Twice we intersected and followed for short distances
Indian trails, neither of which apparently had been travelled since the
original party that had made them. They led across country for greater
or lesser distances in the direction we wished to travel, and then
turned aside. Three times we blundered on little meadows of
moose-grass. Invariably they were tramped muddy like a cattle-yard
where the great animals had stood as lately as the night before.
Caribou were not uncommon. There were a few deer, but not many, for the
most of the deer country lies to the south of this our district.
Partridge, as we had anticipated, lacked in such high country.
In the course of the five days and a half we were in the hills we
discovered six lakes of various sizes. The smallest was a mere pond;
the largest would measure some three or four miles in diameter. We came
upon that very late one afternoon. A brook of some size crossed our
way, so, as was our habit, we promptly turned upstream to discover its
source. In the high country the head-waters are never more than a few
miles distant; and at the same time the magnitude of this indicated a
lake rather than a spring as the supply. The lake might be Kawagama.
Our packs had grown to be very heavy, for they had already the weight
of nine hours piled on top. And the stream was exceedingly difficult to
follow. It flowed in one of those aggravating little ravines whose
banks are too high and steep and uneven for good footing, and whose
beds are choked with a too abundant growth.
Pages:
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148