Tracking Up-Stream gs

Curious as to his motives, and were more so when they saw
him engaged in writing. “‘“Those who remained kindled a
small fire, and laid themselves down to sleep round it like
so many whelps, having neither skins or garments of any
kind to cover them, notwithstanding the cold that prevailed.”

The tracking was taken up at three-thirty in the morning
and Mackenzie walked with the Indians to their encamp-
ment, which occupied three hours of hard travelling. “They
had hid their effects and had sent their young women into
the woods as we saw but few of the former and none of the
latter.”’ For a few beads, a supply of fish, as much as the canoe
could conveniently contain, was obtained from them.

These people regarded the Eskimos as a treacherous lot,
and had sworn to avenge the raids upon them in which many
of their relatives had been killed. The Eskimos were reported
to be on the sea-board not far overland from this spot where
they kill the reindeer. Later they would hunt whales for their
winter stock. They had informed these people that they
had seen large “‘canoes”’ full of white men ! to the westward
eight or ten winters ago, from whom they had obtained iron
in exchange for leather. The “lake” where they had met
these canoes was called by them Belhoullay Toe, or White
Man’s Lake.

The line was employed all day except two hours when
it was possible to use the sail. The camp of the eighth was
reached on the evening of the twenty-third. The Indians
had gone ashore at five from fatigue, and were greatly dis-
pleased when Mackenzie continued on. The hunters
returned sullen and dissatisfied. ‘‘We had not touched any
of our provision stores for six days in which time we had
consumed two reindeer, four swans, forty-five geese, and a

1 Captain Cook’s ships reached 70° 30’ north in 1778. This incident
would be common knowledge among the Eskimos.