Mr. Mackay informed me, that in. palling, over the mountains, he observed
feveral chafms in the earth that emitted heat and.'fmoke, which
diffufed a ftrong fulphureous; flench. Ifhauld certainly,have vifited this
phenomenon, if I had been fufficiently; qualified as a naturalift, to have
offered fcientific conje&ures or obfervations thereoti.
It rained in the mornings and did not .cfeafe till about eight, and as the
men had heen very fatigued and difheartened, I fuffered them/tojfcoh*
tinue their reft till that hour.. Such was the ftate of the river, as I have
already .obferved, that.no alternative.was: left iis^hor did :.any'>means of
proceeding prefent themfidves to;us, but the-paffage-oRtrhe mountain
over, which we were to xarpy^the icanoe^sweli as the.-baggages, As this
was a very alarming.enterprize, 1 difpatched Mr. Mackay. with'thfbe men
and the two; Indians, to proceed.in.n ;ftraight^equrfe fro^ {theft0p' oftthe
mountain».and to keep.the line of the rive® till nhey ifhauld -fihdit na-
vigable. I f it fhould be their, opinion,, that there .wasrno1 praffioable pafr
fagein thatdire&ion, two of them;wereinftri^ed tovrirttram in order to i
make their report; while the others were to go to feaifbh of; the Indian
carrying-place. While they were engaged in. this m cunfon^the- pebjile
who. remained with me. were employed in gumming, irhe.. canoe, and
making handles Aor.the axes.: AtnbonA got an
our latititude.§6,hO.- 8. At three ^ clock had: time; when my watch was
flow i . j$m apparent time, q
At fun-fet, Mr. Mackay returned,with one o f the men, and in about
two hours was followed by the others. They had penetrated thick
wpods, afcended hills and funk into vallies, till they got beyond the
rapids,
rapids, which» according to their balcùlation; was a diftan.ce of three fig®’
leagues. The two parties returned by different routes, but they both v— '
agreed» .that with all> its difficulties, and they were of a very alarming
nature, the outward cOuriewas that which mutt be preferred. Unpro-
mifing, however, as the account of their expedition appeared, it did not
fink them into a ftate o f difcpnrasgement ; and a kettle of wild rice,
Sweetened < with fugar, which had been prepared for their return, with
their ufual regale of rum, foon renewed that courage which difdained all
obftacles that threatened- our progtefs : and they Went to rbft, wkh a full
^determination : to farm ount'them- on 'the ;môrroW*. I-fat up, in the hope
of getting an obfeiyariom o f Jnpitërand his firft fatellite, but the cloudy
weather prevented my dfetainihgrttvf’c
At ^sii^^i'da^'W^t^Éslët'édi on the extraordinary journey which was Wedaef. 22.
to occupy the remaining'part'of it. The-men began,'without delay, to
out a road up the mountain» and as the treies Were but of final! growth,
Jf; ordered them to Ml > thofe wMch ;they found codvenientj in fuch a
manner, that they might fall parallel with the road, but, at the fame
time, not feparate them entirely from the flumps» fd that they might
.form a kind ,of railing on either fide* The baggage was now* brought
from .the waterfide to our : encampment.. This was likewife from the
.fteep Ihelving o f the i©cks, a very priions undertaking, as one falfe ftep
.of any o f the people employed in it, would have been inftantlyfollowed
by filling headlong into the water.. Whim this important objeS was attained,
the whole of the party proceeded .with noAmall degree of apprë-
henfion, to fetch «fee canoe, which, in a fliort time, was al'fo brought tb
.4;he]encampmentyiahdi;as foon as we.hadrecovered fromo-mr fatigue, we
A a ' advanced