OJIBWAYS. 



69 



rugged or smooth, according to their aspects, its sudden 

 contraction into a river breadth for a few yards between 

 large islands and the equally abrupt breaking out into 

 open stretches of water, offered a constant and most 

 pleasing variety of scene. The high jutting points of 

 granite rock, which here and there confine the channel, 

 offer rare opportunities for beholding on one side an in- 

 tricate maze of island scenery, and on the other an open 

 expanse of lake, with deep and gloomy bays, stretching 

 seemingly into the dark forest as far as the eye can 

 reach. 



Here we met several Ojibways in their elegant birch 

 bark canoes. They were very friendly, and apparently 

 delighted with a small present of tobacco and tea. One 

 young hunter with his squaw hurried to the shore as we 

 approached, but. soon returned gaudily painted with 

 patches of vermilion on his cheeks and in bars across 

 his forehead. 



The fourth large expanse of Sturgeon Lake is bounded 

 by low, densely-wooded shores, with high hill ranges in the 

 far distance. The first cascades, with a fall of four and a 

 half feet, occur at the foot of this last expansion ; these are 

 quickly followed by the second falls of six and a quarter 

 feet descent, then occurs a narrow reach of river for three 

 miles, which is terminated by the third rapids of two and 

 a half feet fall, leading to another expanse with a general 

 direction nearly due west ; the fourth and fifth rapids 

 then occur within four miles of one another, and are fol- 

 lowed by Island Portage two miles further on. 



Island Portage lets us down ten feet, and involves a 

 portage of fifty yards. Crossing the small Pine Lake, 

 the river now assumes a course nearly due west, and 

 within a distance of four miles, brings us to a north- 



F 3 



