At Nine The Next Morning We Came To The Commencement Of Clear Lake.
We
crossed its southern extremes and then went over a point of land to
Buffalo Lake and encamped after travelling twenty-six miles.
After supper
we were entertained till midnight with paddling songs by our Canadians
who required very little stimulus beyond their natural vivacity to afford
us this diversion. The next morning we arrived at the establishments
which are situated on the western side of the lake near a small stream
called the Beaver River. They were small log buildings hastily erected
last October for the convenience of the Indians who hunt in the vicinity.
Mr. MacMurray, a partner in the North-West Company, having sent to Isle a
la Crosse an invitation to Mr. Back and I, our carioles were driven to
his post and we experienced the kindest reception. These posts are
frequented by only a few Indians, Crees, and Chipewyans. The country
round is not sufficiently stocked with animals to afford support to many
families and the traders subsist almost entirely on fish caught in the
autumn prior to the lake being frozen but, the water being shallow, they
remove to a deeper part as soon as the lake is covered with ice. The
Aurora Borealis was brilliantly displayed on both the nights we remained
here, but particularly on the 7th when its appearances were most
diversified and the motion extremely rapid. Its coruscations occasionally
concealed from sight stars of the first magnitude in passing over them,
at other times these were faintly discerned through them; once I
perceived a stream of light to illumine the under surface of some clouds
as it passed along.
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