After the failure of previous efforts to establish a Hudson's Bay Company's trading post at Dease's Lake, I volunteered my services for that purpose; and in the spring of 1839, after overcoming many difficulties, I succeeded in my mission, and then crossed over the mountains to the west side, where I struck the source of a rapid river, which I ascertained from the hordes of Indians I met to be the Stikene (afterwards the great highway to the northern gold fields of British Columbia), a discovery which caused no small commotion and surprise at the time among H.B.C. men, especially from the fact that a young man with only a half-breed and two Indian lads had effected what had baffled well-equipped parties under prominent and experienced Hudson's Bay officers from both sides of the mountains. This led to part of the coast being leased by the Company from the Russian government. On returning to Dease's Lake, we passed a winter of constant danger from the savage Russian Indians and of much suffering from starvation. We were dependent for subsistence on what animals we could catch, and, failing that, on "tripe de roche." We were at one time reduced to such dire straits that we were obliged to eat our parchment windows, and our last meal before abandoning Dease's Lake, on 8th May, 1839, consisted of the lacing of our snowshoes. In the spring of 1840 I was appointed by Sir George Simpson to explore the north branch of the Liard river to its source, and to cross the Rocky Mountains and try to find any river flowing westward, especially the headwaters of the Colville, the mouth of which was in the Arctic ocean, discovered by Dease and Simpson. In pursuance of these instructions I left Fort Halkett in May with a canoe and seven men, among them my trusty Indians, Lapie and Kitza, and the interpreter Hoole. After ascending the stream some hundreds of miles, far into the mountains, we entered a beautiful lake, which I named Frances lake, in honor of Lady Simpson. The river thus far is rather serpentine, with a swift current, and is flanked on both sides by chains of mountains, which rise to a higher altitude in the background. The country is well wooded with poplar, spruce, pine, fir and birch. Game and fur-bearing animals are abundant, especially beaver, on the meat of which, with moose, deer, geese and ducks, we generally lived. The mountain trout are very fine and plentiful, and are easily taken with a hook and any bait. About five miles farther on the lake divides into two branches round "Simpson's Tower." The south, which is the longer branch, extends forty miles. Leaving the canoe and part of the crew near the southwest extremity of this branch, I set out with three Indians and the interpreter.