OF THE POLAR SEA. 



87 



tree began to flow, and the women repaired 

 to the woods for the purpose of collecting 

 it. This tree, which abounds to the south- 

 ward, is not, I believe, found to the north- 

 ward of the Saskatchawan. The Indians 

 obtain the sap by making incisions into the 

 tree. They boil it down, and evaporate 

 the water, skimming off the impurities. 

 They are so fond of sweets that, after this 

 simple process, they set an extravagant 

 price upon it. 



On the 15 th fell the first shower of rain 

 we had seen for six months, and on the 

 17th the thermometer rose to 77° in the 

 shade. The whole face of the country was 

 deluged by the melted snow. All the 

 nameless heaps of dirt, accumulated in the 

 winter, now floated over the very thresholds, 

 and the long-imprisoned scents dilated into 

 vapours so penetrating, that no retreat was 

 any security from them. The flood de- 

 scended into the cellar below our house, 

 and destroyed a quantity of powder and 

 tea ; a loss irreparable in our situation. 



The noise made by the frogs which this 



