A SOJOTTBir AMONG THE HALF-BEEEDS. 129 



white men in the Hudson's Bay Company's employment and the 

 native Indian women. They all speak the Cree language and the 

 Lower Canadian patois ; they are governed by a chief named Grant, 

 much after the manner of the Indian tribes. He has presided over 

 them now for a long period, and was implicated in the disturbances 

 which occurred between the Hudson Bay and North West Companies. 

 He was brought to Canada charged with the murder of Governor 

 Semple, but no sufficient evidence could be produced against him. 



The Half-breeds are a very hardy race of men, capable of endu- 

 ring the greatest hardships and fatigues ; their Indian propensities 

 predominate, and, consequently, they make poor farmers, neglecting 

 their land for the more exciting pleasures of the chase. Their 

 buffalo hunts are conducted by the whole tribe and take place twice 

 a year — about the middle of June and October, at which periods 

 notice is sent round to all the families to meet at a certain day on the 

 "White Horse plain, about twenty miles from Fort Garry. Here the 

 tribe is divided into three bands, each taking a separate route for the 

 purpose of falling in with the herds of buffaloes. These bands are 

 each accompanied by about five hundred carts, drawn by either an ox 

 or a horse. Their cart is a curious looking vehicle, made by themselves 

 with their axes, and fastened together with wooden pins and leather 

 strings — nails not being procurable. The tire of the wheel is made 

 of buffalo hide and put on wet. When it becomes d*y it shrinks and 

 is so tight that it never falls off, and lasts as long as the cart holds 

 together. 



I arrived at Port Garry about three days after the Half-breeds 

 had departed, but as I was very anxious to witness buffalo hunting, 

 I procured a guide, a cart for my tent, &c, and a saddle-horse for my- 

 self and started after one of the bands. "We travelled that day about 

 thirty miles and encamped in the evening on a beautiful plain covered 

 with innumerable small roses. The next day was anything but 

 pleasant, as our route lay through a marshy tract of country, in which 

 we were obliged to strain all the water we drank through a piece of 

 cloth on account of the numerous insects, some of which were ac- 

 counted highly dangerous, and are said to have the power of eating 

 through the coats of the stomach and causing death even to horses. 

 The next day I arrived at the Pambinaw River and found the band 

 cutting poles which they are obliged to carry with them to dry the 

 meat on, as after leaving this no more timbered land is met with 

 until the three bands meet together again at the Turtle mountain, 

 where the meat they have taken and dried on the route is made into 

 pimmikon. This process is conducted in the following manner : The 



