INTO THE UNKNOWN WILDERNESS. 71 



Corrigal, who had been crippled, was now at work 

 again, and proved to be a capital hand. All hands 

 worked well, but it was amusing to note the craftiness 

 of the Iroquois, who invariably tried to secure such 

 articles to carry as biscuits, tents or dunnage bags. 

 With immense loads of comparatively little weight they 

 would then stagger off like old Atlas himself. 



When the last loads for the week were laid down at 

 camp, we were a thoroughly tired party. For the past 

 six days we had been laboring on long portages, and 

 during that time had carried the entire outfit for a 

 distance of about eight miles, over the roughest kind of 

 country, representing a total transport of fifty-six miles, 

 or a walk of 104 miles for each man. Sunday was 

 spent, therefore, by all in enjoying complete rest. The 

 weather continued fine and warm, as it had been all 

 week. 



During the succeeding day and a half six little lakes 

 and as many short portages, leading in a northerly 

 direction, were crossed, and then at noon on the llth 

 inst. Wolverine Lake was discovered and its position in 

 latitude determined. This lake, only about three miles 

 in width by six in length, is by no means a large body 

 of water, but because of its many deep shore indenta- 

 tions and consequent coast-line of forty or fifty miles, 

 it was thought by us to be large enough before we dis- 

 covered our road out of it, which we knew to be by the 

 ascent of a large river from the north. The shores of 

 the lake were heavily and beautifully wooded with 

 spruce and birch timber, and its surface was studded 

 with islands. At nightfall, after exploring the utter- 

 most recesses of several deep bays, without discovering 



