12 



monuments of the earnest zeal and tireless efforts of Arch- 

 deacon Cochrane. I had seen the " Tepees " of far off tribes 

 who had come to Fort Garry to trade, had laughed with our 

 own Crees and Ojibways, who stood on the bank, at the 

 unsuccessful attempt of two Plain Crees to cioss the Red 

 River in a bark canoe, these children uf the prairie, whose 

 home is on horseback, having no use for nor acquaintance 

 with the paddle ; had seen the Plain hunters come back with 

 their loads of pemmican, dried meat, and the fiesh of the 

 buffaloes last seen by the returning brigades ; had eaten of 

 the Mairowfat and Berry pemmican, and oh, greater gustatory 

 joy than all else, had partaken of the delicious hump, the 

 odor and taste of which are still fr&7?h in my memory after 

 three and thirty years. The falling leaves and^autumn tints 

 of October 1860 reminded me, however, that I must leave for 

 the winter this land of plenty and promise ; and as the 

 steamers had long since ceased to run, I began preparing for 

 the trip which I am about to describe. 



This road or trail, called by those at this end of it " The 

 Crow Wing Trail," and at the other "The Old Red River 

 Trail," was one which had been used for many years ; and 

 while our Metis and Crees were at war with the Sioux, it was 

 considered both safer and shorter than the one on the west 

 side of the River, until Fort Abercrombie was built; and even 

 then was often used, as being less open to prairie fires, with 

 better wood for encampments and high gravelly ridges to 

 render part of it at least almost as good as a turnpike road 

 Its drawbacks were the many streams, eastern affluents of the 

 Red River, which had to be forded, some of them, like the 

 Red Lake River, being after heavy rains very formidable 

 obstacles to loaded or even light carts. It was a favoi'ite 

 land route with Sir George Simpson, who died the year I first 

 traversed it ; and James McKay, his trusty and trusted voy- 

 ageur, known to the English and French settlers as "Jeemie," 

 and to the Sioux as " Jimichi," who was to become a member 

 of the Leo'islative Council of Manitoba on the recommendation 



