﻿1848. TRANSPORT OF BAGGAGE. Ill 



a time, and had, consequently, to make five trips 

 with their share of the baggage, besides two with 

 the boats ; hence they were unable to make good 

 the ordinary day's journey of two miles, being, at 

 seven trips with the return, twenty-six miles of 

 walking, fourteen of them with a load. The prac- 

 tised voyager, on the contrary, by carrying greater 

 loads, can reduce the walking by one third, and 

 some of them by fully one half.* 



* In 1825 Sir John Franklin ascertained the position of the 

 first I'esting-place, after leaving Methy Lake, to be in latitude 

 56° 36' 30" N., longitude 109° 52' 54" W. By carefully pacing 

 the distance from thence to Methy Lake, I found it to be 1790 

 yards, on a south 43° 25' east bearing, giving 22" difference of 

 latitude, and 58" of longitude. Hence the east end of the port- 

 age lies in latitude 56° 36' 08" N., longitude 109° 51' 56" W. 



The usual encampment by the tomb on the south side of the 

 Little Lake is in latitude 56'' 40' 17" N., longitude 109° 57' 54" 

 W., and the north end of the path on the banks of the Clear- 

 water River is in 56° 42' 51" N., 109° 59' 08" W. The direct 

 distance from one end of the portage to the other is therefore 

 only 7^ geographical miles on a north 27° west course ; while 

 the paces, reduced to yards at the rate of 23 feet to every 10 

 paces (which I found after several trials to be the average), are 

 18,855, or 10-7 statute miles. 



I subjoin the voyagers' names for the several resting-places 

 on the portage, premising, however, that the halting-places 

 vary both in number and position with the loads and strength 

 of the carriers, and that the names ai'e often transposed. 



]\Iethy Lake {Lac la Loche). 



Thence to Petit Vieux - - - 2557 paces. 



„ Fontaine du Sable • - 3171 „ 



„ La Vieille _ . _ 459 1 



