FRESH BEAR TRACKS. 257 



Lake, which is about seven miles long by a 

 mile or so in breadth, very quickly, but after 

 reaching the mouth of the river which runs 

 into it from King George's Lake, we were able 

 to make but very slow progress, for although 

 we worked hard for the rest of the day we 

 were still not much more than two miles from 

 the lake when it began to get dark. We had 

 had to carry the load and then drag the empty 

 canoe over the shallows almost the whole way. 

 We saw fresh bear tracks in the evening. 



On the following morning we had the same 

 difficulties to contend with, and found it 

 impossible to get the canoe along without first 

 lightening it, so we carried half the load for 

 about a mile-and-a-half along the river's bank. 

 Then Smart and Geange went back and 

 brought up the canoe with the rest of the load. 

 This took them three hours. 



Whilst my men were bringing up the canoe 



I walked three or four miles up the river. On 



my way I met a caribou doe and fawn coming 



down. At this point there was a space of 



about five or six yards of ground strewn with 



17 



