a ee wee ews

126 Sir ALEXANDER MACKENZIE

ably moved once in the year from the coast
upstream for the fishery. They had an effec-
tive system of government, under an heredi-
tary chief with considerable power. They had
temples of religion, and they rarely went to
war. Their food supply was abundant, and
their implements were well-constructed.
The party left these friends after a short
halt, and spent the afternoon toiling up the
steep mountain over which the trail passed.
The rest of the journey need not detain us
long. On August 4 they reached the Fraser
River without meeting a single person on the
way. Recovering their canoe and the supplies
which they had cached, they started upstream
on the 6th, and arrived at the mouth of the
Bad River on the 14th. The water was now
low, and its ascent, though hard enough, pro-
vided no perils like those of the descent. On
the 16th they crossed the portage to the head-
waters of the Parsnip. Mackenzie had to
submit to being carried, as his feet and ankles
were so swollen that he could scarcely walk.
Their labours were now nearly over, as they
were aided by the stream for all the rest of