SOURCE OP ST. PETER S RIVER. 9 



The dullness of our morning ride was dissipated by the 

 distant view of the buffalo grazing upon the prairie. We 

 shall not attempt to depict the joy, which the first cry of 

 " buffaloes in sight," created in the whole company ; all were 

 in activity. The practised hunters immediately gave chase 

 to the buffaloes, and before the sun set, three of these noble 

 animals had been slain. We encamped early to enjoy what, 

 to many of our party, was an entirely new scene. The 

 spot which we were obliged to select, was utterly destitute 

 of wood, and the only fuel which we could procui'e was 

 the buffalo dung, which lay profusely scattered over the 

 prairie. This made a fine warm fire, giving out no smell. 

 The meat was cooked, and eaten with great delight. The 

 party never were, perhaps, in greater spirits than during 

 that evening. They considered themselves almost on their 

 way home. For the first time they saw abundance of game 

 before them, and a prospect of its continuance for a few 

 days, whence they anticipated ample supplies of stores in 

 the camp. 



The spot of our encampment is called, both by Indians 

 and traders, Buffalo Lake ; it is only an extension of Lake 

 Travers, being separated but by a marsh overgrown with 

 high grass, through which a canoe can navigate at all times. 

 It is immediately below this place that the lake assumes 

 the characters of a stream, and receives the name of Sioux 

 or Swan river. Mr. Colhoun endeavoured to determine 

 the situation of this place, but a high southerly wind im- 

 peded his observations. Previous to encamping, we passed 

 a party of squaws engaged in conveying to their camp 

 some slices of fresh meat to jerk ; their fellow labourers 

 were dogs. Each of the dogs had the ends of two poles 

 ci'ossed and fastened over the shoulders, with a piece of 

 hide underneath to prevent chafing. The other extremi- 



