330 CAPTAIN BACK'S LAND HXF^BITION— 1833-35. 



the pathless, stormy hill-side, to care to speak. An incident soon occurred, 

 however, which broke the spell of silence. The moving antlers of a 

 fine buck were seen behind a point at the distance of thirty yards. It 

 was soon brought down, and the haunch, which was covered with a rich 

 layer of fat two inches thick — the luxury of luxuries in this climate — afibrded 

 a magnificent breakfast. But the march so prosperously begun, had its 

 drawbacks. We are accustomed to regard the plague of mosquitoes as an 

 infliction experienced in tropical climates only. But during the brief ~but 

 bright summer of Polar countries myriads of these are called into being, to 

 the all but intolerable torment of travellers. And quite as bad as the mos- 

 quito is the smaller but still more vicious sand-fly. Swarms of these creatures 

 attacked Back and his party on their march to Slave Lake, and stung them 

 almost into madness. " As we dived into the confined and suffocating chasms," 

 writes Back, "or waded through the close swamps, they rose in clouds, 

 actually darkening the air : to see or to speak were equally difiicult, for they 

 rushed at every undefended part, and fixed their poisonous fangs in an instant. 

 Our faces streamed with blood, as if leeches had been applied ; and there was 

 a burning and irritating pain, followed by immediate inflammation, and pro- 

 ducing giddiness which almost drove us mad. Whenever we halted, which 

 the nature of the country compelled us to do often, the men, even the Indians, 

 threw themselves on their faces and moaned with pain and agony. My arms 

 being less encumbered, I defended myself in some degree by waving a branch 

 in each hand ; but even with this, and the aid of a veil and stout leather 

 gloves, I did not escape without severe punishment. For the time I thought 

 the tiny plagues worse even than mosquitoes." 



On the evening of the 7th Back had reached the eastern extremity of 

 Great Slave Lake, at the spot where he had requested Mr M'Leod to build 

 a winter residence ; and it was with much gratification that, as he marched 

 along, he heard the sound of the woodman's axe. Guided by the branch- 

 less trunks which lay along the earth, he came to a bay " where, in agree- 

 able relief against the dark green foliage, stood the framework of a house." 

 The explorers approached in single file to where Mr M'Leod was seen 

 walking under the shade of the trees, " and," says Back, " with our swollen 

 faces, dressed and laden as we were — some carrying guns, others tent-poles, 

 etc. — ^we must have presented a strangely wild appearance, not unlike a group 

 of robbers on the stage." Mr M'Leod had arrived on this spot on the 22d 

 August with four men, and had immediately commenced to erect the log- 

 house. He had set his nets in the lake, and the quantity of fish he had 

 taken seemed to prove that in selecting this spot for winter quarters, in the 

 hope of establishing a productive fishery here, they were not likely to be 

 disappointed. He had also bought a quantity of dried meat from the Indians. 

 Of all these measures Back cordially approved. 



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