A General History of the Fur Trade, 



55 



avoided. At some distance from the silent rapid, is a nar- 

 row strait, where the Indians have painted red figures on the 

 face of a rock, and where it was their custom formerly to 

 make an offering of some of the articles which they had 

 with them, in their way to and from Churchill. The 

 course in this lake, which is very meandering, may be esti- 

 mated at thirty-eight miles, and is terminated by the Por- 

 tage du Canot Tourner, from the danger to which those 

 are subject who venture to run this rapid. From thence a 

 river of one mile and an half North- West course leads to 

 the Portage de Bouleau, and in about half a mile to the Por- 

 tage des Epingles, so called from the sharpness of its stones. 

 Then follows the Lake des Souris, the direction across 

 which is amongst islands, North- West by West six mites. 

 In this traverse is an island, which is remarkable for a very 

 large stone, in the form of a bear, on which the natives have 

 painted the head and snout of that animal ; and here they 

 also were formerly accustomed to offer sacrifices. This 

 lake is separated only by a narrow strait from the Lake du 

 Serpent, which runs North- North- West seven miles, to a 

 narrow channel, that connects it with another lake, bearing 

 the same name, and running the same course for eleven 

 miles, when the rapid of the same denomination is entered 

 on the West side of the lake. It is to be remarked here, 

 that for about three or four miles on the North- West side 

 of this lake, there is a high bank of clay and sand, clothed 

 with cypress trees, a circumstance which is not observable 

 on any lakes hitherto mentioned, as they are bounded, part- 

 icularly on the North, by black and grey rocks. It may 

 also be considered as a most extraordinary circumstance, 

 that the Chepewyans go North- West from hence to the 

 barren grounds, which is their own country, without the 

 assistance of canoes \ as it is well known that in every other 

 part which has been described, from Cumberland house, the 

 country is broken on either side of the direction to a great 

 extent ; so that a traveller could not go at right angles with 

 any of the waters already mentioned, without meeting with 

 others in every eight or ten miles. This will also be found 

 to be very much the case in proceeding to Portage la Loche. 



The last mentioned rapid is upwards of three miles long, 

 North-West by West; there is, however, no carrying, as 

 the line and poles are sufficient to drag and set the canoe 

 against the current. Lake Croche is then crossed in a 

 Westerly direction of six miles, though its whole length 



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