252 A DAINTY DISH. 



ing birds of the pie species, which the Indians name 

 moose birds, perched on the cedar boughs above our hut, 

 made numerous attacks on the tobogin wherein we had 

 stored our venison. But the dogs whom we had ap- 

 pointed as its custodians, kept careful watch, and persever- 

 ingly drove away the winged robbers. At intervals the 

 captain and I fired several shots at them ; but as we had 

 only bullets, and not a grain of lead in our stores, to hit 

 them was a difficult matter. The bullet often broke the 

 branch on which they were perched, but the moose birds 

 coolly flew away to another tree, renewing their fright- 

 ful uproar with angry vivacity. 



The next day we started at an early "hour, so that before 

 noon we reached Mr. Joassin's mansion, where we did 

 not sojourn longer than was necessary, or rather indis- 

 pensable. 



The landlord of the " King George" Hotel, where we 

 halted in the course of the afternoon, received us with 

 enthusiasm. He taught us the high favour bestowed by 

 professors of the culinary art upon the deer's muzzle 

 two specimens of which were included among the trea- 

 sures of our tobogins. In fact, the upper lip of the elk, 

 to which the nose adheres, grows to an enormous size, 

 and when treated like turtle-flesh, forms a dish of the 

 greatest delicacy. Among Canadian gourmands, this plat 

 of venison is even more esteemed than the green turtle 

 of the seas of the South. 



When we passed in front of the terrible precipice in 

 whose vicinity our vehicle had capsized on the Loretto 



