HAMILTON SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATION. 93 



that was known to be bad, but it was when I appealed to his pride 

 that I touched the first responsive chord, 



I pointed out the great honor that he would achieve were he 

 the first Indian to run a canoe down the Great Strange River, and 

 suggested that it would probably be the means of electing him chief 

 of his band. Before receiving a reply I felt that my shaft had 

 pierced a joint in his armor, and that the day was won. When the 

 answer came it was a very clever one, and was presented as fol- 

 lows : " I would like very much to see the Great Strange River, 

 and I know that the portage route by way of the lyittle Deer River 

 is very difficult, so much so that I fear the ' old gentleman ' (a 

 senior member of our party) would not be able to stand the jour- 

 ney. When you engaged me, I undertook to guide you safely to 

 Churchill, and now the way you wish me to go is quite unknown 

 to me, but if you will assume all responsibility in case of meeting 

 with disaster, I will comply with your wishes and do my best to 

 guide you down the Great Strange River." I could ask nothing 

 more, but congratulated him for his courage, and we proceeded to 

 dispatch our mid-day meal with a feeling of great satisfaction, be- 

 lieving a great victory to have been won. 



Since leaving our friends at Split L,ake we had travelled only 

 about 150 miles, and not counting Sunday, which we had spent in 

 camp, we had been seven days in accomplishing the trip and had 

 therefore averaged a little over 21 miles per day, this being ac- 

 counted for from the fact that the waters of the route had been very 

 shallow, making travel tedious and difficult. In many places it 

 had been necessary to lighten the canoes and for all hands (or 

 rather feet; to walk down the bed of the stream, to plod through 

 the muddy flats of some shallovv^ lake or slough, or at other times 

 to leave^the canoes to the voyagers and for the remaining four of us 

 to take to the woods and work our passage through forest and 

 scrub whilst they worked a passage through the shallow rapids; 

 but now we were once again upon a great noble river, similar in 

 size to the Nelson, with prospects of more lively experiences ahead 

 of us. For the first afternoon at least, though we made 

 much faster time, our voyage was smooth and uneventful. The 



