Tracking Up-Stream 87

exhausted and had decided to remain behind in order to
visit the Beaver Indians, but the Chief promised that he
would return to Athabasca in the course of the winter.

It blew a gale all night but the nets were filled with fish
in the morning. ‘‘’T'wo of the men who had been gathering
berries saw two moose-deer, with the tracks of buffalo and
reindeer,”’ In the evening two shots were heard across the
bay and a fire was seen there. Mackenzie’s people made a
large fire also, as an indication of their position, Late at
night English Chief came in drenched, to report that his
canoe was broken in pieces, and his fowling-pieces and
supplies lost. His people soon arrived and were accommodated
with dry clothes. The Indians were sent out next day to
hunt, but returned without success, and said that they would
not go any farther as they did not wish to be drowned.

M. Le Roux’s house was reached at two in the afternoon
on Sunday. The Indians arrived late, ‘“‘when, according to
a promise I had made the latter, I gave them a plentiful
equipment of iron-ware, ammunition, tobacco, etc., as a
recompense for the toil and inconvenience they had sustained
with me.”

Arrangements were made with English Chief to bring
the Beaver Indians to trade with M. Le Roux who would
remain at this station during the winter. “‘I sat up all night
to make the necessary arrangements for the embarkation
in the morning and to prepare instructions for M. Le Roux.’””!

Ile 4 la Cache and Carreboeuf Island were passed on
Tuesday, and on Wednesday two crossings of twelve and
twenty-four miles were made which brought them to the
point of the old fort near the entrance to Slave River.
Swans, cranes, geese and ducks were speeding south and

1Laurent Le Roux re-engaged with the company in 1791 for five
years as a clerk at £100, was married to Esther Loiselle five years later,
settled at l’Assomption, and died there 1855, aged ninety-seven.
G