178 Thirty Years 
before he reached the encampment its rays gilded the 
tops of the hills. 
The night was warm and we-were much annoyed by . 
the musquitoes. 
June 15.—We this morning experienced as much 
difficulty as before in prevailing upon the Indians to 
remain behind, and they did not consent to do so until 
I had assured them that they should lose the reward 
which had been promised, if they proceeded any far- 
ther, until we had prepared the Esquimaux to receive 
them. We left a Canadian with them, and proceeded 
on our journey, not without apprehension that they 
would follow us, and derange our whole plan by their 
obstinacy. Two of the officers and a party of the 
men walked on the shore, to lighten the canoes. The 
river, in this part, flows between high sand-stone cliffs, 
reddish slate clay rocks, and shelving banks of white 
clay, and is full of shoals and dangerous rapids. One 
of these was termed Escape Rapid, from both the 
canoes having narrowly escaped foundering in its high 
waves, We had entered the rapid before we were 
aware, and the steepness of the cliffs preventing us 
from landing, we were indebted to the swiftness of our 
descent for our preservation. Two waves made acom- 
plete breach over the canoes ; a third would in all 
probability have filled and overset them, which must 
have proved fatal to every one in them. The powder 
