As The Copper Indians Frequent The Establishment On The North
Side Of The Lake I Particularly Requested Them To Explain To That Tribe
The Object Of Our Visit And To Endeavour To Procure From Them Some Guides
And Hunters To Accompany Our Party.
Two Canadians were sent by Mr. Keith
with these letters.
The month of April commenced with fine and clear but extremely cold
weather; unfortunately we were still without a thermometer and could not
ascertain the degrees of temperature. The coruscations of the Aurora
Borealis were very brilliant almost every evening of the first week and
were generally of the most variable kind. On the 3rd they were
particularly changeable. The first appearance exhibited three illuminated
beams issuing from the horizon in the north, east, and west points, and
directed towards the zenith; in a few seconds these disappeared and a
complete circle was displayed, bounding the horizon at an elevation of
fifteen degrees. There was a quick lateral motion in the attenuated beams
of which this zone was composed. Its colour was a pale yellow with an
occasional tinge of red.
On the 8th of April the Indians saw some geese in the vicinity of this
lake but none of the migratory birds appeared near the houses before the
15th when some swans flew over. These are generally the first that
arrive; the weather had been very stormy for the four preceding days and
this in all probability kept the birds from venturing farther north than
where the Indians had first seen them.
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