NARRATIVE OF THE EXPEDITION. 247 



clear as crystal, and we at once found ourselves gliding along, 

 over a sandy and pebbly bottom, strewed with the scattered 

 valves of shells, at a brisk rate. Its banks are overhung with 

 limbs and foliage, which sometimes reach across. The bends are 

 short, and have accumulations of flood-wood, so that, from both 

 causes, the use of the axe is often necessary to clear a passage. 

 There was also danger of running against boulders of black rock, 

 lying in the margin, or piled up in the channel. As the rapid 

 waters increased, w^e were hurled, as it were, along through the 

 narrow passages, and should have descended at a prodigiously 

 rapid rate, had it not been for these embarrassments to the navi- 

 gation. Its course was northwest. After descending about ten 

 miles, the river enters a narrow savanna, where the channel is 

 wider and deeper, but equally circuitous. This reaches some 

 seven or eight miles. It then breaks its way through a pine ridge, 

 where the channel is again very much confined and rapid, the 

 velocity of the stream threatening every moment to dash the 

 canoe into a thousand pieces. The men were sometimes in the 

 water, to guide the canoe, or stood ever ready, with poles, to fend 

 off. After descending some twenty -five miles, we encamped on a 

 high sandy bluff on the left hand. 



The next morning (14th), we were again in our canoes before 

 five o'clock. The severe rapids continued, and were rendered 

 more dangerous by limbs of trees which stretched over the 

 stream, threatening to sweep off everything that was movable. 

 We had been one hour passing down a perfect defile of rapids, 

 when we approached the Kakabikons Falls. Kakahilc^ in. the 

 Chippewa, means a cascade, or shoot of water over rocks. Oris 

 is merely the diminutive, to which all the nouns of this language 

 are subject. How formidable this little cataract might be, we 

 could not tell. It appeared to be a swift rush of water, bolting 

 through a narrow gorge, without a perpendicular drop, and Oza- 

 windib said it required a portage. Halting at its head, for Lieut. 

 Allen to come up, his bowsman caught hold of my canoe, to 

 check his velocity. It had that effect. But, being checked sud- 



* Kakabik. Ahik is a rock. The prefi-ied syllable, A'a/c, may be derived from 

 Kukidjewum, a rapid stream. Ka is often a prefix of negation in compound words, 

 which has the force of a derogative. 



