ATHABASCA DISTIRICT 6l 



until driven away. Two young ones, in an interesting phase of 

 immature plumage, were specimens too desirable to be disre- 

 garded. For two weeks after they had been killed the mother 

 hovered about with a pathetic call similar to the mewing note 

 of the catbird. 



It required constant care to prevent the mice from destroy- 

 ing the birdskins, notwithstanding the fact that they were 

 thoroughly covered with arsenic. This was the only time that 

 I ever felt any injurious effects from constantly handling the 

 poison. After five weeks of introspection, arsenic and rain, I 

 was glad to enter upon the next stage of the journey, though I 

 had been very successful in securing a representative series of 

 Quatres Fourches birds. 



Early on the morning of June 20th the "Grahame" started 

 on her first downward trip. We soon entered the Rocky 

 River, which becomes the Slave after its junction with the 

 Peace, thirty miles below. The northern limit of navigation 

 for this steamer is Smith Landing, at the head of the Smith 

 Rapids, a hundred miles from Chippewyan. A submerged 

 snag was struck as the boat approached the landing place, 

 causing a hasty scramble on the part of the Indians, who 

 tumbled several tons of freight ashore, and some of it into the 

 river, in their haste to bring the leak above the water line. 

 Aided by Captain Mills, I succeeded in having my outfit safely 

 landed. From Smith Landing to Fort Smith, a distance of six- 

 teen miles, the river is interrupted by a series of rapids with a 

 total descent of two hundred and forty feet. These were for- 

 merly passed by six or seven portages; the goods and furs were 

 carried and the boats dragged across on rollers cut from drift 

 logs. The free traders still follow this old boat route. But the 

 Company has transported all its freight for the last few years 

 in ox-carts over a swampy trail around the rapids. 



On the 21st I accepted Dr. Mackay's invitation to descend 

 the rapids in his canoe. We crossed at once from the Big Eddy 

 at the Landing and dropped down along the right bank for 

 nearly a mile before reaching the first rapid. We then followed 

 narrow channels at some distance from the main river. After 

 running through a few small rapids we reached the Chest Por- 

 tage. While the men were carrying the canoe across, I visited 

 the falls below the landing place. The channel was about forty 



