﻿104 -ISLE A LA CROSSE FOET. June, 



short a travelling season, every hour is of import- 

 ance, and whoever has charge of a party must 

 show that he thinks so, otherwise his men cannot 

 be induced to keep up their exertions for sixteen 

 hours a day, which is the usual period of labour in 

 summer travellinof. Of this time an hour's halt is 



o 



allowed for breakfast, and half an hour for dinner. 

 We did not reach Isle a la Crosse Fort till half- 

 past nine in the evening, and then learnt that Mr. 

 Bell with the boats was four days in advance of us. 

 June 25th. — A strong gale blowing this morning 

 detained us at the post, and the day being Sunday 

 our voyagers went to mass at the Roman Catholic 

 chapel, distant about a mile from the fort. This 

 mission was established in 1846 under charge of 

 Monsieur La Fleche, who has been very successful 

 in gaining the confidence of the Indians, and 

 gathering a considerable number into a village 

 round the church. In the course of the day I 

 received a visit from Monsieur La Fleche and his col- 

 league Monsieur Tasche. They are both intelligent 

 well-informed men, and devoted to the task of in- 

 structing the Indians ; but the revolution in France 

 having cut off the funds the mission obtained from 

 that country, its progress was likely to be impeded. 

 They spoke thankfully of the assistance and coun- 

 tenance they received from the gentlemen of the 

 Hudson's Bay Company. The character they gave 



