306 THE DRAMA OF THE FORESTS 



Pemmican, though little used nowadays, was formerly the 

 mainstay of the voyageurs. It was made of the flesh of buffalo, 

 musk-ox, moose, caribou, wapiti, beaver, rabbit, or ptarmigan; 

 and for ordinary use was composed of 66 per cent, of dried meat 

 pounded fine to 34 per cent, of hard fat boiled and strained. 

 A finer quality of pemmican for officers or travellers was com- 

 posed of 60 per cent, of dried meat pounded extra fine and 

 sifted; 33 per cent, of grease taken from marrow bones boiled 

 and strained; 5 per cent, of dried Saskatoon berries; 2 per cent, 

 of dried choke cherries, and sugar according to taste. The 

 pounded meat was placed in a large wooden trough and, being 

 spread out, hot grease was poured over it and then stirred until 

 thoroughly mixed with the meat. Then, after first letting it 

 cool somewhat, the whole was packed into leather bags, and, 

 with the aid of wooden mallets, driven down into a solid mass, 

 when the bags were sewn up and flattened out and left to cool ; 

 during the cooling precaution was taken to turn the bags every 

 five minutes to prevent the grease settling too much to one side. 

 Pemmican was packed 50, 80, or 100 lb. in a bag — according 

 to the difficulty of transporting it through the country in 

 which it was to be used. The best pemmican was made from 

 buffalo meat, and 2 lb. of buffalo pemmican was considered 

 equal to 2\ lb. of moose or 3 lb. of caribou pemmican. 



Later, a cool sunset breeze from over the water blew the little 

 tormentors away, and then it was that those swarthy men en- 

 joyed their rest. After supper some made bannock batter in 

 the mouths of flour-sacks, adding water, salt, and baking 

 powder. This they worked into balls and spread out in sizzling 

 pans arranged obliquely before the fire with a bed of coals at the 

 back of each. It was an enlivening scene. Great roaring fires 

 sent glowing sparks high into the still night air, lighting up the 

 trees with their intense glare, and casting weird shadows upon 

 the surrounding tents and bushes. Picturesque, wild-looking 

 men laughed, talked, and gesticulated at one another. A few 



