Seal Lake is a large lake expansion of the Nascaupee River, which
river, it should be explained, is the outlet of Lake Michikamau and
discharges its waters into Grand Lake and through Grand Lake into
Groswater Bay. Lake Michikamau, next to Lake Mistasinni, is the larg-
est lake in the Labrador peninsula, and approximately from eighty to
ninety miles in length. Neither John nor William had been to Lake
Michikamau by this route since they were young lads, but they told us
that the Indians, when traveling very light without their families,
used to make the journey in twenty-three days.

During my previous stay in Labrador one Indian told me it could be
done in ten days, while another said that Indians traveling very fast
would require about thirty days. It is difficult to base calculations
upon information of this kind. But I was sure that, with our com-
paratively heavy outfit, and the fact that we would have to find the
trail for ourselves, we should require at least twice the time of the
Indians, who know every foot of the way as we know our familiar city
streets at home.

They expressed their belief that the old trail could be easily found,
and assured us that each portage, as we asked about it in detail, was
a "miam potagan" (good portage), but at the same time expressed their
doubts as to our ability to cross the country safely.

In fact, it has always been the Indians' boast, and I have heard it
many times, that no white man could go from Groswater Bay to Ungava
alive without Indians to help him through. "Pete" was a Lake Superior
Indian and had never run a rapid in his life. He was to spend the
night with Tom Blake and his family in their snug little log cabin,