“It is true, Father, I and my young men are happy to see you:—as the great Master of Life has sent a trader to take pity on us Savages, we shall use our best endeavours to hunt and bring you wherewithal to satisfy you in furs, skins, and animal food.” {56} This speech was in fact intended to induce me to make them further presents; I indulged them in their expectations, by giving them two kegs of rum of eight gallons each, lowered with a small proportion of water, according to the usual custom adopted by all traders, five carrots of tobacco, fifty scalping knives, gun-flints, powder, shot, ball, &c. To the women I gave beads, trinkets, &c. and to eight chiefs who were in the band, each a Northwest gun, a callico shirt, a scalping knife of the best sort, and an additional quantity of ammunition. These were received with a full yo-hah, or demonstration of joy. The women, who are on all occasions slaves to their husbands, were ordered to make up bark huts, which they completed in about an hour, and every thing was got in order for merriment. The rum being taken from my house, was carried to their wigwaum, and they began to drink. The frolic lasted four days and nights; and notwithstanding all our precaution (securing their guns, knives, and tomahawks) two boys were killed, and six men wounded by three Indian women; one of the chiefs was also murdered, which reduced me to the necessity of giving several articles to bury with him, to complete the usual ceremony of their interment. These frolics are very prejudicial to all parties, and put the trader to a considerable expence, which nevertheless he cannot with safety refuse. On the fifth day they were all sober, and expressed great sorrow for their conduct, lamenting bitterly the loss of their friends. On the 26th of October they departed for the hunt, which gave us great satisfaction, as we had scarcely rested during their abode with {57} us. When they got into their canoes, they sung the dead war song.—“_Wabindam, Kitchee Mannitoo, haguarmissey hapitch neatissum_:”—or, “Master of Life, view me well, you have given me courage to open my veins.” Having piled the winter’s firing at a convenient distance from the house to prevent accidents, we prepared the nets for fishing. The ice was three feet thick, and the snow very deep; this we were obliged to clear away, before we could cut holes in which to put our nets. For the space of two months we had uncommon success, having caught about eighteen thousand weight of fish, which we hung up by the tails across sticks to freeze, and then laid them up for store. This was to us an important acquisition, as fishing in the middle of winter is precarious, and the return of the Indians to supply the wants of the traders very uncertain.