CAMP FIFTH FALLS, MISTASSINI RIVER, CANADA. 



From a photograph kindly loaned by Eugene McCarthy. 



from that of Lake St. John — this being of 

 unmistakable igneous origin, while that 

 of the Lake St. John is mainly sedimentary 

 deposit, rich in the remains of small mol- 

 lusca and crustaceans. 



This basin was undoubtedly the crater 

 of an enormous volcano, now partially 

 filled by glacial drift. Everywhere on the 

 mountains can be seen the erosions and 

 rounded bowlders that identify the glacial 

 epoch. At one camp I found some beauti- 

 ful tourmaline crystals, but they were un- 

 fortunately forgotten in our departure. 



Almost all the points and islands have 

 been used many times as hunting camps, 

 by the Montagnais Indians, and are fantas- 

 tically ornamented with bear, beaver, mar- 

 ten, fox and other skulls, mounted on high 

 poles. This curious custom arises from a 

 desire to propitiate the good spirit of the 

 animals. According to the Montagnais' 

 belief, each species has both a good and a 

 bad spirit, and is also possessed of a cer- 

 tain amount of immortality. These people 

 say also the putting up of the skulls pre- 

 vents the dogs feeding on them. They say, 

 " If dog eat beaver head, no catch more 

 beaver, never." Too bad they do not take 

 the same precaution in regard to their own 

 dead! 



Near the Grande Portage we passed sev- 

 eral shallow graves, one of which had been 

 badly torn by bears and carcajoux, the lat- 

 ter being a vicious brute that I know no 

 English name for.* On making inquiries 

 of my Indians I learned that these graves 

 had contained the bodies of 3 men and 2 

 women of their tribe, who had died of star- 

 vation, the previous winter. No sympathy 

 was manifested by my men except a guttural 

 grunt and an oath or two. Such is the 



* This is the wolverine. — Editor. 



reverence in which death is held by these 

 squalid children of the bleak Northland. 



At none of the stops we made on the lake, 

 did we take any ouananiche, the water be- 

 ing too shallow and quiet for fly fishing. 

 However, dore and pike were abundant, 

 though smaller than those taken above. 



Near the upper end of the lake a large 

 stream enters it from the West, called the 

 River Tuladi — (meaning salmon -trout), 

 that rises in several small ponds among the 

 mountains. We did not enter it, but were 

 told by the Indians there were some beau- 

 tiful falls near the source, and good trout 

 fishing above them. • Of course the Mistas- 

 sini contains no trout, as the pike destroy all 

 that enter it. Three days were occupied in 

 leisurely traversing the lake, and the 

 change from the laborious poling of the 

 preceding week was most welcome. 



At the upper end, or " head," the river 

 flows between large sand hills, with a 

 strong current, but permitting the use of 

 paddles. Our camp, on the evening of July 

 3d, was made on a rocky bluff, in a thicket 

 of small birches. Numerous signs of bear, 

 beaver and otter were found here. On the 

 morning of the Fourth, the water in our 

 pail was covered by a thin crust of ice. That 

 afternoon we reached the foot of the great 

 rapids, which extend a distance of 50 or 60 

 miles. Though there is not so great a 

 volume of water here as in the Peribonca 

 river, or the Grande Decharge, these rapids 

 are the wildest stretch I ever canoed on, 

 excepting, of course, the Batiscan river, in 

 the preserve of the Triton Club. 



For several days we did not test the fish- 

 ing, but I feel sure many fine ouananiche 

 could be taken in the numerous eddies and 

 pools we passed. About midway of the 

 rapids is the mouth of a small stream which 

 I named River Castor, from the number of 

 beaver huts and dams on it. 



3° 



