Then all was quiet again. At six the men went past with
loads. They had brought up the outfit that was left behind on
Saturday. The day was fine, and we made good progress. George
said: "Oh, it's just fun with this kind of portaging." It was
nevertheless hot, hard work. I felt resentful when I looked at the
river. It was smooth, and appeared altogether innocent of any
extraordinary behaviour; yet for the whole three miles above North
Pole Rapid it flowed without a bend so swift and deep that nothing
could be done on it in the canoes.
All day the flies were fearful. For the first time George admitted
that so far as flies were concerned it began to seem like Labrador.
We ate lunch with smudges burning on every side, and the fire in
the middle. I was willing that day almost to choke with smoke to
escape flies; but there was no escape. In spite of the smudges
there were twenty dead flies on my plate when I had finished lunch,
to say nothing of those lying dead on my dress of the large number
I had killed. I had to stop caring about seeing them in the food;
I took out what could be seen, but did not let my mind dwell on the
probability of there being some I did not see. When drinking, even
while the cup was held to my lips, they flew into it as if
determined to die. Their energy was unbounded, and compelled
admiration even while they tortured me. How the men endured them
without veils and without _words_ I could not understand.
For more than two miles above our camp we kept to a fine bear
trail. The walking could not have been better, and was in sharp
contrast with what the trail had led us over for the last few days.
Then we turned to the right and climbed to another plain above,
beyond which rose the mountain.
A bear trail led along the edge of the terrace, and while the men
carried I waited hopefully, rifle in hand. Ever since our bear
chase back near Grand Lake my imagination turned every black spot I
saw on the hills into a bear, to the great amusement of the men.
But no bear appeared.
Soon mist gathered on the hills, and the specks on the plain below
began to move faster and grow larger. Job led the way with a
canoe. He stopped to rest at the foot of the bank, while George
came past and up to the top at great speed.
"The showers are coming. We shall have to hurry or you will get
wet," he said.
Every day my admiration and respect for the men grew.
