The River Is
In Many Places Confined Between Perpendicular Walls Of Rock To One
Hundred And Fifty Yards In Width, And There The Rapids Were Most
Agitated.
Large masses of ice twelve or fourteen feet thick were still
adhering to many parts of the bank, indicating the tardy departure of
winter from this inhospitable land, but the earth around them was rich
with vegetation.
In the evening two musk-oxen, being seen on the beach,
were pursued and killed by our men. Whilst we were waiting to embark the
meat the Indians rejoined us and reported they had been attacked by a
bear which sprung upon them whilst they were conversing together. His
attack was so sudden that they had not time to level their guns properly,
and they all missed except Akaitcho who, less confused than the rest,
took deliberate aim and shot the animal dead. They do not eat the flesh
of the bear but, knowing that we had no such prejudice, they brought us
some of the choice pieces which upon trial we found to be very excellent
meat.
The Indians having informed us that we were now within twelve miles of
the rapid where the Esquimaux have invariably been found, we pitched our
tents on the beach under the shelter of a high hill whose precipitous
side is washed by the river, intending to send forward some persons to
determine the situation of their present abode. Some vestiges of an old
Esquimaux encampment were observed near the tents and the stumps of the
trees bore marks of the stone hatchets they use.
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