8 ACROSS THE SUB-ARCTICS OF (Ghee 
but even these native tribes were found to have only the 
vaguest ideas of the character of the country that lay 
beyond a few days’ journey inland. 
In addition to this meagre information, he had 
procured sketch maps of several canoe routes lead- 
ing northward toward the Barren Lands. The most 
easterly of these routes commenced at a point on the 
north shore of Black Lake, and the description ob- 
tained of it was as follows: “ Beginning at Black Lake, 
you make a long portage northward to a little lake, then 
across five or six more small ones and a corresponding 
number of portages, and a large body of water called 
Wolverine Lake will be reached. Pass through this, 
and ascend a river flowing into it from the northward, 
until Active Man Lake is reached. This lake will take 
two days to cross, and at its northern extremity the 
Height of Land will be reached. Over this make a 
portage until another large lake of about equal size is 
entered. From the north end of this second large lake, 
a great river flows to the northward through a treeless 
country unknown to the Indians, but inhabited by savage 
Eskimos. Where the river empties into the sea we 
cannot tell, but it flows a great way to the northward.” 
From the description given, it appeared that this 
river must flow through the centre of the unexplored 
territory, and thence find its way either into the waters 
of Hudson Bay or into the Arctic Ocean. It was by 
this route we resolved to carry on the exploration, and, 
if possible, make our way through the Barren Lands. 
One of the first and most important preparations for 
the journey was the procuring of suitable boats, in- 
asmuch as portability, strength and carrying capacity 
