68 Mackenzie’s Voyages

possibly of the sea-horse, all helped to reconstruct the manner
of life of these people.

“A square stone kettle with a flat bottom, also occupied
our attention, which was capable of containing two gallons,
and we were puzzled as to the means these people must
have employed to have chiselled it out of a solid rock into
its present form.”

The guide had come to the end of his knowledge and the
party having arrived at “‘the entrance of a lake,” } were at
a loss which way to steer. The canoes followed the current
westward. An observation gave 69° 1’? north latitude. ‘The
same course was continued in the open “lake”’ to the western-
most land in sight, a distance of fifteen miles. The “lake”
opened out wider to the west, the depth being not more than
four feet, and often as little as one. The shallowness pre-
vented the canoes from going farther to the westward. At
five they reached an island, and it was seen that the water
was covered with ice for two leagues distant, with no
land ahead.

‘““We landed at the boundary of our voyage in this
direction, and as soon as the tents were pitched I ordered
the nets to be set, and I proceeded with the English Chief
to the highest part of the island from which we discovered
solid ice extending from the south-west by compass to the
eastward,”

As he had no thought of undertaking an exploration of the
polar seas he properly calls this the “boundary of our voyage
in this direction,” from which point there was visible a sea-
scape Covering 225 degrees of the compass, ice-covered to
the horizon in every direction, justifying the terms Icy and

1 Mackenzie here adopts the Indian way of referring to a body of
water as a “lake.”
* The observation is exact,