42 Mackenzie’s Voyages

by three families of Indians, who left Athabasca the same
day as myself; they did not bring me any fowl; and they
pleaded in excuse, that they had travelled with so much
expedition as to prevent them from procuring sufficient
provisions for themselves.”

A boisterous Sunday with heavy rain and an electric
storm helped to reduce the ice, so that with a favourable
westward wind on Monday a passage was opened to the
opposite islands. Embarking at sunset they crossed over a
stretch of eight miles in two hours.

‘“‘At half past eleven p.m. we landed on a small island
and proceeded to gum the canoe. At this time the atmosphere
was sufficiently clear to admit of reading or writing without
the aid of artificial light. We had not seen a star since the
second day after we left Athabasca, About twelve o’clock
the moon made its appearance above the tops of the trees,
the lower horn being in a state of eclipse which continued
for about six minutes in a cloudless sky.” |

A northerly wind and floating ice prevented embarking
until I p.m., when they ran ten miles in a choppy sea, taking
in a considerable quantity of water. Wednesday’s delay was
compensated by good fishing. At 4 a.m, next morning the
nets again yielded an abundance of fish; but after four miles
they were again blocked by ice which had been driven into
the passage by a south-east wind. While waiting for an
opening the hunters killed a caribou and its fawn. They
also brought in some Indians from the opposite side of the
island, where they were waiting for the ice to clear in order
to cross the lake. With his thoughts ever on the food supply
Mackenzie let no opportunity slip that could be devoted to
hunting and fishing, and it was owing to his eternal vigilance
in this particular that he was enabled to prosecute his enter-
prise with a comforting margin of provisions. Confidence in