Sir ALEXANDER MACKENZIE

26

eagerly tried to dissuade from carrying out his
intention of leaving the North-West. From
Pond he picked up much information about
the geography of the district, with its great
river appearing from the west no one knew
whence, and flowing to the north no one knew
whither. Before the winter was over he had
decided to try to solve its mysteries himself
tf he got the chance.

He went down with the furs in the sum-
mer of 1788 to Rainy Lake; the men of the
Athabaska department went no further be-
cause their journey took so long that they
could not go as far as Grand Portage and back
in a single season. Here he persuaded his
cousin to return with him to Athabaska, but
only after revealing his plans of exploration,
and representing that he should have to
abandon them if Roderick would not take
charge of the district during his absence. He
also seems to have secured his partners’ con-
sent for the enterprise. He decided on his
return to move his headquarters down stream
from Pond’s fort to Lake Athabaska itself.
Roderick went forward to choose the site.