WITH THE MOUNTED POLICE 



35 



The Athabaska is a great river, the Peace is a greater, 

 and the Slave, formed by their union, is worthy of its 

 parents. Its placid flood is here nearly a mile wide, 

 and its banks are covered with a great continuous forest 

 of spruce trees of the largest size. How far back this 

 extends I do not know, but the natives say the best 

 timber is along the river. 



More than once a Lynx was seen trotting by or star- 

 ing at us from the bank, but no other large animal. 



On the night of June 7 we reached Smith Landing, 



