I Immediately
Refused To Discuss This Topic As Foreign To Our Present Business And
Desired Akaitcho To Recall To Memory
That he had told me on our first
meeting that he considered me the father of every person attached to
The
Expedition, in which character it was surely my duty to provide for the
comfort and safety of the Canadians as well as the Indians. The voyagers,
he knew, had a long journey to perform and would in all probability be
exposed to much suffering from cold on a coast destitute of wood, and
therefore required a greater provision of clothing than was necessary for
the Indians who, by returning immediately from the mouth of the river,
would reach Fort Providence in August and obtain their promised rewards.
Most of the Indians appeared to assent to this argument but Akaitcho
said, "I perceive the traders have deceived you; you should have brought
more goods but I do not blame you." I then told him that I had brought
from England only ammunition, tobacco, and spirits and that, being
ignorant what other articles the Indians required, we were dependent on
the traders for supplies, but he must be aware that every endeavour had
been used on our parts to procure them, as was evinced by Mr. Back's
journey to Fort Chipewyan. With respect to the ammunition and tobacco we
had been as much disappointed as themselves in not receiving them, but
this was to be attributed to the neglect of those to whom they had been
entrusted.
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