FOURTH EXPLORATION, 1880 



175 



"When the Canadian Mounted Police first entered the coun- 

 try, they always took a guide when moving from point to point. 

 On one occasion, when Colonel Irwin and party were passing from 

 Fort Walsh to the Saskatchewan in the direction of Battleford, 

 they camped on the open plain. In the morning, when they 

 started off, the atmosphere was cloudy and the sun obscured. 

 After travelling steadily all day, they reached their old camping 

 place in the evening, although they thought they were forty miles 

 away from it. When questioned, their guide explained that he 

 had travelled with the wind on his right hand all day and could 

 not be blamed if it changed. Numerous incidents of a like nature 

 could be related, each instance showing that guides are mere in- 

 cumbrances when in an unknown district." 



After leaving the lake with the bad water, we travelled a 

 couple of miles to the west and got round the end of it and then 

 turned north-east and, in a short time, struck another lake, which 

 was excellent water. Shortly after, we came upon a series of 

 sand hills, which, to our surprise, contained no less than thirty- 

 two large trees (Populus balsamifera) . We had been told, years 

 before, by Dr. G. M. Dawson, that there never had been forest 

 on these plains, but it became quite evident, when we saw these 

 trees, that all they required was safety from fires and they would 

 grow as well on the prairie as anywhere else. The hills were com- 

 posed of loose sand and the hollows in nearly every case had pools 

 of water and near these the trees were standing. At present, the 

 lake mentioned is called Big Stake Lake on account of these trees. 



We now proceeded on our course to the north, as I was 

 ordered, and, after passing the sand hills, took a straight course 

 for Humboldt, on the Carlton trail. As we were proceeding along 

 the road in the forenoon, we observed an Indian and a horse on 

 every hill that we could see, and I knew at once that these were 

 Indian pickets. As we were liable to fall in with Piegans, Sitting 

 Bull, or Sioux of Sitting Bull, I deemed it prudent to interview the 

 nearest scout. I told the party to keep on their regular road and, 

 when they came to water, to stop for dinner and I would go to 

 the hill where the scout was. I took my gun and went in his 

 direction and, before I reached him, he mounted his horse and 



