OF THE POLAR SEA. 



149 



Mine River for a considerable distance, if 

 not to the sea itself, and return to the lake 

 before the winter set in. 



It may here be proper to mention that it 

 had been my original plan to descend the 

 Mackenzie's River and to cross the Great 

 Bear Lake, from the eastern side of which, 

 Boileau informed me, there is a communi- 

 cation with the Copper-Mine River by four 

 small lakes and portages; but under our 

 present circumstances, this course could not 

 be followed, because it would remove us 

 too far from the establishments at the 

 Great Slave Lake to receive the supplies 

 of ammunition and some other stores in the 

 winter, which were absolutely necessary for 

 the prosecution of our journey, or to get the 

 Esquimaux interpreter, whom we expected. 

 If I had not deemed these circumstances 

 paramount I should have preferred the 

 route by Bear Lake. 



Akaitcho and the guides having commu- 

 nicated all the information they possessed 

 on the different points to which our ques- 

 tions had been directed, I placed my medal 



