shaded by pines, poplars, birches», and .cypresses, which terminated
our view. On the north side we discovered through an opening in
the trees, .that we were on a hill eight or nine,,.hundred, feet high,
and at the edge of a. steep descent. We were prepared to expect an
extensive prospect, but the magnificent scene before us was. ,so s u jk .1-
rior- to what. the. nature of the country had promised, that, it banished
even our sense, of suffering from th e; musquitoes, which, hovered in
clouds about our heads. Two parallel chains of hills, extended,
towards the. setting, sun, their various projecting outlines exhibited
the several gradations of distance, and the opposite bases; closing at
the horizon. On the nearest eminence, the objects were clearly
defined by their dark shadows; the yellow rays blended their soft-,
ening hues with brilliant; green on the next, and beyond it, all
distinction melted into gray and purple. In the long valley between,
the smooth and colourless, Clear Water River wound its spiral course,
broken and shattered, by.encroaching woods,, An .exuberance of rich
herbage covered thq soil, and lofty trees climbed the precipice at our
feet, hiding its brink with their summits. Impatient, as we were,'
and blinded with pain, we paid a tribute of admiration, which this
beautiful landscape is capable of exciting, unaided by the borrowed
cha rms of a calm atmosphere, glowing with the vivid tints of
evening. ,
We descended to the banks of the Clear Water River, and having
encamped, the two men returned to assist their companions. We
had sometimes before procured a little rest, by closing the tent, and
burning wood, or flashing gunpowder within, the .smoke driving the
musquitoes into the crannies of the ground. But this, remedy was
now ineffectual, though we employed it so perseveringly, as to hazard
suffocation: they swarmed under our blankets, goring us. with their
envenomed trunks» and steeping our clothes in blood. , We rose at
daylight in, a fever, and our misery was unmitigated during our
whole stay.! ,
OP THE POEAR- SEA. 189
The musquitoes of America resemble, in shape, those of Africa,
and Europe, but differ essentially* in'size and other particulars.
There are-two distinct species; the largest of which is brown, and
the Smallest black. 'Where they are bred cannot ■ easily be determined,'
for theiy are numerous in every soil. They make their first
appearance in May, and the'cold destroys them in September; in
July they* are most voracious; and ^fortunately for the traders, the
journeys ' from the trading posts to the factories are generally
concluded at that period. The food of the musquito is blood, which
it can extract by penetrating the hide of a buffalo; and if it is not
disturbed, it gorges itself so as to swell its body into a transparent
globe. The wound does not swell, like that of the African musquito,
but it is infinitely more painful; and when multiplied an hundred:
fold, and Continued for so many successive days, it becomes an evil,
of such magnitude, that Cold, famine, and every other concomitant
of an inhospitable climate, must yield the pre-eminence to it. It
chases the buffalo to the plains, irritating him to madness; and the
rein-deer to the sea-shore, from which they do not return till the
scourge has ceased.
On the 6th the thermometer was 106° in the sun, and on the 7th
110°. The musquitoes sought the shade in the heat of the day. I t
was some satisfaction to us to see the havoc made among them by a,
large and beautiful species of dragon-fly, called the musquito hawk,
which wheeled through their retreats, swallowing its prey without a,
momentary diminution of its speed. But the temporary relief that
we had hoped for was only an exchange of tormentors: our new
assailant, the horse-fly, or bull-dogj ranged in the hottest glare of
the sun, and carried of a portion of flesh at each attack. Another
noxious insect, the smallest, but not the least formidable, was the
sand-fly known in Canada by the name of the brulot. To such annoyance
all travellers must submit, and it would be unworthy to complain
of that grievance in the pursuit of knowledge, which is indured
for the sake of profit. This detail of it has only been as an excuse