76 Srr ALEXANDER MACKENZIE

sible to convey a canoe, to discover a river on
the other side of the watershed, and to follow
‘t to its mouth. He had learned in London
whatever was to be found out there about the
Pacific coast. He knew from the observations
taken by himself and ‘Turnor, compared with
those of navigators on the Pacific, roughly the
total distance to be covered from Chipewyan—
eight or nine hundred miles in a straight line;
but of course this distance would probably be
doubled in finding a possible route. How was
he to start? He had demonstrated that noth-
ing was to be gained by going downstream
from Lake Athabaska. Why not start up-
stream by the Peace River? It was a large
river which promised to be easily navigable
for a long distance; it flowed from the Rocky
Mountains in about the right direction; and
the lower part of its course had already proved
a rich region for furs. If he traced it to its
source, might he not find that it took him
near the object of his search, a river flowing
to the west and the Pacific?

Time would be precious if he was to get
to the ocean and back in a single season. He