House where the voyageurs intended to stay for a short time. 

 A great number of Indians were gathered around ihe fort ti eat- 

 ing with the Company. The news had travelled in advance of 

 the party that a white woman from France was to arrive with 

 them and would very soon be at Cumberland House. This 

 excited their curiosity greatly; they had a thousand questions 

 to ask as to whether she was different from the Indian women ; 

 if she was good or wicked, and if she would be able to talk 

 to them. 



Belgrade, who had reached the Fort ahead of his com- 

 panions, told these savages that the French woman was good 

 but that she was very learned in medicines and that if any 

 one offended her she had the power to cause their death by 

 merely looking at them. In a few minutes the whole camp 

 had been told of this wonderful peculiarity and they all de- 

 termined to do their best to gain the French woman's favor- 

 able regard. Speeches and presents were prepared and when 

 Madame Lajimoniere arrived at the camp they paid her great 

 homage. Every one tried to shew themselves at their best 

 before her. " Have pity on us," they said, " we only wish to 

 look at you," and they took an unspeakable pleasure in gaz- 

 ing at her. Madame Lajimoniere was far from being with- 

 out charms, her features were regular and her skin was very 

 white, the savages who had never seen any person fairer than 

 their own dark companions thought her marvellously beautiful 

 and shewed an extraordinary respect to her. 



After a week's rest the travellers continued their journey 

 towards the Fort of the Prairies. One night when they were 

 late in camping they had tied their canoes to the willows on 

 the band and had lighted a large fire near the water's edge, 

 where they found some fallen trees. After supper the men 

 were chatting together around a pile of wood, Belgrade, 

 Chalifou, Paquin and Lajimoniere were sitting between the 

 river and some dry timber which they had gathered together, 

 and a man named Bouvier, who had joined them en route, sat 

 alone on the other side of the fire. At a little distance Ma- 

 dame Lajimoniere and the other women were preparing the 

 tents for the night when all at once Bouvier gave a cry of 

 distress and called to his companions to help him. 



At the first shout each hunter seized his gun and prepared 

 to defend himself against the attack of an enemy ; they hur- 

 ried to the other side of the ditch to see what was the matter 

 with Bouvier and what he was struggling with. They had 



