C Ihe Ladies c cu. V'VVAN - History and Classics, Department of

flowers beds of Lin no eo + O:gcoccus: Every now + then we could seethem struggling up the other side tracking or pushing + pullingin the water. Then we saw them stop fora longtime + we were so far upon the hillside we cd. only just make them hear our voices. Wedid at last plunged down waded a knee deep branch of the riverXed through a wood (island) + carne to main river where we cd.see them. They got aX 2 channels towards us, one bit of rapidwater they were swept down like a cork + nearly capsized. Thelast bit they cd. not X but Lazarus waded 1/2 way, threw us acarton of biscuits + shouted to us to go on. We continued upstream being now on an island + losing touch again with canoe.Very soon the canoe came along our side + tracked for a bit theyhad lost their axe. We came to thick overhanging willows whowd. take some chopping with our little axe so L. chopped whileJimmy made fire (dead stick peeled out like many-tonguedtorch of bark) + we cooked pork + beans +C. It had been a prel!J stiffclimb 0/1 morning up among the spruce like Swit{erland or Norw'!}. Only stopped11.30-12.30 for/uneh having done 4 miles? streaming with perspirationwe were. Hot veils + silk chokers sunshine swarms ofmosquitoes. Mter a bit of tracking left canoe again Xed fromour island to main N bank. Climbed again very rough goingindeed alders, longgrass, muskeg, ravines of soft mud. Delicious drinks(riuer) 0/1 d'!Y' Once got very high up amongfirs mosquitoes seemed to be worsehigh up. We plunged sheer down ending in a stream + thenceforward along shore of alders + willows + great silted mud heaps wherestreams had poured a mud path through soft hills spread outfan wise as they touched the river. Some of these pretty hard toX. Then a sheer bit of hill into water with a 3ft wide path or less of stones+ soft earlh along which we scrambled. Canoe came over again + tookGwen in for a short spell Lazarus pushing + wading + Jimmypulling rope. Then came to a 2 ft. rapid bOiling near shoreLazarus + we 3 hauled it up a fine show. Then on again easiergoing but wet above knees for thunder rolling round the greenhills that enclose us + a shower had fallen. We stopped to maketea for 1/2 an hour then over they went once more leaving us.We walked on to muskeg where mosquitoes swarmed around usin sunshine swift water below + there we waited an hour or more verylong no sign of canoe. They had said they would not go muchfurther wondered what wd. happen if they'd upset.Macpherson only I days walk away but no chance of Xing river:+ in other directions? La Pierre House! All very well but thesize of this country constitutes life + death problem. We hadseen a ducks nest with 7 eggs but they were set. At nearJy 9 a 'cLazarus came walking up our side our eyes still glued aX theriver. They had met swift water + had to come back to our side.Back we went 5 minutes to a lovely camp in spruce wood. Startedsettling in at 9 fresh after 14 hour d'!} thanks to much tea + drinks of water. Areally good day + but for mosquitoes what a paradise of a life.Very birdless country. Talked to Lazarus over camp fire. He hadonly been up Rat once before 2 summers ago + then swore he'dnever go again. Took up a lawyer. Some summers nobody goesup at all. Where did he learn how to canoe in such roughwater? On Peel + Huskie both smooth but Peel sometimesswift. He screamed with laughter at idea of us dying of hunger if heupset + at idea of Jimmy drowning. I said "What you say toJimmy's mother + father if Jimmy drown?" "Oh I just sayJimmy drown that's all."SUNDAY 11 JULYWoke Lazarus 6.30.2 hours stn'king camp + I doing short portageof all our goods + canoe aX muskeg. Sunny + muskegjust soft mosswith masses ofdwaifLedum whorlleberry +c: perspiration streamed offme + I had to shift my dollars +c in bag to outside pocket. Offwe went at 9.30 lowering canoe into river. We kept on up R bank soongot into alder thicket + then turned from our S direction due west +skirted the base of high hills with great sheets of mud washeddown the sides: fossils in this crumbling soil + up one slope asilver gray Artemesia foliage. We kept the canoe in sight + hills rosesheer + steep when the banks of mud hills were too sheerLazarus came over + ferried us aX a rapid Gwen murmuring"delicious" as we were whirled downstream in spite of theirbattling aX. I looking away fro the water at the mountains. Forlunch we Xed again to shingle + enjoyed our glorious hourmosquito-free: washed our faces + I even put a film in myKodak with both gloves off-also smoked a cigarette instead ofhaving whiffs at Gwen's through my veil! She has a rubbermouthpiece in veil but mine is mended with plaster! Mterlunch we kept on up R. bank. Lazarus + Jimmy are undefeated.All day they shoved the canoe on, both waist deep in waterpushing + pulling: or ditto Lazarus pushing + Jimmy pullingon a rope: or tracking along shore Lazarus passing rope behindtrees + snags + Jimmy shoving canoe off with paddle: or bothpaddling like the devil against current + getting swept down say100 yards in efforts to X 50 yards. One place looked nasty thatwe had to X: Lazarus wrinkled his eyes + looked up + down +said: "Water looks bad: I guess we try it." We 2 got in canoe +they shoved us aX a swift armlet of the river both waist deep.From 12.30 till 5 they toiled on then a cup of tea + pork on a