OF THE POLAR SEA. 



397 



river, and the nets were set. A mile below this cascade Hood's 

 River is joined by a stream half its own size, which I have called 

 James' Branch. Bear and deer tracks had been numerous on the 

 banks of the river when we were here before, but not a single recent 

 one was to be seen at this time. Credit, however, killed a small 

 deer at some distance inland, which, with the addition of berries, 

 furnished a delightful repast this evening. The weather was remark- 

 ably fine, and the temperature so mild, that the musquitoes again 

 made their appearance, but not in any great numbers. Our distance 

 made to-day was not more than six miles. 



The next morning the net furnished us with ten white fish 

 and trout. Having made a further deposit of iron work for the 

 Esquimaux we pursued our voyage up the river, but the shoals and 

 rapids in this part were so frequent, that we walked along the banks 

 the whole day, and the crews laboured hard in carrying the canoes 

 thus lightened over the shoals or dragging them up the rapids, yet 

 our journey in a direct line was only about seven miles. In the 

 evening we encamped at the lower end of a narrow chasm through 

 which the river flows for upwards of a mile. The walls of this 

 chasm are upwards of two hundred feet high, quite perpendicular, 

 and in some places only a few yards apart. The river precipitates 

 itself into it over a rock, forming two magnificent and picturesque 

 falls close to each other. The upper fall is about sixty feet high, and 

 the lower one at least one hundred, but perhaps considerably more, 

 for the narrowness of the chasm into which it fell prevented us from 

 seeing its bottom, and we could merely discern the top of the spray 

 far beneath our feet. The lower fall is divided into two, by an 

 insulated column of rock which rises about forty feet above it. The 

 whole descent of the river at this place probably exceeds two 

 hundred and fifty feet. The rock is very fine felspathose sandstone. 

 It has a smooth surface and a light red colour. I have named these 

 magnificent cascades " Wilberforce Falls," as a tribute of my respect 



