68 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



deavoured to tie shoes on them, to afford them 

 some little relief, but they continually came off 

 when amongst deep snow, so that it occupied one 

 person entirely to look after them. In this state 

 they were hardly of any use among the steep 

 ascents of the portages, when we were obliged to 

 drag the sledges ourselves. We found a few of 

 the rapids entirely frozen. Those that were not 

 had holes and large spaces about them, from 

 whence issued a thick vapour, and in passing this 

 we found it particularly cold ; but what appeared 

 most curious was the number of small fountains 

 which rose through the ice, and often rendered it 

 doubtful which way we should take. I was much 

 disappointed at finding several falls (which I had 

 intended to sketch) frozen almost even with the 

 upper and lower parts of the stream ; the ice was 

 ■connected by a thin arch, and the rushing of the 

 water underneath might be heard at a consider- 

 able distance from the place. On the banks of 

 these rapids there was a constant overflowing of 

 the water, but in such small quantities as to 

 freeze before it had reached the surface of the 

 central ice, so that we passed between two ridges 

 of icicles, the transparency of which was beauti- 

 fully contrasted by the flakes of snow and the 

 dark green branches of the over-hanging pine. 

 " Beauparlant complained bitterly of the cold 



