THE TEIP TO WAHPOOSKOW 139 



down," given in our honour by the local community. It 

 took place in a building put up by a Mr. George, an Eng- 

 lish catechist of the Mission; a solid structure of logs of 

 some length, the roof poles being visible above the peeled 

 beams. On one of these five or six candles were alight, fas- 

 tened to it by simply sticking them into some melted tallow. 

 There were two fiddlers and a crowd of half-breeds, of elders, 

 youths, girls and matrons, the latter squatting on the floor 

 with their babes in moss-bags, dividing the delights of the 

 evening between nursing and dancing, both of which were 

 conducted with the utmost propriety. Indeed, it was inter- 

 esting to see so many pretty women and well-behaved men 

 brought together in this out-of-the-world place. The dances 

 were the customary reels, and, of course, the Eed Eiver Jig. 

 I was sorry, however, to notice a so-called improvement upon 

 this historic dance ; that is to say, they doubled the numbers 

 engaged in it, and called it " The Wahpooskow Jig." It 

 seemed a dangerous innovation; and the introduction later 

 on of a cotillon with the usual dreary and mechanical calls 

 filled one with additional forebodings. We almost heard 

 " the first low wash of waves where soon shall flow a human 

 sea." But aside from such newfangled features, there was 

 nothing to criticise. The fiddling was good, and the dancing 

 was good, showing the usual expertness, in which perform- 

 ance the women stooped their shoulders gracefully, and bent 

 their brows modestly upon the floor, whilst the men vied 

 with each other in the admirable and complicated variety of 

 their steps. In fact, it was an evening very agreeably spent, 

 and not the less so from its primitive environment. After 

 joining in a reel of eight, we left the scene with reluctance, 

 the memorable Jig suddenly striking on our ears as we 

 wended our way in the darkness to our camp. 



As regards farming land in the region, for a long way 

 inland Mr. Weaver and others described it as of the like 

 good quality as at the Mission, but with much muskeg. It 

 is difficult to estimate the extent of the latter, for, being 



