After a short time a second and third joined and afterwards the whole band was dancing, some in a state of nudity, others half dressed, singing an unmusical wild air with (I suppose) appropriate words, the particular sounds of which were ha! ha! ha! uttered vociferously and with great distortion of countenance and peculiar attitude of body, the feathers being always kept in a tremulous motion.

The ensuing day I made the chief acquainted with the object of our mission and recommended him to keep at peace with his neighbouring tribes and to conduct himself with attention and friendship towards the whites.

I then gave him a medal, telling him it was the picture of the King whom they emphatically term their Great Father.
November 18.
We observed two mock moons at equal distances from the central one, and the whole were encircled by a halo, the colour of the inner edge of the large circle was a light red inclining to a faint purple.
November 20.
Two parhelia were observable with a halo; the colours of the inner edge of the circle were a bright carmine and red lake intermingled with a rich yellow, forming a purplish orange; the outer edge was pale gamboge.
December 5.
A man was sent some distance on the lake to see if it was sufficiently frozen for us to cross.

I need scarcely mention my satisfaction when he returned with the pleasing information that it was.
December 7.
I quitted Fort Providence, being accompanied by Mr.Wentzel, Beauparlant, and two other Canadians, provided with dogs and sledges.

We proceeded along the borders of the lake, occasionally crossing deep bays, and at dusk encamped at the Gros Cap, having proceeded twenty-five miles.
December 8.
We set out on the lake with an excessively cold north-west wind and were frequently interrupted by large pieces of ice which had been thrown up by the violence of the waves during the progress of congelation, and at dusk we encamped on the Reindeer Islands.
The night was fine with a faint Aurora Borealis.