File:Image from page 366 of "Canada, the empire of the North; being the romantic story of the new dominion's growth from colony to kingdom" (1909) (14764110515).jpg

Identifier: canadaempireofno00laut Title: Canada, the empire of the North; being the romantic story of the new dominion's growth from colony to kingdom Year: 1909 (1900s) Authors: Laut, Agnes C. (Agnes Christina), 1871-1936 Subjects: Canada -- History Publisher: Boston, London : Ginn and company Contributing Library: University of California Libraries Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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Text Appearing Before Image: from the mountains ? Will the river thatflows north or the river that comes from the west, either oithem lead to the Pacific Coast, where Cooks crews found wealthof sea otter ? The lure of the Unknown is the lure of the siren.First you possess it, then it possesses you ! Cooped up in his forton Lake Athabasca, Alexander MacKenzie, the Norwester, be-gins wondering about those rivers, but you cant ask businessmento bank on the Unknown, to write blank checks for profits on what DISCOVERY OF MACKENZIE RIVER 325 you may not find. And the Norwesters were all stern businessmen. For every pennys outlay they exacted from their winter-ing partners and clerks not ten but a hundredfold. And Alex-ander MacKenzie received no encouragement from his companyto explore these unknown rivers. The project got possession ofhis mind. Sometimes he would pace the little log barracks ofFort Chippewyan from sunset to day dawn, trying to work out away to explore those rivers ; or, sitting before the huge hearth

Text Appearing After Image: FORT CHIPPEWYAN, ATHABASCA LAKE(From a recent photograph) place, he would dream and dream till, as he wrote his cousinRoderick, I did not know what I was doing or where I was.Finally he induced his cousin to take charge of the fort for asummer. Then, assuming all risk and outlay, he set out on hisown responsibility June 3, 1789, to follow the Great Riverdown to the Arctic Ocean. English Chief, who often wentdown to Hudson Bay for the rival company, went as MacKen-zies guide, and there were also in the canoes two or three whitemen, some Indians as paddlers, and squaws to cook and makemoccasins. 326 CANADA : THE EMPIRE OF THE NORTH The canoes passed Peace River pouring down from the moun-tains ; then six dangerous rapids, where many a Norwest voya-geur had perished, one of MacKenzies canoes going smash overthe falls with a squaw, who swam ashore ; then rampart shorescame, broader and higher than the St. Lawrence or the Hudson,the boats skimming ahead with blankets hoisted for sails thro

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