o. 



MEETING WITH NATIVES. 117 



the wind beating the cold rain and the spray from 

 the crest of the waves in our faces, our only consolation 

 was that we were making miles on the journey. The 

 shores continued to be bare steep walls of rock; not 

 a shrub was anywhere to be seen. About twelve 

 miles below Schultz Lake we decided to camp. Tents 

 were pitched, and within them our soaked and shivering 

 party sought comfort. Little, however, was to be found, 

 for the wind, which continued to increase in violence, 

 drove the rain through our shelters, saturating the 

 blankets and making us generally miserable. The 

 morning brought no improvement, for the storm still 

 -continued. 



(It was impossible to make a fire, supposing moss or 

 her fuel could have been found, for they would have 

 been saturated with water. A little alcohol still remain- 

 ing, tea was boiled .with it, and dried venison completed 

 our menu. As those who have used it well know, this 

 description of meat is not the most palatable. It is 

 good strong, portable food, but may be better compared 

 to sole leather than any article of diet. 



By the morning of the first of September the rain had 

 ceased and the clouds partially cleared away. The gale, 

 however, still continued to blow so fiercely as to fre- 

 quently whip clouds of spray off the surface of the 

 river, so that we were quite unable to travel in canoes. 



On the following morning, the wind having fallen 

 .sufficiently, the canoes were again pushed into the cur- 

 rent, and we glided down stream, in a south-easterly 

 direction, at the rate of seven miles an hour. The 

 channel was deep and about three hundred yards in 

 width, while the banks, continuing to be bold and high, 



