dians. His band
was between West Marten and Great Bear Lakes, and he offered to provide
a quantity of dried meat for us on the banks of the Copper-Mine River in
the beginning of summer, provided we sent him goods and ammunition. It
was in his power to do this without inconvenience, as he generally
spends the summer months on the banks of the river, near the Copper
Mountain; but we had no goods to spare, and I could not venture to send
any part of our small stock of ammunition until I saw what the
necessities of our own party required. I told them, however, that I
would gladly receive either provisions or leather when we met, and would
pay for them by notes on the North-West Company's post; but to prevent
any misunderstanding with Mr. Weeks, I requested them to take their
winter's collection of furs to Fort Providence before they went to the
Copper-Mine River. They assured me that the Hook would watch anxiously
for our passing, as he was unwell, and wished to consult the doctor.

Several circumstances having come lately to my knowledge that led me to
suspect the fidelity of our interpreters, they were examined upon this
subject. It appeared that in their intercourse with the Indians they had
contracted very fearful ideas of the danger of our enterprise, which
augmented as the time of our departure drew near, and had not hesitated
to express their dislike to the journey in strong terms amongst the
Canadians, who are accustomed to pay much deference to the opinions of
an interpreter. But this was not all; I had reason to suspect they had
endeavoured to damp the exertions of the Indians, with the hope that the
want of provision in the spring would put an end to our progress at
once. St. Germain, in particular, had behaved in a very equivocal way,
since his journey to Slave Lake. He denied the principal parts of the
charge in a very dogged manner, but acknowledged he had told the leader
that we had not paid him the attention which a chief like him ought to
have received; and that we had put a great affront on him in sending him
only a small quantity of rum. An artful man like St. Germain, possessing
a flow of language, and capable of saying even what he confessed, had
the means of poisoning the minds of the Indians without committing
himself by any direct assertion; and it is to be remarked, that unless
Mr. Wentzel had possessed a knowledge of the Copper Indian language, we
should not have learned what we did.

Although per