A day's wading. 251 



We, however, took the liberty of naming them Mount 

 Fitzwilliam and Mount Bingley. The lake was 

 drained by a small stream issuing from the western 

 extremity, and ultimately falling into the Eraser. 



On the 10th we struck the Fraser Eiver, sweeping 

 round from the south-west through a narrow gorge, 

 to expand some miles lower down into Moose Lake. 

 Our route now lay along the north bank of the 

 Fraser, and the travelling was exceedingly difl&cult 

 and harassing. The river had overflowed its banks 

 up to the almost perpendicular sides of the straitened 

 valley in which it is confined. The track was com- 

 pletely under water up to the horses' girths, and we 

 spent the greater part of the day in w^ading and the 

 rest in toiling through swamps beset with fallen 

 timber. It was impossible to stop, for there was 

 neither dry place in which to camp nor pasture for 

 the horses, and we therefore travelled on until dark, 

 very thankful to find a place of rest at last. All 

 agreed that it was the hardest day we had yet gone 

 through, and Mr. O'B. had two of his hair-breadth 

 escapes, which formed a text for him to discourse 

 about the perils and sufierings which he encountered 

 " on this most extraordinary journey." Since his 

 successful crossing of the Myette, he had been some- 

 what more reconciled to horseback, and on this day 

 mounted his steed rather than wade on foot. 



Soon after we set out, he dropped behind the 

 rest of the cavalcade, and before long, Cheadle, 

 who was driving some of the hindmost horses, 

 was arrested by a most tremendous bawling for 



