NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA,
fail, then North-Weft nearly, through the iflands, forming a courfe of

17

1789.

June.

fixteen miles. We landed on the main land at half paft two in the after- —=~=~

noon at three lodges of Red-Knife Indians, fo called from their copper
knives. They informed us, that there were many more lodges of their
friends at no great diftance; and one of the Indians fet off to fetch
them : ‘they alfo faid, that we fhould {ee no more of them at prefent ; as
the Slave and Beaver Indians, as well as others of the tribe, would not
be here till the time that the fwans cafi their feathers. In the afternoon

jt rained a torrent.

M. Le Roux purchafed of thefe Indians upwards of eight packs of
good beaver and marten fkins; and there were not above twelve of
them qualified to kill beaver. The Englifh chief got upwards of an
hundred {kins on the {core of debts due to him, of which he had many

Wednef, 24,

outftanding in this country. Forty of them he gave on account of debts .

due by him fince the winters of 1786 and 1787, at the Slave Lake; the
reft he exchanged for ram and other neceffary articles; and 1 added a
{mall quantity of that liquor as an encouraging prefent to him and his
young men. I had feveral confultations with thefe Copper Indian
people, but could obtain no information that was material to our expe-
dition; nor were they acquainted with any part of the river, which was
the obje€t of my refearch, but the mouth of it. In order to fave as much
time as poflible in circumnavigating the bays, I engaged one of the In-
dians to condu& us; and I accordingly equipped him with various
articles of clothing, &c. I alfo purchafed a large new canoe, that he

might embark with the two young Indians in my fervice.

This day, at noon, I took an obfervation, which gave me 62. 24. North
D latitude ;