OF THE POLAR SEA. 271 
that the return of the swans, geese, and ducks, 
gave certain indications of the advance of spring. 
The juice of the maple tree began to flow, and 
the women repaired to the woods for the purpose 
of collecting it. This tree which abounds to the 
southward, is not, I believe found to the north- 
ward of the Saskatchawan. The Indians obtain 
the sap by making incisions into the tree. They 
boil it down, and evaporate the water, skimming 
off the impurities. They are so fond of sweets, 
that after this simple process, they set an extra- 
Vagant price upon it. i 
On the 15th fell the first shower of rain we 
had seen for six months, and on the 17th the 
thermometer rose to 77° in the shade. The 
whole face of the country was deluged by the 
melted snow. All the nameless heaps of dirt, 
accumulated in the winter, now floated over the 
very thresholds, and the long-imprisoned scents 
dilated into vapours so penetrating, that no re- 
treat was any security from them. The flood 
descended into the cellar below our house, and 
destroyed a quantity of powder and tea ; a loss 
irreparable in our situation. 
The noise made by the frogs which this inun- 
dation produced, is almost incredible. There 
is strong reason to believe that they outlive the 
severity of winter. They have often been found 
