142 THE LABEADOE PENINSULA. CHAP. ix. 



distant from the highest part of the valley between the 

 two mountains) varied from 400 to 700 feet, and for the 

 mountains themselves from 800 to 1,200 feet above the 

 lake. After careful measurement, both backwards and 

 forwards, we found the highest point of the portage path to 

 be 818 feet above the lake, or about 1,460 feet above the 

 sea, and when we reached this point one of the mountains 

 appeared to us higher than ever, and could not have 

 been less than 1,500 feet above us, or nearly 3,000 feet 

 above the sea. 



The men came with the last load, looking very much 

 exhausted with the heat, the flies, and the fatigue of 

 walking with heavy burdens over the steep and slippery 

 rocks. 



They wore veils or handkerchiefs tied round the neck 

 and over as much of the face as possible, to protect them 

 from their tormentors, and hastened to load the canoes 

 and push off into the beautiful Ojia-pi-si-tagan Kipi, or 

 Top of the Eidge Lake, to escape from the pertinacious 

 little insects. A breeze soon drove the pests away, and 

 we paddled slowly across the lovely sheet of water, 

 enjoying the new life into which we seemed to plunge as 

 soon as we left the shore. 



Soon we began to hear the roar of Cold-water Eiver as 

 it came tumbling down the steep, and our expectations 

 were roused when the JSFasquapee informed Louis that 

 we ' should find trout and carp thick as leaves ' in the 

 little rapids through which we should have to pass before 

 reaching the foot of the terrible Mountain Portage. The 

 Indian scarcely exaggerated the numbers of fish ; they 

 scurried over the gravel and stones in thousands as we 



