110 PRAIRIE AND FOREST. 



assuming the responsibility of providing us with breakfast. 

 I cannot help here mentioning a little episode which, 

 although it had not the appetising effect of Worcester 

 sauce, chutney, a squeeze of lemon, or other familiar 

 auxiliaries, still had its influence on our then pleading 

 stomachs. Sun-fish was destined for the standing dish, 

 and as the good old squaw had a very small frying pan 

 and a large stock of the above finny treasures to operate 

 upon, it behoved her to make several cookings ; and, to 

 prevent the results of her first efforts getting cold while 

 the second lot were undergoing culinary operations, the 

 aged matron, with a talent that denoted great skill in 

 adapting herself immediately to circumstances, snatched a 

 very battered and greasy straw-hat off the head of one of 

 the filthiest youngsters, and made it do duty for dish- 

 cover. Of course, any squeamishnees would have been a 

 base return for the anxiety displayed that we should not 

 eat our morning repast cold. An hour afterwards wo were 

 all en route, throe buoyant, graceful birch-barks trans- 

 ferring the party, which was now augmented to ten, and 

 three half-fed hounds, to the opposite beach. 



Well, all that forenoon to mid-day wo tramped, tramped, 

 tramped; the only alteration in tho performance being an 

 occasional halt, when an acute observation of some sign 

 would cause comments from all parties, excepting we two 

 pale-faces. First, it would be a broken twig ; next, an 

 indentation of the ground; and thirdly, what would not 

 have appeared to the uninitiated a rarity in sheep pastures. 

 Although this was all Greek to us, we determined to look 

 knowing, say nothing, and possibly, like many another 



