218 Thirty Years 
evening, of serving out pemmican, which was done 
with much reluctance, especially as we had some fresh 
deers’ meat remaining. The inlet, when viewed from 
a high hill adjoining to our encampment, exhibited so 
many arms, that the course we ought to pursue was 
more uncertain than ever. It was absolutely necessary, 
however, to see the end of it before we could deter- 
mine that it was uot a strait. Starting at three A.M., 
on the 4th, we paddled the whole day through chan- 
nels, from two to five or six miles wide, all tending to 
the southward. In the course of the day’s'voyage we 
ascertained, that the land which we had seen on our 
right hand since yesterday morning, consisted of sev- 
eral large islands, which have been distinguished by 
the names of Goulburn, Elliot, and Young; but the 
land on our left preserved its unbroken appearance, 
and when we encamped, we were still uncertain whe- 
ther it was the eastern side of a deep sound or merely 
a large island. It differed remarkably from the main 
shore, being very rugged, rocky, and sterile, whereas 
the outline of the main on the opposite side was even, 
and its hills covered with a comparatively good sward 
of grass, and exhibited little naked rock. There was 
no drift timber, but the shores near the encampment 
were strewed with small pieces of willow, which indi- 
cated our vicinity to the mouth of a river. This fuel 
enabled us to make a hearty supper off a small deer 
killed this evening. 
