NORTHERN OCEAN 137 



to Prince of Wales's Fort, from Cathawhachaga, in the be- 1771. 

 ginning of July one thousand seven hundred and seventy ; ^^' 

 but not long after that, having the misfortune to break my 

 quadrant, I was obliged to return to the Fort a second time ; 

 and though we saw many smokes, and spoke with several 

 Indians on my return that year, yet he and I missed each other 

 on the barren ground, and I had not seen or heard of him 

 since that time. 



As Matonabbee was desirous that I should receive my 

 letters, and also the goods I had written for, he dispatched 

 two of his young men to bring them. We continued our 

 journey to the Northward ; and the next day saw several 21st. 

 large smokes at a great distance to the Eastward on the 

 barren ground, which were supposed to be made by some 

 parties of Indians bound to Prince of Wales's Fort wdth furrs 

 and other commodities for trade. 



On the twenty-second and twenty-third, we proceeded to 226. 

 the North, at the rate of fourteen or fifteen miles a day ; and 

 in the evening of the latter, got clear of all [loi] the woods, 

 and lay on the barren ground.^ The same evening the two 

 young men who were sent for my letters, &c. returned, and 



[1 Thus, four days after leaving Clowey, travelling in a northerly direction, 

 they passed out of the wooded region and reached the barren grounds, though 

 it is evident that there had been open barren grounds to the east of them for 

 most of the way. Their course probably lay along the height of land east 

 of Artillery Lake. The northern edge of the forest and southern line of the 

 barren grounds crosses this lake near the middle, the most northern woods on 

 its eastern shore being in latitude 63° 4' N., while on its western side the woods 

 extend north to latitude 63° n' N. 



Artillery Lake is thus described by J. W. Tyrrell, who visited it in May 

 1900 : — 



" Artillery Lake was reached by our outfit on the 26th of May, more than 

 two weeks after it had been first visited by Fairchild and Acres, when exploring 

 and 'brushing' the trail for our voyageurs. Then its ice had been as solid as 

 in winter, showing no signs of disruption or decay, whereas now it was rapidly 

 decomposing, forming what is known as candle-ice, and making much open 

 water along the shores. It lies in a north-easterly and south-westerly direction, 

 and is fifty-five miles in length, . . . and the superficial area of the lake is about 

 one hundred and ninety square miles. Its shores are bold and high, in some 



