OF THE POLAR SEA. 



271 



encampment one of the hunters killed a deer, a part of which was 

 concealed to be ready for use on our return. This evening we 

 halted in a wood near the canoe track, after having travelled a 

 distance of nine miles. The wind was S.E. and the night cloudy, 

 with wind and rain. 



On the 24th and 25th we underwent some fatigue from being 

 obliged to go round the lakes, which lay across our route, and 

 were not sufficiently frozen to bear us. Several rivulets appeared 

 to empty themselves into the lakes, no animals were killed, and 

 few tracks seen. The scenery consisted of barren rocks and high 

 hills, covered with lofty pine, birch, and larch trees. 



October 26. — We continued our journey, sometimes on frozen 

 lakes, and at other times on high craggy rocks. When we were on 

 the lakes we were much impeded in our journey by different parts 

 which were unfrozen. There was a visible increase of wood, con- 

 sisting of birch and larch, as we inclined to the southward. About 

 ten A.M. we passed Icy Portage, where we saw various tracks of 

 the moose, bear, and otter ; and after a most harassing march through 

 thick woods and over fallen trees, we halted a mile to the westward 

 of Fishing Lake ; our provisions were now almost expended ; the 

 weather was cloudy with snow. 



On the 27th we crossed two lakes, and performed a circuitous 

 route, frequently crossing high hills to avoid those lakes which were 

 not frozen ; during the day one of the women made a hole through the 

 ice, and caught a fine pike, which she gave to us ; the Indians would 

 not partake of it, from the idea (as we afterwards learnt,) that we 

 should not have sufficient for ourselves : " We are accustomed to 

 starvation," said they, " but you are not." In the evening we halted 

 near Eocky Lake. I accompanied one of the Indians to the summit 

 of a hill, where he shewed me a dark horizontal cloud, extending to 

 a considerable distance along the mountains in the perspective 

 which he said was occasioned by the Great Slave Lake, and was 



