282 TRAVELS IN THE EIGHTIES. 



Passing the entrance to Malaspina Inlet, we en- 

 tered Desolation Sound. I could see no particular 

 reason why the British Coast Survey should have 

 named it thus. It differed from other inlets only in 

 the fact that its thickly wooded mountains seemed 

 rounded instead of rising into jagged peaks, snow- 

 patched. Then we glided on into the narrow Lewis 

 channel between Cortez Island, with steep and lofty 

 cliffs, and Eedonda Island, a mountainous, smoothly- 

 wooded, yet rocky pass, traced with marks of forest 

 fires. Between Eedonda and Eaza, which was the 

 next island on the right, a broken waterfall is seen 

 apparently over a thousand feet in height, falling 

 off the margin of a wooded plateau above Point 

 George, and behind it rise some fine rocky peaks, 

 marked on the chart as 6,000 ft. in height. The 

 conflicting tidal currents in certain spots were very 

 remarkable. Passing an interesting chain of lesser 

 islands on our left, called the Eendezvous Islands, 

 and skirting on our right a long promontory of the 

 mainland, we reached the mouth of Bute Inlet, which 

 is blocked by Stuart Island, forming the dangerous 

 Arran rapids, which at times run at a speed of from 

 seven to nine knots. Due west across the entrance 

 rose a fine peak, 6,055 ft. in height. The wind was 

 blowing freshly, and just at this point Jack, the full- 

 blooded Indian whose eyesight, as well as that of 

 George, I found on several occasions to be marvellously 

 keen discovered a deer swimming in mid-channel, 

 right ahead of us, about half a mile distant, and at least 



