During the morning I dropped a troll and landed the first namaycush of
the trip--a seven-pound fish. The Labrador lakes generally have a
great depth of water, and it is in the deeper water that the very
large namaycush, which grow to an immense size, are to be caught. Our
outfit did not contain the heavy sinkers and larger trolling spoons
necessary in trolling for these, and we therefore had to content
ourselves with the smaller fish caught in the shallower parts of the
lakes. We had two more portages before we shot the first rapid of the
trip, and then camped on the shores of a small expansion just above a
wide, shallow rapid where the river swung around a ridge of sand
hills. This ridge was about two hundred feet in elevation, and
followed the river for some distance below. In the morning we climbed
it, and walked along its top for a mile or so, to view the rapid, and
suddenly, to the westward, beheld Seal Lake. It was a great moment,
and we took off our hats and cheered. The first part of our fight up
the long trail was almost ended.

The upper part of the rapid was too shallow to risk a full load in the
canoes, so we carried a part of our outfit over the ridge to a point
where the river narrowed and deepened, then ran the rapid and picked
up our stuff below. Not far from here we passed a hill whose head
took the form of a sphinx and we noted it as a remarkable landmark.
Stopping but once to climb a mountain for specimens, at twelve o'clock
we landed on a sandy beach where Babewendigash River emptied its
waters into Seal Lake. We could hardly believe our good fortune, and
while Pete cooked dinner I climbed a hill to satisfy myself that it
was really Seal Lake. There was no doubt of it. It had been very
minutely described and sketched for me by Donald and Duncan. We had
halted at what they called on their maps "The Narrows," where the lake