then plain Mr. Smith, factor, was in charge of that post his energy
made the place a garden in the wilderness, and in addition to luxuries
of an edible sort, he added drives in a carriage through forest and by
shore, for about two miles, on a well made road. Now, we are informed
there is not a horse or cow north of Belle Isle. The present factor,
Mr. McLaren, is a shrewd Scotchman, genial and warm-hearted beneath a
rather forbidding exterior, as all of our party who experienced his
hospitality can testify.

In spite of all its attractions we could not stay at North West River.
In five weeks we were to meet our river detail at Rigolette, and
during that time a trip north of 400 miles was to be made and the bulk
of the expedition's scientific work to be done.

Our day's sail, with fresh breezes and favoring squalls, took us the
whole length of the delightful lake, whose waters had seldom been
vexed by a keel as long as the Julia's, and brought us to an anchor
off Eskimo Island. Here we had one of our regular fights with the
mosquitoes, the engagement perhaps being a trifle hotter than usual,
for they swarmed down the companion way every time the "mosquito
door," of netting on a light frame hinged to the hatch house, was
opened, in brigades and divisions and finally by whole army corps,
till we were forced to retreat to our bunks, drive out the intruding
hosts, which paid no respect whatever to our limited 6x3x3 private
apartments, by energetically waving and slapping a towel around, then
quickly shutting the door of netting, also on a tightly fitting frame,
and devoting an hour or two at our leisure to demolishing the few
stragglers that remained within; or possibly the whole night, if an
unknown breach had been found by the wily mosquito somewhere in our
carefully made defenses. A few bones were taken from the Eskimo graves