woman
gained a little strength and, with the assistance of the boy, was enabled
to paddle a canoe to the fishing station of this post where they were
supported for some days until they were enabled to proceed in search of
some other relations who they expected would treat them with more
kindness. I learned that the woman bore an extremely bad character,
having even been guilty of infanticide and that her companions considered
her offences merited the desertion.

This tribe since its present intimate connection with the traders has
discontinued its war excursions against the Esquimaux, but they still
speak of that nation in terms of the most inveterate hatred. We have only
conversed with four men who have been engaged in any of those
expeditions; all these confirm the statements of Black Meat respecting
the sea-coast. Our observations concerning the half-breed population in
this vicinity coincided so exactly with those which have been given of
similar persons in Dr. Richardson's account of the Crees that any
statement respecting them at this place is unnecessary. Both the
Companies have wisely prohibited their servants from intermarrying with
pure Indian women, which was formerly the cause of many quarrels with the
tribes.

The weather was extremely variable during the month of June; we scarcely
had two clear days in succession, and the showers of rain were frequent;
the winds were often strong and generally blowing from the north-east
quarter. On the evening of the 16th the Aurora Borealis was visible but
after that date the nights were too light for our discerning it.

The mosquitoes swarmed in great numbers about the house and tormented us
so incessantly by their irritating stings that we were compelled to keep
our rooms constantly filled with smoke which is the only means of driving
them away: the weather indeed was now warm. Having received one of
Dollond's eighteen-inch spirit thermometers from Mr. Stuart, which he had
the kindness to send us from his post at Pierre au Calumet after he had
learned that ours had been rendered useless, I observed the temperature
at noon on the 25th of June to be 63 degrees.

On the following morning we made an excursion accompanied by Mr. Smith
round the fishing stations on the south side of the lake for the purpose
of visiting our men; we passed several groups of women and children
belonging to both the forts, posted wherever they could find a
sufficiently dry spot for an encamp