OF THE POLAR SEA. 



99 



found no relief from their attacks by ex- 

 posing ourselves to the utmost violence of 

 the wind and rain. Our last resource was 

 to plunge ourselves in the water, and from 

 this uncomfortable situation we gladly es- 

 caped at day-light, and hoisted our sails. 



The Woody Lake is thirteen miles in 

 length, and a small grassy channel at its 

 north-western extremity leads to the Frog 

 Portage, the source of the waters descend- 

 ing by Beaver Lake to the Saskatchawan. 

 The distance to the Missinippi, or Churchill 

 River, is only three hundred and eighty 

 yards ; and, as its course crosses the height 

 nearly at right angles to the direction of the 

 Great River, it would be superfluous to 

 compute the elevation at this place. The 

 portage is in latitude 55° 26' 0" N., and 

 longitude 103° 34' 50" W. Its name, ac- 

 cording to Sir Alexander Mackenzie, is 

 derived from the Crees having left sus- 

 pended a stretched frog's skin, in derision 

 of the Northern Indian mode of dressing 

 the beaver. 



The part of the Missinippi, in which we 

 h % 



