NARRATIVE. 81 



the face of the vertical wall of basalt-like columns rising out of the 

 forest that clings about its base and sides. Near at hand, the hori- 

 zontal lines disappear, being in fact rather suggested than clearly 

 made out, and only the vertical chasms are seen. As we passed the 

 end of the cape we found the ridge narrow and precipitous on both 

 sides, forming a wall across the mouth of Thunder Bay. Another 

 fragment of this wall we had in the southern ridge of Pie Island, 

 on our left. It is continued by the high, narrow islands beyond, 

 and repeated in the parallel ridges of Isle Roy ale. 



We stopped to lunch at Hare Island, a little bit of gravel with 

 few stunted spruces, but covered with grass and an abundance of 

 flowers. We now had before us a traverse of about fourteen miles 

 to Fort William, the white buildings of which were visible amid the 

 dark swamp across the bay. 



The wind was rising, but we set off", and the boats were soon far 

 ^ apart. Our canoe and the Professor's made for the southernmost 

 entrance of the river on which the post stands, as the nearest, and 

 were glad to escape into quiet water from the rough waves of the bay, 

 several of which found their way into our boat in spite of all Henry's 

 care and skill. The entrance of the river is wide and shallow, en- 

 closing a large delta, cut through the middle by the stream, so that 

 the river has in fact three mouths, the northern and southern ones 

 some two or three miles apart. Some distance outside the mouth 

 the water became very shoal, and islands were forming, on which a 

 few willows had already taken root. 



The river-water is of the usual dark brown, and tolerably clear. 

 The banks swampy, densely wooded, and lined with water-plants, 

 among others the elegant heads of the sagittaria, also nuphar, equi- 

 setum, bull-rushes, &c. Such was the luxuriance of the vegetation, 

 that it reminded one of a swamp in the tropics, rather than of a 

 northern river. 



The name of Fort, applied to this post of the Hudson's Bay Com- 

 pany, dates from the old days of the Northwest Company, (to whom 

 it formerly belonged,) and their quarrels with the Hudson's Bay. 

 At that time the place was strong enough to induce Lord Selkirk, 

 who came up with hostile intent, to take the trouble to bring with 

 him a field-piece, which he planted on the opposite bank of the river, 



