North-West Continent of America. 



29 



Their canoes are small, pointed at both ends, flat-bot- 

 tomed and covered in the fore part. They are made of 

 the bark of the birch-tree and fir-wood, but of so slight a 

 construction, that the man whom one of these light ves- 

 sels bears on the water, can, in return, carry it over land 

 without any difficulty. It is very seldom that more than 

 one person embarks in them, nor are they capable of re- 

 ceiving more than two. The paddles are six feet long, 

 one half of which is occupied by a blade, of about eight 

 inches wide. These people informed us, that we had 

 passed large bodies of Indians who inhabit the mountains 

 on the East side of the river. 



At four o'clock in the afternoon we embarked, and our 

 Indian acquaintance promised to remain on the bank of 

 the river till the fall, in case we should return. Our course 

 was West-South-West, and we soon passed the Great 

 Bear Lake River, which is of a considerable depth, and 

 an hundred yards wide : its water is clear, and has the 

 greenish hue of the sea. We had not proceeded more 

 than six miles when we were obliged to land for the night, 

 in consequence of an heavy gust of wind, accompanied 

 with rain. We encamped beneath a rocky hill, on the 

 top of which, according to the information of our guide, 

 it blew a storm every day throughout the year. He found 

 himself very uncomfortable in his new situation, and pre- 

 tended that he was very ill, in order that he might be per- 

 mitted to return to his relations. To prevent his escape, 

 it became necessary to keep a strict watch over him during 

 the night. 



Monday 6. At three o'clock, in a very raw and cloudy 

 morning, we embarked, and steered West-South- West 

 four miles, West four miles, West-North- West five 

 miles, West eight miles, West by South sixteen miles, 

 West twenty-seven miles, South- West nine miles, then 

 West six miles, and encamped at half past seven. We 

 passed through numerous islands, and had the ridge of 

 snowy mountains always in sight. Our conductor in- 

 formed us that great numbers of bears, and small white 

 buffaloes, frequent those mountains, which are also in- 

 habited by Indians. We encamped in a similar situation 

 to that of the preceding evening, beneath another high, 

 rocky hill, which I attempted to ascend, in company with 

 one of the hunters, but before we had got half way to the 

 summit, we were almost suffocated by clouds of musqui- 



