164 Thirty Years 



men cheerfully dragged the additional weight. Akait- 

 cho, judging from the appearance of the meat, thought 

 it had been placed here three days ago, and that the 

 hunters were considerably in advance. We put up at 

 six P.M., near the end of the lake, having come twelve 

 miles and three-quarters, and found the channel open 

 by which it is connected with the Rock-nest Lake. A 

 river was pointed out, bearing south from our encamp- 

 ment, which is said to rise near Great Marten Lake. 

 Red-rock Lake is in general narrow, its shelving banks 

 are well clothed with wood, and even the hills, which 

 attain an elevation of four hundred or five hundred 

 feet, are ornamented, half way up, with stunted 

 pines. 



On June 30, the men having gummed the canoes, 

 embarked with their burdens to descend the river ; 

 but we accompanied the Indians about live miles 

 a neck of land, when we also embarked, The 

 river was about two hundred yards wide, and its 

 course being uninterrupted, we cherished a sanguine 

 hope of now getting on more speedily, until we per- 

 ceived that the waters of Rock-nest Lake were still 

 bound by ice, and thai recourse must, agaiu be had 

 to the sledges. The ice was much decayed, and we 

 were exposed to great risk of breaking through in 

 making the traverse. In one part we bad to cross an 

 open channel in the canoes, and in another were com- 



