As they continued to descend the Fraser River, with here and there a rapid which nearly swamped the canoe, and lofty cliffs of red and white clay like the ruins of ancient castles (stopping on their way to bury supplies of pemmican against their return, and to light a fire on the top of the burial place so as to mislead bears or other animals that might dig it up), they were more or less compelled to seek intercourse with the new tribes of Amerindians, whose presence on the river banks was obvious.  As usual, Mackenzie had to exercise great bravery, tact, and guile to get into peaceful conversation with these half-frightened, half-angry people.  The peacemaking generally concluded with the distribution of trinkets amongst the men and women, and presents of sugar to the children.  Talking with these folk, however, through such interpreters as there were amongst the Indians of his crew, he learnt that lower down on the Fraser River there was a peculiarly fierce, malignant race, living in vast caves or subterranean dwellings, who would certainly massacre the Europeans if they attempted to pass through their country on their way to the sea.  He therefore stopped and set some of his men to work to make a new canoe.  He noticed, by the by, that these Amerindians of the Fraser had small pointed canoes, “made after the fashion of the Eskimo”.

Renewing their voyage, they reached a house the roof of which just appeared above the ground.  It was deserted by its inhabitants, who had been alarmed at the approach of the white men, but in the neighbourhood appeared gesticulating warriors with bows and arrows.  Yet these people of underground houses turned out to be friendly and very ready to give information, partly because they were in communication with the Amerindian tribes to the east of the Rocky Mountains.  From the elderly men of this tribe Mackenzie ascertained that the Fraser River flowed south by east, was often obstructed by rapids, and, though it would finally bring them to a salt lake or inlet, and then to the sea, it would cause them to travel for a great distance to the south.  He noticed the complete difference in the language of these Atna or Carrier Indians[10] and that of the Nagailer or Chin Indians of the Athapaskan group on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains.

[Footnote 10:  Apparently these were of the Sikanni tribe, and only another branch of the great Tinne (Athapaskan) stock.]

He, however, learnt from these Atna Indians that although the Fraser was out of the question as a quick route to the sea, if he retraced his journey a little up this river he would find another stream entering it from the west, and along this they could travel upstream.  And then the route to the water “which was unfit to drink”, and the region to which came people with large ships, would be of no great length.  Accordingly, after having had a tree engraved with Mackenzie’s name and the date, by the bank of the Fraser River, the expedition returned to the subterranean house which they had seen the day before.