Journals, стр. 38
The country in general is low from our entrance of the river to the falls, and with the exception of a few open parts covered with grass, it is clothed with wood. Where the banks are very low the soil is good, being composed of the sediment of the river and putrefied leaves and vegetables. Where they are more elevated, they display a face of yellowish clay, mixed with small stones. On a line with the falls, and on either side of the river, there are said to be very extensive plains, which afford pasture to numerous herds of buffaloes. Our people ahead slept here last night, and, from their carelessness, the fire was communicated to and burned down, the large house, and was proceeding fast to the smaller buildings when we arrived to extinguish it.
We continued our voyage, the course of the river being southwest by west one mile and a quarter, south by east one mile, southwest by south three miles, west by south one mile, south-southwest two miles, south four miles, southwest seven miles and a half, south by west one mile, north-northwest two miles and a half, south five miles and a quarter, southwest one mile and a half, northeast by east three miles and a half, and southeast by east one mile.
We overtook Mr. Finlay, with his canoes, who was encamped near the fort of which he was going to take the charge, during the ensuing winter, and made every necessary preparative for a becoming appearance on our arrival the following morning. Although I had been since the year 1787, in the Athabasca country, I had never yet seen a single native of that part of it which we had now reached.
At six o’clock in the morning of the 20th, we landed before the house amidst the rejoicing and firing of the people, who were animated with the prospect of again indulging themselves in the luxury of rum, of which they had been deprived since the beginning of May; as it is a practice throughout the northwest neither to sell or give any rum to the natives during the summer. There was at this time only one chief with his people, the other two being hourly expected with their bands; and on the 21st and 22nd they all arrived except the war chief and fifteen men. As they very soon expressed their desire of the expected regale, I called them together, to the number of forty-two hunters, or men capable of bearing arms, to offer some advice, which would be equally advantageous to them and to us, and I strengthened my admonition with a nine gallon cask of reduced rum, and a quantity of tobacco. At the same time I observed, that as I should not often visit them, I had instanced a greater degree of liberality than they had been accustomed to.
The number of people belonging to this establishment amounts to about three hundred, of which, sixty are hunters. Although they appear from their language to be of the same stock as the Chipewyans, they differ from them in appearance, manners, and customs, as they have adopted those of their former enemies, the Knisteneaux; they speak their language, as well as cut their hair, paint, and dress like them, and possess their immoderate fondness for liquor and tobacco. This description, however, can be applied only to the men, as the women are less adorned even than those of the Chipewyan tribes. We could not observe, without some degree of surprise, the contrast between the neat and decent appearance of the men, and the nastiness of the women. I am disposed, however, to think, that this circumstance is generally owing to the extreme submission and abasement of the latter: for I observed, that one of the chiefs allowed two of his wives more liberty and familiarity than were accorded to the others, as well as a more becoming exterior, and their appearance was proportionably pleasing; I shall, however, take a future opportunity to speak more at large on this subject.
There were frequent changes of the weather in the course of the day, and it froze rather hard in the night. The thickness of the ice in the morning was a sufficient notice for me to proceed. I accordingly gave the natives such good counsel as might influence their behaviour, communicated my directions to Mr. Findlay for his future conduct, and took my leave under several vollies of musketry, on the morning of the 23rd I had already dispatched my loaded canoes two days before, with directions to continue their progress without waiting for me. Our course was south-southeast one mile and an half, south three quarters; east seven miles and a half, veering gradually to the west four miles and an half, southeast by south three miles, southeast three miles and an half, east-southeast to Long Point three miles, southwest one mile and a quarter, east by north four miles and three quarters, west three miles and an half, west-southwest one mile, east by south five miles and a half, south three miles and three quarters, southeast by south three miles, east-southeast three miles, east-northeast one mile, when there was a river that flowed in on the right, east two miles and an half, east-southeast half a mile, southeast by south seven miles and an half, south two miles, south-southeast three miles and an half; in the course of which we passed an island south by west, where a rivulet flowed in on the right, one mile, east one mile and an half, south five miles, southeast by south four miles and an half, southwest one mile, southeast by east four miles and an half, west-southwest half a mile,