The Carcass Was Towed To The Bank And The
Canoe Speedily Laden With Meat.
After this piece of good fortune we
descended the stream merrily, our voyagers chanting their liveliest
songs.
On arrival at the mouth of the river we found that our nets had
not produced more than enough to supply a scanty meal to the men whom we
had left behind, but this was now of little importance as the acquisition
of meat we had made would enable us to proceed without more delay to
Slave Lake. The poisson inconnu mentioned by Mackenzie is found here. It
is a species of the Genus Salmo, and is said by the Indians to ascend
from the Arctic Sea but, being unable to pass the cascade of the Slave
River, is not found higher than this place. In the evening a violent
thunderstorm came on with heavy rain, thermometer 70 degrees.
At a very early hour on the following morning we embarked and continued
to paddle against a very strong wind and high waves under the shelter of
the bank of the rivers until two P.M. when, having arrived at a more
exposed part of the stream, the canoes took in so much water that we were
obliged to disembark on a small island. The river here is from one mile
and a quarter to one mile and three-quarters wide. Its banks are of
moderate height, sandy, and well wooded.
SLAVE LAKE AND FORT PROVIDENCE.
July 24.
We made more progress notwithstanding the continuance of the wind.
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