THE PRAIRIE BIRD's BALL. 171 



sometimes in the cliilly evening, or the raw cold^ of 

 early morning. 



One river we crossed on a narrow bridge of ice 

 which had not yet broken up. A large fissure 

 extended down the middle, through which we could 

 see the waters boiling along beneath. Taking the 

 wheels oflF one of the carts, we pushed the body 

 before us on the ice, and placed it as a bridge across 

 the dangerous portion. As we removed the cart, 

 when everything had been brought over, the ice 

 broke up in great masses, which were whirled away 

 down stream, and in a few minutes the river was 

 open. 



Some days before we reached Fort Pitt, we were 

 overtaken by a party of the Company's men from 

 Carlton, who accompanied us for the rest of the 

 journey. They travelled on foot, and their baggage 

 was carried on *' travailles," drawn by dogs. A 

 *' travaille " is an Indian contrivance, consisting of 

 two poles fastened together at an acute angle, with 

 cross-bars between. The point of the angle rests 

 upon the back of the dog or horse, the diverging 

 ends of the poles drag along the ground, and the 

 baggage is tied on to the cross-bars. The Indians 

 use these contrivances instead of carts. The new- 

 comers were out of provisions and ammunition, and 

 depended upon our liberality for subsistence. We 

 had little left, and had to work hard to kill a suffi- 

 cient number of ducks and prairie chickens, for ten 

 hungry men will eat a great many brace of birds. 



A peculiarity of the prairie grouse enabled us 



