346 



A JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



return to our lands." After much argument, however, he yielded 

 to our request, and agreed to stay behind provided Mr. Wentzel 

 would remain with him. This gentleman was accordingly left with 

 a Canadian attendant, and they promised not to pass a range 

 of hills then in view to the northward, unless we sent notice to 

 them. 



The river during the whole of this day's voyage flowed between 

 alternate cliffs of loose sand intermixed with gravel, and red sand 

 stone rocks, and was everywhere shallow and rapid. As its course 

 was very crooked, much time was spent in examining the different 

 rapids previous to running them, but the canoes descended them, 

 except at a single place, without any difficulty. Most of the officers 

 and half the men marched along the land to lighten the canoes, and 

 reconnoitre the country, each person being armed with a gun and 

 a dagger. Arriving at a range of mountains which had terminated 

 our view yesterday, we ascended it with much eagerness, expecting 

 to see the rapid that Mr. Hearne visited near to its base, and to 

 gain a view of the sea ; but our disappointment was proportionably 

 great, when we beheld beyond a plain similar to that we had just 

 left, terminated by another range of trap hills, between whose tops 

 the summits of some distant blue mountains appeared. Our reliance 

 on the information of the guides, which had been for some time 

 shaken, was now quite at an end, and we feared that the sea was 

 still far distant. The flat country here is covered with grass, and 

 is devoid of the large stones, so frequent in the barren grounds, 

 but the ranges of trap hills which seem to intersect it at regular 

 distances are quite barren. A few decayed stunted pines were 

 standing on the borders of the river. In the evening we had the 

 gratification of meeting Junius, who was hastening back to inform 

 us that they had found four Esquimaux tents at the fall which we 

 recognised to be the one described by Mr. Hearne. The inmates 

 were asleep at the time of their arrival, but rose soon afterwards, 



