NORTHERN OCEAN. 
165 
and its breadth varies from twenty yards to four ,74,, 
or five hundred. The banks are in general a folid a 
uly. 
rock, both fides of which correfpond fo exactly 
with each other, as to leave no doubt that the 
channel of the river has been caufed by fome ter- 
rible convulfion of nature; and the flream is fup- 
plied by a variety of little rivulets, that rufh down 
the fides of the hills, occafioned chiefly by the 
melting of the fhow. Some of the Indians fay, 
that this river takes its rife from the North Weft 
fide of Large White Stone Lake, which is at the 
diftance of near three hundred miles on a ftraight 
line; but I can fcarcely think that is the cafe, 
unlefs there be many intervening lakes, which 
- are fupplied by the vaft quantity of water that is 
collected in fo great an extent of hilly and moun- 
tainous country : for were it otherwife, | fhould 
imagine that the multitude of {mall rivers, which 
muft empty themfelves into the main ftream in 
the courfe of fo great a diftance, would have form- 
ed a much deeper and ftronger current than I dif. 
covered, and occafioned an annual deluge at the 
breaking up of the ice in the Spring, of which 
there was not the leaft appearance, except at Bloo- 
dy Fall, where the river was contracted to the 
breadth of about twenty yards. It was at the 
foot of this fall that my Indians killed the Efqui- 
maux ; which was the reafon why I diftinguifhed 
it by that appellation. From this fall, which is 
about eight miles from the {ea-fide, there are very 
few hills, and thofe not high. The land between 
them 
