ASCENT OF THE MACKENZIE RIVER. 267 



termination of this arduous and most comfortless 

 voyage. 



A clause in Mr. PuUen's instructions directed, if 

 possible, a visit to Whale Island : this he attempted 

 with one boat's crew next day, but returned in the 

 evening of the 29th, without having accomplished 

 his object, the weather having been very inimical 

 to success. 



The ascent of the river was accomplished princi- 

 pally by tracking, which, always laborious, was here 

 a very great task for our poor fellows, who were 

 almost new to its delights, and had frequently to 

 wade knee-deep in water or mud, with a temperature 

 considerably below freezing. The banks were covered 

 near the sea with low willow scrub ; but as we 

 proceeded, this grew higher : a few stunted spruce 

 firs appeared, and gradually the rigorous character of 

 the vegetation changed to a milder aspect. The 

 tracks of bears, moose, and reindeer, were frequent ; 

 occasionally, also, prints of the mocassins of some 

 solitary hunter gave sign of human life. The banks 

 displayed the effects of the enormous force exerted by 

 the spring-flushes, with their cargoes of ice ; being, 

 in the bends of the channel, undermined to within a 

 few feet of the surface, and in some places a succes- 

 sion of terraces had been formed by the same agents. 



