48 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. 



the night, fell to 26°. All the leaves are now fallen, and 

 the country presents a very dreary appearance. The 

 whole of the day was spent in rowing or tracking up 

 Moss Eiver. The bank continues from twelve to fifteen 

 feet high, and supports some fine aspens, one foot to fifteen 

 inches in diameter, with a dense growth of young trees 

 springing up in the place of a former fine aspen forest, of 

 which the large trees are the remains. The river con- 

 tinues very shallow, and contains many boulders of the 

 unfossiliferous rocks. 



There is a large area of good land on the west bank, 

 near to Dauphin Lake. This secluded sheet of water we 

 entered at 4 p.m., and came at once in sight of the Eiding 

 Mountain in front and the Duck Mountain on our right. 

 Both are very imposing ranges from this point of view, 

 yet presenting similar aspects ; both rising from a level 

 country a few feet above Dauphin Lake ; and, as far as 

 the eye could judge, both maintaining the same elevation, 

 and showing abrupt wooded escarpments towards the 

 east. They are separated by Valley Eiver, and it is ap- 

 parent that they were united at a remote epoch, and 

 formed part of the great table-land which stretches south- 

 west toward the Grand Coteau de Missouri. 



In the evening we passed the mouth of Valley Eiver, 

 or Te-wa-te-now-seebe, literally, " the river which divides 

 the hills," and camped on a beautiful beach, beneath some 

 fine oaks growing upon a ridge close to the water's edge. 



On the following morning we started at daylight for a 

 part of the coast nearest to the Eiding Mountain. At a 

 distance this magnificent range appears to be clothed 

 with forest, and to rise from a level plain to the height 

 of about 800 feet above the level of Dauphin Lake. 



As soon as we arrived opposite to what appeared to be 

 the highest part of the range, we landed, and despatched 



