402 Thirty Years ‘ 
and deprived us of all rest. On our arrival, next: 
morning, at the place of the first rapids, there was 
scarcely any appearance of broken water, and the sand- 
bank on which Augustus had been so perilously situa- 
ted in the preceding autumn, was entirely covered.. 
This was, of course, to be ascribed to the spring floods ; 
the increase of water to produce such a change, must 
have exceeded six feet.’ In the afternoon we were 
overtaken by a violent thunder-storm, with heavy 
rain, which made us apprehensive for the pemmican, 
that spoils on being wet. It unfortunately happened 
that. a convenient place for spreading out the bags 
that were injured could not be found, until we reached 
the Hare-Skin River, below the Rampart Defile, which 
was at nine o'clock. They were spread out the next 
morning, with the other perishable parts of the cargo, 
and we remained until they were dry. We embarked. 
at ten, and, aided by a favorable breeze, made good 
progress until six p.m., when the threatening appear- 
ance of the clouds induced us to put on shore, and we 
had but just covered the baggage before heavy rain 
fell, that continued throughout the night. Four 
Hare Indians came to the encampment, to whom dried 
meat and ammunition were given, as they were in 
want of food from being unable to set their nets in 
the present high state of the water. These were the 
only natives seen since our departure from Fort Nor- 
