260 NARRATIVE OF THE EXPEDITION. 



Trade. The Odjibwas were led from Chegoimegon, in Lake Supe- 

 rior, by two noted cliiefs, called Nokay and Bains wah, under whom 

 they drove the Sioux from the region of Sandy Lake and the 

 source of the Mississippi. {Ethmological Researches^ vol. ii. p. 135.) 



Another party of this Algonquin force, which conquered the 

 country lying round the sources of the Mississippi, proceeded 

 through the Turtle River to Red Lake, and thence descended into 

 the valley of the Red River of Hudson's Bay, where their 

 descendants still reside. Large portions of these mingled with 

 the Canadian stock, forming that remarkable people called Bois- 

 brules. These advanced parties pressed into the buffalo plains, 

 along the Rivers Assinabwoin and Saskatchawine, which is the 

 ultimate western area of the spread of the Algonquin language. 

 And to this migration the Blackfeet are believed to be indebted 

 for the intermixture of this language which exists, and which 

 Mr. Gallatin has erroneously supposed to arise from original ele- 

 ments, in the Blackfeet tongue. 



This lake yields in abundance the corregonus albus, a fish 

 which is unknown to the Mississippi, and which delights only, 

 it appears, in very limpid and cold waters. 



I found the population living at this lake to be eight hundred 

 and thirty-two souls, under three chiefs, the Quelle Plat, Nesia, or 

 the Elder Brother, and Chianoquet, or the Big Cloud, the latter 

 of whom is exclusively a war chief. Having dined these chiefs 

 at my tent, and finished my business, and the vaccinations and 

 very numerous cases of odontalgia being got through with, I 

 directed my canoes to be put in the water, with the view of going 

 a few miles down the shore, in order to get a quiet night's 

 encampment, and be ready for an early start on the morrow. It 

 was near the hour of sunset before we could embark. Aiskebug- 

 gekozh came down to the boat to take leave of rae. He was 

 dressed, on this occasion (liaving been in Indian costume all the 

 morning), in a blue military frock coat, with scarlet collar and 

 cuffs, white underclothes, a ruffled shirt, shoes and stockings, and 

 a citizen's hat. He was accompanied by Nesia and other fol- 

 lowers, and it appeared to me if there ever was a person who 

 had popular and undisputable claims to imperial sway, notwith- 

 standing this poor taste in costume, it was he. 



We went about five miles in the general direction towards 



