these People hunt on the Lands adjoining the Ear Pendant Indians @ make no use of Horses. Their Country is marshy, with thick woods, full of Lakes @ Rivers, in which they say there are plenty of Beaver, but except the Bear, no Animals larger than the small Chevreuil— Fish of various kinds of which Sturgeon is the principal, @ with Berries forms the greater part of their Food. They waited the great Band 3 days— during this Time I collected every information possible from them, 2 of them were very old Men, they spoke much to the purpose on all questions I asked, @ after drawing a Chart of their Country @ from thence to the Sea, @ describing,the Nations along the River, they assured me that from this House to the Sea @ back again was only the Voyage of a Summer Moon; but from the number of Falls &c it does not appear easy to go without a Guide.
I proposed to them to go down the Kootanae River, as far as the Ear Pendant Indians, if 2 of them would accompany me; but the old Men, answered that it was too late in the Season, @ that none of them were Men of great Note, @ therefore would be unable to protect me against the lower Indians, who were a set of harsh brutish People paying little respect to Strangers— they added that if I wished to go in safety I must employ/ the Chief of the Flat Bows (Ugly Head) who is on his Road hereto, @ who is known @ respected far off, @ who only is capable of guiding @ protecting us. I replied to their arguments but to no purpose. They said they had come so far merely to see us, @ had brought nothing as they did not know what we preferred, that their Country was very hard in Winter, @ that we could not live there. I told them Beaver, Bears, Otters &c were the Objects of our coming here. They assured me they would all make a good Hunt @ see me next Spring with the rest of their country men. They traded 29 Skins value, in Beavers, Bears, Cats, Otters @ Fishers, with a little Sturgeon Oil @ about a Bushel of Berries, these last I took merely that they might have the means of living @ to kill Beaver &c.
