North-West Continent of America. 12$ 



almost every where so much elevated above the channel 

 of the river. Just as the obscurity of the night drew on, 

 the man returned with an account that it would be imprac- 

 ticable to pass several points, as well as the super-impend- 

 ing promontories. 



Monday 20. The weather was clear, with a sharp air, 

 and we renewed our voyage at a quarter past four, on a 

 course South-West by West three quarters of a mile. We 

 now, with infinite difficulty passed along the foot of a rock, 

 which, fortunately, was not an hard stone, so that we were 

 enabled to cut steps in it for the distance of twenty feet ; 

 from which, at the hazard of my life, I leaped on a small 

 rock below, where I received those who followed me on 

 my shoulders. In this manner four of us passed and 

 dragged up the canoe, in which attempt we broke her. 

 Very luckily, a dry tree had fallen from the rock above us, 

 without which we could not have made a fire, as no wood 

 was to be procured within a mile of the place. When the 

 canoe was repaired, we continued towing it along the 

 rocks to the next point, when we embarked, as we could not, 

 at present, make any further use of the line, but got along the 

 rocks of a round, high island of stone till we came to a 

 small sandy bay. As we had already damaged the canoe, 

 and had every reason to think that she soon would risk 

 much greater injury, it became necessary for us to supply 

 ourselves with bark, as our provision of that material 

 article was almost exhausted ; two men were accordingly 

 * sent to procure it, who soon returned with the necessary 

 store. 



Mr. Mackay, and the Indians who had been on shore, 

 since we broke the canoe, were prevented from coming to 

 us by the rugged and impassable state of the ground. We, 

 therefore, again resumed our course with the assistance of 

 poles, with which we pushed onwards till we came 

 beneath a precipice, where we could not find any bottom ; 

 so that we were again obliged to have recourse to the line, 

 the management of which was rendered not only difficult 

 but dangerous, as the men employed in towing were 

 under the necessity of passing on the outside of trees that 

 grew on the edge of the precipice. We, however, sur- 

 mounted this difficulty, as we had done many others, and 

 the people who had been walking over land now joined us* 

 They also had met with their obstacles in passing the 

 mountain. 



