PRELIMINARY QMERTATKNUl 21 



Fond du Lac, in 182G, invested him with a silver medal, " What 

 need I of this I It ■ known whence i am descended." 



But there is no space for these reminiscences. Many scat- 

 tered parties of Chippewas were encountered east of this point, 

 i o t e rip of i cd with the loaded boats of the traders, bringing out 

 their annual returns. Some of the parties were bound to the 

 British post of Penetanguishine, others, to St. Mary's or Michi- 

 limackinae. Chi Waithki, the chief above alluded to, was met 

 at Kew eena, on his way to visit the Agency. He expressed his 

 regret that the agent would not be there, evinced a strong inter- 

 est in the object of the expedition, and presented a peace-pipe, 

 as the evidence of his friendship. At the mouth of the river 

 Brule, a small party of the Chippewas was encountered, from 

 the sources of the Mississippi. It turned out to be the family 

 of Ozawindib, one of the principal Chippewas, from Cass Lake. 

 He was persuaded to return, and proved himself to be a trusty 

 and experienced guide through the most remote and difficult 

 parts of the route. 



The expedition entered the mouth of the St. Louis river on 

 the 23d of June. The ascent of this stream is attended with 

 separate portages of nine, and of three miles. There is, finally, 

 a portage of six miles across a sandy tract, which separates the 

 Lake Superior from the Mississippi waters, making 18 miles of 

 land carriage. The other portions of the route consist of rapid 

 water, much of which is shallow and interspersed with sharp 

 rocks, requiring both strength and dexterity in the men to man- 

 age the canoes, and to repair them when injured. A part of 

 the summit portage, immediately after quitting the Savanne 

 river, consists of bocr, the sod of which being cut through, it 

 becomes necessary to wade in a pathway of mud and water, 

 portions of which, are mid-thigh deep. The entire distance 

 from Lake Superior to the Mississippi, estimating from water to 

 water, is 150 miles. The expedition spent about ten days on 

 this part of the route, and reached the trading house of Mr. 

 Aitkin, on the banks of the Mississippi, on the 3rd of July. It 



