Of telling me that I must not
think the worse of him for his importunities. It was their custom he said
to do so however strange it might appear to us, and he as the leader of
his party had to beg for them all; but as he saw we had not deceived him
by concealing any of our goods and that we really had nothing left he
should ask for no more. He then told me that he would set out for the
river as soon as the state of the country admitted of travelling. The
snow he remarked was still too deep for sledges to the northward and the
moss too wet to make fires. He was seconded in this opinion by Long-legs
whom I was the more inclined to believe knowing that he was anxious to
rejoin his family as soon as possible.
Akaitcho now accepted the dress he had formerly refused and next day
clothed himself in another new suit which he had received from us in the
autumn. Ever since his arrival at the fort he had dressed meanly and
pleaded poverty but, perceiving that nothing more could be gained by such
conduct, he thought proper to show some of his riches to the strangers
who were daily arriving. In the afternoon however he made another though
a covert attack upon us. He informed me that two old men had just arrived
at the encampment with a little pounded meat which they wished to barter.
It was evident his intention was merely to discover whether we had any
goods remaining or not. I told him that we had nothing at present to give
for meat, however much we stood in need of it, but that we would pay for
it by notes on the North-West Company in any kind of goods they pleased.
After much artful circumlocution and repeated assurances of the
necessities of the men who owned the meat he introduced them and they
readily agreed to give us the provision on our own terms.
I have deemed it my duty to give the details of these tedious
conversations to point out to future travellers the art with which these
Indians pursue their objects, their avaricious nature, and the little
reliance that can be placed upon them when their interests jar with their
promises. In these respects they agree with other tribes of northern
Indians but, as has been already mentioned, their dispositions are not
cruel and their hearts are readily moved by the cry of distress.
The average temperature for May was nearly 32 degrees, the greatest heat
was 68 degrees, the lowest 8 degrees.
We had constant daylight at the end of the month and geese and ducks were
abundant, indeed rather too much so for our hunters were apt to waste
upon them the ammunition that was given to them for killing deer.
Uncertain as to the length of time that it might be required to last we
did not deem a goose of equal value with the charge it cost to procure
it.
Dr. Richardson and Mr. Back having visited the country to the northward
of the Slave Rock and reported that they thought we might travel over it
I signified my intention of sending the first party off on Monday the 4th
of June. I was anxious to get the Indians to move on before, but they
lingered about the house, evidently with the intention of picking up such
articles as we might deem unnecessary to take. When Akaitcho was made
acquainted with my purpose of sending away a party of men he came to
inform me that he would appoint two hunters to accompany them and at the
same time requested that Dr. Richardson or, as he called him, the
Medicine Chief, might be sent with his own band. These Indians set a
great value upon medicine and made many demands upon Dr. Richardson on
the prospect of his departure. He had to make up little packets of the
different articles in his chest, not only for the leader but for each of
the minor chiefs who carefully placed them in their medicine bags, noting
in their memories the directions he gave for their use. The readiness
with which their requests for medical assistance were complied with was
considered by them as a strong mark of our good intentions towards them
and the leader often remarked that they owed much to our kindness in that
respect, that formerly numbers had died every year but that not a life
had been lost since our arrival amongst them. In the present instance
however the leader's request could not be complied with. Dr. Richardson
had volunteered to conduct the first party to the Copper-Mine River
whilst the rest of the officers remained with me to the last moment to
complete our astronomical observations at the house. He therefore
informed the leader that he would remain stationary at Point Lake until
the arrival of the whole party, where he might be easily consulted if any
of his people fell sick as it was in the neighbourhood of their hunting
grounds.
On the 2nd the stores were packed up in proper-sized bales for the
journey. I had intended to send the canoes by the first party but they
were not yet repaired, the weather not being sufficiently warm for the
men to work constantly at them without the hazard of breaking the bark.
This day one of the new trading guns which we had recently received from
Fort Chipewyan burst in the hands of a young Indian, fortunately however
without doing him any material injury. This was the sixth accident of the
kind which had occurred since our departure from Slave Lake.
