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