Chipewyan
Was Billy Loutit's Home, And The Family Gave A Dance In Honour Of
The Wanderer's Return.
Here I secured a tall half-breed, Gregoire
Daniell, usually known as "Bellalise," to go with me as far as
Athabaska Landing.
There was no good reason why we should not leave Chipewyan in three
hours. But the engineer of my tug had run across an old friend;
they wanted to have a jollification, as of course the engine
was "hopelessly out of order." But we got away at 7 next day - my
four men and the tug's three. At the wheel was a halfbreed - David
MacPherson - who is said to be a natural-born pilot, and the best
in the country. Although he never was on the Upper Slave before,
and it is an exceedingly difficult stream with its interminable,
intricate, shifting shallows, crooked, narrow channels, and
impenetrable muddy currents, his "nose for water" is so good that
he brought us through at full speed without striking once. Next
time he Will be qualified to do it by night.
In the grove where we camped after sundown were the teepee and
shack of an Indian (Chipewyan) Brayno (probably Brenaud). This is
his hunting and trapping ground, and has been for years. No one
poaches on it; that is unwritten law; a man may follow a wounded
animal into his neighbour's territory, but not trap there. The
nearest neighbour is 10 miles off. He gets 3 or 4 Silver Foxes
every year, a few Lynx, Otter, Marten, etc.
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