190S.] 



ROUTES TRAVERSED MACKENZIE. 



117 



northeastern shores stands a range of hills up^Yard of 800 feet high, 

 rounded, rocky, and sparsely forested. Leaving this lake we de- 

 scended several slight riffles and ^^addled through a wide channel 

 with a scarcely perceptible current. Its shores at first were swampy, 

 but farther on its southern shore became higher and was well wooded. 

 A long, narrow lake succeeded, at whose foot Ave had to portage every- 

 thing about half a mile on the Avest side of the stream past a rapid. 

 The trail, which was fairly aa'cII marked, passed OA^er seA^eral low, 

 rocky ridges and through some fine groA'es of white spruce and 

 Banksian pine. The trail mostly aA'oided the riA'er, bttt the part of 

 the river Ave saw consisted of a succession of foaming cascades. We 

 encamped at the lower end of the rapid, on the shores of a small rock- 

 bound lake. 



On August 20 Ave paddled through the lake, which proA^ed to be 

 about a mile long. At its outlet another half-mile series of rapids 

 was encountered and another portage made on the left side of the 

 riA'er. It led OA'er ground AAdiich was similar to that passed on the 

 previous portage. From here we passed through a small lake and 

 then for a mile or two folloAved a narrow stream, here and there 

 expanded into a broad channel Avith little current, until it fell into 

 a large lake. The part where Ave entered Avas about i miles in length 

 and AA'as much broken up by islands. AVe then passed through a 

 narrow part Avith a considerable current into the main part of the 

 lake, which proved to be of large extent. We encamped on its eastern 

 shore after going a feAv miles. 



On August 21 we started with a fair wind and. turning toward 

 the northwest and rounding a point, sailed northward tip the lake. 

 During the forenoon we passed on our left a large island several 

 miles in length, on which was a mountain apparently about 800 feet 

 high. From here Ave sailed until the middle of the afternoon on a 

 general northerly course. The shores of the lake were mainly low 

 and swampy, but had many gneissic outcroj^s. In the afternoon we 

 encountered a point or large island extending east and west across 

 our path. It Avas occupied by three rugged, sparsely wooded peaks 

 TOO or 800 feet high, the most easterly being the highest. The range 

 apparently formed a part of the eastern shore. A broad channel 

 lying south of and parallel to the range was diA'ided by a long, high, 

 and narrow island. We entered the narrower, southern arm of this 

 channel and followed it for 3 or 4 miles, then turned southward 

 through a narrow strait and entered a rounded expansion a mile or 

 so in extent. This we crossed in a westerly direction and from a 

 small bay made a portage of about 100 yards into another bay at the 

 same level. This was the first time we had been out of sight of direct 

 water connection since reaching Lake Seguin on August 14, and the 

 Indians assured us that in this case the portage merely connected 



