66 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



the men from their wants, we encouraged 

 the practice of sliding down the steep bank 

 of the river upon sledges. These vehicles 

 descended the snowy bank with much velo- 

 city, and ran a great distance upon the ice. 

 The officers joined in the sport, and the 

 numerous overturns we experienced formed 

 no small share of the amusement of the 

 party ; but on one occasion, when I had 

 been thrown from my seat and almost bu- 

 ried in the snow, a fat Indian woman drove 

 her sledge over me, and sprained my knee 

 severely. 



On the 18th, at eight in the evening, a 

 beautiful halo appeared round the sun when 

 it was about 8° high. The colours were 

 prismatic and very bright, the red next the 

 sun. 



On the 21st the ice in the river was mea- 

 sured and found to be five feet thick, and 

 in setting the nets in Round Rock Lake, it 

 was there ascertained to be six feet and a 

 half thick, the water being six fathoms 

 deep. The stomachs of some fish were at 

 this time opened by Dr. Richardson, and 



