xamine, Indian symbols on the blazed side of
a tree, which told a story to our auxiliary Indians of a moose having
been killed; by certain men, whose family name, or mark, was denoted,
&c. We had previously passed several of these hunting inscriptions in
our ascent of the Mauvais, and one in particular at the eastern end of
the four _pause_ portage. We were astonished to perceive that these
figures were read as easy as perfect gazettes by our Indian guides.

We were also pleased, notwithstanding the severe labor of the _apecun_,
to observe the three auxiliary Chippewas, with us, playing in the
evening at the game of the bowl, an amusement in which some of the men
participated.

On the 25th we went three _pauses_ to breakfast, in a hollow or ravine,
and pushing on, crossed the last ridge, and at one o'clock reached the
foot of Lake Ka-ge-no-gum-aug, a beautiful and elongated sheet of water,
which is the source of this branch of the Maskigo River. Thus a point
was gained. An hour after, the baggage arrived, and by six o'clock in
the evening, the canoes all arrived. This lake is about nine miles long.

BOTANY.--In the ascent of this stream, Dr. Houghton has collected about
two hundred plants. The forest trees are elm, pine, spruce, maple,
ironwood, linden, cherry, oak, and beach. Leatherwood is a shrub common
on the portage.

The length of this river, from the mouth of the river to the point at
which we left it, we compute at one hundred and four miles.

The three young Indians, sent from La Pointe, by Pezhike, to help us on
the portages, having faithfully attended us all the way, were dismissed
to go back, at seven o'clock this morning--after being abundantly and
satisfactorily paid for their services in ammunition and provisions. On
parting, they expressed a design of visiting at the agency, next spring.

LAKE KA-GE-NO-GUM-AUG.--At nine in the morning, we embarked on the lake
in four canoes, having left the fifth at the other end of the portage
for the La Pointe Indians to return. Two of the flotilla of canoes were
occupied by the military under Lieut. Clary. After proceeding a little,
less than two hours through a very irregular, elongated, and romantic
lake, we reached a portage in the direction of the Namakagun, fork of
the St. Croix River. Its waters were clear; we observed fish and ducks.
This portage is called Mikenok, or the Turtle. It proved to be two
hundred and eighty yards to a pond, or small lake, named