36 transactions. 1906-7. 



On Steamer Grahame from Fort McMurray to Smith's 

 Landing on the Slave River 287 Miles. 



It was late in the afternoon of a very hot day, July 2nd, when 

 we resumed our journey; and sitting on the deck I watched the 

 picture before me; constantly changing in detail, and yet similar 

 in character. The Clearwater minghng its contents reluctantly 

 and slowly with that of the turbid Athabaska. Islands clothed 

 with green spruce, recede from view as others appear in the dis- 

 tance. The sun declining, but so slowly that like the "Lotus 

 Eaters/' we could fancy it would always remain afternoon. 

 Finally, however, it sank behind the hills, and then succeeded the 

 almost equally and delightful twilight. 



I took many photographs during the journey which serve 

 better than words to convey an idea of the appearance of the coun- 

 try. But^there are two features that impressed me perhaps 

 more than any others, and I wish that we could photograph them. 

 They were these : the northern twilight and the silence that seemed 

 to fall on the wilderness as the gathering shades increased, more 

 and more till all nature was embraced in silent slumber. Fre- 

 quently we tied up to the shore for the few dark hours that we 

 had at this time, and in this latitude (later we had none) and this 

 was the time and here the place for meditation, unless a somnolent 

 disposition demanded other .employment The dark sylvan 

 solitude stretching out on every hand, and now wrapped in that 

 lethean repose so akin to death as to be almost overwhelming in 

 its intensity and impossible of description. 



In the course of some twenty-four hours run there were 

 evidences that we were approaching the mouth of the river. The 

 stream had increased to double or treble the width it was above 

 McMurray. The banks get low, willows begin to take tl^e place of 

 the poplar and the spruce. Islands on every hand seem to almost 

 block the passage, then drowned land and great marshes stretch 

 away to the horizon, and at last the waters of the "Lake of the 

 Hills, " now Lake Athabaska, are seen glistening to the east, while 

 hills of red granite stretch far away along the shore, and at a dis- 

 tance of six or eight miles to the north, the white-washed buildings 

 of Fort Chipewyan appear. 



Another exceedingly hot day succeeded, the mercury even 

 passing the hundred mark. 



