In these journeys he collected some of the native traditions, amongst others that of the Great Hare, Naniboju, who was represented to him as the founder or creator of the Amerindian peoples.  An island in Lake Superior was called Naniboju’s burial place.  Henry landed there, and “found on the projecting rocks a quantity of tobacco, rotting in the rain; together with kettles, broken guns, and a variety of other articles.  His spirit is supposed to make this its constant residence; and here to preside over the lake, and over the Indians, in their navigation and fishing.”

In the spring of the following year (1768), whilst the snow still lay many feet thick on the ground, he and his men made sugar from the maple trees on a mountain, and for nearly three weeks none of them ate anything but maple sugar, consuming a pound a day, desiring no other food, and waxing fat and strong on this diet.  Then they returned to the banks of the Ontonagan River, where the wild fowl appeared in such abundance that one man, with a muzzle-loading gun, could kill in a day sufficient birds for the sustenance of fifty men.  As soon as the ice and snow had melted, parties of Indians came in from their winter’s hunt, bringing to Henry furs to pay him for all the goods he had advanced.  In this way the whole of his outstanding credit was satisfied, with the exception of thirty skins, which represented the contribution due from one Indian who had died.  In this case even, the man’s family had sent all the skins they could gather together, and gradually acquitted themselves of the amount due, in order that the spirit of the dead man might rest in peace, which it could not do if his debts were not acquitted.

In the following autumn he had an experience which showed him how near famine was to great abundance, and how ready the Amerindians were in cases of even slight privation to turn cannibal, kill and eat the weaker members of the party.  He was making an excursion to the Sault de Sainte Marie, and took with him three half-breed Canadians and a young Indian woman who was journeying in that direction to see her relations.  As the distance was short, and they expected to obtain much fish by the way, they only took with them as provisions a quart of maize for each person.  On the first night of their journey they encamped on the island of Naniboju and set their net to catch fish.  But there arose a violent storm, which continued for three days, during which it was impossible for them to take up the net or to leave the island.  In consequence of this they ate up all their maize.  On the evening of the third day the storm abated, and they rushed to examine the net.  It was gone!  It was impossible to return to the point of their departure, where there would have been plenty of food, on account of the strong wind against them.  They therefore steered for the Sault de Sainte Marie.  But the wind veered round, and for nine days blew a strong gale against their progress in this direction, making the waves of the lake so high that they were obliged to take refuge on the shore.