70 THE GREAT NORTH-WEST 



a day elapsed that tiiere was not a refreshing breeze 

 blowing in the morning and evening. From about 1 p.m. 

 to 4 or 5 o'clock was the oppressive time, and at all 

 times, day and night, the mosquitoes and other flies 

 were a terrible plague. They swarmed everywhere in 

 great numbers, and setting appearance at defiance I Avas 

 compelled to cover my face and hands thickly with grease 

 as a protection. Oil or grease is a deadly poison to all 

 flies, apparently by blocking their breathing apparatus, 

 and my expedient proved an efficacious protective, the 

 flies when pitching on the exposed parts being too 

 troubled at finding themselves sticking to bite. 



The appearance of the country on all sides was 

 beautiful, hilly but not mountainous, well wooded in 

 many places, but yet there was no tract that could be 

 called forest. The trees were pines, spruce, birch, maple, 

 willow, and others that I did not recognise. 



At the Dog Portage, from whence there is a very 

 extensive view over the country, we met a party of 

 voyageurs travelling towards Fort William. They were 

 Hudson's Bay people, and there seemed to be something 

 rather mysterious about their journey. It is too early 

 in the season for the " brigades," as the canoe parties are 

 termed, to be moving down to the lakes, and these men, 

 six in number, kept somewhat aloof from my party. In 

 crossing the Dog Lake we overtook a party of thirteen 

 Seauteaux Indians in three canoes who were taking pelts 

 to Fort Frances, a small depot on the Rain River. 



Soon after crossing the Dog Lake we had evidently 

 come to the apex of the range of hills ; for now instead 

 of making portages we were continually shooting rapids. 

 Some of these rapids were very dangerous, others 

 exceedingly long, and occasionally we were still com- 

 pelled to make a portage ; and our rate of travelling was 

 now much faster than it had been during the first part 

 of the journey. We were daily passing through small 

 lakes and rivulets, many of the former mere ponds, and 



