CHAP. ix. MOSQUITOES, 151 



being nearest in guessing its altitude at three times that 

 of the Grand Portage, which we then thought a severe 

 trial. But the men had become accustomed to their 

 work, and could carry much farther than at the beginning 

 of the journey, although they complained bitterly among 

 themselves of the labour involved in ascending the steep 

 and slippery rocks ' the Nasquapee Ups,' as they 

 termed them - - as well as of the heat and the flies. The 

 neck and throat of every man of the party were more 

 or less swollen with the bites or punctures inflicted by 

 these insects ; and my brother's hands were marked with 

 spots of blood, and his face much inflamed, before he had 

 finished his sketch of the magnificent scenery from the 

 summit of the portage. He wore kid gloves, but the 

 mosquitoes found out the seams and little openings made 

 by the stitches. A veil was out of the question, as that 

 would destroy distinctness of vision. But we all found 

 consolation and peace at night in our mosquito-proof tents. 

 It was truly a luxury to write by the light of a lantern, 

 secure against the attacks of these tiny plagues. It is no 

 exaggeration to say that the hum produced by the vibra- 

 tions of their wings on the outside of the tent, as they were 

 vainly searching for some crevice by which they could 

 obtain admittance, was frequently heard on damp nights 

 before rain. 



Throughout the entire length of the Top of the Eidge 

 Portage, the Montagnais path is plainly visible, as well as 

 the remains of old camp grounds. In the low land 

 bordering the lake the canoe birch grew to a fair size, and 

 with spruce and larch formed a handsome forest. 



But this comparative luxuriance of vegetation was con- 



