After noon on Thursday Job set off to climb the hill. In the
evening when I went out to supper the ground under the tarpaulins,
which were strung up for shelter on either side of the fire, was
covered with fresh cut shavings. Job had returned, and was
carefully putting the finishing touches to a new axe handle. He
said he had been up among the clouds, and reported two heavy rapids
and a little lake a few miles ahead.

The following afternoon, albeit it was still raining, the men
prepared to climb the hill again, and I wanted to go too. Job,
however, assured me that it would be impossible as the hill was
altogether too steep and slippery. I was much disappointed. It
seemed such an ignominious sort of thing too, to be an explorer,
and have one of my party tell me I could not do something he had
already done, and was about to do again, just for the mere pleasure
of it.

That it might not be too trying I had George go with me in the
canoe up to the rapids. The first one, Seal Rapid, was almost
three miles above our camp, and it came down from the west swinging
to the south round a high sand-point and entering a small lake
expansion. We landed at the head of a little bay south of the
point, and crossed to the rapids. They were very wild and fine,
but fortunately they did not extend far, and about three-quarters
of a mile of portaging would put us on smooth water again. Here
for the first time we found the rocks along the shore and in the
river-bed of varied and beautiful colours. There were among them
red and green and blue of many and exquisite shades--the greens
being particularly beautiful. From near the head of the bay