88 



Journal of a Voyage through the 



seven in the morning of the 12th, taking a Westerly 

 course. It is evident, that all the land between it' and the 

 Lake of the Hills, as far as the Elk River, is formed by 

 the quantity of earth and mud, which is carried down bv 

 the streams of those two great rivers. In this space there 

 are several lakes. The lake Clear Water, which is the 

 deepest, Lake Vassieu, and the Athabasca Lake, which 

 is the largest of the three, and whose denomination in the 

 Knistineaux language, implies, a flat, low, swampy coun- 

 try, subject to inundations. The two last lakes are now 

 so shallow, that, from the cause just mentioned, there is 

 every reason to expect, that in a few years, they will have 

 exchanged their character and become extensive forests. 



This country is so level, that, at some seasons, it is 

 entirely overflowed, which accounts for the periodical in- 

 flux and reflux of the waters between the Lake of the Hills 

 and the Peace River. 



On the 13th at noon we came to the Peace Point ; from 

 which, according to the report of my interpreter, the river 

 derives its name ; it was the -spot where the Knistenaux 

 and Beaver Indians settled their dispute ; the real name of 

 the river and point being that of the land which was the 

 object of contention. 



When this country was formerly invaded by the Knis* 

 tenaux, they found the Beaver Indians inhabiting the land 

 about Portage la Loche ; and the adjoining tribe were 

 those whom they called slaves. They drove both these 

 tribes before them ; when the latter proceeded dow r n tha 

 river from the Lake of the Hills, in consequence of which 

 that part of it obtained the name of the Slave River. The 

 former proceeded up the river ; and when the Knisteneaux 

 made peace with them, this place was settled to be the 

 boundary. 



We continued our voyage, and I did not find the cur* 

 rent so strong in this river as I had been induced to be- 

 lieve, though this, perhaps, was not the period to form a 

 correct notion of that circumstance, as well as of the 

 breadth, the water being very tow ; so that the stream has 

 not appeared to me to be, in any part that I have seen, 

 more than a quarter of a mile wide. 



The weather was cold and raw, so as to render our 

 progress unpleasant ; at the same time we did not relax in 

 our expedition, and, at three on the afternoon of the 17th-, 

 we arrived at the fails. Tke river at this place is aboul 



