74 " RUBBIBOO." 



but he had some potatoes, and with these and some pemmican 

 a dish was manufactured called "rubbiboo." The recipe is 

 simple ; and I will give it here for the benefit of housekeepers. 

 You take as much pemmican as you think will be eaten, and 

 having thawed it at the fire, you beat it up into fibres and put 

 it into a frying-pan with some grease. You then take some 

 boiled potatoes, and mash them up with a fork, and stir them 

 in, adding salt and pepper to taste, and the result is "rubbi- 

 boo.-" Eaten hot, and taking care to be very hungry, it is not 

 bad, and the hungrier you are the better it will be. 



On the evening of our arrival Mr. L got up a ball for 



us, the company consisting of about twelve or fourteen half- 

 breed women, and about twice that number of men half-breeds 



and Indians and his wife and himself, Mrs. L being the 



only white woman present. The ball began at 7 P.M., the illu- 

 minations being sundry saucers of fish-oil with wicks in them, 

 and the refreshments consisting of a glass of whiskey and water 

 all round and tea. I have certainly seen more beauty and more 

 elaborate dresses, but I never saw a dance kept up with more 

 spirit. I began rather diffidently, but soon warmed up, and I 

 think I jumped as high and made as much noise as the others, 

 which seemed to be all that was required. The dancing was 

 kept up till midnight, by which time I was utterly worn out, 

 and very glad to turn into my buffalo-bag. I have for- 

 gotten to say that the event of the evening was having a dance 

 with Mrs. L , who kindly gave each of us one turn round 

 the room, and as there were nearly thirty of us, this was no 



small undertaking. The steps were extraordinary ; Mrs. L 



valsed, and her partners ran round her, or jumped round, as 

 the fancy took them. A good many Indians were present who 



