28 A JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



pery by frequent rains, and their progress was often further impeded 

 by fallen trees which, having slipped from the verge of the thick wood 

 above, hung on the face of the bank in a great variety of directions. 

 Notwithstanding these obstacles, however, we advanced at the rate 

 of two miles an hour, one-half of the crew relieving the other at in- 

 tervals of an hour and a half. The banks of the river, and its islands, 

 composed of alluvial soil, are well covered with pines, larches, pop- 

 lars, and willows. The breadth of the stream some distance above 

 the Factory is about half a mile, and its depth during this day's 

 voyage varied from three to nine feet. 



At sunset we landed, and pitched the tent for the night, having 

 made a progress of twelve miles. A large fire was quickly kindled, 

 supper speedily prepared, and as readily despatched, when we retired 

 with our buffalo robes on, and enjoyed a night of sound repose. 



It may here be stated that the survey of the river was made \>y 

 taking the bearings of every point with a pocket compass, estimating 

 the distances, and making a connected eye-sketch of the whole. 

 This part of the survey was allotted to Messrs. Back and Hood con- 

 jointly : Mr. Hood also protracted the route every evening on a ruled 

 map, after the courses and distances had been corrected by observa- 

 tions for latitude and longitude, taken by myself as often as the wea- 

 ther would allow. The extraordinary talent of this young officer in 

 this line of service proved of the greatest advantage to the Expe- 

 dition, and he continued to perform that duty until his lamented 

 death, with a degree of zeal and accuracy that characterized all his 

 pursuits. 



The next morning our camp was in motion at five A.M., and we 

 soon afterwards embarked with the flattering accompaniment of a 

 fair wind : it proved, however, too light to enable us to stem the 

 stream, and we were obliged to resume the fatiguing operation of 

 tracking, sometimes under cliffs so steep that the men could scarcely 

 find a footing, and not unfrequently over spots rendered so miry, by 



