North-West Continent of America, 



111 



and the ground on which it spreads is covered with a thin 

 white scurf, or particles of a saline substance : there are 

 several of these salt springs. At half past six in the af- 

 ternoon the young men landed, when they killed an elk, 

 and wounded a buffalo. In this spot we formed our en- 

 campment for the night. 



From the place which we quitted this morning, the 

 West side of the jiver displayed-a succession of the most 

 beautiful scenery I had ever beheld. The ground rises at 

 intervals to a considerable height, and stretching inwards 

 to a considerable distance : at every interval, or pause in 

 the rise, there is a very gently-ascending space or lawn, 

 which is alternate, with abrupt precipices to the summit of 

 the whole, or, at least as far as the eye could distinguish. 

 This magnificent theatre of nature has all the decorations 



; which the trees and animais of the country can afford it : 

 groves of poplars in every shape vary the scene ; and their 



i intervals are enlivened with vast herds of elks and buffa- 

 loes : the former choosing the steeps and uplands, and the 

 latter preferring the plains. At this time the buffaloes 

 were attended with their young ones, who were frisking 

 about them : and it appeared that the elks would soon ex- 

 hibit the same enlivening circumstance. The whole coun- 

 try displayed an exuberant verdure ; the trees that bear" a 

 blossom, were advancing fast to that delightful appearance, 

 and the velvet rind of their branches reflecting the oblique 

 rays of arising or setting sun, added a splendid gaiety to 

 the scene, which no expressions of mine are qualified to 

 describe. The East side of the river consists of a range 

 of high land covered with the white spruce, and the soft 

 birch, while the banks abound with the alder and the wil- 

 low. The water continued to rise, and the current being 

 proportionally strong, we made a greater use of setting 

 poles than paddles. 



Saturday 1 1 . The weather was overcast. With a strong- 

 wind a-head, we embarked at four in the morning, and leit 



| all the fresh meat behind us, but the portion which had 

 been assigned to the kettle ; the canoe being already too 

 heavily laden. Our course was West-South-West one 

 mile, where a small river flowed in from the East, named 

 §>uhcatina Sepy, or River with the High Banks ; West 

 half a mile, South half a mile, South-West by West three 

 quarters of a mile, West one mile and a quarter, South- 

 West a quarter of a mile, South-South-West half a mile, 



