REFLECTIONS. 257 



ter — from scenes and tales of suffering and 

 death — from wearisome inaction and monotony 

 — from disappointment and heart-sickening 

 care. Before me were novelty and enterprise ; 

 hope, curiosity, and the love of adventure 

 were my companions ; and even the prospect of 

 difficulties and dangers to be encountered, with 

 the responsibility inseparable from command, 

 instead of damping rather heightened the en- 

 joyment of the moment. In turning my back 

 on the Fort, I felt my breast lightened, and my 

 spirit, as it were, set free again ; and with a 

 quick step, Mr. King and I (for my companion 

 seemed to share in the feeling) went on our 

 way rejoicing. 



Taking a northerly direction through the 

 woods, we soon got into a succession of swamps ; 

 then ascended steep rocks ; and subsequently 

 gained a sight of the Ah-hel-dessy, which 

 seemed in that part to be navigable, though, 

 from the noise, it was certain that a heavy fall 

 was not far distant. We passed many sand-hills, 

 variegated by the arbutus plant, called, as I 

 have elsewhere said, by the traders " sac a 

 commis," cranberry and crowberry. These hills 

 were generally hemmed in by broken cliffs of 

 red feldspar and barren granitic rocks, with here 

 and there thick masses of snow filling up their 

 chasms, or sloping from the lower parts of ver- 



s 



