THE RED EIVER EXPEDITION. 301 



sign whatever of man's handiwork anywhere. Oh, 

 if it were not for the trouble of having to cook one's 

 own dinner, how delicious would be existence passed 

 in the society of nature ! 



The drainage of an immense country is collected 

 in the Lake of the Woods, which flows into Lake 

 Winnipeg by a river of that name. This river begins 

 in the former lake, flowing from it by several 

 channels, all more or less romantically picturesque 

 in their scenery, and at the entrance to each of 

 which there are falls about thirteen feet high. 

 L'pon one of the central islands thus formed is the 

 Hudson Bay post of Rat Portage. It is approached 

 by a most intricate channel, winding round islands 

 in such a manner that a stranger would have very 

 great difficulty in finding it. There is a nice little 

 farm there, and a good garden, the vegetables of 

 which were a great treat after our journey of so 

 many days through a wilderness. There was a most 

 striking difference between the climate at Sheban- 

 dowan and on the shores of this great lake : every 

 day's journey from the high level of the former 

 place brought us into a more genial temperature, 

 humming-birds having been seen for the first time 

 at French Portage before we reached Eainy Lake ; 

 and the corn was being cut as we left Fort Francis, 

 where the summer is very early. The post at Eat 

 Portage consists of a few log-houses surrounded by a 

 high wooden palisading. It stands on a bank some 



