Tue Great JourRNEY 99

should venture to land,” and made their
meaning clearer by a volley of arrows. Mac-
kenzie was not easily put off; he needed infor-
mation badly, as he had no guide; and if he
did not prove his good intentions these Indians
might rouse all the people of the valley against
him and place him in a most dangerous posi-
tion. He therefore landed and walked away
from his men along the opposite shore of the
river, though he secretly stationed a man in
the woods to protect him if he were attacked.
His interpreter meanwhile assured the Indians
on the other bank of his friendliness, and Mac-
kenzie held out trinkets to encourage them.
Slowly two of the natives were induced to
come across the river, take the presents, and
return to their friends. Soon he had won
their confidence, and was eagerly enquiring
about the course of the river and the distance
to the sea. The replies he received, both here
and lower down, were reasonably accurate and
far from encouraging. Instead of being a
short and easy highway to the sea, the river
was blocked by many dangerous falls and rap-
ids, and its banks were peopled by fierce tribes;