The half-breed women are passionately fond of this amusement, but a stranger would imagine the contrary on witnessing their apparent want of animation.

On such occasions they affect a sobriety of demeanour which I understand to be very opposite to their general character.
_January 10_ .-- This day I wrote to Governor Williams and Mr.Connolly, requesting them to prepare two canoes, with crews and appointments, for the conveyance of Dr.Richardson and Mr.Hood, with our stores to Chipewyan as soon as the navigation should open and had the satisfaction of receiving from both these gentlemen renewed assurances of their desire to promote the objects of the Expedition.

I conceived it to be necessary, previous to my departure, to make some arrangement respecting the men who were engaged at Stromness.

Only one of them was disposed to extend his engagement, and proceed beyond the Athabasca Lake; and, as there was much uncertainty whether the remaining three could get from the Athabasca to York Factory sufficiently early to secure them a passage in the next Hudson's Bay ship, I resolved not to take them forward, unless Dr.Richardson and Mr.Hood should fail in procuring other men from these establishments next spring, but to despatch them down to York to bring up our stores to this place: after which they might return to the coast in time to secure their passage in the first ship.
I delivered to Dr.Richardson and Mr.Hood a memorandum, containing the arrangements which had been made with the two Companies, respecting their being forwarded in the spring, and some other points of instruction for their guidance in my absence; together with directions to forward the map of our route which had been finished, since our arrival, by Mr.Hood, the drawings and the collections of natural history, by the first opportunity to York Factory, for conveyance to England[3].
[3] As Samuel Wilks, who had accompanied the Expedition from England, proved to be quite unequal to the fatigue of the journey, I directed him to be discharged in the spring, and sent to England by the next ship.
The houses of the two Companies, at this post are situated close to each other, at the upper extremity of a narrow island, which separates Pine Island Lake from the Saskatchawan River, and are about two miles and three quarters from the latter in a northern direction.

They are log-houses, built without much regard to comfort, surrounded by lofty stockades, and flanked with wooden bastions.