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 from 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 characterized 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 to-day was, in a direct line, sixteen
miles and a quarter, on a S.S.W. 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“ N ., longitude 93°<r 37" W.
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 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