46 ON THE GREAT CHURCHILL RIVER 



indigenous to that latitude ; each different in 

 that the aspect to the eye was ever a changing 

 scene of fresh beauty and of fresh and gratifying 

 originality. One never grew tired nor complained 

 of monotony. Stimulated by beauty, rather was 

 one incited almost to hurry from one fair picture 

 to another, seeking what lay hidden beyond the 

 next river-bend, or the next island, and when 

 that also was revealed to wish in passing, 

 and in the fulness of praise and satisfaction, 

 that the best of one's friends in the world could 

 be there also to share such wealth of wonderful 

 scenes. It was much too fine, it seemed, to be 

 revealed to just an audience of one. 



Those lakes on the route occupied, approxi- 

 mately, 157 miles of the total distance, so that 

 considerably less than half of my journey on the 

 Churchill was on actual river. 



In the manner of our going I will trace the 

 course of the Churchill River to the mouth of 

 Reindeer River. 



Our solitary canoe, containing my able river- 

 man at the stern-paddle and myself at the bow- 

 paddle, entered the Churchill River from the 

 north end of lie a la Crosse Lake. After passing 

 down a short, narrow stream of rapid water, we 

 entered and traversed Shagwenaw Lake a lake 

 which lies almost north and south. The north 

 shore, with forest to the water's edge, was not 

 far distant on our left, but on our right, away out 

 south as far as eye could see, stretched a beautiful 

 sheet of water interspersed with such a confusion 

 of wooded islands as might well perplex the 

 voyageur should he be so unfortunate as to be 



