42 THROUGH THE M:ACKEiN"ZIE BASIJST 



had made from $2.00 to $2.50 a day over their living 

 expenses. Above the Baptiste there vras nothing doing; . 

 indeed, we did not pass a single miner at work on the whole 

 route, and it was the best time for their work. The gold is 

 flocculent, its source as mysterious as that of the Saskatche- 

 wan, if the theory that the latter was washed out of the 

 Selkirks before the upheaval of the Koekies is astray. 



A fresh moose head, seen lying on the bank, indicated a 

 hunting party, but no human life was seen aside from our 

 own people. Indeed, the absence of life of any kind along 

 the river, excepting the song-birds, which ■ were in some 

 places numerous, was surprising. No deer, no bears, not 

 even a fox or a timber wolf made one's fingers itch for the 

 trigger. A few brent, which took vring afar off, and a high- 

 flying duck or two, were the sole wildings observed, save 

 a big humble-bee which droned around our boat for an 

 instant, then darted off again. Even fish seemed to be any- 

 thing but plentiful. 



That night's camp was hurriedly made in a hummocky 

 fastness of pine and birch, where we found few comfortable 

 bedding-places. In the morning we passed several ice-ledges 

 along shore, the survivals of the severe winter, and, pres- 

 ently, met a canoe with two men from Peace Eiver, crest- 

 fallen " Klondikers," who had " struck it rich," they said, 

 with a laugh, and who reported good water. Next morning 

 a very early start was made, and after some long, strong 

 pulls, and a vigorous spurt, the mouth of the Lesser Slave 

 River opened at last on our sight. 



We had latterly passed along what appeared to be fertile 

 soil, a sandy clay country, which improved to the west and 

 south-west at every turn. It had an inviting look, and the 

 " lie," as well, of a region foreordained for settlement. It 

 was irritating not to be able to explore the inner land, but 

 our urgency was too great for that. From what we saw, 

 however, it was easy to predict that thither would flow, in 

 time, the stream of pioneer life and the bustle of attending 

 enterprise and trade. 



