122 DOWN THE PEACE RIVER 



the mouth of Deep River which connects La Crosse and Clear- 

 water lakes. Here we were compelled to remain all day owing 

 to the gale which blew directly up the river. 



To make matters worse, our provisions were exhausted and 

 we could not set our net owing to the wind. Forty miles still lay 

 between us and Isle-a-la-Crosse, but plenty of fish were to be had 

 if we could only reach their haunts. One of the men went out to 

 hunt and shot a partridge and came in and prepared it for the pot. 

 To add to the flavor of the bouillon, he put the pemmican into the 

 pot and boiled it with the partridge. This was the fare for seven 

 of us. 



The wind fell during the night and in the morning we started 

 for Clearwater Lake, but found the wind still dead ahead so we 

 were compelled to stop at the entrance to the lake, but ran into 

 a sheltered bay and set our net. We set the net safely and in a 

 short time, we had caught eight fine white fish. At once they 

 were made ready for the pot and, Indian fashion, were cut down 

 the back and thrown in the pot. After boiling the proper time, 

 they were not served up but eaten exactly as I had seen Indians 

 on Lake Superior eat, six years before. I thought it such a pecu- 

 liar way of eating fish that I always brought it in in my lectures, 

 when I was speaking about Lake Superior — we all sat around the 

 pot and each man, when the bouillon cooled enough, would dip 

 in his hand and take out the fish, and we all rejoiced. 



On Tuesday morning, September 21st, we sailed up the lake 

 with a steady breeze and, late in the afternoon, when looking for- 

 ward, saw two points covered with aspen. They ran out into the 

 lake on either hand; ahead, the lake extended from these points 

 and was lost in the distance. The placid water, the bright sun- 

 shine, the rounded outline of the land, the deciduous leaves of 

 the forest trees touched with the first tints of autumn, inter- 

 spersed with pyramidal spruce, made a scene seldom seen except 

 by the wanderer in distant lands. 



When I reached the fort, I was heartily welcomed by Mr. 

 MacMurray, the officer in charge of the establishment, and I 

 learned from him that the only way I could reach Green Lake 

 would be by taking passage with Edward Big Belly, who had 



