1827, APRIL. McGILLIVRAY'S OR COOTANIE RIVER 249 



that Mr. Work presented me with a nightcap made of the hair and wool 

 of that animal, netted by an Indian girl, and a pair of inferior snowshoes 

 called bear's paws. Travelled thirty miles. 



Friday, 20th. Slight frost in the morning. The tent being wet and 

 partly covered with snow from the preceding night, a small fire had to be 

 kindled in it before it could be folded. Passed, about a mile above our 

 camp, McGillivray's or Cootanie Eiver, also a stream of some magnitude, 

 rapid, and very clear water. This is said to be a good route across the 

 mountains, but from the hostile disposition manifested by the natives 

 inhabiting the higher parts of the Saskatchewan, the Athabasca portage is 

 preferred, being free from such visitors. Five miles above it the Columbia 

 gradually widens to a lake, one to two and a half miles broad, some places 

 very deep, having bold perpendicular rocks ; at other places small bays 

 with gravelly or sandy beach with low points of wood. The scenery to-day 

 is fine, but not so broken, the hills fully as high and more thickly wooded ; 

 high snowy peaks are seen in all directions raising their heads to the clouds. 

 Took breakfast at 8 A.M., gained then nine miles. Course of the river 

 then north-west and by north-west, and north-east. About 10 P.M. a light 

 breeze sprang up which enabled us to use a sail, which slackened during the 

 middle of the day, but freshened up again in the afternoon. Noon clear 

 and fine. Intended to have arranged a few words of the Chenook language, 

 but was molested out of my life by the men singing their boat-songs. 

 That small species of Juniperus found last year at Kettle Falls is the only 

 plant that came under my notice which I did not see yesterday. Camped 

 at dusk on a low sandy point on the left side, four miles from the upper 

 end of the lake. Our distance this day is about forty-seven miles. 



Saturday, 21st. Shortly after dusk last night an Indian and his tw 

 children came to our camp and sold a small piece of venison and a few 

 small trout, 10 to 14 inches long, of good quality, and some small suckers, 

 so common in the lower parts of the river. I learn that sturgeon is in the 

 lake, but is not fished by the Indians. Morning clear and fine, wind 

 easterly, which greatly impeded our progress. Started at daylight and 

 continued our route along the north shore. At seven passed a camp of 

 Indians, consisting of three families, from whom three pair of snowshoes, 

 such as I obtained at Kettle Falls, were purchased. Eeindeer (Cariboux 

 of the voyageurs) it would appear are found in abundance in the moun- 

 tains : not fewer than a hundred skins were in this lodge. They are 

 killed readily during the deep snow with the bow. From Mr. A. R. 

 McLeod, who spent several years on the McKenzie River, I learn there 

 are two varieties of this animal, a larger and a smaller. The latter 

 abounds in the high latitudes of the north. The former, or larger, is the 

 one found here and differs from that east of the mountains in no respect 

 except the hair a little darker colour and somewhat curled on the 

 belly and inside of the thighs. The large hoof which this species has 

 (not observed in any other of the genus) is a proof of the wise economy 

 of Nature, given it to facilitate its tedious wanderings in the deep 

 snows. At 10 A.M. put ashore at the upper end of the lake to break- 

 fast, where we stayed three-quarters of an hour. Instead of four miles, 



