THE INDIANS 189 



Near Bersimis, some two hundred and twenty miles below 

 Quebec, three large rivers converge to the coast, and all 

 receive their customary families in the fall. The Mani- 

 quagan is the chief of these, being ascended during recent 

 years by as many as seventy families. Near and parallel 

 with this is the more difficult Outardes River, named 

 by the Indians Pletipi, " Partridge- water," from its chief 

 lake. Many of its hunters ascend the Maniquagan some 

 two hundred miles to the lakes, and cross to their own river 

 by a toilsome portage route. A few pass directly up the 

 Outardes. With the burden of provisions now necessary 

 to the hunting of these rivers, the way up such a difficult 

 stream as the Pletipi becomes peculiarly hard. Still, for 

 these people, whatever their age or condition, there is 

 little choice, inland they must go, to their own lands. 



A party on the way up river was camped above the first 

 portage a few years ago when the writer passed down. 

 A bright old withered woman appeared at the landing, 

 her husband, older and blind, standing close with his staff. 

 Two children showed their heads from the bushes near 

 the piled supplies, peering at the strange canoe. A small 

 dog barked not far away, a shot followed, and soon, carry- 

 ing a partridge, a young man came from that direction 

 and joined the conversation which our Indians had begun. 

 They were going to the large lake Pletipi on the head of 

 the river. It would take a long time, all the fall, and they 

 thought game to live on would be more plenty along the 

 Pletipishtuk than on the other river where so many families 

 travelled. They were cheerful enough, though with virtu- 

 ally only one effective pair of arms to fend for all. 



In a country of such scanty resources and physical 



