ing
in a third, with his head just above the water. Nothing could be more
refreshing and invigorating, and when we got out we all agreed that we
felt better able to continue our journey.

We found that the clear atmosphere of this region greatly deceived us as
to distances, and it was not until the following day that we arrived on
the shores of the lake. It was nearly evening when, after having
penetrated a thick pine forest, we at length stood on its borders. Few
lake-scenes could be more beautiful than that now spread out before us.
The southern shore was indented with long narrow inlets, while
pine-crowned promontories stretched from the base of the hills on every
side. Islands of emerald hue dotted its surface, and round the margin
was a sparkling belt of yellow sand. The surface, unruffled by a breath
of air, was of a bright green near the shore, shading into a dark
ultramarine towards the centre. Whether there were fish, we had yet to
discover; but we had no fear of starving, for the whole surface of the
lake swarmed with birds--swans, gulls, pelicans, geese, herons, brants,
sand-hill cranes, and many varieties of ducks. An island in view was
literally white with the numbers of pelicans which had taken up their
abode upon it. We had also seen many other birds during the day--
eagles, hawks, ravens, ospreys, prairie-chickens, grouse, mocking-birds,
and woodpeckers; while we caught sight of several kinds of deer, elk,
and mountain sheep. Even buffalo had made their way into the valley.
Grizzly bears and panthers, too, we had good reason to fear, abounded,
and were likely to be troublesome to us.

We formed our camp on the shore of the lake, where there was fuel in
abundance; and taking my gun, in the course of a quarter of an hour I
shot geese and ducks enough to give us an ample supper, and breakfast
next morning. Manley, who was a good angler, had, in the meantime, been
fitting up a rod and line--for he had brought hooks with him; and I
found, when I got back, that he and the sergeant had caught a dozen
salmon-trout, between a pound and a pound and a half in weight. Their
colour was of a light grey above, and a pale yellow below. The dorsal
and caudal fins were dark grey, and the others mostly of a brilliant
orange or bright yellow.

We calculated that the lake was fully twenty miles long, and not less
than fifteen broad in its widest part; and had we not been in a hurry to
proceed on our journey, w