30 _ Thirty Years 
rapid. Several golden plovers, Canadian gros-beaks, 
cross-bills, wood-peckers, and pin-tailed grouse, were 
shot to-day ; and Mr. Back killed a small striped 
marmot, This beautiful little animal was busily em- 
ployed in carrying in its distended pouches the seeds of 
the American vetch to its winter hoards. 
The portage is eighteen hundreds yards long, and 
its western extremity was found to be in 53 deg. 08 
min. 25 sec. North latitude, and 99 deg. 28 min. 02 
sec. West longitude. The route from Canada to the 
Athabasca joins that from York Factory at the mouth 
of the Saskatchawan, and we saw traces of a recent 
encampment of the Canadian voyagers. Our com- 
panions in the Hudson’s Bay boats, dreading an attack 
from their rivals in trade, were on the alert at this 
place. They examined minutely the spot of encamp- 
ment, to form a judgment of the number of canoes 
that had preceded’ them ; and they advanced, armed, 
and with great caution, through the woods. Their 
fears, however, were fortunately, on this occasion 
groundless. 
By noon, on the 12th, the boats and their cargoes 
having been conveyed across the portage, we embark- 
ed and pursued our course. The Saskatchawan be- 
comes wider above the Grand Rapid, and the scenery 
~ 
improves. The banks are high, composed of white — 
clay and limestone, and their summits are richly 
