Friday 26.

JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE —

the further part of it, in order to difcover if there was any probability
of our being able to get from thence in the courfe of the day. Itis
about five miles in circumference, and I was very much furprized to
find that the greater part of the wood with which it was formerly co-
vered, had been cut down within twelve or fifteen years, and that the
remaining ftumps were become altogether rotten. On making inquiry
concerning the caufe of this extraordinary circumftance, the Englifh
chief informed me, that feveral winters ago, many of the Slave Indians
inhabited the iflands that were fcattered over the bay, as the furrounding
waters abound with fith throughout the year, but that they had been
driven away by the Kniftenaux, who continually made war upon them.
If an eftablifhment is to be made in this country, it muft be in the neigh.
bourhood of this place on account of the wood and the fifhery.

At eleven we ventured to re-embark, as the wind had driven the
greatelt part of the ice paft the ifland, though we ftill had to encounter
fome broken pieces of it, which threatened to damage our canoe. We
{teered South-Eaft from point to point acrofs five bays, twenty-one miles,
We took foundings feveral times, and found from fix to ten fathom

water. I obferved that the country gradually defcended inland, and

was full better covered with wood than im the higher parts. : Wherever

we approached the land, we perceived deferted lodges. The hunters
killed two fwans and a beaver; and at length we landed at eight o'clock

in the evening, when we unloaded and gummed our canoe.

We continued our route at five o'clock, fteering South-Eaft for ten
miles acrofs two deep bays: then South-South-Eaft, with iflands in fight ©

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