434 ACCIDENT TO THE BOAT, 



took us to the foot of some rapids, and subse- 

 quently to Mount Meadowbank, on whose 

 shelving side many musk-oxen and deer were 

 feeding. In the afternoon we picked up our 

 cache of ammunition, and by avoiding a wide 

 opening shortened the distance to the next 

 rapids. The tracking along the banks of this 

 part, which was steep and covered with large 

 boulders, mixed with smaller round stones, was 

 exceedingly fatiguing from the uncertainty of 

 the footing, the shingly surface generally sliding 

 away under the pressure of each step, so that the 

 people were constantly falling and hurting them- 

 selves. The lowness of the water too caused 

 the navigation of many parts to be exceedingly 

 intricate, and some which, in descending, the 

 boat had passed over were now quite dry; 

 nevertheless, we made such good progress that 

 at night we encamped below the Wolf Rapid. 



The next day was too foggy to allow us to start 

 until 10 a. m., when we ascended the rapids ; 

 in one of which the boat struck so severely 

 against a sunken rock, that she was stove under 

 her larboard bow: however, by caulking with 

 oakum and grease we contrived to reach our 

 cache of two bags of pemmican, which had been 

 uncovered, as was supposed, by the wolvereens. 

 By this exposure to the rain a great proportion 

 was too much damaged for consumption, and 



