On the 22nd our route led us amongst many wooded islands which, lying in
long vistas, produced scenes of much beauty. In the course of the day we
crossed the Upper Portage, surmounted the Devil's Landing Place, and
urged the boat with poles through Groundwater Creek. At the upper end of
this creek, our bowman having given the boat too great a sheer to avoid a
rock, it was caught on the broadside by the current and in defiance of
our utmost exertions hurried down the rapid. Fortunately however it
grounded against a rock high enough to prevent the current from
oversetting it, and the crews of the other boats having come to our
assistance we succeeded after several trials in throwing a rope to them
with which they dragged our almost sinking vessel stern foremost up the
stream and rescued us from our perilous situation. We encamped in the
dusk of evening amidst a heavy thunderstorm, having advanced two miles
and three-quarters.
About ten in the morning of the 23rd we arrived at the Dramstone which is
hailed with pleasure by the boats' crews as marking the termination of
the laborious ascent of Hill River. We complied with the custom from
whence it derives its name and soon after landing upon Sail Island
prepared breakfast. In the meantime our boatmen cut down and rigged a new
mast, the old one having been thrown overboard at the mouth of Steel
River, where it ceased to be useful. We left Sail Island with a fair wind
and soon afterwards arrived at a depot situated on Swampy Lake where we
received a supply of mouldy pemmican.* Mr. Calder and his attendant were
the only tenants of this cheerless abode, and their only food was the
wretched stuff with which they supplied us, the lake not yielding fish at
this season.
(*Footnote. Buffalo meat, dried and pounded and mixed with melted fat.)
JACK RIVER.
After a short delay at this post we sailed through the remainder of
Swampy Lake and slept at the Lower Portage in Jack River; the distance
sailed today being sixteen miles and a half.
Jack River is only eight miles long but, being full of bad rapids, it
detained us considerably. At seven in the morning of the 24th we crossed
the Long Portage where the woods, having caught fire in the summer, were
still smoking. This is a common accident owing to the neglect of the
Indians and voyagers in not putting out their fires, and in a dry season
the woods may be seen blazing to the extent of many miles. We afterwards
crossed the Second, or Swampy, Portage and in the evening encamped on the
Upper Portage, where we were overtaken by an Indian bringing an answer
from Governor Williams to a letter I had written to him on the 15th in
which he renewed his injunctions to the gentlemen of the boats
accompanying us to afford us every assistance in their power. The Aurora
Borealis appeared this evening in form of a bright arch extending across
the zenith in a North-West and South-East direction. The extent of our
voyage today was two miles.
KNEE LAKE AND MAGNETIC ISLET.
About noon on the 25th we entered Knee Lake which has a very irregular
form and near its middle takes a sudden turn from whence it derives its
names. It is thickly studded with islands and its shores are low and well
wooded. The surrounding country as far as we could see is flat, being
destitute even of the moderate elevations which occur near the upper part
of Hill River. The weather was remarkably fine and the setting sun threw
the richest tints over the scene that I remember ever to have witnessed.
About half a mile from the bend, or knee, of the lake there is a small
rocky islet composed of magnetic iron ore which affects the magnetic
needle at a considerable distance. Having received previous information
respecting this circumstance we watched our compasses carefully and
perceived that they were affected at the distance of three hundred yards
both on the approach to and departure from the rock: on decreasing the
distance they became gradually more and more unsteady and on landing they
were rendered quite useless; and it was evident that the general magnetic
influence was totally overpowered by the local attraction of the ore.
When Kater's compass was held near to the ground on the North-West side
of the island the needle dipped so much that the card could not be made
to traverse by any adjustment of the hand; but on moving the same compass
about thirty yards to the west part of the islet the needle became
horizontal, traversed freely, and pointed to the magnetic north. The
dipping needle, being landed on the South-West point of the islet, was
adjusted as nearly as possible on the magnetic meridian by the sun's
bearings, and found to vibrate freely when the face of the instrument was
directed to the east or west. The mean dip it gave was 80 degrees 37
minutes 50 seconds. When the instrument was removed from the North-West
to the South-East point about twenty yards distant and placed on the
meridian the needle ceased to traverse but remained steady at an angle of
60 degrees. On changing the face of the instrument so as to give a
South-East and North-West direction to the needle it hung vertically. The
position of the slaty strata of the magnetic ore is also vertical. Their
direction is extremely irregular, being much contorted.
Knee Lake towards its upper end becomes narrower and its rocky shores are
broken into conical and rounded eminences, destitute of soil, and of
course devoid of trees.
