Ml Mr W. E. Cormack's Journey in search of 



tioned looking out, when the deer get into the water to swim 

 across, the lake being narrow at this end, they attack and kill 

 the animals with spears out of their canoes. In this way they 

 secure their winter provisions before the severity of that sea- 

 son sets in. 



There were other old remains of different kinds peculiar to 

 these people met with about the lake. 



One night we encamped on the foundation of an old Red 

 Indian wigwam, on the extremity of a point of land which 

 juts out into the lake, and exposed to the view of the whole 

 country around. A large fire at night is the life and soul of 

 such a party as ours, and when it blazed up at times, I could 

 not help observing that two of my Indians evinced uneasiness 

 and want of confidence in things around, as if they thought 

 themselves usurpers on the Red Indian territory. From time 

 immemorial none of the Indians of the other tribes had ever en- 

 camped near this lake fearlessly, and, as we had now done, in 

 the very centre of such a country ; the lake and territory adja- 

 cent having been always considered to belong exclusively to the 

 Red Indians, and to have been occupied by them. It had been 

 our invariable practice hitherto, to encamp near hills, and be on 

 their summits by the dawn of day, to try to discover the morn- 

 ing smoke ascending from the Red Indians' camps ; and to pre- 

 vent the discovery of ourselves, we extinguished our own fire 

 always some length of time before day-light. 



Our only and frail hope now left of seeing the Red Indians, 

 lay on the banks of the River Exploits, on our return to the 

 sea-coast. 



The Red Indians' Lake discharges itself about three or four 

 miles from its north-east end, and its waters form the River Ex- 

 ploits. From the lake to the sea-coast is considered about se- 

 venty miles ; and down this noble river the steady perseverance 

 and intrepidity of my Indians carried me on rafts in four days, 

 to accomplish which otherwise, would have required, probably, 

 two weeks. We landed at various places on both banks of the 

 river on our way down, but found no traces of the Red Indians 

 so recent as those seen at the portage at Badger Bay-Great 

 Lake, towards the beginning of our excursion. During our de- 

 scent, we had to construct new rafts at the different waterfalls. 

 Sometimes we were carried down the rapids at the rate of ten 



