204 Journal of a Voyage through the 



two cascades. We were not more than two hours getting 

 np this difficult part of the river, including the time em- 

 ployed in repairing an hole which had been broken in the 

 canoe, by the negligence of the steersman. 



Here we expected to meet with the natives, but there 

 was not the least appearance of them, except that the guide, 

 his companion, and two others, had apparently passed the 

 carrying-place. We saw several fish leap out of the water, 

 which appeared to be of the salmon kind. The old man, 

 indeed, had informed us that this was the season when the 

 large fish begin to come up the river. Our hunters re- 

 turned, but had not seen the track of any animal. We 

 now continued our journey; the current was not strong, 

 but we met with frequent impediments from the fallen trees, 

 which lay along the banks. We landed at eight in the 

 evening ; and suffered indescribable inconveniences from 

 the flies. 



Wednesday 3. It had rained hard in the night, and there 

 was some small rain in the morning. At four we entered 

 our canoe, and at ten we came to a small river, which 

 answered to the description of that whose course the na- 

 tives said, they follow in their journies towards the sea- 

 coast ; we therefore put into it, and endeavored to dis- 

 cover if our guide had landed here ; but there were no 

 traces of him or of any others. My former perplexities 

 were now renewed. If I passed this river, it was proba- 

 ble that I might miss the natives ; and I had reason to sus- 

 pect that my men would not consent to return thither. As 

 for attempting the woods, without a guide, to introduce 

 us to the first inhabitants, such a determination would be 

 little short of absolute madness. At length, after much 

 painful reflection, I resolved to come at once to a full ex- 

 planation with my people, and I experienced a considera- 

 ble relief from this resolution. Accordingly, after re- 

 peating the promise they had so lately made me, on our 

 putting back up the river, I represented to them that this 

 appeared to me to be the spot from which the natives took 

 their departure for the sea coast, and added, withal, that I 

 was determined to try it ; for though our guide had left us, 

 it was possible that, while we were making the necessary 

 preparations, he or some others might appear, to relieve 

 us from our present difficulties. I now found, to my great 

 satisfaction, that they had not come to any fixed determi- 

 nation among themselves, as some of them immediately 



