to his coming into the room in which Dr. Richardson
and I were. We discovered at the commencement of his speech to us, that
he had been informed that our expected supplies had not come. He spoke
of this circumstance as a disappointment, indeed, sufficiently severe to
himself, to whom his band looked up for the protection of their
interests, but without attaching any blame to us. "The world goes
badly," he said, "all are poor; you are poor, the traders appear to be
poor, I and my party, are poor likewise; and since the goods have not
come in, we cannot have them. I do not regret having supplied you with
provisions, for a Copper Indian can never permit white men to suffer
from want of food on his lands, without flying to their aid. I trust,
however, that we shall, as you say, receive what is due next autumn; and
at all events," he added, in a tone of good-humour, "it is the first
time that the white people have been indebted to the Copper Indians." We
assured him the supplies should certainly be sent to him by the autumn,
if not before. He then cheerfully received the small present we made to
himself; and, although, we could give a few things only to those who had
been most active in our service, the others, who, perhaps, thought
themselves equally deserving, did not murmur at being left out in the
distribution. Akaitcho afterwards expressed a strong desire, that we
should represent the character of his nation in a favourable light to
our countrymen. "I know," he said, "you write down every occurrence in
your books; but probably you have only noticed the bad things we have
said and done, and have omitted the good." In the course of the
desultory conversation which ensued, he said, that he had been always
told by us, to consider the traders in the same light as ourselves; and
that, for his part, he looked upon both as equally respectable. This
assurance, made in the presence of Mr. Weeks, was particularly
gratifying to us, as it completely disproved the defence that had been
set up, respecting the injurious reports circulated against us amongst
the Indians in the spring; namely, that they were in retaliation for our
endeavours to lower the traders in the eyes of the Indians. I take this
opportunity of stating my opinion, that Mr. Weeks, in spreading these
reports, was actuated by a mistaken idea that he was serving the
interest of his employers. On the present occasion, we felt indebted to
him for the sympathy he displayed f