224 THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE BY LAND. 



McLeod, and continued to follow it for a conple of 

 days. In a small tributary we caught a few trout in 

 a somewhat novel manner. '\Vhilst dinner was beino^ 

 prepared, we went down to the stream with the boy, 

 to fish wdth some of the gad-flies which we caught 

 on the horses. A number of trout were lying in 

 the shade of a large overhanging willow, and we 

 disposed ourselves along the trunk, in order to drop 

 the tempting fly before the noses of the fish. 

 Cheadle, in his eagerness to accomplish this, fell 

 head first into the water with a tremendous splash, 

 and the boy, in his amusement at his companion's 

 misfortune, shpped also, and splashed in after him. 

 Finding that the fish immediately returned to the 

 protecting shade, in spite of their fright, and were 

 even then too sleepy to take the bait, we set the 

 boy to manage the fly, whilst we stirred up the fish 

 judiciously with a long pole. They were then sufii- 

 ciently roused from their lethargic state to notice the 

 bait, and a good dish of them secured. Not one had 

 been taken before this device was adopted. 



The trail now led along the bed of the river, 

 and, becoming fainter and fainter, The Assiniboine 

 began to suspect that we had strayed from the main 

 track to Jasper House, and were following some 

 casual hunter's or miner's path. We therefore en- 

 camped at noon in the middle of a thick forest 

 of young pines. The trees grew very closely together,' 

 and we were obliged to cut a clear space for the horses 

 and our own camp. The Assiniboine started oflP to 

 search for the proper path, the woman and boy to the 



