AN" INDIAN "PITCHING TKACK." 



51 



the mountain to us, its greater altitude being only ap- 

 parent on account of its proximity, as we afterwards 

 ascertained. In an hour we arrived at a white spruce 

 swamp, in which many fine trees, fully eighteen inches 

 in diameter, were observed. Beyond the white spruce 

 swamp we came to an old lake ridge, about fifteen feet 

 above the general level, beautifully rounded, and com- 

 posed of limestone gravel, with many boulders of the 

 unfossiliferous rocks on the south or land side. 



This ridge resembled the Big Eidge of the Assinniboine 

 in most particulars. Our Indian guide told us that it 

 extended for many days' journey north and south of 

 Dauphin Lake. It forms the Indian pitching track at 

 the foot of the Biding Mountain. 



The term " pitching track " is applied to an Indian 

 trail from one part of the country to another. West of 

 Lake Manitobah, Dauphin Lake, and Winnipego-sis Lake, 

 the "pitching track" follows the ridge described above. 

 It is, in fact, the main and only dry road in this region. 

 On the crest of the ridge there is a narrow well-worn 

 path, which, for many generations probably, has been the 

 highway of the Indians passing from Lake Manitobah to 

 the Assinniboine, through the valley of Te-wa-te-noiv-seebe, 

 or " The Eiver that divides the hills." This pitching 

 track is connected with " the Bidge pitching track," 

 between Ebb and Flow Lake and Dauphin Lake. 



The Whisky Jack is numerous on the ridge, and in the 

 spruce swamp were several ravens. Formidable marshes 

 succeed the ridge ; we waded through them knee deep 

 for a space of half a mile, and then rested a short time 

 on a small island where stunted aspens grew. We con- 

 tinued to pass through marshes, aspen islands, and over 

 low ridges clothed with willow, until a bog of such a 

 quaking character, and of such great breadth, presented 



E 2 



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