North-West Continent of America, 



133 



every thing but themselves. This part of the current was 

 not broken by islands ; but in the afternoon we approached 

 some cascades, whidb obliged us to carry our canoe and 

 ks lading for several hundred yards. Here we observed an 

 encampment of the natives, though sometime had elapsed 

 since it had been inhabited. The greater part of the day 

 was divided between heavy showers and small rain ; and 

 we took our station on the shore about six in the evening, 

 about three miles above the last rapid. 



Wednesday 29. The rain was so violent throughout the 

 whole of this day, that we did not venture to proceed. 

 As we had almost expended the contents of a rum-keg, 

 and this being a day which allowed of no active employ- 

 ment, I amused myself with the experiment of inclosing 

 a letter in it, and dispatched it down the stream, to take 

 its fate. I accordingly introduced a written account of all 

 our hardships, &c. carefully inclosed in bark, into the 

 small barrel by the bung-hole, which being carefully se- 

 cured, I consigned this epistolatory cargo to the mercy of 

 the current. 



Thursday 30. We were alarmed this morning at break 

 of day, by the continual barking of our dog, who never 

 ceased from running backwards and forwards in the rear 

 of our situation ; when, however, the day advanced, we 

 discovered the cause of our alarm to proceed from a wolf 

 who was parading a ridge a few yards behind us, and had 

 been most probably allured by the scent of our small por- 

 tion of fresh meat. The weather was cloudy, but it did 

 not prevent us from renewing our progress at a very early 

 hour. A considerable river appeared from the left, and 

 we continued our course till seven in the evening, when 

 we landed at night where there was an Indian encamp- 

 ment. 



Friday 31. The morning was clear and cold, and the 

 current very powerful. On crossing the mouth of a river 

 that flowed in from the right of us, we were very much 

 endangered ; indeed, all the rivers which I have lately 

 seen, appear to overflow their natural limits, as it may 

 be supposed, from the melting of the mountain snow. 

 The water is almost white, the bed of the river being of 

 lime-stone. The mountains are one solid mass of the 

 same materials, but without the least shade of trees, or 

 decoration of foliage. At nine the men were so cold that 

 we landed, in order t,o kindle a fire, which was considered 



