nted to go with us to carry our goods. I asked
them how many chiefs there were in all, and they told me thirty.

December 26. In the morning I was offered two pieces of bear's bacon
to take with us on the march; and we took our departure, escorted by
many of them that walked before and after us. They kept up shouting:
"Allesa rondade!" that is, to fire our pistols; but we did not want to
do so, and at last they went back. This day we passed over many a
stretch of flat land, and crossed a kill where the water was knee-deep;
and I think we kept this day mostly the direction west and northwest.
The woods that we traversed consisted in the beginning mostly of oaks,
but after three or four hours' marching it was mostly birch trees. It
snowed the whole day, so it was very heavy marching over the hills; and
after seven leagues, by guess, we arrived at a little house made of
bark in the forest, where we lighted a fire and stopped for the night
to sleep. It went on snowing, with a sharp, northerly wind. It was
very cold.

December 27. Early in the morning again on our difficult march, while
the snow lay 2 1/2 feet in some places. We went over hills and through
underwood. We saw traces of two bears, and elks, but no savages.
There are beech trees; and after marching another seven or eight
leagues, at sunset we found another little cabin in the forest, with
hardly any bark, but covered with the branches of trees. We made a big
fire and cooked our dinner. It was so very cold during this night that
I did not sleep more than two hours in all.

December 28. We went as before, and after marching one or two leagues
we arrived at a kill that, as the savages told me, ran into the land of
the Minquaass, and after another mile we met another kill that runs
into the South River, as the savages told me, and here a good many
otter and beaver are caught. This day we went over many high hills.
The wood was full of great trees, mostly birches; and after seven or
eight leagues' marching we did the same as mentioned above. It was
very cold.

December 29. We went again, proceeding on our voyage; and after
marching a while we came on a very high hill, and as we nearly had
mounted it I fell down so hard that I thought I had broken my ribs, but
it was only the handle of my cutlass that was broken. We went through
a good deal of flat land, with many oaks and handles for axes, and
after another seven leagues we found another hut, where