52 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 
over the rocks, compels them to remain the whole 
day in wet clothes, at a season when the tempe- 
rature is far below the freezing point. The im- 
mense loads too, which they carry over the por- 
tages, is not more a matter of surprise than the 
alacrity with which they perform these laborious. 
duties. * 
At six on the morning of the 21st, we left our 
encampment, and soon after arrived at the Mossy 
Portage, where the cargoes were carried through 
a deep bog for a quarter of a mile. The river. 
swells out, above this portage, to the breadth of 
Several miles, and as the islands are numerous 
there are a great variety of channels. — Night 
overtook us before we arrived at the Second 
Portage, so named from its being the second — 
in the passage down the river. Our whole dis- : 
tance this day was one mile and a quarter. 
‘On the 22d our ‘route led us amongst many 
wooded islands, which, lying in long vistas, pro 
duced scenes of much beauty. In the course df : 
the day ‘we “crossed. the Upper Portage, sut- 
mounted the Devil’: ‘Landing Place, and urged 
the boat with poles through Groundwater Creek- 
_ At the upper end of ‘this creck, our bowman 
