Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 5.djvu/269

Rh Captain Franklin's party on Cumberland Lake, on their way to Bear Lake, their winter residence. I learned also that a Mr. Drummond, whom, from the description, I could not but hope was my old botanical acquaintance, the nurseryman at Forfar, was attached, as Naturalist, to the expedition, and that he had accompanied Mr. McLeod so far as the Rocky Mountains, where he meant to spend the winter season near Peace River and Smoking River. Mr. McLeod, whom I find to be a very agreeable person, informs me that he has passed the last five years on Mackenzie's River, of the country lying near which he possesses more knowledge than any other person. The natives, whose language he speaks fluently, assure him that there is a river, running parallel with Mackenzie's River, to the west, and equaling it in size, which falls into the sea near Icy Cape. He had assembled the Indians with a view to making a journey in that direction, when orders arrived which obliged him to start for Hudson's Bay. In this gentleman may be seen what perseverance can effect, as he had visited the Polar Sea, and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in the short space of eleven months. The sea, to the westward of Mackenzie's River, is said to be open after July, so that little difficulty or exertion would be found in going to Icy Cape by land.

During the brief intervals of good weather I crawled out whenever my wounded leg enabled me to move, and taking my gun collected some birds, or went to the woods in search of mosses and other cryptogamic plants. Till the 15th of December there was hardly any frost, and the weather, when dry, was very pleasant, though the cold was considerable during nights. But on the 24th of that month, the rain fell in such torrents that my little hut of Thuja bark became untenantable, the water standing fourteen inches deep on the flour; Mr. McLoughlin kindly invited me to take up my quarters with him in his half-finished house, and thither I removed all my little articles on the morning of Christmas Day. After morning service was over, the gentlemen of the