184 THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE BY LAND. 



service of the Company, and a large body of liiinters 

 are constantly employed in supplying the establish- 

 ment with meat. 



At Lake St. Alban's, about nine miles north of 

 the Fort, a colony of freemen — i.e., half-breeds who 

 have left the service of the Company — have formed 

 a small settlement, which is presided over by a 

 Eomish priest. Some forty miles beyond is the more 

 ancient colony of Lake St. Ann's, of similar charac- 

 ter, but with more numerous inhabitants. 



Soon after our arrival Mr. Hardisty informed us 

 that five grisly bears had attacked a band of horses 

 belonging to the priest at St. Alban's, and after- 

 wards pursued two men who were on horseback, one 

 of whom being very badly mounted, narrowly es- 

 caped by the stratagem of throwing down his coat 

 and cap, which the bear stopped to tear in pieces. 

 The priest had arranged to have a grand hunt on the 

 morrow, and we resolved to join in the sport. We 

 carefully prepared guns and revolvers, and at day- 

 light next morning rode over with Baptiste to St. 

 Alban's. We found a little colony of some twenty 

 houses, built on the rising ground near a small lake 

 and river. A substantial wooden bridge spanned 

 the latter, the only structure of the kind we had 

 seen in the Hudson's Bay territory. The priest's 

 house was a pretty white building, with garden 

 round it, and adjoining it the chapel, school, and 

 nunnery. The worthy father, M. Lacome, was 

 standing in front of his dwelling as we came up, and 

 we at once introduced ourselves, and inquired about 



