MacDonell, John. Description of Lake Athabasca and the Chipweans, ca. 1805 and Journal of a Voyage from Lachine to Fort River Qu'Appelle, 1793. An electronic transcription. MFTP #0005

on the whole of an inoffensive nature; which is very fortunate for the adventurers to this country, as by their going to Hudson's Bay, th[e]y might live there free from all danger, or fear, of being molested from this quarter on account of the great distance from this place: they say themselves that they put nigh three moons to go to Churchill via Lake Athabaska. [B]ut whether this behaviour in them, entirely proceeds from principle alone, may be doubted; as when they find themselves superior in number to the White people, they then assume a consequential greatness, and would exact the most rigid submission were they to be in the least given away to; however when they are at the houses they are easily kept in awe[.] They are likewise of a very hoggish nature in their way of living, as they always keep the best of the provisions for themselves, and think any thing good enough for the Traders[.] They are very beggarly, and are even not ashamed to ask the shirt from a person's back – however they do not take a refusal much amiss – they will not give a yard of line to anyone without exacting payment, and even they never risk giving a present in case it should be accepted as such. They live in Tents the same as the other nations, but still more wretchedly as from their incapacity of killing the Moose, are necessitated to make them of parchment skins, or in fact any thing that they can find to screen them from the extreme

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