PEMICAN. 5? 



night of the 12th, and the weather eontinuing 

 very cold, it is not practicable yet to begin any 

 operations in farming. Though I see not as 

 yet any striking effects of my ministry among 

 the settlers, yet, I trust, some little outward 

 reformation has taken place, in the better ob- 

 servance of the Sabbath. 



May 2. — The rivers have broken up this 

 spring unusually late, and the ice is now 

 floating down in large masses. The settlers, 

 who went to Pembina and the plains, for 

 buffaloe meat in the Fall, are returning upon 

 rafts, or in canoes formed by hollowing the 

 large trunks of trees : many of them are as 

 improvident of to-morrow as the Indians, and 

 have brought with them no dried provisions 

 for the summer. This is not the case however 

 with the Scotch, who have been provident 

 enough to bring with them a supply of dried 

 meat and pemican for a future day. The dried 

 meat is prepared by cutting the flesh of the 

 buffaloe thin, and hanging it on stages of wood 

 to dry by the fire; and is generally tied in 

 bundles of fifty or forty pounds weight. It is 

 very rough, and tasteless, except a strong 

 flavour of the smoke. Pemican is made by 

 pounding the dried meat, and mixing it with 

 boiled fat, and is then put into bags made of 



