THE SAND-HILL. 135 



sequences — to prevent which, pieces of leather, 

 &c., were placed over the sides as fenders. The 

 mountainous appearance of the country to the 

 northward by no means answered to the character 

 of the part of which we were in search, and 

 greatly diminished the hopes that Maufelly had 

 nourished of finding a portage to the Thlew-ee- 

 choh in that direction. We therefore veered to 

 the westward ; and, after paddling from fifteen to 

 twenty miles, without descrying the faintest symp- 

 tom of a sand-hill, we ascended a lofty hill, and, 

 after considerable embarrassment, during which I 

 was careful to encourage him, the Indian pointed 

 to the south-east. Arriving at another point, he 

 again directed us west, through a kind of strait, 

 where there was an island, consisting of one conical 

 mount, about two hundred feet high. Some sand 

 was visible round and near its apex, and it was 

 distinguished, as I afterwards learnt, by the name 

 of the Sand- Hill. 



From its summit we were surprised to behold 

 another immense lake, extending with a clear 

 horizon to the south-west, and abounding in large 

 islands, and in bays from ten to fifteen miles 

 deep. How far it might be across, could not 

 be conjectured, the apparent boundary on the 

 other side being but dimly marked by narrow 

 dark lines, which the Indian assured me were 

 only islands. Resuming our journey, we passed 



k 4 



