he eddies.

We found, at the place of our encampment, a solitary old woman, sitting
by a small fire, who seemed somewhat alarmed at her visitors, until she
was joined, after dark, by her husband and son. As soon as the man
understood from our signs that we were desirous of having some fish for
supper, he instantly embarked to examine his nets; but as they proved to
be empty, the woman generously dragged a pike out of a bundle on which
she was sitting, and presented it to us, though it was evidently
reserved for their own meal. In return we furnished them with a more
substantial supper, and made them some useful presents. The weather was
extremely sultry throughout this day; at two P.M. the thermometer stood
in the shade at 66 degrees, and at 76 degrees when exposed to the sun.
The refraction of the atmosphere, which we had often remarked to be
unusually great since we had entered the Mackenzie, was this day
particularly powerful. The mountains were distorted into the most
extraordinary shapes, and the banks of the river, which we knew to be
only from thirty to sixty feet high, appeared to have such an elevation,
that it would have been impossible for us to recognise the land. The air
became cooler in the evening, and the atmosphere less refractive. Soon
after sunset the objects appeared in their proper form, and we enjoyed
the prospect of the delightful mountain scenery that distinguishes this
rapid.

[Sidenote: Tuesday, 30th.] Favoured by a N.W. gale, we made great
progress on the 30th. The temperature of the air varied in the course of
the day from 62 degrees to 41 degrees. The brulots and sand-flies were
very teazing wherever we landed; but these, unlike the musquitoes,
disappear with the sun.

The upper parts of the Rocky Mountains on the western side of the river
were, at this time, covered with snow, but not those of the eastern
side, which are, probably, less elevated than the former. We had no
opportunity of ascertaining their height, though we conjectured that the
loftiest did not exceed two thousand feet, as it was free from snow in
the early part of August.

[Sidenote: September, 1st.] At sunset this evening we quitted the muddy
waters of the Mackenzie, and entered the clear stream that flows from
the Great Bear Lake; but owing to the shallowness of the water near its
mouth, and the beach being a mere collection of stones, we had to grope
our way long after dark in search of a place for an encampment,
st