NORTHERN OCEAN 287 



we were frequently obliged to wade above the knees through 1772. 

 swamps of mud, water, and wet snow ; which froze to our ^^' 

 stockings and shoes in such a thick crust, as not only rendered 

 walking very laborious, but at the same time subjected us to 

 the danger of having our legs and feet frozen. 



The weather on the twenty-first was more severe than on 21st. 

 the preceding day; but the swamps and ponds being [293] by 

 that time frozen over, it was tolerable walking : we proceeded 

 therefore on our journev, but the wind blew so fresh, that we 

 had not walked sixteen miles, before we found that those who 

 carried the canoes could not possibly keep up with us, so that 

 we put up for the night. In the course of this day's journey 

 we crossed the North West Bay of Wholdyah'd Lake ; which, 

 at that part, is called by the Northern Indians A Naw-nee- 

 tha'd Whoie.^ This day several of the Indians turned back, 

 not being able to proceed for want of provisions. Game of 

 all kinds indeed were so scarce, that, except a few geese, 

 nothing had been killed by any of our party, from our leaving 

 the women and children on the eleventh instant, nor had we 

 seen one deer the whole way. 



The twenty-second proved more moderate, when all our 22d. 

 party having joined, we again advanced to the North East, 

 and after walking about thirteen miles, the Indians killed four 

 deer. Our number, however, had now so increased, that four 

 small Northern deer would scarcely afford us all a single meal. 



The next day we continued our journey, generally walking 23d. 

 in the North East quarter ; and on the twenty-fifth, crossed 25th. 

 the North bay of They-hole-kye'd Whole, or Snow-bird Lake ; 



\} The north end of Wholdiah Lake of the present maps is in latitude 60° 49' 

 north, whereas the part crossed by Hearne, which he calls A Naw-nee-tha'd 

 Whoie, is placed by him in latitude 61° 50' north. It remains for some future 

 explorer to account for this discrepancy, and give the exact situation of this 

 place. That Hearne's position is much too far north is clear, for they were then 

 in the woods, and the northern limit of the woods crosses the Dubawnt River 

 about latitude 61° 30' N., twenty-three miles south of Hearne's course as 

 indicated on his map.] 



