ned destruction to our canoes and baggage. The watch
immediately aroused all the men who quickly removed whatever could be
injured to a distant part and afterwards succeeded in extinguishing the
flame.

August 8.

During this day we crossed five portages, passing over a very bad road.
The men were quite exhausted with fatigue by five P.M. when we were
obliged to encamp on the borders of the fifth lake, in which the
fishing-nets were set. We began this evening to issue some portable soup
and arrowroot which our companions relished very much; but this food is
too unsubstantial to support their vigour under their daily exhausting
labour, and we could not furnish them with a sufficient quantity even of
this to satisfy their desires. We commenced our labours on the next day
in a very wet uncomfortable state as it had rained through the night
until four A.M. The fifth grassy lake was crossed and four others, with
their intervening portages, and we returned to the river by a portage of
one thousand four hundred and fifteen paces. The width of the stream here
is about one hundred yards, its banks are moderately high and scantily
covered with wood. We afterwards twice carried the cargoes along its
banks to avoid a very stony rapid and then crossed the first Carp Portage
in longitude 114 degrees 2 minutes 01 seconds West, variation of the
compass 32 degrees 30 minutes 40 seconds East, and encamped on the
borders of Lower Carp Lake.

The chief having told us that this was a good lake for fishing we
determined on halting for a day or two to recruit our men, of whom three
were lame and several others had swelled legs. The chief himself went
forward to look after the hunters and promised to make a fire as a signal
if they had killed any reindeer. All the Indians had left us in the
course of yesterday and today to seek these animals except the guide
Keskarrah.

August 10.

The nets furnishing only four carp we embarked for the purpose of
searching for a better spot and encamped again on the shores of the same
lake. The spirits of the men were much revived by seeing some recent
traces of reindeer at this place, which circumstance caused them to
cherish the hope of soon getting a supply of meat from the hunters. They
were also gratified by finding abundance of blueberries near the
encampment, which made an agreeable and substantial addition to their
otherwise scanty fare. We were teased by sandflies this evening although
the ther