78 



"Journal of a Voyage through the 



pea, and of a luscious taste ; there were also gooseberries 

 and a few strawberries. 



Saturday 15. We continued our course from three in 

 the morning till half past five in the afternoon. We saw 

 several encampments along the beach, till it became too 

 narrow to admit them; when the banks rose into a con- 

 siderable degree of elevation, and there were more eddy- 

 currents. The Indians killed twelve geese, and berries 

 were collected in great abundance. The weather was sul- 

 try throughout the day. 



Sunday 16. We continued our voyage at a quarter be- 

 fore four, and in five hours passed the place where we had 

 been stationed on the 13th of June. Here the river 

 widene'd, and its shores became flat. The land on the 

 North side is low, composed of a black soil, mixed with 

 stones, but agreeably covered with the aspen, the poplar, 

 the white birch, the spruce-fir, &c. The current was so 

 moderate, that we proceeded upon it almost as fast as in 

 dead water. At twelve we passed an encampment of three 

 fires, which was the only one we saw in the course of the 

 day. The weather was the same as yesterday. 



Monday 1 7. We proceeded at half past three ; and saw 

 three successive encampments. From the peculiar struc- 

 ture of the huts, we imagined that some of the Red-Knife 

 Indians had been in this part of the country, though it is 

 not usual for them to come this way. I had last night or- 

 dered the young Indians to precede us, for the purpose 

 of hunting, and at ten we overtook them. They had killed 

 five young swans ; and the English Chief presented us 

 with an eagle, three cranes, a small beaver, and two geese. 

 We encamped at seven this evening, on the same spot 

 which had been our resting-place on the 29th of June. 



Tuesday 18. At four this morning I equipped all the In- 

 dians for an hunting excursion, and sent them onward, as 

 our stock of provision was nearly exhausted. We followed 

 at half past six, and crossed over to the North shore,where 

 the land is low and scarcely visible in the horizon. It was 

 near twelve when we arrived. I now got an observation 

 when it was 61. 33. North lat. We were near five miles 

 to the North of the main channel of the river. The fresh 

 tracks and beds of buffaloes were very perceptible. Near 

 this place a river flowed in from the Horn mountains 

 which are at no great distance. We landed at five in the 

 afternoon, and before the canoe was unloaded, the English 



