our men, thinking perhaps that
they were accompanied by Indians, and ran off. She was now provided with
a hatchet, kettle, and fire-steel, and would probably go at once to Fort
Providence in the expectation of meeting with some of her countrymen
before the end of summer.
CHAPTER 10.*
(*Footnote.
