Only two buildings of the old fort remained at the time of our visit, both in a ruinous condition.  The old fireplaces and the roofs of spruce bark, a covering much used in the country, were still sound, and several cellars indicated where the other buildings had stood.  The later post is about a gunshot to the east of them, and the whole site had certainly been well chosen, being completely sheltered by the immensely high banks of the great and deep river, whose bends “shouldered” and seemed to shut in the place east and west, also by the “Caps,” two very high hills forming the bank on each side of the river, so called from their fancied resemblance to a skull-cap.  The river here is over four hundred yards in width, and its banks, from the water’s edge to the upper prairie level are some six hundred feet or more in height; but, as the trail leads, the ascent of the great slope is about a mile in length.

A number of townships had been blocked here, at one time, by Mr. Ogilvie, D.L.S., but not subdivided, Fort Dunvegan being situated, if I mistake not, in the south-west corner of Township 80, Range 4, west of the Sixth Meridian.

The Roman Catholic Mission east of the fort was found to be beautifully sheltered, and neighboured by fine fields of wheat and a garden full of green peas and new potatoes.  But this was on the flat.  There was no farming whatever on the north side, on the upper and beautiful prairies described.  A Mr. Milton had tried, it was said, about ten miles east of Dunvegan, but did not make a success of it.

Near the fort a raft was moored, on which had descended a party of four Americans.  They were from the State of Wyoming, and had made their way the previous summer, by way of St. John and the Pine River, to the Nelson, a tributary of the Liard.  They had had poor luck, in fact no luck at all; and this was the story of every returning party we met which had been prospecting on the various tributaries of the Peace and Liard towards the mountains.  The cost of supplies, the varying and uncertain yield, but, above all, the brief season in which it is possible to work, barely six weeks—­had dissipated by sad experience the bright dreams of wealth which had lured them from comfortable homes.  Between seven and eight hundred people had gone up to those regions via Edmonton, bound for the Yukon, many of whom, after a tale of suffering which might have filled its boomsters’ souls with remorse, had found solitary graves, and the remainder were slowly toiling out of the country, having sunk what means they possessed in the vain pursuit of gold.  They brought a rumour with them that some whites who had robbed the Indians on the Upper Liard had been murdered.  It was not known what white men had penetrated to that desolate region, and the rumour was discredited; at all events, it was never verified.