134 THROUGH THE MACKENZIE BASIN 



on, to a fork of the river called Muskeg Creek, above whicli 

 our stream narrowed to about eighteen feet, but still deep 

 and fringed with the same extensive hay meadows, and cov- 

 ered here and there with pond lilies, a few yellow ones still 

 in bloom. By and by we reached Muskeg Portage, nearly a 

 mile in length. The path lay at first through dry muskegs 

 covered with blueberries, Labrador tea, and a dwarfed 

 growth of birch, spruce, tamarac, and jackpine, but presently 

 entered and ended in a fine upland wood, full of pea-vines, 

 vetches and wild .rose. This is characteristic of the country, 

 muskegs and areas of rich soil alternating in all directions. 

 The portage completed, we took to our canoes again, the 

 stream of the same width, but very crooked, and still bor- 

 dered by extensive and exceedingly rich hay meadows, which 

 we were satisfied would yield four or five tons to the acre. 

 Small haystacks were scattered along the route, being put 

 up for ponies which haul supplies in winter from Pelican 

 Landing to Wahpooskow. 



The country passed through showed good soil wherever 

 we penetrated the hay margin, with, of course, here and there 

 the customary muskegs. The stream now narrowed into a 

 passage deep but barely wide enough for our canoes, our 

 course lying always through tall and luxuriant hay. At last 

 we reached Pelican Lake, a pretty large sheet of water, about 

 three miles across, the body of the lake extending to the 

 south-west and north-east. We crossed it under sail and, 

 landing at the " three mile portage," found a half-breed 

 there with a cart and ponies, which took our outfit over in 

 a couple of trips to Sandy Lake. A very strong headwind 

 blowing, we camped there for the night. 



This lake is the height of land, its waters discharging by 

 the Wahpooskow Kiver, whose northern part, miscalled the 

 Loon, falls into the Peace Kiver below Fort Vermilion. 

 The lake is an almost perfect circle, ten or twelve miles in 

 diameter, the water full of fibrous growths, with patches of 

 green scum afloat all over it. Nevertheless, it abounds in 



