344 LAKE PELLY. 



succeeding morning (July 19th) ; for the cur- 

 rent, to which we yielded ourselves, in a short 

 time lost itself in a large lake, full of deep 

 bays ; one, indeed, with a clear and uninter- 

 rupted horizon, but glimmering with firm ice. 



Having taken a more northerly course than 

 before, and passed two openings of about fifteen 

 and twenty miles in extent, we landed on an 

 island for the purpose of making a third cache 

 of pemmican. From this point I got cross 

 bearings, and a view of another opening almost 

 entirely covered with unbroken ice : a piece of 

 an old kieyak *, blanched with age, and other 

 remnants of Esquimaux workmanship, showed 

 that the place was frequented by them at some 

 part of the year. The opening itself was distin- 

 guished by the name of Lake Pelly, after the 

 liberal and spirited Governor of the Hudson's 

 Bay Company. 



Leaving the island, a slight current piloted us 

 to a rapid, near which the latitude was obtained, 

 and informed us that indefatigable as our exer- 

 tions had been we had gained but little north- 

 ing, and had abundance of hard work in pros- 

 pect before we should be permitted to taste salt 

 water. As for the men, the majority inclined 

 to a tale told them by an Indian, whom I had 

 not seen, — that before arriving at the sea, they 



* Esquimaux canoe. 



