356 COURSE OF THE RIVER. 



short, I could not divest myself of those cares 

 and anxieties which every conscientious officer 

 must feel for those, be they few or many, who 

 look up to him for safety and direction. 



Much to our satisfaction the river kept to the 

 northward, and gave us the hope of making a 

 little latitude, now become extremely desirable ; 

 when suddenly, notwithstanding the long view 

 ahead, towards which the current seemed to be 

 setting, it turned off at a right angle, and 

 opened into a spacious lake, the extremity of 

 which could not be discerned. With singular 

 eccentricity, however, it soon again trended 

 northward through a wide space with many deep 

 bays, some of which were totally covered with 

 ice. The islands were also numerous ; and 

 having passed between two where there was a 

 rapid, we came to so great an extent of water 

 and ice, land being not visible to the north, 

 that the steersman exclaimed, " All the lakes 

 we had yet seen are nothing to this one !" 

 In its large expanse the current was soon lost, 

 and proportionate embarrassment was occasioned 

 us in deciding on the most probable direc- 

 tion for striking on the river. Several likely 

 openings near sand-hills were explored ineffectu- 

 ally between north and east ; for I was unwilling 

 to think it would be found elsewhere. We 

 rested on the oars, but the boat remained mo- 



