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. Surely this
deficiency in the quality of the guns, which hazards the lives of so many
poor Indians, requires the serious consideration of the principals of the
trading Companies.
On the 4th at three in the morning the party under the charge of Dr.
Richardson started. It consisted of fifteen voyagers, three of them
conducting dog sledges, Baldhead and Basil, two Indian hunters with their
wives, Akaiyazzeh a sick Indian and his wife, together with Angelique and
Roulante, so that the party amounted to twenty-three exclusive of
children.
The burdens of the men were about eighty pounds each, exclusive of their
personal baggage which amounted to nearly as much more. Most of them
dragged their loads upon sledges but a few preferred carrying them on
their backs. They set off in high spirits.
After breakfast the Indians struck their tents, and the women, the boys,
and the old men who had to drag sledges, took their departure. It was
three P.M. however before Akaitcho and the hunters left us. We issued
thirty balls to the leader and twenty to each of the hunters and guides
with a proportionate quantity of powder, and gave them directions to make
all the provision they could on their way to Point Lake. I then desired
Mr. Wentzel to inform Akaitcho in the presence of the other Indians that
I wished a deposit of provision to be made at this place previous to next
September as a resource should we return this way. He and the guides not
only promised to see this done but suggested that it would be more secure
if placed in the cellar or in Mr. Wentzel's room. The Dog-Ribs, they
said, would respect anything that was in the house as knowing it to
belong to the white people. At the close of this conversation Akaitcho
exclaimed with a smile, "I see now that you have really no goods left
(the rooms and stores being completely stripped) and therefore I shall
not trouble you any more but use my best endeavours to prepare provision
for you, and I think if the animals are tolerably numerous we may get
plenty before you can embark on the river."
Whilst the Indians were packing up this morning one of the women
absconded.
