68 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



their fires, and in a dry season the woods 

 may be seen blazing to the extent of many 

 miles. We afterwards crossed the Second, 

 or Swampy Portage, and in the evening en- 

 camped on the Upper Portage, where we 

 were overtaken by an Indian bringing an 

 answer from Governor Williams to a letter 

 I had written to him on the 15 th, in which 

 he renewed his injunctions to the gentlemen 

 of the boats accompanying us, to afford us 

 every assistance in their power. The Au- 

 rora Borealis appeared this evening in form 

 of a bright arch, extending across the 

 zenith in a N.W. and S.E. direction. The 

 extent of our voyage to-day was two miles. 



About noon, on the 25th, we entered 

 Knee Lake, which has a very irregular 

 form, and near its middle takes a sudden 

 turn, from whence it derives its name. It 

 is thickly studded with islands, and its 

 shores are low and well-wooded. The sur- 

 rounding country, as far as we could see, 

 is flat, being destitute even of the moderate 

 elevations which occur near the upper part 

 of Hill River. The weather was remark- 



