We passed, and stopped to examine, Indian symbols on the blazed side of a tree, which told a story to our auxiliary Indians of a moose having been killed; by certain men, whose family name, or mark, was denoted, &c.  We had previously passed several of these hunting inscriptions in our ascent of the Mauvais, and one in particular at the eastern end of the four pause portage.  We were astonished to perceive that these figures were read as easy as perfect gazettes by our Indian guides.

We were also pleased, notwithstanding the severe labor of the apecun, to observe the three auxiliary Chippewas, with us, playing in the evening at the game of the bowl, an amusement in which some of the men participated.

On the 25th we went three pauses to breakfast, in a hollow or ravine, and pushing on, crossed the last ridge, and at one o’clock reached the foot of Lake Ka-ge-no-gum-aug, a beautiful and elongated sheet of water, which is the source of this branch of the Maskigo River.  Thus a point was gained.  An hour after, the baggage arrived, and by six o’clock in the evening, the canoes all arrived.  This lake is about nine miles long.

BOTANY.—­In the ascent of this stream, Dr. Houghton has collected about two hundred plants.  The forest trees are elm, pine, spruce, maple, ironwood, linden, cherry, oak, and beach.  Leatherwood is a shrub common on the portage.

The length of this river, from the mouth of the river to the point at which we left it, we compute at one hundred and four miles.

The three young Indians, sent from La Pointe, by Pezhike, to help us on the portages, having faithfully attended us all the way, were dismissed to go back, at seven o’clock this morning—­after being abundantly and satisfactorily paid for their services in ammunition and provisions.  On parting, they expressed a design of visiting at the agency, next spring.

LAKE KA-GE-NO-GUM-AUG.—­At nine in the morning, we embarked on the lake in four canoes, having left the fifth at the other end of the portage for the La Pointe Indians to return.  Two of the flotilla of canoes were occupied by the military under Lieut.  Clary.  After proceeding a little, less than two hours through a very irregular, elongated, and romantic lake, we reached a portage in the direction of the Namakagun, fork of the St. Croix River.  Its waters were clear; we observed fish and ducks.  This portage is called Mikenok, or the Turtle.  It proved to be two hundred and eighty yards to a pond, or small lake, named Turtle Lake.  About two hundred yards of this portage lies over a dry pine ridge, the remainder bog.  On crossing this little sheet, we encountered another portage of one thousand and seventy-five yards, terminating at a second lake named Clary’s Lake.  This portage lies over an open pine ridge, from which the timber has been chiefly burned.  The shrubs and plants are young bush poplars, whortleberries, shad-bush, brake and sweet fern.  Both ends of it are skirted with bog.  The highest grounds exhibit boulders.  About five o’clock the canoes came up, and we embarked on the lake and crossed it, and, striking the portage path, went four hundred and seventy-five yards to a third lake, called Polyganum, from the abundance of plant.  We crossed this and encamped on its border.