Having Expressed Our Surprise At His Apparent Temerity He
Coolly Said The Men From The Lower Countries Did Not Understand
The
management of their dogs and that he depended on his superior skill in
driving, and we soon gathered from
His remarks that the voyagers of the
Athabasca department consider themselves very superior to any other. The
only reasons which he could assign were that they had borne their burdens
across the terrible Methye Portage and that they were accustomed to live
harder and more precariously.
March 25.
Having now the guidance of the old Canadian we sent forward the Indian
and one of our men with letters to the gentleman at the Athabasca Lake.
The rest of the party set off afterwards and kept along the river until
ten when we branched off by portages into the Embarras River, the usual
channel of communication in canoes with the lake. It is a narrow and
serpentine stream confined between alluvial banks which support pines,
poplars and willows. We had not advanced far before we overtook the two
men despatched by us this morning. The stormy weather had compelled them
to encamp as there was too much drifting of the snow for any attempt to
cross the lake. We were obliged, though most reluctantly, to follow their
example but comforted ourselves with the reflection that this was the
first time we had been stopped by the weather during our long journey
which was so near at an end. The gale afterwards increased, the squalls
at night became very violent, disburdened the trees of the snow and gave
us the benefit of a continual fall of patches from them, in addition to
the constant shower.
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