— [ 174 7 
of his:numerous trapping expeditions, in which he is celebrated as one of. 
the best and bravest snd ot who have ever been in the country. 
The cliffs and masses 0 
seale is nearly sixteen miles to an inch, is introduced only to show clearly. 
the extent of our operations, which, it will be bered, were made when: 
the waters were at their lowest stage. At the season of high waters.in the. 
spring, it is probable that ail the marshes and low. grounds are overflowed, 
and the surface of the lake considerably greater. Inseveral places whieh 
will be indicated to you in the sketch, by the absence of the bordering moun- 
tains ) the view was of unlimited extent—here and there a rocky islet ap- 
aring above the. water at a great distance ; and beyond, every thing was.. 
vague and undefined. As we looked over the vast expanse of water spread 
out beneath us, and strained our eyes along the. silent shores over which. 
hung so much doubt and uncertainty, and which.were so full of interest to 
us, I could hardly repress the almost irresistible desire to continue our ex- 
ploration ; but the lengthening snow on the mountains was a plain indica- 
tion of the advancing season, and our frail, linen boat appeared so insecure 
that I was unwilling to trust our lives to the uncertainties of the lake. [ 
therefore unwillingly resolved to terminate our survey here, and remain sat-, 
isfied for the present with what we had been able;to add to the unknown. 
geography of the region. We felt pleasure also in remembering that we. 
were the first ss 4 the traditionary annals of the country, bad visited the. 
islands, and broken, with the cheerful sound of human voices, the dongs 
itude of the place. From the point where we were standing, the grol 
fell off on every side to the water, giving us a perfect view of thet 
which is twelye or thirteen miles in circumference, being simply a 
