think of the Indians as savages and uncivilised, yet in some
respects they are highly educated, and are gifted with a quickness of
perception not excelled by any other people in the world. We had the
following illustration of it on this trip.

As most of the Indians had gone away in the brigades to York Factory, to
carry down the furs and to freight up the goods for the next winter's
trade, I could not find any canoemen who were acquainted with the route
to the pagan band which I wished to visit. The best I could do was to
secure the services of a man as a guide who had only been as far as
Beaver Lake. He was willing to go and run the risk of finding the
Indian band, if possible, although so far beyond the most northern point
he had ever gone before. As I could do no better I hired him and
another Indian, and away we went.

After several days of hard work--for the portages around the falls and
rapids were many, and several times we had to wade through muskegs or
morasses up to our knees for miles together, carrying all our load on
our heads or backs--we at length reached Beaver Lake. Here we camped
for the night and talked over our future movements. We had come two
hundred and forty miles through these northern wilds, and yet had about
sixty miles to go ere we expected to see human beings, and were all
absolutely ignorant of the direction in which to go.

We spent the night on the shore of the lake, and slept comfortably on
the smooth rocks. Early the next morning we began to look out for signs
to guide us on our way. There were several high hills in the vicinity,
and it was decided that we should each ascend one of these, and see if
from these elevated positions the curling smoke from some distant Indian
camp-fire, or other signs of human beings, could be observed.

Seizing my rifle, I started off to ascend the high hill which had been
assigned me, while my Indians went off in other directions. This hill
was perhaps half a mile from our camp-fire, and I was soon at its foot,
ready to push my way up through the tangled underbrush that grew so
densely on its sides. To my surprise I came almost suddenly upon a
creek of rare crystal beauty, on the banks of which were many
impressions of hoofs, large and small, as though a herd of cattle had
there been drinking. Thoughtlessly, for I seemed to have forgotten
where we were, I came to the conclusion that as the herd of cattle had
there quenched their thirst, the