They are very lovely. Once to-day the lonely cry
of a wolf came down to us from high up on the mountain side. The
mountains are splendid. We are in the midst of scenes which have a
decidedly Norwegian look. Have passed one river and several good-
sized streams coming in from the east and one of some size from
west, but we have seen nothing from the west which could be called
a river. Much more water comes in from the east.
"As we turned northward this evening just above camp a wind came up
the valley, that felt as if straight from the Arctic. Fire in an
open place to-night, and I do not like to go out to supper. It is
so cold. Thinking now we may possibly get to the post day after
to-morrow. George says be thinks the river must be pretty straight
from here. I rather think it will take us a little more than two
days. All feel that we may have good hope of catching the steamer.
Perhaps we shall get to tide water to-morrow. There have been
signs of porcupine along the way to-day, and one standing wigwam.
There is a big bed of moss berries (a small black berry, which
grows on a species of moss and is quite palatable) right at my tent
door to-night. So strange, almost unbelievable, to think we are
coming so near to Ungava. I begin to realise that I have never
actually counted on being able to get there."
The country grew more and more mountainous and rugged and barren.
The wood growth, which is of spruce and tamarack, with here and
there a little balsam, was for some distance below the Barren
Grounds Water rather more abundant than it had been along the lake
shores. At best it was but a narrow belt along the water edge
covering the hills to a height of perhaps two hundred feet and
dwindling gradually toward the north, till in some places it was
absent altogether and our tents were pitched where no trees grew.
The ridges on either side crossed each other almost at right
angles, turning the river now to the northeast, again to the
northwest. Down the mountain sides, broad bands of white showed
where the waters of numberless lakes and streams on the heights
came tumbling down to join the river, or again a great gap in the
solid mountain of rock let through a rush of blue-green, foaming
water. The hills have the characteristic Cambrian outline and it
is the opinion of Mr. Low that this formation extends continuously
eastward from the Kaniapiscau to the George. The mountains on the
right bank were more rugged and irregular than those on the left,
and Bridgman Mountains in places stand out to the river quite
distinct and separate, like giant forts. On the morning of August
24th they had closed round us as if to swallow us up, and gazing
back from our lunching place George said, with something of awe in
his tone, "It looks as if we had just got out of prison."
And still the river roared on down through its narrow valley, at
Helen Falls dropping by wild and tempestuous cascades, and then by
almost equally wild rapids, to a mile below where it shoots out
into an expansion with such terrific force as to keep this great
rush of water above the general level for some distance out into
the lake. Here we made the longest portage of the journey down the
George River, carrying the stuff one and a quarter mile.
Below Helen Falls the mountains spread in a wider sweep to the sea,
and the river gradually increased in width as it neared Ungava.
Still it flowed on in rapids. So often we had asked each other,
"Will they never end?" However, in the afternoon on August 26th,
we reached smooth water, and had a few hours' paddling. Then
darkness began to close in. If only we could keep on! I knew from
my observation that day we could not be many miles from our
journey's end now; but it was not to be that we should reach our
destination that night, and camp was pitched at a point, which I
thought must be about seven or eight miles above the post.
It was very disappointing, and when George said, "If the ship is
there they will be sure to try to get off Saturday night," I felt
rather desperate. Still it would not do to take chances with the
George River in the dark.
In spite of anxieties I slept that night but felt quite strung in
the morning. At breakfast I used the last of the crystalose in my
tea. It seemed very wonderful that the little ounce bottle of this
precious sweet had lasted us as long as sixty pounds of sugar.
There was just a little of our tea left, and I filled the bottle
with it to keep as a souvenir of the trip. The remainder I put
into one of the waterproof salt-shakers and this I gave to George.
I learned later that there was a bit of quiet fun among the men as
I did it. They had no great faith in my calculations, and it was
their opinion that the tea would probably taste quite good at
lunch.
After what seemed an unnecessarily long time, the camp things were
again in the canoe and we were off. About a mile below the camp we
found that the rapids were not yet passed. Here a heavy though
short one made a portage necessary and then we dropped down to
where the river spreads out to two miles or more in width. For
several miles we paddled on in smooth water, the river swinging a
little to the west.
