.ACKOSS THE SUB-AKCTICS OF CANADA 



By the morning of the first of September the rain had 

 ceased and the clouds partially cleared away. The gale, how- 

 ever, still continued to blow so fiercely as to frequently whip 

 clouds of spray off the surface of the river, so that we were 

 quite unable to travel in canoes. 



On the following morning, the wind having fallen suffi- 

 ciently, the canoes were again pushed into the current, and 

 we glided down stream, in a south-easterly direction, at the 

 rate of seven miles an hour. The channel was deep and about 

 three hundred yards in width, while the banks, continuing 

 to be bold and high, were formed of dark Hjironian schists 

 and clay. The schists were chiefly micaceous and horn- 

 blendic, such as those occurring about the Lake of the Woods, 

 and were found dipping at high angles. 



Four or five miles to the east was a conspicuous range of 

 snow-covered hills, probably six hundred feet in height, while 

 between them and the river appeared a broad plateau, or a 

 high level lake — ^which of the two we could not determine 

 from the river bank. Time would not permit of our making 

 side investigations when it was possible to be travelling, ■ so 

 on we sped, plying the paddles as well as being hurried 

 along by the current. Thus for a time we made good prog- 

 ress, and as the long miles were quickly made the spirits 

 of our little party were cheered. 



Late in the forenoon, as we were rounding a bend in the 

 river, an Eskimo in his kyack was sighted ahead, and much 

 to our amusement he was soon much farther ahead. The poor 

 fellow, seeing our fleet of canoes, and being himself alone, 

 evidently thought his safest move was to get out of the way, 

 and this he did, leaving us farther behind at every stroke, 

 though we were doing our best to catch him. 



I shouted to him in his native tongue, but it was of no use ; 

 he did not slacken his pace until, some distance down the 

 river, he reached an Eskimo encampment of several topicks. 

 Here he landed, hauled up his kyack, and informed the other 



116' 



