372 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. 



in graceful curves, so that Crooked Lake seems to be em- 

 bosomed amongst hills, and thus differs from the others 

 which have very much the appearance of a gigantic canal. 

 It is a little more than six miles in length, and its mean 

 width is three-quarters of a mile. The greatest depth I 

 found was thirty-six feet, and the mean of several sound- 

 ings was thirty-one feet. The south slope, as before, is 

 clothed with a dense foliage of young aspens, willows, and 

 dogwood ; a great contrast to the opposite side, on which 

 only grows short and scanty grass, leaving the granite 

 boulders which lie scattered over it, exposed to view ; 

 only in the ravines and the deep hollows are seen patches 

 of young aspens and straggling oaks which have escaped 

 the devastating fires. 



For some time I could not understand why one side 

 should be covered with trees and the other quite bare, 

 the soil on both being exactly similar, until I discovered 

 unmistakeable evidences of fire, which may be the cause 

 of it. On inquiry afterwards I found that Indians often 

 travel along the valley on the north of the river, which 

 accounts for the fires being on that side. 



Between the gravelly beach and the first of the slopes 

 a fringe of willows runs all round the lake, and several 

 points of low land jut out on both sides, on which grow 

 oak, elm, and ash ; not very large trees certainly, but 

 healthy and thriving looking, and giving additional beauty 

 to the landscape. 



I ascended a bluff on the north side by a well-worn 

 deer path, on which there were many foot-marks quite 

 fresh, for the purpose of taking some observations con- 

 nected with the survey and seeing the nature of the sur- 

 rounding country. A gently undulating prairie, dotted 

 with clumps of small poplars and willows stretched away 

 on every side, and as far as I could see, the soil was a 



