20 THE GREAT NORTH-WEST 



Muskinongis are as voracious as other pike, and they 

 capture the wild ducks as they swim. I have taken two 

 ducks from the stomach of one, and from another thirteen 

 pounds of fish, most of them about two pounds' weight 

 each. The Indians say that they also devour musquashs 

 and bull-frogs; but they never seem to attack larger 

 animals, though their jaws present a formidable appear- 

 ance. Afterwards I adopted the Indian plan of spearing 

 these fish as they lay basking in the shallow waters. It 

 is the safest method of capturing them, as they are thus 

 soon disabled or tired out. When stricken or hooked 

 they at once make for the deep water, and if they suc- 

 ceed in reaching it they generally escape. They either 

 hide under big stones or wrap the line round some 

 obstacle, and thus succeed in breaking it. 



Fishing in the waters of this neighbourhood was very 

 productive when the fish were in biting mood. Often I 

 have caught in seven or eight hours as much bass, pickerel, 

 and white fish as the two women and myself could carry 

 back to camp that is, at least, three hundredweight. Our 

 custom was to place the fish in the canoe and carry the 

 latter on our shoulders. I say our shoulders, but I 

 cannot claim much share in the labour, for both the 

 women were so powerful that they would carry for miles 

 weights that I could not even lift from the ground. But, 

 dreadful as it may sound, Indian women are beasts of 

 burden, and use, I suppose, enables them to carry incred- 

 ible burdens. In moving from place to place the whole 

 of the wigwam furniture, plus a papoose (child), and perhaps 

 two, are placed on her shoulders. The squaw has a lord and 

 master, and knows it, and she is thoroughly cowed. The 

 Indian women of this district are seldom good-looking, but 

 they are of very lovable disposition. The half-breeds, on 

 the contrary, while retaining all the sweetness of soul of 

 their Indian ancestors, are exceedingly pretty, particularly 

 so if their fathers were French-Canadians. The Indian 

 women have a downcast, pensive look; the outcome, no 



