Indians built birch-bark canoes out of the material they had carried
from the woods. In traversing the barren grounds, where both the {56}
direction and the nature of the rivers render them almost useless for
navigation, the canoe plays a part different from that which is
familiar throughout the rest of Canada. During the greater part of the
journey, often for a stretch of a hundred miles at a time, the canoe is
absolutely useless, or worse, since it must be carried. Here and
there, however, for the crossing of the larger rivers, it is
indispensable. Large numbers of Indians were assembling at Clowey Lake
during Hearne's stay there, and were likewise engaged in building
canoes. A considerable body of them, hearing that Matonabbee and his
band were on the way to the Coppermine, eagerly agreed to travel with
them. It seemed to them an excellent opportunity for making a combined
attack on their hereditary enemy, the Eskimos at the mouth of the
river. The savages thereupon set themselves to make wooden shields
about three feet long with which to ward off the arrows of the Eskimos.

On May 20, a new start was made to the north. Matonabbee and his great
company of armed Indians now assumed the appearance of a war party, and
hurried eagerly towards the enemy's country. Two days after leaving
Lake Clowey, they passed out of the woods on {57} to the barren
grounds. To facilitate their movements most of the women were
presently left behind together with the children and dogs. A number of
the braves, weary already of the prospect of the long march, turned
back, but Matonabbee, Hearne, and about one hundred and fifty Indians
held on with all speed towards the north. Their path as traced on a
modern map runs by way of Clinton-Colden and Aylmer lakes and thence
northward to the mouth of the Coppermine. By the latter part of June
the ice was breaking up, and on the 22nd the party made use of their
canoes (which had been carried for over a month) in order to cross a
great river rejoicing in the ponderous name of the Congecathawachaga.
On the farther side, they met a number of Copper Indians who were
delighted to learn of Matonabbee's hostile design against the Eskimos.
They eagerly joined the party, celebrating their accession by a great
feast.

The Copper Indians expressed their pleasure at learning from Hearne
that the great king their father proposed to send ships to visit them
by the northern sea. They had never see