326 



A JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



the meat, thought it had been placed here three days ago, and that 

 the hunters were considerably in advance. We put up, at six P.M., 

 near the end of the lake, having come twelve miles and three 

 quarters, and found the channel open by which it is connected with 

 the Eock-nest Lake. A river was pointed out, bearing south from our 

 encampment, which is said to rise near Great Marten Lake. Red-rock 

 Lake is in general narrow, its shelving banks are well clothed with 

 wood, and even the hills, which attain an elevation of four hundred or 

 five hundred feet, are ornamented, half way up, with stunted pines. 



On June 30, the men having gummed the canoes, embarked with 

 their burdens to descend the river ; but we accompanied the In- 

 dians about five miles across a neck of land, when we also em- 

 barked. The river was about two hundred yards wide, and its 

 course being uninterrupted, we cherished a sanguine hope of now 

 getting on more speedily, until we perceived that the waters of 

 Rock-nest Lake were still bound by ice, and that recourse must 

 again be had to the sledges. The ice was much decayed, and 

 we were exposed to great risk of breaking through in making 

 the traverse. In one part we had to cross an open channel in 

 the canoes, and in another were compelled to quit the lake, and 

 make a portage along the land. When the party had got upon the 

 ice again, our guide evinced much uncertainty as to the route. He 

 first directed us towards the west end of the lake; but when we 

 had nearly gained that point, he discovered a remarkable rock to 

 the north-east, named by the Indians the Rock-nest, and then re- 

 collected that the river ran at its base. Our course was immediately 

 changed to that direction, but the traverse we had then to make 

 was more dangerous than the former one. The ice cracked under 

 us at every step, and the party were obliged to separate them- 

 selves widely to prevent accidents. We landed at the first point 

 we could approach, but having found an open channel close to the 

 shore, we were obliged to ferry the goods across on pieces of ice. 



