162 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



the coast, two of our men were appointed to con- 

 duct it. 



As we were now entering on the confines of the 

 Esquimaux country, our guides recommended us 

 to be cautious in lighting fires, lest we should 

 discover ourselves, adding that the same reason 

 would lead them to travel as much as possible in the 

 valleys, and to avoid crossing the tops of the hills. 

 We embarked at six A.M., taking with us only 

 old Keskarrah. The other Indians walked along 

 the banks of the river. Throughout this day's 

 voyage the current was very strong, running four 

 or five miles an hour ; but the navigation was 

 tolerable, and we had to lighten the canoes only 

 once, in a contracted part of the river where the 

 waves were very high. The river is in many 

 places confined between perpendicular walls of 

 rock to one hundred and fifty yards in width, and 

 there the rapids were most agitated. Large 

 masses of ice twelve or fourteen feet thick, were 

 still adhering to many parts of the bank, indicat- 

 ing the tardy departure of winter from this in- 

 hospitable land, but the earth around them was 

 rich with vegetation. In the evening two musk- 

 oxen being seen on the beach, were pursued and 

 killed by our men. Whilst we were waiting to 

 embark the meat, the Indians rejoined us, and 

 reported they had been attacked by a bear, which 



