66 FORT CONFIDENCE. 



were all covered in on our arrival, and the flooring, 

 ceiling, and partitions were shortly afterwards com- 

 pleted. Two of the sappers and miners, Mackay and 

 Brodie, carpenters by trade, were employed to make 

 tables and chairs; and Bruce, the guide, acted as 

 general architect, and was able and willing to exe- 

 cute any kind of joiner's work that was needed. Two 

 men were constantly employed as sawyers ; four 

 as cutters of fire-wood, each of them having an 

 allotted task of providing a cord of wood daily; 

 others were occupied in drawing it home on 

 sledges ; and four men were continually engaged in 

 fishing. On the Sunday no labour was performed, 

 the fishing party came in, and all were dressed in 

 their best clothes. Prayers were said in the hall, 

 and a sermon read to all that understood English ; 

 and some of the Canadians, though they were 

 Roman Catholics, usually attended. James and 

 Thomas Hope, who were Cree Indians, having been 

 educated at Norway House as Protestants, and 

 taught to read and write, were regular attendants ; 

 and James Hope's eldest son, a boy about seven 

 years of age, who had already begun to read the 

 Scriptures, frequently recognised passages in the 

 lessons that he had previously read. 



During the winter Mr. Rae and I recorded the 

 temperatures hourly, sixteen or seventeen times a 

 day ; also the height of the mercury in Delcro's ba- 



