leader's elder brother; Annoethai-yazzeh,
another of his brothers; and one of our guides, arrived with the
remainder of Akaitcho's band; as also Long-legs, brother to the Hook,
with three of his band. There were now in the encampment, thirty
hunters, thirty-one women, and sixty children, in all one hundred and
twenty-one of the Copper-Indian or Red-Knife tribe. The rest of the
nation were with the Hook on the lower part of the Copper-Mine River.

Annoethai-yazzeh is remarkable amongst the Indians for the number of his
descendants; he has eighteen children living by two wives, of whom
sixteen were at the fort at this time.

In the evening we had another formidable conference. The former
complaints were reiterated, and we parted about midnight, without any
satisfactory answer to my questions, as to when Akaitcho would proceed
towards the River, and where he meant to make provision for our march. I
was somewhat pleased, however, to find, that Humpy and Annoethai-yazzeh
censured their brother's conduct, and accused him of avarice.

On the 26th the canoes were removed from the places where they had been
deposited, as we judged that the heat of the atmosphere was now so
great, as to admit of their being repaired, without risk of cracking the
bark. We were rejoiced to find that two of them had suffered little
injury from the frost during the winter. The bark of the third was
considerably rent, but it was still capable of repair.

The Indians sat in conference in their tents all the morning; and in the
afternoon, came into the house charged with fresh matter for discussion.

Soon after they had seated themselves, and the room was filled with the
customary volume of smoke from their calumets, the goods which had been
laid aside, were again presented to the leader; but he at once refused
to distribute so small a quantity amongst his men, and complained that
there were neither blankets, kettles, nor daggers, amongst them; and in
the warmth of his anger, he charged Mr. Wentzel with having advised the
distribution of all our goods to the Canadians, and thus defrauding the
Indians of what was intended for them. Mr. Wentzel, of course,
immediately repelled this injurious accusation, and reminded Akaitcho
again, that he had been told, on engaging to accompany us, that he was
not to expect any goods until his return. This he denied with an
effrontery that surprised us all, when Humpy, who was present at our
first interview at Fort P