We Put Up At Six P.M. Near The End Of The Lake, Having Come
Twelve Miles And Three-Quarters, And Found The Channel Open By Which It
Is Connected With The Rock-Nest Lake.
A river was pointed out bearing
south from our encampment, which is said to rise near Great Marten Lake.
Red-Rock Lake is in general narrow, its shelving banks are well clothed
with wood and even the hills, which attain an elevation of four hundred
or five hundred feet, are ornamented halfway up with stunted pines.
On June 30 the men, having gummed the canoes, embarked with their burdens
to descend the river; but we accompanied the Indians about five miles
across a neck of land, when we also embarked. The river was about two
hundred yards wide and, its course being uninterrupted, we cherished a
sanguine hope of now getting on more speedily, until we perceived that
the waters of Rock-nest Lake were still bound by ice and that recourse
must again be had to the sledges. The ice was much decayed and the party
were exposed to great risk of breaking through in making the traverse. In
one part we had to cross an open channel in the canoes, and in another
were compelled to quit the Lake and make a portage along the land. When
the party had got upon the ice again our guide evinced much uncertainty
as to the route. He first directed us towards the west end of the lake
but, when we had nearly gained that point, he discovered a remarkable
rock to the north-east, named by the Indians the Rock-nest, and then
recollected that the river ran at its base. Our course was immediately
changed to that direction, but the traverse we had then to make was more
dangerous than the former one. The ice cracked under us at every step and
the party were obliged to separate widely to prevent accidents. We landed
at the first point we could approach but, having found an open channel
close to the shore, were obliged to ferry the goods across on pieces of
ice. The fresh meat being expended we had to make another inroad on our
pounded meat. The evening was very warm and the mosquitoes numerous. A
large fire was made to apprise the hunters of our advance. The scenery of
Rock-nest Lake is picturesque, its shores are rather low except at the
Rock-nest, and two or three eminences on the eastern side. The only wood
is the pine which is twenty or thirty feet high and about one foot in
diameter. Our distance today was six miles.
July 1.
Our guide directed us to proceed towards a deep bay on the north side of
the lake where he supposed we should find the river. In consequence of
the bad state of the ice we employed all the different modes of
travelling we had previously followed in attaining this place and, in
crossing a point of land, had the misfortune to lose one of the dogs,
which set off in pursuit of some reindeer.
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