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they spawn in the autumn, and towards the beginning of the hard frost crowd in shoals to the shallow water; when as many as possible are taken, and preserved, perfectly good, till April, in a fro

zen state.

In spring and fall great numbers of wild-fowl frequent this country, which I suppose we shall consider a great treat, after having so long subsisted on fish alone, even without the addition of vegetables.

In the fall of the year, the natives meet the traders at the forts, where they barter such furs of provisions, as they have to sell; they then obtain credit, and proceed to hunt beavers: whence they do not return till the beginning of the year, when they are again fitted out in the same manner, and come back the latter end of March or the beginning of April. The greater part of the Chepewyans resort to the barren grounds, and live, during the summer, with their relations, in the enjoy. ment of that plenty which they derive from numerous herds of deer. But those who are the most attached to these desarts, cannot remain there in winter; but are obliged, with the deer, to take shelter in the woods, during the rigour of the sea

Sometimes they contrive to kill a few beavers, which they send by young men to exchange for iron utensils and ammunition.

Arthur's active mind is never at a loss for amusement; but the unvaried solitude of our present si tuation,

tuation, will not bear a comparison with the cheer. Ful society we enjoyed last winter at Quebec and Montreal. Mr. Roseberry has travelled a vast deal in this part of the country, and is well acquainted with the language and peculiar customs of different tribes, which makes him a very entertaining companion, and enables him to amuse many a dreary hour.

This letter will be dispatched to Canada, by the first company that returns thither with furs.

Present my kindest remembrances to all my European friends and connections, and be assured that I am your affectionate brother.

H. FRANKLIN.

LETTER XLII.

Arthur Middleton to his Brother Edwin.

MY DEAR EDWIN,

Chepewyan,

THE rigours of winter are past, and our long confinement at this Fort ended, which is matter of rejoicing to me, for I am quite weary of the uniformity of our lives.

presently in a canoe, made of

We are to embark

birch bark, on the

south side of the Lake of the Hills, for a very distant country northwards. Our crew will con

sist of Mr. Franklin, Mr. Roseberry, and four Canadians, with their two wives; and in another canoe will follow us an Indian chief, attended with two of his wives, besides two young Indians, who are his relatións. Mr. Roseberry has engaged them to hunt for us, and to serve as interpreters with the natives. A third canoe is laden with our ammunition, provision, and clothes; besides a proper assortment of merchandise, as presents, to con. ciliate the favour of the savage tribes. Mr. Franklin, though determined, says we must prepare ourselves to encounter many dangers and hardships. I foresee nothing but pleasure, and feel not the least anxiety for the future. As pens, ink, and paper, form part of our stores, I shall keep a kind of journal, of which this is the beginning, though it cannot be forwarded to you till our return to the fort from whence it is dated.

Following a north-westerly direction, we entered Peace River, which at this spot exceeds a mile in breadth, and assumes the name of Slave River, on account of the Slave Indians, who were so called, as a reproach, because they were driven from their own country by the Knisteneaux. At the mouth of the Dog River we landed and refreshed ourselves, whilst the canoes were gummed. Several rapids obliged the men to unload the canoes, and convey the goods over land, which fatigued them extremely; but the skill of the hunters prepared them a luxurious repast, of seven geese, a

beaver,

beaver, and four ducks. Rainy weather coming on, we were obliged to land and encamp, in order to secure ourselves and our goods from the wet. After two days the weather cleared, and we pursued our course to the Great Slave Lake, which, though the beginning of June, was entirely covered with ice. The cold of this climate freed us from the musquitoes and gnats, that had been very troublesome during our passage along the river. The Indians told us, that at no great distance are very extensive plains on both sides of the river, frequented by large herds of buffaloes; and that the woods which border them are inhabited by moose and rein deer. Beavers abound: they build their curious habitations in the small lakes and rivers, and the mud banks are covered with wildfowl; so we have only to use our guns for a plentiful supply for our table.

We

Being obliged to pitch our tents till the lake was sufficiently open for our passage across it, we set the nets, and caught carp, poisson inconnu, whitefish, and trout. The Indians were sent on a hunting expedition; and the women employed in gathering berries of different kinds, and collecting the eggs of swans, geese, and wild-fowl. watched the breaking of the ice with impatience: a heavy rain, attended with thunder and lightning hastened its dissolution, and, as soon as it was practicable, we ventured to one of the largest islands, but were stopped by shoals of ice from proceeding

proceeding farther. Observing several rein-deer on the island, the hunters killed five of them. Some days were spent in going from island to island: during this time we lived upon fish, and the wild-fowl killed by the hunters. The main body of ice veered according to the direction of the wind; so that sometimes we coasted round its edge, amidst several islands of different sizes. At length we came to a large bay, which receives a considerable river at the bottom of it. The northwest side of the bay was covered with many small islands, that were surrounded with ice: but our steersman managed to clear a passage within them, and to put us ashore on the main land at three lodges of Red-knife Indians, so named from using copper knives. They told us that several of their countrymen were within a little distance, but that they did not visit the lake till the swans moult

their feathers.

Since we had entered the bay, we observed a continued view of high hills, and islands of solid rock; the surface occasionally varied with moss, shrubs, and a few scattered trees, stunted for want of soil to bring them to perfection. Unfertile as this situation appeared, berries of various kinds abound: we often gathered cranberries; juniper-berries; raspberries; partridge-berries; gooseberries; and the pathagomenan, which grows on a small stalk about a foot and a half high, in wet mossy spots, and the fruit resembles a raspberry. We continued to

coast

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