In the Arctic Regions. 99 



Crew, and they narrowly escaped destruction. Jusl 

 landing, an unfortunate fellow, seizing 

 the Loaded fowling-piece, fired at a duck which rose 

 at the instant. The guide anticipating the con 

 quences, ran with the utmost haste to the other end 

 of the portage, but he was too Late : the other cai 

 had pushed off, and he arrived only to witness the 

 fate of his comrades. Th ilarmed in the mid- 



dle of the rapid, the canoe was upset, and every man 

 perished. 



The various rapids we have pass sd to-day, are pro- 

 duced by an assemblage of islands and rocky led 

 which obstruct the river, and divide it into many nar- 

 row channels. Two of these channels are rendered 

 still more difficult by accumulations of drift timber ; 

 a circumstance which has giyen a name to one of the 

 portages. The rocks which form the bed of the river, 

 and the numerous islands, belong to the granite 

 formation. The, distance made to-day was thirteen 

 miles. 



July 21. — We embarked at four A..M., and pursued 

 our course down the river. The rocks cease at the 

 last portage ; and below it the hanks are composed "t' 



alluvial soil, which is held together by the roots of 

 the tiers and shrubs that crown their summits. Tie- 

 river is about a mile wide, and the currenl i- greatly 

 diminished. At eiffhl we landed at the mouth of ihu 



