170 THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE BY LAND. 



wMcli makes tliis tale wortli mentioning, is that it 

 obtains universal credence amongst the half-breeds. 

 Many of them profess to haye seen it, and one man 

 told us he had visited it twice. On the first occa- 

 sion he lifted it with ease ; on the second, several 

 years afterwards, he was utterly unable to move it ! 

 ^ The man most solemnly assured us this was perfectly 

 true. 



Baptiste also told us that many years ago a 

 nugget of gold was brought to Mr. Rowand, of 

 Edmonton, by an Indian, who stated he had found 

 it near the foot of the Rocky Mountains. The gold 

 was forwarded to the Company in England, and the 

 Indian strictly enjoined to tell no man, lest some- 

 thing evil should happen unto him. 



At Jack Fish Lake we met Gaytchi Mohkamarn 

 and some Wood Crees of our acquaintance. The 

 former apologised for eating our meat in the winter, 

 urging the dire necessity which compelled him. 

 After accompanying us for a day, they left us, 

 seeming really sorry that they would see us no more. 

 The principal difficulty we met with in this part of 

 our journey was the crossing of rivers, which were 

 now bank full from the melted snows. We generally 

 adopted the plan of making a small raft, on which 

 one of us crossed; then, with a rope from either 

 bank, we hauled the raft backwards and forwards, 

 until the baggage was all ferried over. The horses 

 were made to swim the stream, and the carts 

 dragged across. This we found rather miserable 

 work, standing up to our knees in the icy water, 



