236 



A JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



neighbourhood, to examine whether they could discover any large 

 lakes, or water communication in the direction which the guide pointed 

 the river to be. They only saw a small rivulet, which was too 

 shallow for the canoe, and also wide of the course ; and as they 

 perceived the crew would have to carry it over a rugged hilly track ? 

 they judiciously decided on leaving it, and proceeding forwards on 

 foot. Having deposited the canoe among a few dwarf birch bushes, 

 they commenced their march, carrying the tents, blankets, cooking 

 utensils, and a part of the dried meat. St. Germain, however, had 

 previously delineated with charcoal, a man and a house on a piece 

 of bark, which he placed over the canoe and the few things that 

 were left, to point out to the Dog-Ribs that they belonged to white 

 people. 



The party reached the shores of Point Lake, through which the 

 Copper-Mine River runs, on the 1st of September. The next day 

 was too stormy for them to march, but on the 3d, they proceeded 

 along its shore to the westward, round a mountainous promontory, 

 and perceiving the course of the lake extending to the W.N.W., 

 they encamped near some pines, and then first enjoyed the luxury 

 of a good fire, since their departure from us. The temperature of 

 the water in the lake was 35°, and of the air 32°, but the latter fell 

 to 20° in the course of, that night. As their principal object was 

 to ascertain whether any arm of the lake branched nearer to Fort 

 Enterprise than the part they had fallen upon, to which the transport 

 of our goods could be more easily made next spring, they returned 

 on its borders to the eastward, being satisfied, by the appearance of 

 the mountains between south and west, that no further examination 

 was necessary in that direction ; and they continued their march 

 until the 6th at noon, without finding any part of the lake inclining 

 nearer to the fort. They therefore encamped to observe the ecHpse, 

 which was to take place on the following morning ; but a violent 

 snow storm rendering the observation impossible, they commenced 



