Indians 1 2 1 



his Indian name was Wagoosh, We slept at the 

 Kettle Falls, at the head of Racing Lake, and saw 

 there a great pow-vvow of Indians which was held 

 within a circle of birch-bark, three feet high and 

 about thirty across ; yelling and tambourine play- 

 ing, after the Arab fashion, the outer circle of 

 Indians jumping monotonously up and down with 

 bent knees, accompanying the performance with the 

 most dismal howls. There were some beautiful 

 rapids there, and the Indians had rigged out long, 

 slender stages over them, from the ends of which 

 they scooped up delicious white fish with exagger- 

 ated landing-nets with long and wonderfully elastic 

 handles. Five years ago a disease broke out among 

 the rabbits and destroyed them by millions from 

 Labrador to the Rocky Mountains, and, in conse- 

 quence, the Indians have been hard put to it for 

 food and clothing. The latter they made by cutting 

 up the rabbit skins into long strips and plaiting 

 them together, whereby they got most deliciously 

 warm and soft robes. 



' On the 6th we ran down Racing Lake, low shores 

 covered with forest, to Fort Frances, a Hudson's 

 Bay post prettily situated by a fine rapid. Fine 

 Indians, in full fig, were lounging about, and plenty 

 of handsome half-caste girls were to be seen. The 

 Indian face painting is according to individual fancy, 

 and consequently infinitely various ; the popular 

 taste seems to incline towards a general good rub 

 over of bright yellow, with streaks and narrow black 



