208 LAKE MISTASSINI 



height of land, and other large lakes intervene be- 

 tween it and Mistassini. Bears abound in all the sur- 

 rounding country. Whitefish are plentiful in nearly 

 all the waters beyond the height of land, trout are 

 found in most of the smaller streams en route, and pike 

 and dore*, or pickerel, abound everywhere. The de- 

 scent from Mistassini to Lake St. John can be made 

 in about a week, over fifty miles of rapids being fre- 

 quently run in a single day. It is generally made by 

 a different route to the ascent, the simplest being that 

 by the Chef (or chief) branch of the Ashuapmouchouan, 

 which is reached on the second day. after leaving Lake 

 Mistassini. 



An entirely different and much longer return trip 

 can be had by descending the Kupert Kiver the out- 

 let of Lake Mistassini to James's Bay, which will oc- 

 cupy about two weeks. Another week will enable the 

 tourist to cross the bottom of the bay to Moose Fac- 

 tory, whence he can ascend the Moose Kiver in a fort- 

 night to Dog Lake at the height of land, and thence 

 return to civilization by the Canadian Pacific Kail- 

 way. This trip was done by Professor Galbraith, of 

 the Toronto School of Science, in 1882 or 1883, and by 

 Mr. Low in 1885. It was by way of the Ashuapmou- 

 chouan that the Jesuit Father Albanel reached Mis- 

 tassini on his way to James's Bay in 1672. He briefly 

 described his journey in the ^Relations des Jesuites, 

 vol. iii. It took him two years, for he was detained 

 by the Indians, who stripped him of his clothing. The 

 next explorer to reach Mistassini was the French 

 botanist Michaux, who in 1792 ascended the Mistas- 

 sini Kiver from Lake St. John. Mr. James Kichard- 



