74 EXPEDITION TO THE 



the same time a melancholy air, that struck our ear me- 

 lodiously and sweetly, as we heard it from a distance. 

 Perhaps, however, it was but the effect of an association of 

 ideas, which lent a melancholy interest to her voice. We 

 made some inquiries about her, and were told that she 

 was the wife of one of the settlers. She was a half-breed, 

 whose insanity was supposed to have sprung from a religi- 

 ous melancholy. Being one of those whom the mission- 

 aries had converted, she had become very pious, but her 

 intellect was too frail for the doctrines which had been 

 taught to her ; in endeavouring to become familiar with 

 them, she had been gradually affected with a malady, which 

 at that time seemed incurable. While we were listening te 

 this story, the wind heightened, the evening approached ; 

 all the canoes had disappeared from the river except her's, 

 which she still kept on the stream, notwithstanding the 

 high breeze which roughened its surface. W^e expressed 

 our apprehensions lest her canoe would be upset, but we 

 were told that she understood the management of it as 

 well as if possessed of reason ; her only pleasure and occu- 

 pation seemed to be to move about alone in this frail bark ; 

 and her friends, believing that there was but little danger 

 hi it, indulged her in this her only diversion. Meanwhile 

 the canoe was swiftly impelled from us towards the oppo- 

 site bank; the loose wrapper which she wore, acted as a 

 sail that received the wind and wafted her across. We saw 

 her land in safety, and felt easier when we observed the 

 poor maniac alight from her canoe. The next day she 

 crossed the river, came towards us, and with much mo- 

 desty presented to us a small parcel of papers, neatly 

 folded up and secured by a thread ; she desired that it might 

 be given to her mother in Montreal. There w-as no su- 



