DOWN THE PEACE RIVER 121 



southern end of the portage before I embarked for Isle-a-la-Crosse. 

 The men were anxious to be off as they had only three days' pro- 

 visions and it would take a week to get to our destination. I got 

 five days' provisions from Mr. King, but, as soon as I learned that 

 the men were on short rations, I put mine into the common stock. 



My present companions could all speak English, the greater 

 number having been brought up in Manitoba. After poling down 

 a little river about two miles, we stopped for dinner and here was 

 an old half-breed who fished and raised potatoes. I bought some 

 potatoes and fish and we went a short distance further and camped 

 under the lee of a point. 



On the 1 5th, it was quite mild and pleasant and felt almost 

 like summer and, shortly after, we passed into the Methye Lake and 

 the outlet of the lake was full of white-fish apparently going up- 

 stream. We had supper at Buffalo House on Buffalo Lake and, 

 after supper, the wind being fair, we embarked and sailed steadily 

 on until 4 a.m., when, the wind failing, we put ashore. After 

 sunrise, a head wind sprang up with which we battled all day and 

 reached the "Narrows," that connect Buffalo and Clearwater lakes, 

 before dark. Chipewyan House is situated at the eastern end of 

 the "Narrows" and at the head of Clearwater Lake. Here the 

 Chipewyans have built themselves a number of houses. The 

 evening we arrived there, one old fellow named Edward Big Belly, 

 was making a table and appeared quite an expert with the plane 

 and chisel. 



Our supper, that night, was somewhat peculiar. I sat at the 

 table and ate fish and potatoes with a knife and fork. The men 

 sat on the floor and ate them with their fingers. Old Edward 

 Big Belly, with his wife, sat in a corner eating pemmican, while 

 all around on the floor were Indians smoking and staring at the 

 eaters. The Chipewyan women looked more like men than their 

 husbands. Of course, the former do all the work, while the latter 

 only eat and smoke. 



Sept. 19th. The head wind of the night before detained us at 

 the House and, in the morning, our prospects were no brighter; the 

 wind being still strong from the same quarter. Early in the 

 afternoon, we started and, shortly after, were wind-bound again at 



