228 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



expedition to the Eed River country, we shall now 

 endeavour to give a general description of the region 

 to be traversed, and of the difficulties to be overcome 

 by it, reserving for another chapter an account of its 

 organisation, and of the manner in which it fulfilled 

 its mission. 



A glance at the map of North America will show 

 the reader that lying west of the inhabited provinces 

 of Canada are Lakes Huron and Superior. They are 

 united by the St Mary River of about fifty miles in 

 length. A canal has been constructed on the Ameri- 

 can side of the river, by means of which vessels can 

 avoid the rapids of Sault Ste Marie, and pass easily 

 from lake to lake. Taking therefore Toronto, the 

 chief town in Ontario, as a starting-point, a traveller 

 wishing to reach Fort Garry through British territory 

 would go by rail 94 miles to Collingwood, and from 

 thence by steamer 534 miles to Thunder Bay, via the 

 St Mary River Canal. The waters of Lake Superior 

 and its tributaries flow into the Gulf of St Lawrence, 

 whilst those of Lake Winnipeg empty themselves 

 into Hudson Bay. These two water-systems are 

 separated by a line of rugged hills which approach to 

 within about 80 miles of Thunder Bay, the lowest 

 pass over them in that locality being about 839 feet 

 above Lake Superior. 



Some years ago a route had been explored from 

 Thunder Bay to Fort Garry ; and a scheme was laid 

 before the Canadian Parliament for improving it, by 



