North-West Continent of America. 217 



procuring subsistence, than any habitual aversion to poly- 

 gamy. 



My present guide now informed me, that he could not 

 proceed any further, and I accordingly engaged two of 

 these people to succeed him in that office ; but when they 

 desired us to proceed on the beaten path without them, as 

 they could not set off till the following day, I determined 

 to stay that night, in order to accommodate myself to their 

 convenience. I distributed some trifles among the wives 

 and children of the men who were to be our future guides, 

 and returned to my people. We came back by a different 

 way, and passed by two buildings, erected between four 

 trees, and about fifteen feet from the ground, which ap- 

 peared to me to be intended as magazines for winter pro- 

 visions. At four in the afternoon, we proceeded with 

 considerable expedition, by the side of the lake, till six, 

 when we came to the end of it : we then struck off through 

 a much less beaten track, and at half past seven stopped 

 for the night. Our course was about West-South- West 

 thirteen miles, and W est six miles. 



Thursday 11. I passed a most uncomfortable night : 

 the first part of it I was tormented with flies, and in the 

 latter deluged with rain. In the morning the weather 

 cleared, and as soon as our clothes were dried, we pro- 

 ceeded through a morass. This part of the country had 

 been laid waste by fire, and the fallen trees added to the 

 pain and perplexity of our way. An high, rocky ridge 

 stretched along our left. Though the rain returned, we 

 continued our progress till noon, when our guides took to 

 some trees for shelter. We then spread our oil-cloth, and, 

 with some difficulty, made a fire. About two the rain 

 ceased, when we continued our journey through the same 

 kind of country which we had hitherto passed. At half 

 past three we came in sight of a lake ; the land at the same 

 time gradually rising to a range of mountains whose tops 

 were covered with snow. We soon after observed two 

 fresh tracks, which seemed to surprise our guides, but 

 they supposed them to have been made by the inhabitants 

 of the country, who were come into this part of it to fish. 

 At five in the afternoon we were so wet and cold (for it had 

 at intervals continued to rain) that we were compelled to 

 stop for the night. We passed seven rivulets and a creek 

 in this day's journey. As I had hitherto regulated our 

 course by the sun, I could not form an accurate judgment 



2d 



