fair
scenery of the romantic Elk--but every day he had been getting worse,
until, on their arrival at the lake, he declared himself no longer able
to travel. It became necessary, therefore, to suspend their journey; and
choosing a place for their camp, they made arrangements to remain until
Lucien should recover. They built a small log-hut for the invalid, and
did everything to make him as comfortable as possible. The best skins
were spread for his couch; and cooling drinks were brewed for him from
roots, fruits, and berries, in the way he had already taught his
companions to prepare them.

Every day Francois went forth with his gun, and returned with a pair of
young pigeons, or a wood-partridge, or a brace of the beautiful ruffed
grouse; and out of these he would make delicate soups, which he was the
better able to do as they had procured salt, pepper, and other
ingredients, at the Fort. They had also brought with them a stock of
tea--the real China tea--and sugar; and as the quantity of both was but
small, this luxurious beverage was made exclusively for Lucien, and was
found by him exceedingly beneficial during his illness.

To the great joy of all the invalid was at length restored to health,
and the canoe being once more launched and freighted, they continued
their journey.

They coasted along the shores of the lake, and entered the Great Slave
River, which runs from the Athabasca into the Great Slave Lake. They
soon came to the mouth of another large river, called the Peace. This
runs into the Great Slave a short distance below Lake Athabasca, and,
strange to say, the sources of the Peace River lie upon the _western_
side of the Rocky Mountains, so that this stream actually runs across
the mountain-chain! It passes through the mountains in a succession of
deep gorges, which are terrible to behold. On both sides dizzy cliffs
and snow-capped peaks rise thousands of feet above its rocky bed, and
the scenery is cold and desolate.

Its head-waters interlock with those of several streams that run into
the Pacific; so that, had our voyageurs wished to travel to the shores
of that ocean, they might have done so in their birch-bark canoe nearly
the whole of the way. But this was not their design at present, so they
passed the _debouchure_ of the Peace, and kept on for the Great Slave
Lake. They were still upon the same water as the Elk, for the Great
Slave is only another name for that part of the river lying between t