THE VOYAGE ACROSS THE LAKE 173 



crew blazed away with their rifles, doing no damage 

 whatever. The Loons turned away from these unholy 

 callers, and were none the worse, but wiser. 



"This scene was repeated many times during the 

 voyage. When the Loons are on the water the Ind- 

 ians toll them by flashing a tin pan from the bushes 

 behind which the toller hides till the bird is in range. 

 I saw many clever tollings but I did not see a Loon 

 killed. 



"July 19. — I got up at 4, talked strong talk, so actu- 

 ally got away at 5.30. Plenty grumbling, many meals 

 to-day, with many black looks and occasional remarks 

 in English: 'Grub no good.' Three days ago these 

 men were starving on one meal a day, of fish and bad 

 flour; now they have bacon, dried venison, fresh fish, 

 fresh game, potatoes, flour, baking powder, tea, coffee, 

 milk, sugar, molasses, lard, cocoa, dried apples, rice, 

 oatmeal, far more than was promised, all ad libitum, 

 and the best that the H. B. Co. can supply, and yet they 

 grumble. There is only one article of the food store 

 to which they have not access; that is a bag of beans 

 which I am reserving for our own trip in the north 

 where weight counts for so much. Beaulieu smiles 

 when I speak to him, but I know he is at the bottom 

 of all this mischief. To day they made 6 meals and 

 17 miles — this is magnificent. 



"About 7.30 a pair of Wild Geese (Canada) appeared 

 on a bay. The boys let off a whoop of delight and 

 rushed on them in canoe and in boat as though these 

 were their deadliest enemies. I did not think much of 

 it until I noticed that the Geese would not fly, and it 



