312 



CHARACTER OF THE COUNTRY 



poplar. The Second Lake is reached by a portage two hundred yards long, around 

 a rapid made by boulders, among which I observed granite, syenite, greenstone, 

 and metamorphosed slate. This lake is small and shallow, and the bottom covered 

 with boulders. The stream connecting it with the Third Lake is about thirty yards 

 wide and one hundred yards long. It is filled with boulders, and has a slight rapid 

 in the upper part. Third Lake is a mile and a quarter long, and about four hun- 

 dred yards wide. It contains several small islands, and many large boulders are 

 strewed around its shores. Fourth Lake is one-third of a mile long, and three hun- 

 dred yards wide. The portage from this to the Fifth Lake is about two hundred 

 yards in length, over a ridge of boulders ; the fall between the two lakes being 

 three or four feet. Fifth Lake is a beautiful sheet of water, and on the west side 

 of it, at the distance, apparently, of two miles, was seen the Missabe Wachu, or " Big 

 Man Hills," which form a portion of the dividing highlands between the waters of 

 Hudson's Bay and Lake Superior. A small stream, obstructed by very large boul- 

 ders, leads to the Sixth Lake, which is a mile and a half long, and from two hun- 

 dred to three hundred and fifty yards wide. On the west side, the Missabe Wachu 

 approaches within three hundred yards of the lake, and was estimated to be three 

 hundred feet high. 



The rock here, which was the first seen, in place, since leaving the vicinity of 

 Knife Portage, is principally syenitic granite, associated with gneiss, and traversed 

 by veins of quartzose granite. (Nos. 493, 494, 495, 496.) The gneiss dips south- 

 east, at an angle of 12°. From the top of this ridge, a number of parallel ridges 

 were seen, bearing to the northeast and northeast by north, some of which appeared 

 to have an altitude nearly double that of the one ascended. 



The Seventh Lake, or, as it is called by the Chippewas, Ininiwishtigonan, is one 

 mile and a quarter long, and four hundred yards wide, and is embosomed in hills. 

 There is a portage from the upper end, of one mile in length, around rapids. The 

 portage passes over a hill about forty feet high, covered with innumerable boulders, 

 the most of them being granitic. About one mile above the upper end of the port- 

 age, we came to the path which leads across the dividing ridge to the waters of 

 Vermilion River. 



At this place, which is called by the Indians As7iawkvisitagon (and which means, 

 literally, the place from which water runs two ways), we left Embarras River, 

 which was here very wide, without any perceptible current, and bordered by tame- 

 rack swamps. We found it necessary to stop on this portage, for the purpose of 

 drying our " outfit," especially the flour, which was in danger of spoiling. We re- 

 mained three days, partly for the purposes named, and partly on account of hurts 

 received by two of the men, while carrying a large canoe over the portage. 



This portage is about five and a half miles long, and has several exposures of 

 rock on it, the most southerly of which is like No. 493 of Embarras River. The 

 highest part of the ridge was estimated to be sixty feet above the river-level. It is 

 covered with large white and yellow pines, and bears east-northeast and west-south- 

 west. (497, 498.) Northeast of this ridge is a lower one, separated from the first 

 by a narrow valley, full of boulders. No. 499 was taken from this ridge. It is 

 traversed by numerous veins of Nos. 500 and 501. About three-fourths the dis- 



