THE EED KIVER EXPEDITION. 299 



probably as the bar has been when the river's 

 mouth was more to the north than it is at present. 

 These sand-banks extended some six or eight miles, 

 running tolerably parallel with the shore, and from 

 a thousand to two thousand yards from it. The 

 water was very shallow at places ; and as we got 

 towards the end of the protecting sand-banks, the 

 force of the waves increased, so that all chance of 

 beating to windward under sail was out of the ques- 

 tion. "We were therefore forced to put into a rocky 

 island partly covered with trees, where we were 

 detained two days by a heavy westerly gale a 

 severe trial to our patience. "When we did get off, 

 a journey of two days, sometimes under sail and 

 sometimes having to depend solely upon the oar, 

 took us to Rat Portage, at the northern extremity 

 of the lake, where the Winnipeg River flowed out of 

 it. Some of us were without guides in crossing the 

 lake, which for miles at places is crowded with 

 islands of all shapes and sizes ; and as the maps 

 were altogether wrong, many wandered about at the 

 northern extremity of the lake searching in vain for 

 the mouth of the Winnipeg River. The Lake of the 

 Woods is about seventy-five miles long, with an 

 average width of about seventy miles. It is in 

 reality three lakes, separated one from the other by 

 clusters of islands, all more or less pretty, some hav- 

 ing fine perpendicular cliffs tinted with many shades 

 of red, and standing majestically out of the water. 



