nery--now opening up a long vista of sloping groves of graceful
trees, beautifully variegated with the tints of autumnal foliage, and
sprinkled with a profusion of wildflowers; and anon surrounding us with
immense cliffs and precipitous banks of the grandest and most majestic
aspect, at the foot of which the black waters rushed impetuously past,
and gurgling into white foam as they sped through a broken and more
interrupted channel, finally sprang over a mist-shrouded clift and,
after boiling madly onwards for a short space, resumed their silent,
quiet course through peaceful scenery. As if to enhance the romantic
wildness of the scene, upon rounding a point we came suddenly upon a
large black bear, which was walking leisurely along the bank of the
river. He gazed at us in surprise for a moment; and then, as if it had
suddenly occurred to him that guns _might_ be in the canoe, away he went
helter-skelter up the bank, tearing up the ground in his precipitate
retreat, and vanished among the bushes. Fortunately for him, there was
not a gun in the canoe, else his chance of escape would have been very
small indeed, as he was only fifty yards or so from us when we first
discovered him.

We made ten portages of various lengths during the course of the day:
none of them exceeded a quarter of a mile, while the most were merely a
few yards. They were very harassing, however, being close to each
other; and often we loaded, unloaded, and carried the canoe and cargo
overland several times in the distance of half a mile.

On the 7th we left the encampment at an early hour, and made one short
portage a few minutes after starting. After breakfast, as we paddled
quietly along, we descried three canoes coming towards us, filled with
Indians of the Seauteaux tribe. They gave us a few fresh ducks in
exchange for some pork and tobacco, with which they were much delighted.
After a short conversation between them and one of our men, who
understood the language, we parted, and proceeded on our way. A little
rain fell during the day, but in the afternoon the sun shone out and
lighted up the scenery. The forests about this part of the river wore a
much more cheerful aspect than those of the lower countries, being
composed chiefly of poplar, birch, oak, and willows, whose beautiful
light-green foliage had a very pleasing effect upon eyes long accustomed
to the dark pines along the shores of Hudson Bay.

In the afternoon we met another c