AN ETHNOLOGICAL TRIP TO LAKE ATHABASCA 11 



lial parts of a Northland traveler's equipment, a mosquito bar for pro- 

 tection at night and a netting for day use. After leaving Edmonton 

 two days' stage journey found me at Athabasca Landing, the last post 

 office and the head of the Arctic inland water-route/ 



Here, I joined Captain Kelly of the Hudson's Bay Company, who 

 was prepared to start down stream with a fleet of seven scows bearing 

 the yearly provisions for all the Company's northern trading posts. 

 Each boat was manned by several oarsmen, who rowed after the fashion 

 of the old Roman o-al lev-slaves, rising; from their seats at each stroke, 

 and by a steersman who manipulated a heavy sweep. For several days 



THE "GRAHAME ON LAKE ATHABASCA, 



we alternately rowed and drifted down the Athabasca River, our half- 

 breed crew whiling away leisiu'e time with a hand-game similar to our 

 "button, l)utton, who's got the button." 



By the 19th of ^Nlay we were only a short distance above the Grand 

 Rapids of the Athabasca, and, owing to the extreme shallowness of the 

 water and the numerous rocks in the river-bed, the oarsmen were 

 obliged to punt instead of row. At the Grand Rapids, the river is 

 divided into two channels by an island nearly a half mile long. The 



' Dr. Lowie's route may be traced by studying the map on page 102 of the 

 Journal for November, 1908. 



