We were alarmed in the night by our fire communicating to the dry moss which, spreading by the force of a strong wind, encircled the encampment and threatened destruction to our canoes and baggage.  The watch immediately aroused all the men who quickly removed whatever could be injured to a distant part and afterwards succeeded in extinguishing the flame.

August 8.

During this day we crossed five portages, passing over a very bad road.  The men were quite exhausted with fatigue by five P.M. when we were obliged to encamp on the borders of the fifth lake, in which the fishing-nets were set.  We began this evening to issue some portable soup and arrowroot which our companions relished very much; but this food is too unsubstantial to support their vigour under their daily exhausting labour, and we could not furnish them with a sufficient quantity even of this to satisfy their desires.  We commenced our labours on the next day in a very wet uncomfortable state as it had rained through the night until four A.M.  The fifth grassy lake was crossed and four others, with their intervening portages, and we returned to the river by a portage of one thousand four hundred and fifteen paces.  The width of the stream here is about one hundred yards, its banks are moderately high and scantily covered with wood.  We afterwards twice carried the cargoes along its banks to avoid a very stony rapid and then crossed the first Carp Portage in longitude 114 degrees 2 minutes 01 seconds West, variation of the compass 32 degrees 30 minutes 40 seconds East, and encamped on the borders of Lower Carp Lake.

The chief having told us that this was a good lake for fishing we determined on halting for a day or two to recruit our men, of whom three were lame and several others had swelled legs.  The chief himself went forward to look after the hunters and promised to make a fire as a signal if they had killed any reindeer.  All the Indians had left us in the course of yesterday and today to seek these animals except the guide Keskarrah.

August 10.

The nets furnishing only four carp we embarked for the purpose of searching for a better spot and encamped again on the shores of the same lake.  The spirits of the men were much revived by seeing some recent traces of reindeer at this place, which circumstance caused them to cherish the hope of soon getting a supply of meat from the hunters.  They were also gratified by finding abundance of blueberries near the encampment, which made an agreeable and substantial addition to their otherwise scanty fare.  We were teased by sandflies this evening although the thermometer did not rise above 45 degrees.  The country through which we had travelled for some days consists principally of granite, intermixed in some spots with mica-slate, often passing into clay-slate.  But the borders of Lower Carp Lake where the gneiss formation prevails are composed of hills having less altitude, fewer precipices, and more rounded summits.  The valleys are less fertile, containing a gravelly soil and fewer trees, so that the country has throughout a more barren aspect.