466 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. 



a limited supply of provisions, and a long and hazardous 

 voyage before us, it would have been altogether out of 

 the question ; indeed, the loss of a day or even an hour 

 might have compromised the safety of the whole party. 



In about an hour we reached the beginning or west 

 end of the portage at the head of the Grand Eapid, 

 where my various instrumental observations and mea- 

 surements in relation to the rapid began. In order to 

 commence operations we disembarked and made the port- 

 age, which of course is never done by boats in descending 

 the river. Yet, notwithstanding that boats invariably 

 "run" the whole of the rapid, it would be extremely 

 perilous to descend the upper portion of it in a small 

 heavily laden canoe without a guide. 



So much having to be done with so few hands, our 

 little party exhibited a scene of unusual activity and ex- 

 ertion from the time we landed at the top of the rapid 

 until w r e camped in the twilight on the coast of Lake 

 Winnipeg. The first thing to be accomplished was the 

 transportation of the canoe and the heavier articles of 

 luggage to the east end of the portage ; to effect this the 

 united energies of the party were required, and owing to 

 the length of the portage it occupied some time. Whilst 

 the Ojibway was carrying the remainder of the lading, I 

 was engaged with the Blackfoot in making a survey of 

 the portage and rapid, ^chaining across in one direction 

 and leveling back in another, and so forth. 



About 4 p.m. the various observations were completed, 

 and everything had arrived at the east end of the portage. 

 The different operations involved the crossing of the port- 

 age (more than a mile in length) many times during the 

 day. While dinner was preparing I occupied myself in 

 making a sketch of the cataract and examining the cha- 

 racter of the perpendicular limestone cliffs at its side. 



