small one whose visage bore a striking
resemblance to the human countenance. During their residence in this land
their ancestors were visited by a man who healed the sick, raised the
dead, and performed many other miracles, enjoining them at the same time
to lead good lives and not to eat of the entrails of animals, nor to use
the brains for dressing skins until after the third day; and never to
leave the skulls of deer upon the ground within the reach of dogs and
wolves but to hang them carefully upon trees. No one knew from whence
this good man came or whither he went. They were driven from that land by
the rising of the waters and, following the tracks of animals on the
seashore, they directed their course to the northward. At length they
came to a strait which they crossed upon a raft but the sea has since
frozen and they have never been able to return. These traditions are
unknown to the Chipewyans.

The number of men and boys of the Strong-bow nation who are capable of
hunting may amount to seventy.

There are some other tribes who also speak dialects of the Chipewyan upon
the upper branches of the Riviere aux Liards such as the Nohhannies and
the Tsillawdawhootdinneh or Brushwood Indians. They are but little known
but the latter are supposed occasionally to visit some of the
establishments on Peace River.

Having now communicated as briefly as I could the principal facts that
came to our knowledge regarding the Indians in this quarter I shall
resume the narrative of events at Fort Enterprise. The month of March
proved fine. The thermometer rose once to 24 degrees above zero and fell
upon another day 49 degrees below zero but the mean was minus 11 1/2
degrees.

On the 23rd the last of our winter's stock of deer's meat was expended
and we were compelled to issue a little pounded meat which we had
reserved for making pemmican for summer use. Our nets which were set
under the ice on the 15th produced only two or three small fish daily.
Amongst these was the round-fish, a species of Coregonus which we had not
previously seen.

On the following day two Indians came with a message from the Hook, the
chief next to Akaitcho in authority amongst the Copper Indians. 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 with