318 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



The chief of these loyal swampy Indians soon 

 made his appearance, and had a " pow-wow " with 

 Colonel Wolseley, being dismissed, after a lengthened 

 conversation, with presents of pork and flour. He 

 told us that although every one had long been ex- 

 pecting us, no news of our whereabouts had lately 

 reached him ; so that, until he saw the fleet coming 

 round the bend in the river, he was not aware that 

 our leading detachment had even reached Fort 

 Alexander. 



The Hudson Bay Company's officer from the 

 Lower Fort having been sent for, arrived in the 

 middle of the night, and corroborated this statement. 

 No one at Fort Garry, he said, expected us so soon, or 

 knew anything of our doings, further than that some 

 of our boats had been seen on the Lake of the Woods. 



An early start the following morning, the 23d of 

 August, enabled us to reach the Lower Fort in time 

 for breakfast. 



As we advanced towards it, the people turned out 

 from every house on both banks the men cheered, 

 the women waved handkerchiefs, and the bells of 

 the churches, which are all Protestant below Fort 

 Garry, were rung to manifest the universal joy felt 

 at seeing us. At some places numbers of Indians 

 were encamped, who welcomed us by the discharge 

 of firearms. As each man emerged from his wig- 

 wam, bang, bang, went his double -barrelled gun. 

 As we neared the Stone Fort the farms became 



