34

1789. July.

JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE

to mention their attempts to perfuade us, that it would require feveral

‘—-~——_ winters to get to the fea, and that old age would come upon us before

the period of our return: we were alfo to encounter monfters of fuch horrid fhapes and deftruétive powers as could only exift in their wild imaginations. They added, befides, that there were two impaflable falls in the river, the firlt of which was about thirty days march from us.

Though I placed no faith in thefe ftrange relations, they had a very different effeét upon our Indians, who were already tired of the voyage. It was their opinion and anxious wifh, that we fhould not hefitate to

‘return, They faid that, according to the information which they had received, there were very few animals in the country beyond us, and that as we proceeded, the fcarcity would increafe, and we fhould abfo- lutely perifh from hunger, if no other accident befel us. It was with no {mall trouble that they were convinced of the folly of thefe reafonings ; and, by my defire, they induced one of thofe Indians to accompany us, in confideration of a {mall kettle, an axe, a knife, and fome other

articles.

Though it was now three o'clock in the afternoon, the canoe was ordered to be reloaded, and as we were ready to embark our new recruit was defired to prepare himfelf for his departure, which he would have declined; but as none of his friends would take his place, we may be faid, after the delay of an hour, to have compelled him ta embark. Previous to his departure a ceremony took place, of which I could not learn the meaning: he cut off a lock of his hair, and having divided it into three parts, he faftened one of them to the hair on the

upper