140 THEOUGH THE MACKENZIE BASIN 



more noticeable than good land, the tendency is to over- 

 estimate. Its proportion to arable land is generally put at 

 about 50 per cent., which may be over or under the truth, 

 for only actual tovmship or topographic surveys can deter- 

 mine it. 



The country drained by the lower river, the Loon, as it is 

 improperly called in our maps, navigable for canoes all the 

 way to where it enters the Peace, was described as an exten- 

 sive and very uniform plateau, sloping gently to the north. 

 To the south the Pelican Mountains formed a noble back- 

 ground to the view from the Mission, which is indeed 

 charming in all directions. 



At the mouth of the river, and facing the Mission, a long 

 point stretches out, dividing the lake into two deep arms, 

 the Mission being situated upon another point around which 

 the lake sweeps to the north. The scene recalls the view 

 from the Hudson's Bay Company's post at Lesser Slave 

 Lake, but excels it in the larger extent of water, broken into 

 by scores of bayous, or pools, bordered by an intensely green 

 water-weed of uniform height, and smooth-topt as a well- 

 clipt lawn. Behind these are hay meadows, a continuation 

 of the long line of them we had passed coming up. 



Upon the whole, we considered this an inviting region for 

 any farmer who is not afraid to tackle the forest. But 

 whether a railway would pass this way at first seemed to 

 us doubtful. The head of Lesser Slave Lake lies far to the 

 south-west, and there it is most likely to pass on its way to 

 the Peace. What could be supplied, however, is a waggon- 

 road from Wahpooskow to Athabasca Landing, instead of 

 the present dog-trail, which passes many deep ravines, and 

 makes a long detour by Sandy Lake. Such a road should 

 pass by the east end of the first Wahpooskow Lake, thence 

 to Rock Island Lake, and on by Calling Lake to the Landing, 

 a distance of abo\it one hundred miles. Such a road, whilst 

 saving 125 miles of travel by the present route, would cut 

 down the cost of transport by fully one-half. 



