ACROSS THE SUB-ARCTICS OF CANADA 



woodland district, which is perhaps in the vicinity of Great 

 Slave or Clinton-Colden Lake. Lakes occurring on the course 

 of a river act as catch-basins to prevent the further passage 

 of drift-wood. According to information obtained from the 

 Eskimo, some distance up this river there were great numbers 

 of his people engaged in the building of kyacks. We would 

 have been pleased to visit them, but deeming it unwise at this 

 late season to go out of our way, we pulled on with the 

 stream, which was now double its former strength and flow- 

 ing again to the northward. 



Many geese were seen about the low grassy shores and 

 islands, upon one of which latter camp was pitched on the 

 evening of the 25th, and a great blazing, roaring fire of drift- 

 wood kindled. 



It was hoped that for some time to come this supply of 

 fuel might continue, for of late we had been entirely without 

 fire for warming purposes. The miserable smudges made of 

 moss or ground birch mixed with deer tallow or sprinkled 

 with alcohol were useful for the purpose of cooking our 

 venison, but for nothing else. 



Erom camp on the morning of the 26th, for a distance of 

 four or five mUes, the river still flowed toward the Arctic, 

 but in latitude 64° 41' north it swerved around to the east, 

 and then the south-east, and bore us down to the western 

 extremity of a magnificent body of water, which has been 

 named Aberdeen Lake, in honor of their Excellencies Lord 

 and Lady Aberdeen. It was a lovely calm evening when the 

 track of our canoes first rippled the waters of this lake, and 

 as we landed at a bluff point on the north shore and from 

 it gazed to the eastward over the solitary but beautiful scene, 

 a feeling of awe crept over us. We were undoubtedly the 

 first white men who had ever viewed it, and in the knowledge 

 of this fact there was inspiration. 



Eor two days following we enjoyed fine weather — some- 

 thing unusual in the Barren Lands district — and this enabled 



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