At? ^or ^om e t *m e » 'bat it I did pot* appear to have been lately frequented*
— > The rain now returned and continued till the morning.
Sunday g . . We renewed our Voyage at half paft three, the weather being bold
and cloudy; but at ten it became clear and riioderate. We faw another
canoe at the outfide of the wood, and one o f the Indians killed a dog,
which was in a meagre, emaciated condition. We -perceived vari^ss
places where the natives had made theib fires; for thefe people refide
but a lhoftl time near the river, and remove from one bank to the
other, as; i f Tuits their purpofes-. We law
hefted with another on the oppolite fide of the- river. The water had
rifen confiderably fince laft night, and there had been a ftrorig- current?
throughout the day. t At feven we made to the Ihore and encamped.! >
Monday 10. At three this morning we returned toour canoe-; the weather fine ‘and
clear, with a hght wind from the Southdi-aft; The Indians ^wfer^’die2*
fofe us in purfuit of* game.: A t ten we landed oppolite to the^mpuhtai»s<-
which we had palled on the lecond of the laft month, in order'tb afceW
tain the variation of the .compafs. at this place; but this wa#--aecopH
plilhed in a very imperfeft manner, as I could not depend on my watch*
One of the hunters joined us here,fatigued and-unlu,GcefsfuL: ; As thefe
mountains are the laft of any confiderable magnitude *on: the South-*Weft
fide, of the river, I .ordered my men . to cro& to that ,fide;ofiit,,<tbat
I might afcend one of them. It was near Tour -in-the afternoon when I
landed, and I loft no time in proceeding to the attainment-of njy.ob-
jeft. I was accompanied only by a young’Indian, as the curiofity of
my
nrjl people was fubdued by the fatigue they had' undergone; and we
Toon hadreafbn to b'elieyeithatwe fhould pay dearly for S the indulgence
of-our own. The wood, which* was chiefly of fpruee firs, ;was fo thick
•that it was-with'' great ■ diffieulty'We .made 'our.way through it. When
we hadwalked upwards-oftanfliour, the under-wood decreafed, while
the white birch- arid popl&rweredheiargeft. and .talleft of their kind that
I had ever feen.i The ground now began to rife, and was covered
with fmall-''pi'nes,'tad. iat length we got the firft* view of the* mouri->
tains'fince we had; left the' danoe; ias. they ^appeared, ;to be no nearer
to us, though, we hadbeeh walking for three. hours; than Whbn we had
feen them froth the river, my companion exprefled a*very great anxiety
to return; his fh©es and leggins were torriitoj piecesi and he wasalarmed
nit thfc idea of palling; through fuch bad roads during the night* I perilled;
however; in proceeding,; with »^determination to pals the * night
on: therrmountains and return the“-*marrow,;"As.we apprbached
them, the ground-was* quite marlhy, and we waded.-in. water, andj grafe
up to - the knees, till we eame within: a miletoh them, when I fud-
dfetd|pi funk up to my arm-pits, and it was with fame difficulty that I
extricated rayftlf from this difagieeablelituation. ,V I nowtvf«ftd *t im-
poffibfe!.to proceed? tocerofs this marlhyo^d^ipdiin a ftraiglt^ipe was
implhfticabley-and: it extended IbTarto the right and deft-^that I could
not attempt to make the circuita l , therefomdetermined toireturn to the
canoeTand - arrived there about midnight, very .muchTatigued with this
fruitlels journey.
fek We obferved feveral tracks along the -beach, and ian encampment at
the'edge o f the woods* which appeared to be five or fix days old.- We
Ihoukl