This day an opportunity offered of sending letters to the Great Slave
Lake and I profited by it to
Request Mr. Wentzel would accompany the
Expedition agreeably to the desire of the Copper Indians, communicating
to him that I had received permission for him to do so from the partners
of the North-West Company. Should he be disposed to comply with my
invitation I desired that he would go over to Fort Providence and remain
near the Indians whom he had engaged for our service. I feared lest they
should become impatient at our unexpected delay and, with the usual
fickleness of the Indian character, remove from the establishment before
we could arrive. It had been my intention to go to them myself, could the
articles with which they expected to be presented on my arrival have been
provided at these establishments; but as they could not be procured I was
compelled to defer my visit until our canoes should arrive. Mr. Smith
supposed that my appearance amongst them without the means of satisfying
any of their desires would give them an unfavourable impression
respecting the Expedition which would make them indifferent to exertion
if it did not even cause them to withdraw from their engagements.
The establishments at this place, Forts Chipewyan and Wedderburne, the
chief posts of the Companies in this department, are conveniently
situated for communicating with the Slave and Peace Rivers from whence
the canoes assemble in the spring and autumn; on the first occasion they
bring the collection of furs which has been made at the different
outposts during the winter; and at the latter season they receive a
supply of stores for the equipment of the Indians in their vicinity. Fort
Wedderburne is a small house which was constructed on Coal Island about
five years ago when the Hudson's Bay Company recommenced trading in this
part of the country. Fort Chipewyan has been built many years and is an
establishment of very considerable extent, conspicuously situated on a
rocky point of the northern shore; it has a tower which can be seen at a
considerable distance. This addition was made about eight years ago to
watch the motions of the Indians who intended, as it was then reported,
to destroy the house and all its inhabitants. They had been instigated to
this rash design by the delusive stories of one among them who had
acquired great influence over his companions by his supposed skill in
necromancy. This fellow had prophesied that there would soon be a
complete change in the face of their country, that fertility and plenty
would succeed to the present sterility, and that the present race of
white inhabitants, unless they became subservient to the Indians, would
be removed and their place be filled by other traders who would supply
their wants in every possible manner. The poor deluded wretches,
imagining they would hasten this happy change by destroying their present
traders, of whose submission there was no prospect, threatened to
extirpate them.
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