85

1789.
july.
ee amend

JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE

I now found that it would be fruitlefs for me to expect any accounts
of the country, or the other great river, till I got to the river of the Bear
Lake, where I expeéted to find fome of the natives, who promifed to wait
for us there. Thefe people had aétually mentioned this river to me
when we paffed them, but I then paid no attention to that circumflance,
as I imagined it to be either a mifunderftanding of my interpreter, or
that it was an invention which, with their other lies, might tend to pre-

vent me from proceeding down their river.

We were plentifully fupplied with fifh, as well dry as frefh, by thefe
people; they alfo gathered as many whirtle berries as we chofe, for which
we paid with the ufual articles of beads, awls, knives, and tin. I pur-
chafed a few beaver-fkins of them, which, according to their accounts,
are not very numerous in this country ; and that they do not abound in
moofe-deer and buffaloes. They were alarmed for fome of their young
men, who were killing geefe higher up the river, and entreated us to do
them no harm. About fun-fet I was under the neceffity of fhooting one
of their dogs, as we could not keep thofe animals from our baggage.
It was in vain that I had remonftrated on this fubje&, fo that I was
obliged to commit the at which has been juft mentioned. When thefe
people heard the report of the piftol, and faw the dog dead, they were
feized with a very general alarm, and the women took their children on
their backs and ran into the woods. I ordered the caufe of this aét of
feverity to be explained, with the affurance that no injury would be
offered to themfelves. The woman, however, to whom the dog belonged,
‘was very much affe&ted, and declared that the lofs of five children, dur-
ing the preceding winter, had not affected her fo much as the death of

this