On this account he determined once more to return to Fort Prince of Wales.

The Northern Indians[3] with whom Hearne travelled backwards towards the fort were most inhospitable, not to say dangerous.

They robbed him of most of his goods, and refused to allow their women to assist his people to dress the reindeer skins out of which it would be necessary shortly to make coverings to protect them from the severe cold of the autumn.

In fact Hearne was in rather a desperate condition by September, 1770, when he was joined by a party of Indians under a famous leader, whom he calls Matonabi.
[Footnote 3: The Indians of the Athapaskan or Dene group were usually called the _Northern Indians_ by the Hudson Bay people, in comparison to all the other tribes of the more temperate regions farther south, who were known as the _Southern Indians_ (Algonkins, &c.).] Matonabi, though of Athapaskan stock, had, when a boy, resided several years at Prince of Wales's Fort, and learnt a little English, and, above all, was a master of several Algonkin dialects or languages, so that he could discourse with the Southern Indians.

As soon as he heard of Hearne's distress he furnished him with a good, warm suit of skins, and had the reindeer skins dressed for the Indian carriers who accompanied Hearne.