32 LAKE SUPERIOR. 



back, and cigars in their mouths. Nobody is busy but the bar- 

 keepers, and no one seems to know what he is going to do next. 



The cause, probably, may be in part the facilities for smuggling 

 brandy from the Canadian side of the river, where it is cheaper than 

 on ours. But the mischief lies chiefly in the unsettled state of things, 

 the irregularity of employment and wages of labor. Money is not 

 earned and spent from day to day, at home, but comes in lumps, 

 and seasons of labor are followed by intervals of idleness. In short, 

 the life of most of the inhabitants is essentially that of sailors, and 

 brings accordingly the reckless character and the vices of that class. 



Something also is due to the admixture of Indian blood, which has 

 a fatal proneness to liquor. Whilst we were here a number of Indians 

 arrived with the son of a chief, from Fort William, and after parad- 

 ing about the town with an American flag, speechifying and offering 

 the pipe at all the grog-shops to beg for liquor, they dispersed and 

 devoted themselves to drinking and playing at bowls. In the even- 

 ing, two of us passing one of the bowling-alleys, saw in front of it, 

 lying on a heap of shavings, a dark object which proved to be the 

 chief's son, extended at full length, dead drunk, with several Indians 

 endeavoring to get him home. The only sign of life he gave was a 

 feeble muttering in Indian, copiously interspersed with the English 

 curse ; another instance of the naturalization of John Bull's national 

 imprecation in a foreign tongue. It is said the Indians have no 

 oath in their own language. Finding it impossible to make him 

 walk, they squatted around him on their haunches and remained still 

 for some time, apparently considering what to do. They were all 

 perfectly sober and evidently greatly troubled at the state of their 

 leader. At length, seeing us watching them, they came up and 

 stood staring with their faces close to ours, but without speaking. 

 We did not know exactly what they were at, but my companion by 

 signs explained to them that they should take up the drunken man 

 by the legs and arms and carry him home. The idea struck them 

 as a good one, for they immediately " how, howed," set about it, 

 and bore him off, one to each leg and arm. 



The river opposite the village is about a mile wide. Just above 

 are the Upper Rapids, which give the name to the place, nearly 

 three-fourths of a mile in length. There is no very great vertical 



