240 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 
out a supply of food for two or three days to- 
gether. The fish caught in the net are the attih- 
hawmegh, trout, carp, methye, and pike *. 
The traders here also get supplied by the hun- 
ters with buffalo and moose deer meat (which 
animals are found at some distance from the forts,) 
but the greater part of it is either in a dried state, 
or pounded ready for making pemmican ; and is 
tidy for the men whom they keep trayelling 
during the winter to collect the furs from. the 
Indians, and for the crews of the canoes on theif 
outward passage to the depéts in spring. . There 
was a great want of provision this season, and 
both the companies had much difficulty to provide _ 
a bare sufficiency, for the use of their different 
brigades of canoes. Mr. Smith assured me he 
had only five hundred pounds of meat remaining 
after the canoes had been despatched for the use 
of the men who might travel from the post during 
the summer, and that five years preceding, there 
had been thirty thousand pounds in store under 
similar circumstances. He ascribed this amazing 
difference more to the jadolent habits which the 
Indians had acquired since trugg 
commenced, than to their recent sickness, mel 
Honing in confirmation of his opinion that they 
* See page 92, 
