breadth. Here I remained^ in great anxiety, expelling the arrival of
the canoe, and after fomc time I feat Mr. Mackaytwith one of the Indians
down the river in fearch of it, and with the other I went up it to
examine what we might expeel in that quarter. In about a mile and
a half Tcame to a part where , the river wafhes the feet-of lofty precipices,
and pfefented, in the form of. rapids and cafcades, a&eceffion o f difficulties
to our navigation. As the canoe did not eoine in Tight we re*
turned, and from the place where I had Separated with Mr. Ma.ckay,~we
faw the men carrying it over a-Email rocky point. We met them at the
entrance o f the narrow channel already: men tioned; their difficulties had
been great indeed, and the' canoe had been broken, but they had per-
fevered with Eaecefs, and having paffed the carrying-place, we proceeded
with the line ■ as far aS I had already been, when we crofted over, and
encamped on the oppofite beach; but there was no wood on this fide
©f the water,’as the adjacent country had been efttif©lyi;®perrjan jay fire.
We faw feveral elks feeding on the edge o f the oppofiteiprecipice, which
was upwards of three hundred feet in height.
Our courfe to-day was about South-South-Weft two miles and an half,
South-Weft half a mile, South-Weft by Southone mile and an half, South-
by Weft half a mile, South-Weft half a mile, and Weft one mfteandan half.
There was a fliower of hail, and fome rain from flying clouds, I now difo
patched a man with an Indian to vifit the rapids above, when the latter
foon left him to purfue abeaver, which was. feen ip the ffiajlow water on
the infide o f a ftony ifland; and though Mr. Mackay, and the other
Indian joined him, the animal at length efcaped from their purfuit.
Several others were feen in the courfe of the day, which I by no means
expected,
«kpe&ed, as the banks are almoft every where Eo much elevated above *|93-
the channel §iscfl»f^s: the: ofofourity# o f the night Srew on, fe * *
the man returned with an i aecotmt that it would be impra&icable to
pafs feveral points, as well as the fuper-impending promontories.
The weather was clear with affiarp air, and we renewed our voyage Monday' w.
, t a quarter paft four, on acourfe South.Weft, H three .quarters
^>f a’ mile. We now, with infinite difficulty paffed along the foot of a
rock, which, fortunately, was not ah hard; &me, fo that we were enabled
to cut fteps in itEor the: pittance: of. twenty feet* from which, at the
hazard of my life, I leaped on a fmall rode below, wbere lreceived-thofe
Who foliowed me on teT fhoulders. In this’ manner, four of ns .paffed
and dragged Up the- canoe, ..in which attempt, .we broke; her. Very
iftckil^i sa dry tree hadfalien foom tfte roek above ns, without winch we
-could hot have made a fire, as no wood was,to be procured within a
mile of the place. When the canoe was repaired, we continued towing
it along foe rocks to the next point. when me embarked, .as we could
not at prefent make any further ufe of the. line, but got along the rocks
of a foftnd high ifland of ftone, till we.came to a fmall iandy hay. As
we had already damaged foe canoe, and had «very .reafopn 40 think that
{he foon would rifk much greater injury, it became ixeceffary for us to
fupply ourfdves with bark, as our provifion of'that material article was
almoft exhaufted; tWo ifleh were accordingly font procure it, who
‘ - foon ffetufned Wifo foe neceffaryElOfei: s
' Mr. Macktty, and the Indians who had been.onffiore,Emce we broke
the cdrioel, weife prevented from cofoihg to OS by the rugged and im-
Z 2 paflable