to meet me at that place with his band on the 1st August,
and another message to be forwarded by him to Lac du Flambeau, at the
head of the Chippewa River, with directions for the Indians to meet me
at their principal village, as soon after the 1st August as I can get
there, of which they will be the best judges. I determined to enter the
country myself, by the Mauvais or Maskigo River, notwithstanding the
numerous rafts of trees that embarrass the navigation--the water
being abundant.

OLD FORT, SITE OF A TRAGEDY.--The military barge, Lieut. Clary, started
for the Maskigo, with a fair wind, on the 18th. A soldier had previously
deserted. I sent to the chief, Pezhike, to dispatch his young men to
catch him, and they immediately went. After setting out, the wind was
found too strong to resist with paddies, and I turned into the sheltered
bay of the old French fort. The site and ground lines are only left.

It was a square with bastions. The site is overgrown with red haw and
sumac. The site of a blacksmith shop was also pointed out. This is an
evidence of early French and Missionary enterprise, and dates about
1660. There is a tale of a tragedy connected with a female, at its
abandonment. The guns, it is said, were thrown in the bay. The wind
having abated, we again put out at eight o'clock in the evening, and
went safely into the Maskigo and encamped.

MASKIGO RIVER.--We began the ascent of this stream on the 19th, at
half-past four A.M.; landed at seven for breakfast, at the old Indian
gardens; at eight went on; at ten reached the first portage, passed it
in an hour; went on till one o'clock; afterwards passed two other
portages of about three hundred yards each; and went on to the great
raft of flood wood, being the fourth portage, where we encamped at three
o'clock, at its head. Mosquitoes very annoying. Estimate our distance at
thirty miles.

On the next morning (20th) we embarked in good deep water at eight
o'clock. We reached rapids at eleven o'clock. Passed a portage of _two
pauses,_ and took dinner at the terminus. Sandstone forms the bed of the
river at the rapids here. It inclined E.S.E. about 75 deg.. A continual
rapid, called the Galley, being over a brown sandstone rock, succeeds,
in which rapids follow rapids at short intervals. We encamped at the
Raft rapids. The men toiled like dogs, but willingly and without
grumbling. Next day (21st) we were early on the water, and passed the
crossing of the Indian