DAVID THOMPSON. 151 



Saskatchewan River, '' in a long flat bottom of meadow dii-ectly 

 opposite the Vermilion River." On July 3rd he again embarked, and on 

 thefollowing day passed "burnt Foi't de L'Isle." On July 6th hereached 

 the Cz'ossing Place (at or close to Fort Carlton) at 2 p.m.. Fort de 

 Milieu at 4. .30 p.m., old Hud.son House at 6.30 p.m. On July 7th 

 he reached the Forks at 2 p.m., Fort St. Louis at 5 30. p.m., and 

 Fort la Corne at 6.15 p.m. On July 9th he arrived at Cumberland 

 House, and on August 2nd Rainy Lake House. On August 4th he 

 again set out for the west reaching Cumberland House on the 26th, 

 Fort Vermilion on September 14th, and Fort Augustus, on the 23rd. 

 On October 1st he passed old Muskako fort and on October 3rd ai-rived 

 at Boggy Hall, in Lat. 53° 1' 19". This fort according to Alexander 

 Henry was abandoned in the fall of this year. Writing in 1811 he 

 says: — "The remains of the buildings stand upon a small plain on 

 the north side of the river, about half a mile fi-om the river, through 

 thick woods. The situation of the house is very pleasant, having a 

 beautiful meadow on one side, sufficiently large for a horse-race, the 

 whole is bound in by tall poplars aspen and pine." Here, sending on 

 the canoes he took men and hoi'ses, and on October 9th passed old 

 Rocky Mountain Fort, and travelled till 17th, when sharp frosts 

 setting in the canoes could be brought no farther. Having therefore 

 camped for a few days to arrange the i)ack.s, he set out with pack- 

 horses on October 22nd, passed the Kootanie Plain on the 24th, and 

 on the 27th crossed the height of land. 



Here he killed two buffaloes, and he states that there was a herd of 

 cows still alieadof them ; being, therefore, some distance down on the 

 western side of the water-shed. On Oct. 31st, he again reached the 

 Columbia River. From hei'e he sent the horses southward through 

 the woods, while he ascended the river in a boat as far as a hoard 

 that had been built beside the river the year before, in Lat. 50° 53' 

 34", which must be not far from the mouth of the Spilimichene River. 



In this course he speaks of the " Rapid " (Kicking Horse) Rivei'. 

 From here he sent Mi-. Finnan McDonald southward with the canoes, 

 who established a fort and wintered near the falls on Kootanie River, 

 while he himself went on horseback to the old Kootanie Fort where 

 he arrived on November 10th. He remained here during the winter 

 trading with the Kootanie Indians. 



