to abound in animals, though the Indians around
Slave Lake are in a state of great want. About noon we passed a
sulphur-stream, which ran into the river; it appeared to come from a
plain about fifty yards distant. There were no rocks near it, and the
soil through which it took its course was composed of a reddish clay. I
was much galled by the strings of the snow-shoes during the day, and
once got a severe fall, occasioned by the dogs running over one of my
feet, and dragging me some distance, my snow-shoe having become
entangled with the sledge. In the evening we lost our way, from the
great similarity of appearance in the country, and it was dark before we
found it again, when we halted in a thick wood, after having come about
sixteen miles from the last encampment. Much snow fell during the night.

"At an early hour on the 27th of December, we continued our journey over
the surface of a long but narrow lake, and then through a wood, which
brought us to the _grand detour_ on the Slave River. The weather was
extremely cloudy, with occasional falls of snow, which tended greatly to
impede our progress, from its gathering in lumps between the dogs' toes;
and though they did not go very fast, yet my left knee pained me so
much, that I found it difficult to keep up with them. At three P.M. we
halted within nine miles of the Salt River, and made a hearty meal of
mouldy pemmican.

"_December 28_ and _29_.--We had much difficulty in proceeding, owing to
the poor dogs being quite worn out, and their feet perfectly raw. We
endeavoured to tie shoes on them, to afford them some little relief,
but they continually came off when amongst deep snow, so that it
occupied one person entirely to look after them. In this state they were
hardly of any use among the steep ascents of the portages, when we were
obliged to drag the sledges ourselves. We found a few of the rapids
entirely frozen. Those that were not had holes and large spaces about
them, from whence issued a thick vapour, and in passing this we found it
particularly cold; but what appeared most curious was the number of
small fountains which rose through the ice, and often rendered it
doubtful which way we should take. I was much disappointed at finding
several falls (which I had intended to sketch) frozen almost even with
the upper and lower parts of the stream; the ice was connected by a thin
arch, and the rushing of the water underneath might be heard at a
considerable dist