nions 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,
(Ho. 1733,) belonging to Daniel Moore, Esq., of Lincoln’s
Inn. One of the gentlemen to whom I delivered it immediately on
landing, in his agitation let it fall, whereby the minute-hand 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 3d,
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 musk-rats 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 water-course which
we had navigated from York Factory commences. This spot may
therefore be considered as one of the smaller sources of Hayes’ River.
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 depdt, 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 milp«
and a half.
On the 4th we embarked amidst a heavy rain, and pursued our
route down the Echemamis. In many parts the morass, by which
the river is nourished, and through which it flows, is intersected by
G