he
surrounding country is swampy and intersected by the numerous arms of
the river. After passing for twenty or thirty yards through the willow
thicket on the banks of the stream, we entered an extensive marsh,
varied only by a distant line of willows, which marks the course of a
creek or branch of the river. The branch we navigated to-day, is almost
five hundred yards wide. The exhalations from the marshy soil produced a
low fog, although the sky above was perfectly clear. In the course of
the day we passed an Indian encampment of three tents, whose inmates
appeared to be in a still more miserable condition than those we saw
yesterday. They had just finished the ceremony of conjuration over some
of their sick companions; and a dog, which had been recently killed as a
sacrifice to some deity, was hanging to a tree where it would be left (I
was told) when they moved their encampment.

We continued our voyage up the river to the 20th with little variation
of scenery or incident, travelling in that time about thirty miles. The
near approach of winter was marked by severe frosts, which continued all
day unless when the sun chanced to be unusually bright, and the geese
and ducks were observed to take a southerly course in large flocks. On
the morning of the 20th we came to a party of Indians, encamped behind
the bank of the river on the borders of a small marshy lake, for the
purpose of killing water-fowl. Here we were gratified with the view of
a very large tent. Its length was about forty feet, its breadth
eighteen, and its covering was moose deer leather, with apertures for
the escape of the smoke from the fires which are placed at each end; a
ledge of wood was placed on the ground on both sides the whole length of
the tent, within which were the sleeping-places, arranged probably
according to families; and the drums and other instruments of
enchantment were piled up in the centre. Amongst the Indians there were
a great many half-breeds, who led an Indian life. Governor Williams gave
a dram and a piece of tobacco to each of the males of the party.

On the morning of the 21st a heavy fall of snow took place, which lasted
until two in the afternoon. In the evening we left the Saskatchawan, and
entered the Little River, one of the two streams by which Pine Island
Lake discharges its waters. We advanced to-day fourteen miles and a
quarter. On the 22d the weather was extremely cold and stormy, and we
had to contend against a