BEAR RIVER. 283 



favourite loaded to the gunwale with fish, which 

 exhaled any other than pleasing odours, being, in 

 fact, fish very much out of water. 



The mouth of Bear River, which is the outlet to 

 Bear Lake, and whose crystal waters contrasted 

 strongly with the turbid stream of the Mackenzie, 

 was passed on the 5tli ; also, an hour or two later, 

 some remarkable burning banks, which sent up 

 numerous columns of smoke, but at present emitted 

 no flame. The morning of the 6th was bitterly cold ; 

 a piercing wind chilled us throughout, and frost 

 gathered on our hair and beards. We reached Port 

 Norman about noon, and were kindly received by 

 Mr. H. E. Mac Kenzie, the gentleman in charge of 

 the post, to whom I made known the reasons of our 

 visit. From him I learned that Mr. Pullen had safely 

 arrived here about a fortnight since, and proceeded 

 onwards with his party to Fort Simpson, the head- 

 quarters of the district, where he would be accom- 

 modated for the winter. 



Two days after our arrival here, the guides who 

 had escorted Mr. Pullen to Port Simpson, touched on 

 their return ; and I learnt that he had remained there 

 with two men only, the rest of his party being 

 despatched to a fishing-station, on Great Slave Lake, 

 where they would winter. Although it was not correct 



