176 THE GREAT NORTH-WEST 



cover this distance on snow-shoes. I had already come 

 to look on a little trot of seventy miles as a mere flea- 

 bite of a journey, and determined to accompany him, 

 and spend the remainder of the winter in learning the 

 trade of a lumber-man. 



Goose Creek, the spot to which we were bound, was 

 not Mr. Finnock's usual post. He was going to replace 

 the gentleman in charge there who had been brought 

 down to Tadoussac in an apparently dying state. Poor 

 fellow ! he suffered from that most horrible of diseases, 

 consumption, and the rough life up country had played 

 sad havoc with him. We heard afterwards that he died 

 before reaching Quebec. 



I was most anxious before leaving the coast to go 

 out on the water, and I persuaded some of the sailors 

 to drag a boat over the ice, to gratify my wish. We 

 launched it and pulled along the edge of the margin 

 ice, if I may so call it, that next the shore to which 

 it was attached, and which was at least a mile broad, 

 and much more about a point of land ahead of us, 

 probably five or six miles. Outside the margin there 

 was a vast quantity of loose ice, some of the blocks 

 being large enough to be very formidable to the boat's 

 safety. I suppose that this loose ice was the result of 

 the heaving of the waves ; or perhaps the strong current 

 of the river was the cause of its becoming detached. 

 The danger from the swirling ice was so great that we 

 were obliged to give it a great offing. Farther out there 

 were still greater blocks that must have weighed many 

 tons, and were an effectual barrier to safe navigation. 

 We remained on the water but a very short time, as 

 there was no object to be gained and the danger was 

 great. I tried fishing with a hook and line, and also 

 with a cast net, but nothing was captured. The ice 

 barrier prevented us from landing on other parts of the 

 coast, so we returned, dragging the boat back with us. 



