oking through
rushes high as a man, MacKenzie found a current, and, hoisting a sail
on his fishing pole, raced out to the river again on a hissing tide.
Here lived the Dog Rib Indians, and they frightened MacKenzie's men
cold with grewsome tales of horrors ahead, of terrible waterfalls, of a
land of famine and hostile tribes. The effect was instant. MacKenzie
could not obtain a guide till "English Chief" hoisted a Slave Lake
Indian into the canoe on a paddle handle. Though MacKenzie himself
nightly slept with the vermin-infested guide to prevent desertion, the
fellow escaped one night during the confusion of a thunder-storm.
Again a chance hunter was forcibly put into the canoe as guide; and the
explorer pushed on for another month. North of Bear Lake, Indian
warriors were seen flourishing weapons along shore, and MacKenzie's men
began to remark that the land was barren of game. If they became
winter bound, they would perish. MacKenzie promised his men if he did
not find the sea within seven days, he would turn back. Suddenly the
men lost track of day, for they had come to the region of long light.
The river had widened to swamp lands. Between the 13th and 14th of
July the men asleep on the sand were awakened by a flood of water
lapping in on their baggage. What did it mean? For a minute they did
not realize. Then they knew. It was the tide. They had found the
sea. Hilarious as boys, they jumped from bed to man their canoes and
chase whales.

{327} September 12, all sails up before a driving wind, the canoes
raced across Athabasca Lake to the fort landing, Roderick, his nephew,
shouting a welcome. MacKenzie had laid one of the two ghosts that
haunted his peace. Now he must lay the other. Where did Peace River
come from? His achievement on MacKenzie River had been greeted by the
other Nor'west partners with a snub. Nevertheless MacKenzie asked for
leave of absence that he might go to London and study the taking of
astronomic observations in order to explore that other river flowing
from the mountains; and in London, though poor and obscure, he heard
all about Cook's voyages and Meare's brush with the Spaniards at
Nootka, and plans for Captain Vancouver to make a final exploration of
the Pacific Coast. Hurrying back to the Nor'wester's fort on Peace
River, he was beset by the blue devils of despondency. What if Peace
River did _not_ lead to the Pacific Ocean at all? What if he were
behind some other