ene

NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA, ng

red, green, and yellow hues. From the continual dripping of water, — +789.
parts of it frequently fall and break into {mall ftony flakes like flate, but --~—~
not fo hard. Among them are found pieces of Petrolzwm, which bears

-arefemblance to yellow wax, but is more friable. The Englifh chief

| informed me, that rocks of a fimilar kind are {cattered about the ,
country, at the back of the Slave Lake, where the Chepewyans col-
le&t copper.

At ten, we had an aft wind, and the men who had been engaged in
towing, re-embarked. At twelve we obferved a lodge on the fide of the
river, and its inhabitants running about in great confufion, or hurry_
ing to the woods. Three men waited our arrival, though they re-
mained at fome diftance from us, with their bows and arrows ready to be
employed; or at leaft, that appeared to be the idea they wifhed to con-
vey tous, by continually fnapping the ftrings of the former, and the figns
they made to forbid our approach. The Englifh chief, whofe language
they, in fome degree, underftood, endeavoured to remove their diftruft
of us; but till I went to them with a prefent of beads, they refufed to

have any communication with us.

When they firft perceived our fail, they took us for the Efquimaux
Indians, who employ a {ail in their canoes. They were fufpicious of

our defigns, and queftioned us with a view to obtain fome knowledge of
them. On feeing us in poffeflion of fome of the clothes, bows, &c. which
muft have belonged to fome of the Deguthee Denees, or Quarrellers,

they imagined, that we had killed fome of them, and were bearing away

the fruits of our vitory. They appeared, indeed, to be of the fame
tribe,