SOURCE OF ST. PETER' S RIVER. 73 



which Fort Gerry stands. The beautiful confluence of the 

 Assiniboin and Red rivers washed the base of the bkiff. Ex- 

 tensive prairies, upon which a number of domestic cows were 

 gi-azing, lay before us, while a young buffalo bull, which 

 had been presented to the bishop, was seen on the oppo- 

 site bank, employed at labour. Both the banks of the river 

 displayed occasional groups of Indian lodges and European 

 tents, belonging to the Indians, half-breeds, or to our party. 

 On the stream, a number of canoes, constructed either 

 from logs or birch bark, wei'e seen occasionally gliding be- 

 fore us, under the quick and dexterous management of the 

 paddlers; w'hile some, filled with Indian boys, engaged in 

 successfully angling for beautiful little silver fishes, the 

 hyodon of the naturalist, were moored immediately in 

 front of us. Canadian carters were frequently passing by, 

 urging on their spare and lazy horses, by the often and 

 angrily repeated words, "marche done." Several Indians 

 with their squaws, and children without number, of every 

 possible shade of colour between the red and white, idled 

 away their time upon the bank ; numerous dogs played, 

 barked, or snarled, at the gateway of the fort. These and 

 many other features, which were peculiar to this spot, of- 

 fered us food for pleasant contemplation. But an object, 

 which once observed rivetted our attention, was the sight 

 of a crazed woman standing alone in a canoe, which she 

 was steering with apparent ease. She had a tall command- 

 ing figure; a soft expression of melancholy beauty, such as 

 is often seen in the women of mixed European and Indian 

 blood. Her dark eyes had, from the disordered state of her 

 mind, received a wild and peculiarly interesting expres- 

 sion. She struck the water at irregular intervals with a 

 long paddle which she held by the middle, singing at 



