the
Mackenzie, when they discovered our tents; and it appeared that the two
young men who brought us the intelligence, had been sent as an act of
gratitude by an old Esquimaux, to whom we had given a knife and some
other things, on the preceding day. After hearing the plans of the
Indians, he called the young men aside and said to them, "These white
people have been kind to us, and they are few in number, why should we
suffer them to be killed? You are active young men, run and tell them to
depart instantly." The messengers suggested that we had guns, and could
defend ourselves. "True," said he, "against a small force, but not
against so large a body of Indians as this, who are likewise armed with
guns, and who will crawl under cover of the drift timber, so as to
surround them before they are aware; run, therefore, and tell them not
to lose a moment in getting away, and to be careful to avoid the flats
at the mouth of the river by entering the western channel."

As the goods which the Mountain Indians exchange with the Esquimaux at
Herschel Island, are very unlike those issued from any of the Hudson's
Bay Company's posts, I conclude that they obtain them from the Russians;
but the traders of that nation being prohibited by their government from
supplying guns to any Indians, I am at a loss to account for these
people having them;--perhaps, the prohibition only applies to the
Esquimaux, or the people on the sea coast. That the Mountain Indians
have fire-arms we learned, not only on the present occasion, but in our
first interview with the Esquimaux, at Herschel Island.

The few general remarks which I have to offer, on the subject of a
North-West Passage, will appear in a subsequent part of the narrative;
and here I shall only state, that we traced the coast, westward from the
mouth of the Mackenzie, three hundred and seventy-four miles, without
having found one harbour in which a ship could find shelter.

[Sidenote: Thursday, 31st.] On the 31st, we continued the ascent of the
river, and encamped in the evening within the limit of the spruce fir
trees.

[Sidenote: September 1st.] Favoured by a strong north-west gale, on the
1st of September, we sailed the whole day along the western main shore,
and, generally, within view of the Rocky Mountains. One of the numerous
bends of the river took us within eight miles of part of the mountains,
which appeared to be composed of a yellow stone, and was from eight
hundred to a t