THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION. 297 



like two white hairs. They flew in a regular column, 

 closely formed up, without any stragglers to the right 

 or left, which opened out with a sort of tactical regu- 

 larity when a boat pushed into its midst. At a little 

 distance they had all the appearance of a driving fall 

 of snow. The pressure from above caused vast num- 

 bers of them to strike the Avater, from which they had 

 not the power to rise again. 



AVe had not been many hours drifting along when 

 black clouds came up and hid the moon ; the wind 

 freshened and brought heavy rain with it, which 

 soon wet us through. AVe were making no way ; 

 and it became so pitchy dark that steering Avas im- 

 possible. T\"e had therefore to push into shore, and 

 aAvait daybreak as best Ave could. 



"\Te reached the mouth of the riA r er next day in 

 time for breakfast at a small Hudson Bay post, for- 

 merly called Hungry Hall, from the number of men 

 who had from time to time nearly died from star- 

 A'ation Avhilst quartered there. It has now been 

 renamed Fort Louisa by the Company, and, it is 

 expected, Avill become shortly a post of some in> 

 portance, being so advantageously situated upon Avhat 

 will henceforth be, until a railway is opened, the 

 highway for Xorth-western emigration. Close to the 

 post is an Indian burial-ground, where there were 

 some coffins raised in the air on platforms about six 

 feet high : chiefs only and their sons are thus 

 honoured after death. Around the post are many 



