PASSAGE UP HAYES, STEEL AND HILL RIVERS. CROSS SWAMPY LAKE. JACK RIVER.
KNEE LAKE AND MAGNETIC ISLET. TROUT RIVER. HOLY LAKE. WEEPINAPANNIS
RIVER. WINDY LAKE. WHITE FALL LAKE AND RIVER. ECHEMAMIS AND SEA RIVERS.
PLAY GREEN LAKES. LAKE WINNIPEG. RIVER SASKATCHEWAN. CROSS, CEDAR AND
PINE ISLAND LAKES. CUMBERLAND HOUSE.
PASSAGE UP HAYES, STEEL, AND HILL RIVERS.
September 1819.
On the 9th of September, our boat being completed, arrangements were
made for our departure as soon as the tide should serve. But when the
stores were brought down to the beach it was found that the boat would
not contain them all. The whole therefore of the bacon and part of the
flour, rice, tobacco, and ammunition were returned into the store. The
bacon was too bulky an article to be forwarded under any circumstances;
but the Governor undertook to forward the rest next season. In making
the selection of articles to carry with us I was guided by the judgment
of Governor Williams who assured me that tobacco, ammunition, and
spirits could be procured in the interior, otherwise I should have been
very unwilling to have left these essential articles behind. We
embarked at noon and were honoured with a salute of eight guns and
three cheers from the Governor and all the inmates of the fort who had
assembled to witness our departure. We gratefully returned their cheers
and then made sail, much delighted at having now commenced our voyage
into the interior of America. The wind and tide failing us at the
distance of six miles above the Factory, and the current being too
rapid for using oars to advantage, the crew had to commence tracking,
or dragging the boat by a line to which they were harnessed. This
operation is extremely laborious in these rivers. Our men were obliged
to walk along the steep declivity of a high bank, rendered at this
season soft and slippery 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 we advanced at
the rate of two miles an hour, one-half of the crew relieving the other
at intervals of an hour and a half. The banks of the river and its
islands, composed of alluvial soil, are well covered with pines,
larches, poplars, 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 by 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 conjointly: Mr. Hood
also protracted the route every evening on a ruled map, after the
courses and distances had been corrected by observations for latitude
and longitude taken by myself as often as the weather would allow. The
extraordinary talent of this young officer in this line of service
proved of the greatest advantage to the Expedition, and he continued to
perform that duty until his lamented death with a degree of zeal and
accuracy that characterised 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 the small streams that
trickled from above as to be almost impassable. In the course of the
day we passed the scene of a very melancholy accident. Some years ago
two families of Indians, induced by the flatness of a small beach which
lay betwixt the cliff and the river, chose it as the site of their
encampment. They retired quietly to rest, not aware that the precipice,
detached from the bank and urged by an accumulation of water in the
crevice behind, was tottering to its base. It fell during the night and
the whole party was buried under its ruins.
The length of our voyage today was in a direct line sixteen miles and a
quarter on a South-South-West course. We encamped soon after sunset and
the tent was scarcely pitched when a heavy rain began, which continued
all night.
Sixteen miles on the 11th and five on the following morning brought us
to the commencement of Hayes River which is formed by the confluence of
the Shamattawa and Steel Rivers. Our observations place this spot in
latitude 56° 22′ 32″ North, longitude 93° 1′ 37″ West. It is
forty-eight miles and a half from York Factory including the windings
of the river. Steel River, through which our course lay, is about three
hundred yards wide at its mouth; its banks have more elevation than
those of Hayes River, but they shelve more gradually down to the stream
and afford a tolerably good towing path, which compensates in some
degree for the rapids and frequent shoals that impede its navigation.
We succeeded in getting about ten miles above the mouth of the river
before the close of day compelled us to disembark.
We made an effort on the morning of the 13th to stem the current under
sail but, as the course of the river was very serpentine, we found that
greater progress could be made by tracking. Steel River presents much
beautiful scenery; it winds through a narrow but well wooded valley
which at every turn disclosed to us an agreeable variety of prospect,
rendered more picturesque by the effect of the season on the foliage,
now ready to drop from the trees. The light yellow of the fading
poplars formed a fine contrast to the dark evergreen of the spruce,
whilst the willows of an intermediate hue served to shade the two
principal masses of colour into each other. The scene was occasionally
enlivened by the bright purple tints of the dogwood, blended with the
browner shades of the dwarf birch and frequently intermixed with the
gay yellow flowers of the shrubby cinquefoil. With all these charms the
scene appeared desolate from the want of human species. The stillness
was so great that even the twittering of the _whiskey-johneesh_, or
cinereous crow caused us to start. Our voyage today was sixteen miles
on a South-West course.
September 14.
We had much rain during the night and also in the morning, which
detained us in our encampment later than usual. We set out as soon as
the weather cleared up and in a short time arrived at the head of Steel
River where it is formed by the junction of Fox and Hill Rivers. These
two rivers are nearly of equal width but the latter is the most rapid.
Mr. McDonald, on his way to Red River in a small canoe manned by two
Indians, overtook us at this place. It may be mentioned as a proof of
the dexterity of the Indians and the skill with which they steal upon
their game that they had on the preceding day, with no other arms than
a hatchet, killed two deer, a hawk, a curlew, and a sturgeon. Three of
the Company’s boats joined us in the course of the morning and we
pursued our course up Hill River in company. The water in this river
was so low and the rapids so bad that we were obliged several times in
the course of the day to jump into the water and assist in lifting the
boat over the large stones which impeded the navigation. The length of
our voyage today was only six miles and three-quarters.
The four boats commenced operations together at five o’clock the
following morning but, our boat being overladen, we soon found that we
were unable to keep pace with the others; and therefore proposed to the
gentlemen in charge of the Company’s boats that they should relieve us
of part of our cargo. This they declined doing under the plea of not
having received orders to that effect, notwithstanding that the
circular with which I was furnished by Governor Williams strictly
enjoined all the Company’s servants to afford us every assistance. In
consequence of this refusal we dropped behind, and our steersman, who
was inexperienced, being thus deprived of the advantage of observing
the route followed by the guide, who was in the foremost boat,
frequently took a wrong channel. The tow-line broke twice and the boat
was only prevented from going broadside down the stream and breaking to
pieces against the stones by the officers and men leaping into the
water and holding her head to the current until the line could be
carried again to the shore. It is but justice to say that in these
trying situations we received much assistance from Mr. Thomas Swaine
who with great kindness waited for us with the boat under his charge at
such places as he apprehended would be most difficult to pass. We
encamped at sunset, completely jaded with toil. Our distance made good
this day was twelve miles and a quarter.
The labours of the 16th commenced at half-past five, and for some time
the difficulty of getting the boats over the rapids was equal to what
we experienced the day before. Having passed a small brook however,
termed _Half-way Creek_, the river became deeper and although rapid it
was smooth enough to be named by our Orkney boatmen _Still-water_. We
were further relieved by the Company’s clerks consenting to take a few
boxes of our stores into their boats. Still we made only eleven miles
in the course of the day.
The banks of Hill River are higher and have a more broken outline than
those of Steel or Hayes Rivers. The cliffs of alluvial clay rose in
some places to the height of eighty or ninety feet above the stream and
were surmounted by hills about two hundred feet high, but the thickness
of the wood prevented us from seeing far beyond the mere banks of the
river.
September 17.
About half-past five in the morning we commenced tracking and soon came
to a ridge of rock which extended across the stream. From this place
the boat was dragged up several narrow rocky channels until we came to
the Rock Portage where the stream, pent in by a range of small islands,
forms several cascades. In ascending the river the boats with their
cargoes are carried over one of the islands, but in the descent they
are shot down the most shelving of the cascades. Having performed the
operations of carrying, launching, and restowing the cargo we plied the
oars for a short distance and landed at a depôt called Rock House. Here
we were informed that the rapids in the upper parts of Hill River were
much worse and more numerous than those we had passed, particularly in
the present season owing to the unusual lowness of the water. This
intelligence was very mortifying, especially as the gentlemen in charge
of the Company’s boats declared that they were unable to carry any part
of our stores beyond this place; and the traders, guides, and most
experienced of the boatmen were of opinion that, unless our boat was
still further lightened, the winter would put a stop to our progress
before we could reach Cumberland House or any eligible post. Sixteen
pieces we therefore necessarily left with Mr. Bunn, the gentleman in
charge of the post, to be forwarded by the Athabasca canoes next
season, this being their place of rendezvous.
After this we recommenced our voyage and, having pulled nearly a mile,
arrived at Borrowick’s Fall, where the boat was dragged up with a line
after part of the cargo had been carried over a small portage. From
this place to the Mud Portage, a distance of a mile and three-quarters,
the boats were pushed on with poles against a very rapid stream. Here
we encamped, having come seven miles during the day on a South-West
course. We had several snow showers in the course of the day and the
thermometer at bedtime stood at 30°.
On the morning of the 18th the country was clothed in the livery of
winter, a heavy fall of snow having taken place during the night. We
embarked at the usual hour and in the course of the day crossed the
Point of Rocks and Brassa Portages and dragged the boats through
several minor rapids. In this tedious way we only made good about nine
miles.
On Sunday the 19th we hauled the boats up several short rapids or, as
the boatmen term them, expressively enough, _spouts_, and carried them
over the Portages of Lower Burntwood and Morgan’s Rocks, on the latter
of which we encamped, having proceeded during the whole day only one
mile and three-quarters.
The upper part of Hill River swells out considerably, and at Morgan’s
Rocks where it is three-quarters of a mile wide we were gratified with
a more extensive prospect of the country than any we had enjoyed since
leaving York Factory. The banks of the river here, consisting of low
flat rocks with intermediate swamps, permitted us to obtain views of
the interior, the surface of which is broken into a multitude of
cone-shaped hills. The highest of these hills, which gives a name to
the river, has an elevation not exceeding six hundred feet. From its
summit thirty-six lakes are said to be visible. The beauty of the
scenery, dressed in the tints of autumn, called forth our admiration
and was the subject of Mr. Hood’s accurate pencil. On the 20th we
passed Upper Burntwood and Rocky Ledge Portages besides several strong
_spouts;_ and in the evening arrived at Smooth Rock Portage where we
encamped, having come three miles and a half. It is not easy for any
but an eye-witness to form an adequate idea of the exertions of the
Orkney boatmen in the navigation of this river. The necessity they are
under of frequently jumping into the water to lift the boats over the
rocks compels them to remain the whole day in wet clothes at a season
when the temperature is far below the freezing-point. The immense loads
too which they carry over the portages is not more a matter of surprise
than the alacrity with which they perform these laborious duties.
CROSS SWAMPY LAKE.
At six on the morning of the 21st we left our encampment and soon after
arrived at the Mossy Portage where the cargoes were carried through a
deep bog for a quarter of a mile. The river swells out above this
portage to the breadth of several miles and as the islands are numerous
there are a great variety of channels. Night overtook us before we
arrived at the _Second Portage_, so named from its being the second in
the passage down the river. Our whole distance this day was one mile
and a quarter.
On the 22nd our route led us amongst many wooded islands which, lying
in long vistas, produced scenes of much beauty. In the course of the
day we crossed the Upper Portage, surmounted the Devil’s Landing Place,
and urged the boat with poles through Groundwater Creek. At the upper
end of this creek, our bowman having given the boat too great a sheer
to avoid a rock, it was caught on the broadside by the current and in
defiance of our utmost exertions hurried down the rapid. Fortunately
however it grounded against a rock high enough to prevent the current
from oversetting it, and the crews of the other boats having come to
our assistance we succeeded after several trials in throwing a rope to
them with which they dragged our almost sinking vessel stern foremost
up the stream and rescued us from our perilous situation. We encamped
in the dusk of evening amidst a heavy thunderstorm, having advanced two
miles and three-quarters.
About ten in the morning of the 23rd we arrived at the _Dramstone_
which is hailed with pleasure by the boats’ crews as marking the
termination of the laborious ascent of Hill River. We complied with the
custom from whence it derives its name and soon after landing upon Sail
Island prepared breakfast. In the meantime our boatmen cut down and
rigged a new mast, the old one having been thrown overboard at the
mouth of Steel River, where it ceased to be useful. We left Sail Island
with a fair wind and soon afterwards arrived at a depôt situated on
Swampy Lake where we received a supply of mouldy _pemmican_.[2] Mr.
Calder and his attendant were the only tenants of this cheerless abode,
and their only food was the wretched stuff with which they supplied us,
the lake not yielding fish at this season.
[2] Buffalo meat, dried and pounded and mixed with melted fat.
JACK RIVER.
After a short delay at this post we sailed through the remainder of
Swampy Lake and slept at the Lower Portage in Jack River; the distance
sailed today being sixteen miles and a half.
Jack River is only eight miles long but, being full of bad rapids, it
detained us considerably. At seven in the morning of the 24th we
crossed the Long Portage where the woods, having caught fire in the
summer, were still smoking. This is a common accident owing to the
neglect of the Indians and voyagers in not putting out their fires, and
in a dry season the woods may be seen blazing to the extent of many
miles. We afterwards crossed the Second, or Swampy, Portage and in the
evening encamped on the Upper Portage, where we were overtaken by an
Indian bringing an answer from Governor Williams to a letter I had
written to him on the 15th in which he renewed his injunctions to the
gentlemen of the boats accompanying us to afford us every assistance in
their power. The Aurora Borealis appeared this evening in form of a
bright arch extending across the zenith in a North-West and South-East
direction. The extent of our voyage today was two miles.
KNEE LAKE AND MAGNETIC ISLET.
About noon on the 25th we entered Knee Lake which has a very irregular
form and near its middle takes a sudden turn from whence it derives its
names. It is thickly studded with islands and its shores are low and
well wooded. The surrounding country as far as we could see is flat,
being destitute even of the moderate elevations which occur near the
upper part of Hill River. The weather was remarkably fine and the
setting sun threw the richest tints over the scene that I remember ever
to have witnessed.
About half a mile from the bend, or _knee_, of the lake there is a
small rocky islet composed of magnetic iron ore which affects the
magnetic needle at a considerable distance. Having received previous
information respecting this circumstance we watched our compasses
carefully and perceived that they were affected at the distance of
three hundred yards both on the approach to and departure from the
rock: on decreasing the distance they became gradually more and more
unsteady and on landing they were rendered quite useless; and it was
evident that the general magnetic influence was totally overpowered by
the local attraction of the ore. When Kater’s compass was held near to
the ground on the North-West side of the island the needle dipped so
much that the card could not be made to traverse by any adjustment of
the hand; but on moving the same compass about thirty yards to the west
part of the islet the needle became horizontal, traversed freely, and
pointed to the magnetic north. The dipping needle, being landed on the
South-West point of the islet, was adjusted as nearly as possible on
the magnetic meridian by the sun’s bearings, and found to vibrate
freely when the face of the instrument was directed to the east or
west. The mean dip it gave was 80° 37′ 50″. When the instrument was
removed from the North-West to the South-East point about twenty yards
distant and placed on the meridian the needle ceased to traverse but
remained steady at an angle of 60°. On changing the face of the
instrument so as to give a South-East and North-West direction to the
needle it hung vertically. The position of the slaty strata of the
magnetic ore is also vertical. Their direction is extremely irregular,
being much contorted.
Knee Lake towards its upper end becomes narrower and its rocky shores
are broken into conical and rounded eminences, destitute of soil, and
of course devoid of trees. We slept at the western extremity of the
lake, having come during the day nineteen miles and a half on a
South-West course.
TROUT RIVER.
We began the ascent of Trout River early in the morning of the 27th and
in the course of the day passed three portages and several rapids. At
the first of these portages the river falls between two rocks about
sixteen feet and it is necessary to launch the boat over a precipitous
rocky bank. This cascade is named the _Trout-Fall_, and the beauty of
the scenery afforded a subject for Mr. Hood’s pencil. The rocks which
form the bed of this river are slaty and present sharp fragments by
which the feet of the boatmen are much lacerated. The Second Portage in
particular obtains the expressive name of _Knife Portage_. The length
of our voyage today was three miles.
HOLY LAKE.
On the 28th we passed through the remainder of Trout River; and at noon
arrived at Oxford House on Holy Lake. This was formerly a post of some
consequence to the Hudson’s Bay Company but at present it exhibits
unequivocal signs of decay. The Indians have of late years been
gradually deserting the low or swampy country and ascending the
Saskatchewan where animals are more abundant. A few Crees were at this
time encamped in front of the fort. They were suffering under
whooping-cough and measles and looked miserably dejected. We
endeavoured in vain to prevail on one of them to accompany us for the
purpose of killing ducks which were numerous but too shy for our
sportsmen. We had the satisfaction however of exchanging the mouldy
pemmican obtained at Swampy Lake for a better kind, and received
moreover a small but very acceptable supply of fish. Holy Lake, viewed
from an eminence behind Oxford House, exhibits a pleasing prospect; and
its numerous islands, varying much in shape and elevation, contribute
to break that uniformity of scenery which proves so palling to a
traveller in this country. Trout of a great size, frequently exceeding
forty pounds’ weight, abound in this lake. We left Oxford House in the
afternoon and encamped on an island about eight miles distant, having
come during the day nine miles and a quarter.
WEEPINAPANNIS RIVER.
At noon on the 29th, after passing through the remainder of Holy Lake,
we entered the Weepinapannis, a narrow grassy river which runs parallel
to the lake for a considerable distance and forms its south bank into a
narrow peninsula. In the morning we arrived at the Swampy Portage where
two of the boats were broken against the rocks. The length of the day’s
voyage was nineteen miles and a half.
In consequence of the accident yesterday evening we were detained a
considerable time this morning until the boats were repaired, when we
set out and, after ascending a strong rapid, arrived at the portage by
John Moore’s Island. Here the river rushes with irresistible force
through the channels formed by two rocky islands; and we learned that
last year a poor man, in hauling a boat up one of these channels, was,
by the breaking of the line, precipitated into the stream and hurried
down the cascade with such rapidity that all efforts to save him were
ineffectual. His body was afterwards found and interred near the spot.
The Weepinapannis is composed of several branches which separate and
unite again and again, intersecting the country in a great variety of
directions.
WINDY LAKE.
We pursued the principal channel and, having passed the Crooked Spout
with several inferior rapids and crossed a small piece of water named
Windy Lake, we entered a smooth deep stream about three hundred yards
wide which has got the absurd appellation of the Rabbit Ground. The
marshy banks of this river are skirted by low barren rocks behind which
there are some groups of stunted trees. As we advanced the country,
becoming flatter, gradually opened to our view and we at length arrived
at a shallow, reedy lake, the direct course through which leads to the
Hill Portage. This route has however of late years been disused and we
therefore turned towards the north and, crossing a small arm of the
lake, arrived at Hill Gates by sunset; having come this day eleven
miles.
October 1.
Hill Gates is the name imposed on a romantic defile whose rocky walls,
rising perpendicularly to the height of sixty or eighty feet, hem in
the stream for three-quarters of a mile, in many places so narrowly
that there is a want of room to ply the oars. In passing through this
chasm we were naturally led to contemplate the mighty but probably slow
and gradual effects of the water in wearing down such vast masses of
rock; but in the midst of our speculations the attention was excited
anew to a grand and picturesque rapid which, surrounded by the most
wild and majestic scenery, terminated the defile. The brown
fishing-eagle had built its nest on one of the projecting cliffs.
WHITE FALL LAKE AND RIVER.
In the course of the day we surmounted this and another dangerous
portage called the Upper and Lower Hill Gate Portages, crossed a small
sheet of water, termed the White Fall Lake and, entering the river of
the same name, arrived at the White Fall about an hour after sunset,
having come fourteen miles on a South-West course.
The whole of the 2nd of October was spent in carrying the cargoes over
a portage of thirteen hundred yards in length and in launching the
empty boats over three several ridges of rock which obstruct the
channel and produce as many cascades. I shall long remember the rude
and characteristic wildness of the scenery which surrounded these
falls; rocks piled on rocks hung in rude and shapeless masses over the
agitated torrents which swept their bases, whilst the bright and
variegated tints of the mosses and lichens that covered the face of the
cliffs, contrasting with the dark green of the pines which crowned
their summits, added both beauty and grandeur to the scene. Our two
companions, Back and Hood, made accurate sketches of these falls. At
this place we observed a conspicuous _lop-stick_, a kind of landmark
which I have not hitherto noticed, notwithstanding its great use in
pointing out the frequented routes. It is a pine-tree divested of its
lower branches and having only a small tuft at the top remaining. This
operation is usually performed at the instance of some individual
emulous of fame. He treats his companions with rum and they in return
strip the tree of its branches and ever after designate it by his name.
In the afternoon, whilst on my way to superintend the operations of the
men, a stratum of loose moss gave way under my feet and I had the
misfortune to slip from the summit of a rock into the river betwixt two
of the falls. My attempts to regain the bank were for a time
ineffectual owing to the rocks within my reach having been worn smooth
by the action of the water; but after I had been carried a considerable
distance down the stream I caught hold of a willow by which I held
until two gentlemen of the Hudson’s Bay Company came in a boat to my
assistance. The only bad consequence of this accident was an injury
sustained by a very valuable chronometer (Number 1733) belonging to
Daniel Moore, Esquire, of Lincoln’s Inn. One of the gentlemen to whom I
delivered it immediately on landing in his agitation let it fall,
whereby the minutehand was broken, but the works were not in the
smallest degree injured and the loss of the hand was afterwards
supplied.
During the night the frost was severe; and at sunrise on the 3rd the
thermometer stood at 25°. After leaving our encampment at the White
Fall we passed through several small lakes connected with each other by
narrow, deep, grassy streams, and at noon arrived at the Painted Stone.
Numbers of muskrats frequent these streams; and we observed in the
course of the morning many of their mud-houses rising in a conical form
to the height of two or three feet above the grass of the swamps in
which they were built.
The Painted Stone is a low rock, ten or twelve yards across, remarkable
for the marshy streams which arise on each side of it, taking different
courses. On the one side the watercourse which we had navigated from
York Factory commences. This spot may therefore be considered as one of
the smaller sources of Hayes River.
ECHEMAMIS AND SEA RIVERS.
On the other side of the stone the Echemamis rises and, taking a
westerly direction, falls into Nelson River. It is said that there was
formerly a stone placed near the centre of this portage on which
figures were annually traced and offerings deposited by the Indians;
but the stone has been removed many years and the spot has ceased to be
held in veneration. Here we were overtaken by Governor Williams who
left York Factory on the 20th of last month in an Indian canoe. He
expressed much regret at our having been obliged to leave part of our
stores at the Rock depôt, and would have brought them up with him had
he been able to procure and man a boat, or a canoe, of sufficient size.
Having launched the boats over the rock we commenced the descent of the
Echemamis. This small stream has its course through a morass and in dry
seasons its channel contains, instead of water, merely a foot or two of
thin mud. On these occasions it is customary to build dams that it may
be rendered navigable by the accumulation of its waters. As the beavers
perform this operation very effectually endeavours have been made to
encourage them to breed in this place, but it has not hitherto been
possible to restrain the Indians from killing that useful animal
whenever they discover its retreats. On the present occasion there was
no want of water, the principal impediment we experienced being from
the narrowness of the channel, which permitted the willows of each bank
to meet over our heads and obstruct the men at the oars. After
proceeding down the stream for some time we came to a
recently-constructed beaver dam through which an opening was made
sufficient to admit the boat to pass. We were assured that the breach
would be closed by the industrious creature in a single night. We
encamped about eight miles from the source of the river, having come
during the day seventeen miles and a half.
On the 4th we embarked amidst a heavy rain and pursued our route down
the Echemamis. In many parts of the morass by which the river is
nourished and through which it flows, is intersected by ridges of rock
which cross the channel and require the boat to be lifted over them. In
the afternoon we passed through a shallow piece of water overgrown with
bulrushes and hence named Hairy Lake; and in the evening encamped on
the banks of Blackwater Creek, by which this lake empties itself into
Sea River; having come during the day twenty miles and three-quarters.
On the morning of the 5th we entered Sea River, one of the many
branches of Nelson River. It is about four hundred yards wide and its
waters are of a muddy white colour. After ascending the stream for an
hour or two and passing through Carpenter’s Lake, which is merely an
expansion of the river to about a mile in breadth, we came to the Sea
River Portage where the boat was launched across a smooth rock to avoid
a fall of four or five feet.
PLAY GREEN LAKES.
Reembarking at the upper end of the portage we ran before a fresh gale
through the remainder of Sea River, the lower part of Play Green Lake
and, entering Little Jack River, landed and pitched our tents. Here
there is a small log hut, the residence of a fisherman who supplies
Norway House with trout and sturgeon. He gave us a few of these fish
which afforded an acceptable supper. Our voyage this day was
thirty-four miles.
October 6.
Little Jack River is the name given to a channel that winds among
several large islands which separate Upper and Lower Play Green Lakes.
At the lower end of this channel Big Jack River, a stream of
considerable magnitude, falls into the lake. Play Green is a
translation of the appellation given to that lake by two bands of
Indians who met and held a festival on an island situated near its
centre. After leaving our encampment we sailed through Upper Play Green
Lake and arrived at Norway Point in the forenoon.
LAKE WINNIPEG.
The waters of Lake Winnipeg and of the rivers that run into it, the
Saskatchewan in particular, are rendered turbid by the suspension of a
large quantity of white clay. Play Green Lake and Nelson River, being
the discharges of the Winnipeg, are equally opaque, a circumstance that
renders the sunken rocks, so frequent in these waters, very dangerous
to boats in a fresh breeze. Owing to this one of the boats that
accompanied us, sailing at the rate of seven miles an hour, struck upon
one of these rocks. Its mast was carried away by the shock but
fortunately no other damage sustained. The Indians ascribe the
muddiness of these lakes to an adventure of one of their deities, a
mischievous fellow, a sort of Robin Puck, whom they hold in very little
esteem. This deity, who is named Weesakootchaht, possesses considerable
power but makes a capricious use of it and delights in tormenting the
poor Indians. He is not however invincible and was foiled in one of his
attempts by the artifice of an old woman who succeeded in taking him
captive. She called in all the women of the tribe to aid in his
punishment, and he escaped from their hands in a condition so filthy
that it required all the waters of the Great Lake to wash him clean;
and ever since that period it has been entitled to the appellation of
Winnipeg, or Muddy water.
Norway Point forms the extremity of a narrow peninsula which separates
Play Green and Winnipeg Lakes. Buildings were first erected here by a
party of Norwegians who were driven away from the colony at Red River
by the commotions which took place some time ago. It is now a trading
post belonging to the Hudson’s Bay Company. On landing at Norway House
we met with Lord Selkirk’s colonists who had started from York Factory
the day before us. These poor people were exceedingly pleased at
meeting with us again in this wild country; having accompanied them
across the Atlantic they viewed us in the light of old acquaintances.
This post was under the charge of Mr. James Sutherland, to whom I am
indebted for replacing a minutehand on the chronometer which was broken
at the White Fall, and I had afterwards the satisfaction of finding
that it went with extraordinary regularity.
The morning of the 7th October was beautifully clear and the
observations we obtained place Norway House in latitude 53° 41′ 38″
North, and longitude 98° 1′ 24″ West; the variation of the magnetic
needle 14° 12′ 41″ East, and its dip 83° 40′ 10″. Though our route from
York Factory has rather inclined to the South-West the dip, it will be
perceived, has gradually increased. The difference produced by
reversing the face of the instrument was 7° 39′. There was too much
wind to admit of our observing with any degree of accuracy the quantity
of the magnetic force.
We left Norway House soon after noon and, the wind being favourable,
sailed along the northern shore of Lake Winnipeg the whole of the
ensuing night; and on the morning of the 8th landed on a narrow ridge
of sand which, running out twenty miles to the westward, separates
Limestone Bay from the body of the Lake. When the wind blows hard from
the southward it is customary to carry boats across this isthmus and to
pull up under its lee. From Norwegian Point to Limestone Bay the shore
consists of high clay cliffs against which the waves beat with violence
during strong southerly winds. When the wind blows from the land and
the waters of the lake are low a narrow sandy beach is uncovered and
affords a landing-place for boats. The shores of Limestone Bay are
covered with small fragments of calcareous stones. During the night the
Aurora Borealis was quick in its motions and various and vivid in its
colours. After breakfasting we reembarked and continued our voyage
until three P.M., when a strong westerly wind arising we were obliged
to shelter ourselves on a small island which lies near the extremity of
the above-mentioned peninsula. This island is formed of a collection of
small rolled pieces of limestone and was remembered by some of our
boatman to have been formerly covered with water. For the last ten or
twelve years the waters of the lake have been low, but our information
did not enable us to judge whether the decrease was merely casual, or
going on continually, or periodical. The distance of this island from
Norway House is thirty-eight miles and a half.
RIVER SASKATCHEWAN.
The westerly winds detained us all the morning of the 9th but at two
P.M. the wind chopped round to the eastward; we immediately embarked
and the breeze afterwards freshening we reached the mouth of the
Saskatchewan at midnight having run thirty-two miles.
Sunday, October 10.
The whole of this day was occupied in getting the boats from the mouth
of the river to the foot of the grand rapid, a distance of two miles.
There are several rapids in this short distance during which the river
varies its breadth from five hundred yards to half a mile. Its channel
is stony. At the grand rapid the Saskatchewan forms a sudden bend from
south to east and works its way through a narrow channel deeply worn
into the limestone strata. The stream, rushing with impetuous force
over a rocky and uneven bottom, presents a sheet of foam and seems to
bear with impatience the straightened confinement of its lofty banks. A
flock of pelicans and two or three brown fishing-eagles were fishing in
its agitated waters, seemingly with great success. There is a good
sturgeon fishery at the foot of the rapid. Several golden plovers,
Canadian grosbeaks, crossbills, woodpeckers and pin-tailed grouse were
shot today; and Mr. Back killed a small striped marmot. This beautiful
little animal was busily employed in carrying in its distended pouches
the seeds of the American vetch to its winter hoards.
The portage is eighteen hundred yards long and its western extremity
was found to be in 53° 08′ 25″ North latitude and 99° 28′ 02″ West
longitude. The route from Canada to the Athabasca joins that from York
Factory at the mouth of the Saskatchewan, and we saw traces of a recent
encampment of the Canadian voyagers. Our companions in the Hudson’s Bay
boats, dreading an attack from their rivals in trade, were on the alert
at this place. They examined minutely the spot of encampment to form a
judgment of the number of canoes that had preceded them; and they
advanced, armed, and with great caution, through the woods. Their fears
however on this occasion were fortunately groundless.
By noon on the 12th, the boats and their cargoes having been conveyed
across the portage, we embarked and pursued our course. The
Saskatchewan becomes wider above the Grand Rapid and the scenery
improves. The banks are high, composed of white clay and limestone, and
their summits are richly clothed with a variety of firs, poplars,
birches and willows. The current runs with great rapidity and the
channel is in many places intricate and dangerous from broken ridges of
rock jutting into the stream. We pitched our tents at the entrance of
Cross Lake, having advanced only five miles and a half.
CROSS, CEDAR AND PINE ISLAND LAKES.
Cross Lake is extensive, running towards the north-east it is said for
forty miles. We crossed it at a narrow part and, pulling through
several winding channels formed by a group of islands, entered Cedar
Lake which, next to Lake Winnipeg, is the largest sheet of fresh water
we had hitherto seen. Ducks and geese resort hither in immense flocks
in the spring and autumn. These birds are now beginning to go off owing
to its muddy shores having become quite hard through the nightly
frosts. At this place the Aurora Borealis was extremely brilliant in
the night, its coruscations darting at times over the whole sky and
assuming various prismatic tints of which the violet and yellow were
predominant.
After pulling, on the 14th, seven miles and a quarter on the lake, a
violent wind drove us for shelter to a small island, or rather a ridge
of rolled stones thrown up by the frequent storms which agitate this
lake. The weather did not moderate the whole day and we were obliged to
pass the night on this exposed spot. The delay however enabled us to
obtain some lunar observations. The wind having subsided we left our
resting place the following morning, crossed the remainder of the lake,
and in the afternoon arrived at Muddy Lake which is very appropriately
named as it consists merely of a few channels winding amongst extensive
mudbanks which are overflowed during the spring floods. We landed at an
Indian tent which contained two numerous families amounting to thirty
souls. These poor creatures were badly clothed and reduced to a
miserable condition by the whooping-cough and measles. At the time of
our arrival they were busy in preparing a sweating-house for the sick.
This is a remedy which they consider, with the addition of singing and
drumming, to be the grand specific for all diseases. Our companions
having obtained some geese in exchange for rum and tobacco, we
proceeded a few more miles and encamped on Devil’s Drum Island, having
come during the day twenty miles and a half. A second party of Indians
were encamped on an adjoining island, a situation chosen for the
purpose of killing geese and ducks.
On the 16th we proceeded eighteen miles up the Saskatchewan. Its banks
are low, covered with willows, and lined with drift timber. The
surrounding country is swampy and intersected by the numerous arms of
the river. After passing for twenty or thirty yards through the willow
thicket on the banks of the stream we entered an extensive marsh,
varied only by a distant line of willows which marks the course of a
creek or branch of the river. The branch we navigated today is almost
five hundred yards wide. The exhalations from the marshy soil produced
a low fog although the sky above was perfectly clear. In the course of
the day we passed an Indian encampment of three tents whose inmates
appeared to be in a still more miserable condition than those we saw
yesterday. They had just finished the ceremony of conjuration over some
of their sick companions; and a dog which had been recently killed as a
sacrifice to some deity was hanging to a tree where it would be left (I
was told) when they moved their encampment.
We continued our voyage up the river to the 20th with little variation
of scenery or incident, travelling in that time about thirty miles. The
near approach of winter was marked by severe frosts which continued all
day unless when the sun chanced to be unusually bright and the geese
and ducks were observed to take a southerly course in large flocks. On
the morning of the 20th we came to a party of Indians encamped behind
the bank of the river on the borders of a small marshy lake for the
purpose of killing waterfowl. Here we were gratified with the view of a
very large tent. Its length was about forty feet, its breadth eighteen,
and its covering was moose-deer leather with apertures for the escape
of the smoke from the fires which are placed at each end; a ledge of
wood was placed on the ground on both sides the whole length of the
tent, within which were the sleeping-places, arranged probably
according to families; and the drums and other instruments of
enchantment were piled up in the centre. Amongst the Indians there were
a great many half-breeds who led an Indian life. Governor Williams gave
a dram and a piece of tobacco to each of the males of the party.
On the morning of the 21st a heavy fall of snow took place which lasted
until two in the afternoon. In the evening we left the Saskatchewan and
entered the Little River, one of the two streams by which Pine Island
Lake discharges its waters. We advanced today fourteen miles and a
quarter. On the 22nd the weather was extremely cold and stormy and we
had to contend against a strong head wind. The spray froze as it fell
and the oars were so loaded with ice as to be almost unmanageable. The
length of our voyage this day was eleven miles.
CUMBERLAND HOUSE.
The following morning was very cold; we embarked at daylight and pulled
across a part of Pine Island Lake about three miles and a half to
Cumberland House. The margin of the lake was so encrusted with ice that
we had to break through a considerable space of it to approach the
landing-place. When we considered that this was the effect of only a
few days’ frost at the commencement of winter we were convinced of the
impractibility of advancing further by water this season, and therefore
resolved on accepting Governor Williams’ kind invitation to remain with
him at this post. We immediately visited Mr. Connolly, the resident
partner of the North-West Company, and presented to him Mr.
McGillivray’s circular letter. He assured us that he should be most
desirous to forward our progress by every means in his power, and we
subsequently had ample proofs of his sincerity and kindness. The
unexpected addition of our party to the winter residents at this post
rendered an increase of apartments necessary; and our men were
immediately appointed to complete and arrange an unfinished building as
speedily as possible.
November 8.
Some mild weather succeeded to the severe frosts we had at our arrival;
and the lake had not been entirely frozen before the 6th; but this
morning the ice was sufficiently firm to admit of sledges crossing it.
The dogs were harnessed at a very early hour and the winter operations
commenced by sending for a supply of fish from Swampy River where men
had been stationed to collect it just before the frost set in. Both men
and dogs appeared to enjoy the change; they started in full glee and
drove rapidly along. An Indian who had come to the house on the
preceding evening to request some provision for his family, whom he
represented to be in a state of starvation, accompanied them. His party
had been suffering greatly under the epidemic diseases of
whooping-cough and measles; and the hunters were still in too
debilitated a state to go out and provide them with meat. A supply was
given to him and the men were directed to bring his father, an old and
faithful hunter, to the house, that he might have the comforts of
nourishment and warmth. He was brought accordingly but these attentions
were unavailing as he died a few days afterwards. Two days before his
death I was surprised to observe him sitting for nearly three hours, in
a piercingly sharp day, in the saw-pit, employed in gathering the dust
and throwing it by handfuls over his body, which was naked to the
waist. As the man was in possession of his mental faculties I conceived
he was performing some devotional act preparatory to his departure,
which he felt to be approaching and, induced by the novelty of the
incident, I went twice to observe him more closely; but when he
perceived that he was noticed he immediately ceased his operation, hung
down his head and, by his demeanour, intimated that he considered my
appearance an intrusion. The residents at the fort could give me no
information on the subject and I could not learn that the Indians in
general observe any particular ceremony on the approach of death.
November 15.
The sky had been overcast during the last week; the sun shone forth
once only and then not sufficiently for the purpose of obtaining
observations. Faint coruscations of the Aurora Borealis appeared one
evening but their presence did not in the least affect the electrometer
or the compass. The ice daily became thicker in the lake and the frost
had now nearly overpowered the rapid current of the Saskatchewan River;
indeed parties of men who were sent from both the forts to search for
the Indians and procure whatever skins and provisions they might have
collected crossed that stream this day on the ice. The white partridges
made their first appearance near the house, which birds are considered
as the infallible harbingers of severe weather.
Monday, November 22.
The Saskatchewan and every other river were now completely covered with
ice except a small stream not far from the fort through which the
current ran very powerfully. In the course of the week we removed into
the house our men had prepared since our arrival. We found it at first
extremely cold notwithstanding that a good fire was kept in each
apartment and we frequently experienced the extremes of heat and cold
on opposite sides of the body.
November 24.
We obtained observations for the dip of the needle and intensity of the
magnetic force in a spare room. The dip was 83° 9′ 45″ and the
difference produced by reversing the face of the instrument 13° 3′ 6″.
When the needle was faced to the west it hung nearly perpendicular. The
Aurora Borealis had been faintly visible for a short time the preceding
evening. Some Indians arrived in search of provision having been
totally incapacitated from hunting by sickness; the poor creatures
looked miserably ill and they represented their distress to have been
extreme. Few recitals are more affecting than those of their sufferings
during unfavourable seasons and in bad situations for hunting and
fishing. Many assurances have been given me that men and women are yet
living who have been reduced to feed upon the bodies of their own
family to prevent actual starvation; and a shocking case was cited to
us of a woman who had been principal agent in the destruction of
several persons, and amongst the number her husband and nearest
relatives, in order to support life.
November 28.
The atmosphere had been clear every day during the last week, about the
end of which snow fell, when the thermometer rose from 20° below to 16°
above zero. The Aurora Borealis was twice visible but faint on both
occasions. Its appearance did not affect the electrometer nor could we
perceive the compass to be disturbed.
The men brought supplies of moose meat from the hunter’s tent which is
pitched near the Basquiau Hill, forty or fifty miles from the house and
whence the greatest part of the meat is procured. The residents have to
send nearly the same distance for their fish and on this service
horse-sledges are used. Nets are daily set in Pine Island Lake which
occasionally procure some fine sturgeon, tittameg and trout, but not
more than sufficient to supply the officers’ table.
December 1.
This day was so remarkably fine that we procured another set of
observations for the dip of the needle in the open air; the instrument
being placed firmly on a rock the results gave 83° 14′ 22″. The change
produced by reversing the face of the instrument was 12° 50′ 55″.
There had been a determined thaw during the last three days. The ice on
the Saskatchewan River and some parts of the lake broke up and the
travelling across either became dangerous. On this account the absence
of Wilks, one of our men, caused no small anxiety. He had incautiously
undertaken the conduct of a sledge and dogs in company with a person
going to Swampy River for fish. On their return, being unaccustomed to
driving, he became fatigued and seated himself on his sledge where his
companion left him, presuming that he would soon rise and hasten to
follow his track. He however returned safe in the morning and reported
that, foreseeing night would set in before he could get across the
lake, he prudently retired into the woods before dark where he remained
until daylight, when the men who had been despatched to look for him
met him returning to the house, shivering with cold, he having been
unprovided with the materials for lighting a fire, which an experienced
voyager never neglects to carry.
We had mild weather until the 20th of December. On the 13th there had
been a decided thaw that caused the Saskatchewan, which had again
frozen, to reopen and the passage across it was interrupted for two
days. We now received more agreeable accounts from the Indians who were
recovering strength and beginning to hunt a little; but it was
generally feared that their spirits had been so much depressed by the
loss of their children and relatives that the season would be far
advanced before they could be roused to any exertion in searching for
animals beyond what might be necessary for their own support. It is
much to be regretted that these poor men, during their long intercourse
with Europeans, have not been taught how pernicious is the grief which
produces total inactivity, and that they have not been furnished with
any of the consolations which the Christian religion never fails to
afford. This however could hardly have been expected from persons who
have permitted their own offspring the half-casts to remain in
lamentable ignorance on a subject of such vital importance. It is
probable however that an improvement will soon take place among the
latter class, as Governor Williams proposes to make the children attend
a Sunday school and has already begun to have divine service performed
at his post.
The conversations which I had with the gentlemen in charge of these
posts convinced me of the necessity of proceeding during the winter
into the Athabasca department, the residents of which are best
acquainted with the nature and resources of the country to the north of
the Great Slave Lake; and whence only guides, hunters and interpreters
can be procured. I had previously written to the partners of the
North-West Company in that quarter requesting their assistance in
forwarding the Expedition and stating what we should require. But, on
reflecting upon the accidents that might delay these letters on the
road, I determined on proceeding to the Athabasca as soon as I possibly
could, and communicated my intention to Governor Williams and Mr.
Connolly with a request that I might be furnished by the middle of
January with the means of conveyance for three persons, intending that
Mr. Back and Hepburn should accompany me whilst Dr. Richardson and Mr.
Hood remained till the spring at Cumberland House.
After the 20th of December the weather became cold, the thermometer
constantly below zero. Christmas Day was particularly stormy but the
gale did not prevent the full enjoyment of the festivities which are
annually given at Cumberland House on this day. All the men who had
been despatched to different parts in search of provision or furs
returned to the fort on the occasion and were regaled with a
substantial dinner and a dance in the evening.
January 1, 1820.
The New Year was ushered in by repeated discharges of musketry; a
ceremony which has been observed by the men of both the trading
Companies for many years. Our party dined with Mr. Connolly and were
treated with a beaver which we found extremely delicate. In the evening
his voyagers were entertained with a dance in which the Canadians
exhibited some grace and much agility; and they contrived to infuse
some portion of their activity and spirits into the steps of their
female companions. The half-breed women are passionately fond of this
amusement but a stranger would imagine the contrary on witnessing their
apparent want of animation. On such occasions they affect a sobriety of
demeanour which I understand to be very opposite to their general
character.
January 10.
This day I wrote to Governor Williams and Mr. Connolly requesting them
to prepare two canoes with crews and appointments for the conveyance of
Dr. Richardson and Mr. Hood, with our stores, to Chipewyan as soon as
the navigation should open, and had the satisfaction of receiving from
both these gentlemen renewed assurances of their desire to promote the
objects of the Expedition. I conceived it to be necessary, previous to
my departure, to make some arrangement respecting the men who were
engaged at Stromness. Only one of them was disposed to extend his
engagement and proceed beyond the Athabasca Lake and, as there was much
uncertainty whether the remaining three could get from the Athabasca to
York Factory sufficiently early to secure them a passage in the next
Hudson’s Bay ship, I resolved not to take them forward unless Dr.
Richardson and Mr. Hood should fail in procuring other men from these
establishments next spring, but to despatch them down to York to bring
up our stores to this place: after which they might return to the coast
in time to secure their passage in the first ship.
I delivered to Dr. Richardson and Mr. Hood a memorandum containing the
arrangements which had been made with the two Companies respecting
their being forwarded in the spring, and some other points of
instruction for their guidance in my absence together with directions
to forward the map of our route which had been finished, since our
arrival, by Mr. Hood, the drawing and the collections of natural
history by the first opportunity to York Factory for conveyance to
England.[3]
[3] As Samuel Wilks, who had accompanied the Expedition from England,
proved to be quite unequal to the fatigue of the journey I directed
him to be discharged in the spring and sent to England by the next
ship.
The houses of the two Companies at this post are situated close to each
other at the upper extremity of a narrow island which separates Pine
Island Lake from the Saskatchewan River, and are about two miles and
three-quarters from the latter in a northern direction. They are
log-houses, built without much regard to comfort, surrounded by lofty
stockades and flanked with wooden bastions. The difficulty of conveying
glass into the interior has precluded its use in the windows where its
place is poorly supplied by parchment, imperfectly made by the native
women from the skin of the reindeer. Should this post however continue
to be the residence of Governor Williams it will be much improved in a
few years, as he is devoting his attention to that point. The land
around Cumberland House is low but the soil, from having a considerable
intermixture of limestone, is good and capable of producing abundance
of corn and vegetables of every description. Many kinds of pot-herbs
have already been brought to some perfection and the potatoes bid fair
to equal those of England. The spontaneous productions of nature would
afford ample nourishment for all the European animals. Horses feed
extremely well even during the winter and so would oxen if provided
with hay which might be easily done.[4] Pigs also improve but require
to be kept warm in the winter. Hence it appears that the residents
might easily render themselves far less dependent on the Indians for
support and be relieved from the great anxiety which they too often
suffer when the hunters are unsuccessful. The neighbourhood of the
houses has been much cleared of wood from the great demand for fuel;
there is therefore little to admire in the surrounding scenery,
especially in its winter garb; few animated objects occur to enliven
the scene; an occasional fox, marten, rabbit or wolf and a few birds
contribute the only variety. The birds which remained were ravens,
magpies, partridges, crossbills and woodpeckers. In this universal
stillness the residents at a post feel little disposed to wander abroad
except when called forth by their occupations; and as ours were of a
kind best performed in a warm room we imperceptibly acquired a
sedentary habit. In going out however we never suffered the slightest
inconvenience from the change of temperature though the thermometer in
the open air stood occasionally thirty degrees below zero.
[4] The wild buffalo scrapes away the snow with its feet to get at the
herbage beneath, and the horse, which was introduced by the Spanish
invaders of Mexico and may be said to have become naturalised, does
the same; but it is worthy of remark that the ox more lately brought
from Europe has not yet acquired an art so necessary for procuring its
food. Extract from Dr. Richardson’s Journal.
The tribe of Indians who reside in the vicinity and frequent these
establishments is that of the Crees, or Knisteneaux. They were formerly
a powerful and numerous nation which ranged over a very extensive
country and were very successful in their predatory excursions against
their neighbours, particularly the northern Indians and some tribes on
the Saskatchewan and Beaver Rivers; but they have long ceased to be
held in any fear and are now perhaps the most harmless and inoffensive
of the whole Indian race. This change is entirely to be attributed to
their intercourse with Europeans; and the vast reduction in their
numbers occasioned, I fear, principally by the injudicious introduction
of ardent spirits. They are so passionately fond of this poison that
they will make any sacrifice to obtain it. They are good hunters and in
general active. Having laid the bow and arrow altogether aside and the
use of snares, except for rabbits and partridges, they depend entirely
on the Europeans for the means of gaining subsistence as they require
guns and a constant supply of powder and shot; so that these Indians
are probably more completely under the power of the trader than any of
the other tribes. As I only saw a few straggling parties of them during
short intervals, and under unfavourable circumstances of sickness and
famine, I am unable to give from personal observation any detail of
their manners and customs; and must refer the reader to Dr.
Richardson’s account of them in the following chapter. That gentleman
during his longer residence at the post had many opportunities of
seeing them and acquiring their language.
January 17.
This morning the sporting part of our society had rather a novel
diversion: intelligence having been brought that a wolf had borne away
a steel trap in which he had been caught, a party went in search of the
marauder and took two English bulldogs and a terrier which had been
brought into the country this season. On the first sight of the animal
the dogs became alarmed and stood barking at a distance, and probably
would not have ventured to advance had they not seen the wolf fall by a
shot from one of the gentlemen; they then however went up and behaved
courageously, and were enraged by the bites they received. The wolf
soon died of its wounds and the body was brought to the house where a
drawing of it was taken by Mr. Hood and the skin preserved by Dr.
Richardson. Its general features bore a strong resemblance to many of
the dogs about the fort, but it was larger and had a more ferocious
aspect. Mr. Back and I were too much occupied in preparing for our
departure on the following day to join this excursion.
The position of Cumberland House by our observations is latitude 53°
56′ 40″ North; longitude 102° 16′ 41″ West by the chronometers;
variations 17° 17′ 29″ East; dip of the needle 83° 12′ 50″. The whole
of the travelling distance between York Factory and Cumberland House is
about six hundred and ninety miles.