FROM CHIPEWYAN TO THE RAILROAD 311 



delivers its goods, that are then taken by boat down to the 

 islands, transferred its length (three-fourths of a mile) on a 

 tramway, and loaded into the battues, and taken on down to 

 McMurray. At McMurray another company steamer, the 

 Grahame, takes the goods to Smith Landing via Chipe- 

 wyan. Here they are transported by ox-carts across the 

 portage to Fort Smith. At Fort Smith they are loaded on 

 to another steamer, which distributes them to Fort Resolu- 

 tion, Fort Rae, and the Mackenzie River posts, Fort Simp- 

 son, Fort Goodhope, and Fort McPherson,on Peels River, 

 which is the most northerly post, being 1800 miles from 

 Edmonton and about 100 miles from the Arctic Ocean. 



I could have made quicker time by canoe to McMurray 

 had I been able to hire men ; but this was impossible, 

 as they were all employed on the flatboats. Even had 

 I gone by canoe all the way to the island at Grand 

 Rapids and thence to Athabasca Landing, I should not 

 on the whole have gained more than a couple of days ; 

 whereas by going with the flatboats and meeting the 

 steamer at the island, I should avoid all the annoyance 

 of hiring Indians and the hard work of paddling, so I 

 considered myself in luck to have reached Chipewyan so 

 opportunely. The two days at Chipewyan I spent writing 

 up my journal and growing fat on wild geese and ducks, 

 with which Dr. Mackay's table was well served. 



Chipewyan is the great duck and goose hunting-post of 

 the country. Between May 1st and I5th great flocks are 

 going north, which return again between September I5th 

 and October 1st to I5th, and during those periods their 

 numbers are legion. There are all the varieties of ducks 

 I have already named and many more I do not know ; 

 there are four kinds of geese : the " honker," or Canadian 

 gray goose ; a smaller gray goose ; a large white goose, 

 not quite so large as the "honker;" and a smaller white 



