DAVID THOMPSON. 145 



25th of tho following year, 1800, he started from this fort overland 

 to Fort Augustus, travelling along the north side of the " Chain of 

 Lakes." After staying here for a few days he set out on March 31st 

 for Rocky Mountain House, travelling to the east of Bears Hills, aci-oss 

 two branches of Battle River, down the Wolf's trail and across Wolf 

 Creek (Blind Man River), to a crossing of Clearwater River two miles 

 above its mouth, arriving at Rocky Mountain House on April 7th. 

 The old House of the Noi-th-West Company was situated on the 

 north bank of the Saskatchewan, a niile-and-a-quarter above the 

 mouth of Clearwater River. From here he had intended to cross over 

 to the Red Deer River and descend it in a boat, but having been lamed 

 in some way, he sent four men, Chauvette, La Gasse, Clement and 

 Jacco Cardinal on this journey. As he records the fact that they started 

 from Rocky Mountain House and that a boat had been built for them 

 beforehan<l, and as some of them at all events are afterwards mentioned 

 in his journal, it seems probable that these men sucessfully descended 

 the Red Deer and South Saskatchewan Rivers, being in all probability 

 the fii-st white men to accomplish this journey. He himself descended 

 the North Saskatchewan. Five miles below the Elbow, where there 

 are very high banks he "found the English encamped for building" 

 at the mouth of a creek flowing in from the right which he calls 

 Sturgeon Creek (Buck Lake Creek), and passing White Mud House, 

 a fort of the North -West Company with Mr. Hughes in charge, he 

 reached Fort Augustus on May 9th, and on May 12th an-ived at 

 Fort George. On May 18th he left Fort George and on jNIay 21st 

 passed the Island House, a mile-and-a-half above the mouth of Birch 

 Brook, and the next day passed Turtle River House, a mile-and-a-half 

 below the mouth of Turtle Brook. On June 7th he reached the mouth 

 of the Saskatchewan. 



From this time till the Autumn nothing is seen of him, but he ev- 

 idently returned up the Saskatchewan to Rocky Mountain House, as 

 on Oetober 5 th he set out from this place on horseback with five 

 men and three pack-hoi-ses, up the Clearwater River and over to the 

 Red Deer River, which he ascended till he reached the mouth of 

 William's Creek, a small brook in Lat 51° 41' 41", Long 114° 56' 40". 

 There he pitched his camp for several days, and during the time he 

 states that he rode 22 miles due west to the foot of the abrupt clifis 



of the Rocky Mountains where some Kootanie Indians were camped. 

 10 



