ACCIDENT TO JAMES SPENCE. 281 



likely to be right. In this uncertainty I made for 

 a bluff bearing N. W. ; and, rinding no pas- 

 sage at its base, I ascended another high hill, 

 whence I saw a black line of open water, which 

 appeared to come from the direction of the 

 narrows leading into Clinton-Colden Lake. This 

 supposition was soon after agreeably confirmed 

 by the discovery, near the spot which I have 

 before described as the Deer Pass, of a rich 

 cache, containing more than three whole ani- 

 mals, with a note written by Thomas Hassel, a 

 pure Indian, who had been educated at Red 

 River, and engaged by me as an interpreter. 



The water and wind together had so wasted 

 the ice near the bank here, that not unfrequently 

 we had to lift the boat and sledges over dry 

 stones and rivulets to get to the next sheet; and 

 the sheets themselves were so rotten, that on one 

 occasion James Spence fell through, and got a 

 complete ducking before he could be pulled 

 out. But the worst was, that this rough high- 

 way strained the runners ; several of which 

 were already in so indifferent a plight, that we 

 should have thrown them away, if we could in 

 any way have supplied their place. However, 

 the people worked cheerfully, and at 8h. 40m. 

 p. m. we encamped, and immediately set about 

 repairing the runners. 



As we were now about to traverse Clinton 



