158 ARRIVAL AT YORK FACTORY. 



the Lake and arrived at Norway House., and 

 such is generally the quickness of the passage 

 from this point to York Factory, that in the 

 rapid stream of the rivers, a loaded boat will 

 reach the depot in a few days, which will take 

 three or four weeks to return with excessive 

 toil, from the strength of the opposing current. 

 It appears dangerous to the inexperienced tra- 

 veller to run the rapids in the passage to the 

 Factory, but it is seldom attended with any 

 serious accident. The men who have charge 

 of the boats are generally experienced steers- 

 men, and it is an interesting sight to see them 

 take the rush of water with their boats, and 

 with cool intrepidity and skill direct the sweep, 

 or steer-oar to their arrival in safety at the 

 bottom of a rapid of almost a perpendicular fall 

 of many feet, or through a torrent of water of a 

 quarter of a mile or more in length. Some- 

 times, however the boats strike in the violence 

 of their descent, so as to cause a fracture, and 

 hurry the crew to pull ashore to save the 

 cargo from damage. This accident befel us 

 several times in our passage down, but a kind 

 Providence protected us, and we arrived in 

 safety at York Factory. 



Immediately on my arrival, I made arrange- 

 ments for fulfilling my Missionary engagement 



