In The Afternoon Of The 14th Akaitcho With His Whole Band Came To The
Fort.
He smoked his customary pipe and made an address to Mr. Weeks in
the hall previous to his coming into the room in which Dr. Richardson and
I were.
We discovered at the commencement of his speech to us that he had
been informed that our expected supplies had not come. He spoke of this
circumstance as a disappointment indeed sufficiently severe to himself,
to whom his band looked up for the protection of their interests, but
without attaching any blame to us. "The world goes badly," he said "all
are poor; you are poor, the traders appear to be poor, I and my party are
poor likewise, and since the goods have not come in we cannot have them.
I do not regret having supplied you with provisions for a Copper Indian
can never permit white men to suffer from want of food on his lands
without flying to their aid. I trust however that we shall, as you say,
receive what is due next autumn, and at all events," he added in a tone
of good humour, "it is the first time that the white people have been
indebted to the Copper Indians." We assured him the supplies should
certainly be sent to him by the autumn if not before. He then cheerfully
received the small present we made to himself and, although we could give
a few things only to those who had been most active in our service, the
others who perhaps thought themselves equally deserving did not murmur at
being left out in the distribution. Akaitcho afterwards expressed a
strong desire that we should represent the character of his nation in a
favourable light to our countrymen. "I know," he said, "you write down
every occurrence in your books, but probably you have only noticed the
bad things we have said and done, and have omitted the good." In the
course of the desultory conversation which ensued he said that he had
been always told by us to consider the traders in the same light as
ourselves, and that for his part he looked upon both as equally
respectable. This assurance, made in the presence of Mr. Weeks, was
particularly gratifying to us as it completely disproved the defence that
had been set up respecting the injurious reports circulated against us
amongst the Indians in the spring, namely that they were in retaliation
for our endeavours to lower the traders in the eyes of the Indians. I
take this opportunity of stating my opinion that Mr. Weeks, in spreading
these reports, was actuated by a mistaken idea that he was serving the
interest of his employers. On the present occasion we felt indebted to
him for the sympathy he displayed for our distresses, and the kindness
with which he administered to our personal wants. After this conference
such Indians as were indebted to the Company were paid for the provision
they had given us by deducting a corresponding sum from their debts; in
the same way we gave a reward of sixteen skins of beaver to each of the
persons who had come to our relief at Fort Enterprise.
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