34 ^4 General History of the Fur Trade, 



former. Independent of these, a conductor or pilot is ap- 

 pointed to every four or six of these canoes, whom they are 

 all obliged to obey ; and is, or at least is intended to be, a 

 person of superior experience, for which he is proportion- 

 ably paid. 



In these canoes, thus loaded, they embark at the North 

 side of the portage, on the river Au Tourt, which is very 

 inconsiderable ; and after about two miles of a Westerly 

 course, is obstructed by the partridge Portage, six hundred 

 paces long. In the spring this makes a considerable fall, 

 when the water is high, over a perpendicular rock of one 

 hundred and twenty feet. From thence the river continues 

 to be shallow, and requires great care to prevent the bottom 

 of the canoe from being injured by sharp rocks, for a dis- 

 tance of three miles and an half to the Priarie, or Mea- 

 dow, when half the lading- is taken out, and carried by part 

 of the crew, while two of them are conducting the canoe 

 among the rocks, with the remainder, to the Carreboeuf 

 Portage, three miles and an half more, when they unload 

 and come back two miles, and embark what was left for the 

 other hands to carry, which they also land with the former ; 

 all of which is carried six hundred and eighty paces, and 

 the canoe led up against the rapid. From hence the water 

 is better calculated to carry canoes, and leads by a winding 

 course to the North of West three miles to the Outward 

 Portage, over which the canoe, and every thing in her, is 

 carried for two thousand four hundred paces. At the fur- 

 ther end is a very high hill to descend, over which hangs a 

 rock upwards of seven hundred feet high. Then succeeds the 

 Outward Lake, about six miles long, lying in a North-West 

 course, and about two miles wide in the broadest part. After 

 passing a very small rivulet, they come to the Elk Portage, 

 over which the canoe and lading are again carried one thousand 

 one hundred and twenty paces ; when they enter the lake of 

 the same name, which is an handsome piece of water, run- 

 ning North- W r est about four miles, and not more than one 

 mile and an half wide.* They then land at the Portage de 

 Cerise, over which, and in the face of a considerable hill, 

 the canoe and cargo are again transported for one thousand 

 and fifty paces. This is only separated from the second 

 Portage de Cerise, bya mud-pond (where there is plenty of 

 water lilies) of a quarter of a mile in length ; and this is 



* Here is a most excellent fishery for white fish, which are exquisite. 



