COURSE OF THE THLEW-EE-CHOH. 161 



pansive stream ; but, slavishly subject to the 

 trending and declination of the land, it might 

 possibly lead to some part unfavourable to our 

 object; and whatever its direction, the appear- 

 ance of the blue Mountains in the distance 

 afforded abundant reason for supposing that we 

 should have no lack of rapids and falls. 



The observations gave the latitude 64° 40' 51" 

 N.; longitude 108° 08' 10" W. ; variation 44° 

 24' E. It appeared, therefore, that we were 

 only 109 miles south of the lower extremity of 

 Bathurst's Inlet ; and as the two Indians, who 

 had been any distance down the Thlew-ee-choh, 

 agreed in stating that it took a turn to the left, 

 and then went due north, there was a remote 

 chance of its being identical with Back's River 

 there, though its present N.E. trending was not 

 favourable to that hypothesis. 



The Yellow Knives, who travel across the 

 country in the spring to spear the deer as they 

 pass the rapid, were not accustomed to go be- 

 yond two days' march farther, through fear, as 

 they said, of falling in with Esquimaux : little 

 reliance, therefore, could be placed on their in- 

 formation respecting a river known to them 

 only by report. Neither they, nor the Chipewy- 

 ans, evinced the least desire to extend their 

 knowledge by offering to accompany us. We 

 embarked towards evening, on our return; and 



M 



