NOTES OF AK EGGING EXrEDITIOX TO SlIOxVL LAKE, WEST OF LAKE 



WINNIPEG. 



Made tjndee. the direction^ of the Smithsoniax I^"STITUTIox ix 1867, 

 BY Donald Gunx, Red River settlemext. 



On the 6th of June, 1867, I had all things ready for commencing my hunting 

 excursion to the lake ; but, to my chagrin, the rain fell in torrents on the 7tb 

 8th, and 9th, which prevented our setting out till the morning of the 10th, when 

 the rain had moderated ; and about 7 o'clock a. m. I left home, accompanied by 

 two men, two oxen in two carts, carrying a birch-bark canoe and our baggage. 

 We plodded on through *'mud and mire,"' travelling very slowly a «listance of 

 15 miles on the public road to the Frog plain, where we turned off to the plains, 

 taking the road leading to Shoal lake, in a northwest direction. Soon after we 

 entered on the plain we halted to allow our animals to feed and to refresh our- 

 selves. While here we were joined by an Indian, his squaw, and their sou. 

 These people had been to the settlement with their spring trade. They had two 

 carts, and were taking back, in exchange for their furs, flour, clothing, and ammu- 

 nition. This Indian resides in a house at Oak Point, and is reputed the best 

 hunter in that district, which fact accounts satishictorily for his comparative 

 wealth. After a short stay we resumed our journey, which was continued until 

 dark, making a distance of six miles from tlie settlement. We camped on the 

 plain, and, after the usual preliminaries of cooking and supping, laid down to rest 

 under a cloudless sky, and slept soundly until sunrise of a clear day. 



The unburnt portions of our last night's fuel were quickly gathered together 

 and ignited, water drawn from the nearest pool, boiled, a liberal quantity of tea 

 thrown into it, boiled again for a few minutes, then allowed a short time to cool, 

 when we all sat down and despatched our morning meal with great zest ; attached 

 our cattle to the carts, and were on our journey before the sun was a span high. 

 The road led us over a beautiful, dry, level plain, a distance of six or seven miles, 

 at the end of which we came to a ridge of elevated land composed of limestone, 

 gravel, and granite boulders. This ridge is well wooded with poplars, and is a 

 contimiation of the Grand Coteau at Long lake. Back of the Assiniboine its 

 course is from northeast to southwest. It appears to have been the border of, 

 or an elevation in, some ancient lake in ages long gone by. Lake Winnipeg 

 might have flowed round it or washed its southeastern face. It extends eight or 

 10 miles in breadth. The declivity on the northwest side is gradual but per- 

 ceptible, and ends at what is called the Big swamp, where we arrived at noon. 

 Here we overtook our companions of last night, and a heroic dame from Oak 

 Point, who left her home a few days before for Red river, and was now on her 

 way back with two cart loads of pine boards aud planks. She has a consider- 

 able portion of white blood, yet exhibits all the hardihood of the squaw, and 

 can, with wonderful dexterity, avail herself of all the resources of the forest and 

 the lake. Here she made a few snares, chased the rabbits into them, and in a 

 very short space of time had a number of them boiling and roasting, and after 

 hunting, cooking, and eating her dinner, was ready to start as soon as any of ns. 



After a stay of two hours we proceeded on the road leading over a flat, rich soil, 

 composed of black, vegetable mold on a sub-soil of clay, and winding through 

 hundreds of young poplars, tall and slender, but, so far as we could see, unlit 



