38 TRANSACTIONS. 1906-7. 



As the waters widen out near the lake, the current decreases 

 the soil held in solution while the flow was rapid, now obeys the 

 law of gravitation, and islands innumerable have been formed, 

 while others in embryo exist in the sand-bars for long distances in 

 the neighborhood of the channel. It was difficult to follow the 

 outlet to deep water, and we grounded several times after we 

 thought we were well into the lake. However, by appliances 

 peculiar to such navigation, we finally got into deep water, and 

 an hour's run brought us to a fine bay, on which we beheld another 

 white-washed village with a hundred or more Indian lodges in the 

 foreground. This was Fort Resolution, and the lodges were the 

 temporary habitations of the Chipewyan and Slavey Indians, who 

 were assembled here for payment of treaty as they call it. 



It was late in the afternoon when we entered the lake; we 

 lost two or three hours on the sand-bars, and another in putting 

 on wood, so that when we went ashore at Resolution it was near 

 eleven o'clock at night. I remember thinking that we would 

 have to make our journey short, so as to get back before dark; 

 but what with a visit to the tent of Indian Commissioner Conroy 

 and Dr. West, and the exchange of information from "outside" 

 which we possessed, for that of the interior which they could fur- 

 nish, and with a visit to the Indian camps, I was astonished to 

 find that we had gone from one day into another without having 

 experienced any intervening night between them. A dull twilight 

 was giving way to a bright dawn, as we went aboard our ship. 

 This was the beginning of constant daylight, that remained with 

 us for several weeks. 



I noticed in the gardens at Fort Resolution, potatoes, tur- 

 nips, beets, peas, cabbage, etc. The potatoes were particularly 

 good, and so far advanced that by August the first they would 

 certainly be fit for use. 



We had before us a large sheet of open water of over 100 

 miles to traverse. This would not be difficult were it not for the 

 heavily laden scows that we were towing. Leaving Fort Resolu- 

 tion at about 2 o'clock on the morning of July 14th, we soon had 

 to seek shelter under an island and wait for the sea to subside, 

 which it did sufficiently to allow us to start again about 4 p.m., 

 but for several hours it seemed doubtful if one of the boats, which 

 was leaking badly, could be kept afloat till we obtained shelter at 

 Hay river, and we were all glad to find when we arose the next 

 morning, that the hard work of the crew of the leaky craft, had 



