canoes--enough, it was calculated, to suffice for
about twelve days. As the return journey might well occupy as many
weeks, the fate of the voyageurs must now depend on the chances of
fishing and the chase.

{87}

As a matter of fact the ascent of the river, which Mackenzie conducted
with signal success and almost without incident, occupied two months.
The weather was favourable. The wild gales which had been faced in the
Arctic delta were left behind, and, under mild skies and unending
sunlight, and with wild fowl abundant about them, the canoes were urged
steadily against the stream. The end of the month of July brought the
explorers to the Great Bear river; from this point an abundance of
berries on the banks of the stream--the huckleberry, the raspberry and
the saskatoon--afforded a welcome addition to their supplies. As they
reached the narrower parts of the river, where it flowed between high
banks, the swift current made paddling useless and compelled the men to
haul the canoes with the towing line. At other times steady strong
winds from the north enabled them to rig their sails and skim without
effort over the broad surface of the river. Mackenzie noted with
interest the varied nature and the fine resources of the country of the
upper river. At one place petroleum, having the appearance of yellow
wax, was seen oozing from the rocks; at another place a vast seam of
coal in the river bank was observed to be burning. On August 22 the
canoes were {88} driven over the last reaches of the Mackenzie with a
west wind strong and cold behind them, and were carried out upon the
broad bosom of the Great Slave Lake. The voyageurs were once more in
known country. The navigation of the lake, now free from ice, was
without difficulty, and the canoes drove at a furious rate over its
waters. On August 24 three canoes were sighted sailing on the lake,
and were presently found to contain Leroux and his party, who had been
carrying on the fur trade in that district during Mackenzie's absence.

The rest of the journey offered no difficulty. There remained, indeed,
some two hundred and sixty miles of paddle and portage to traverse the
Slave river and reach Fort Chipewyan. But to the stout arms of
Mackenzie's trained voyageurs this was only a summer diversion. On
September 12, 1789, Alexander Mackenzie safely reached the fort. His
voyage had occupied one hundred and two days. Its successful
completion brought to the