SAND-HILLS. 141 



centre, stretched from the eastward, and, gra- 

 dually rising to different heights, suddenly ter- 

 minated in abrupt cliffs ; whence renewing the 

 line again at the base, it extended to within 

 a couple of miles of our encampment. Thence, 

 separated only by a narrow stream which flowed 

 from the lake, the land ascended by a shelving 

 hill to a continuation of the chain ; a tongue of 

 white sand spotted with Arbutus (sac a commis* ), 

 which jutted out to the southward, completed, 

 with the hill on which we had taken our posi- 

 tion, the girdle of a bay, the waters of which 

 emptied themselves by a narrow channel to the 

 north-west. To the north, as well as west, were 

 other hills, detached from the chain, of a rocky 

 mossy character about the declivities, but end- 

 ing in rounded cones of sand, from one hundred 

 and fifty to five or six hundred feet high. Many 

 ravines and dry watercourses intersected the 

 hills ; and in one I saw a musk ox, which con- 

 trived to get away from me. The deer must 

 have been, at some time, exceedingly numerous ; 

 for the face of the ground for several miles was 

 beaten down bv them. 



August 29th. — Becoming anxious about the 

 men, I took my gun, and, following a N. N.W. 

 direction, went out to look for them. Having 

 passed a small sheet of water, between the 



* So called by the traders. 



