A General History of the Fur Trade* 45 



ments, of which there are four principal ones. Both these 

 rivers are navigable for canoes to their source, without a 

 fall; though in some parts there are rapids, caused by occa- 

 sional beds of lime-stone, and gravel ; but in general they 

 are a sandy bottom. 



The Assiniboins, and some of the Fall, or Big-bellied 

 Indians, arc the principal inhabitants of this country, and 

 border on the river, occupying the centre part of it; that 

 next Lake Winipic, and about its source, being the station 

 of the Algonquins and Knisteneaux, who have chosen it in 

 preference to their own country. They do not exceed five 

 hundred families. They are not beaver hunters, which ac- 

 counts for their allowing the division just mentioned, as the 

 lower and upper parts of this river have those animals, which 

 are not found in the intermediate district* They confine 

 themselves to hunting the buffalo, and trapping wolves, 

 which cover the country. What they do not want of the 

 former for raiment and food, they sometimes make into 

 pemmican, or pounded meat, while they melt the fat, and 

 prepare the skins in their hair, for winter. The wolves 

 they never eat, but produce a tallow from their fat, and pre- 

 pare their skins ; all which they bring to exchange for arms 

 and ammunition, rum, tobacco, knives, and various baubles, 

 with those who go to traffic in their country. 



The Algonquins, and the Knisteneaux, on the contrary, 

 attend to the fur-hunting, so that they acquire the addition- 

 al articles of cloth, blankets, &c. but their passion for rum 

 often puts it out of their power to supply themselves with 

 real necessaries. 



The next river of magnitude is the river Dauphin, which 

 empties itself at the head of St. Martin's Bay, on the West 

 side of the Lake Winipic, latitude nearly 52. 15. North, 

 taking its source in the same mountains as the last-mentioned 

 river, as well as the Swan and Red- Deer River, the latter 

 passing through the lake of the same name, as well as the 

 former, and both continuing their course through the Ma- 

 nitoba Lake, which, from thence, runs parallel with Lake 

 Winipic, to within nine miles of the Red River, and by 

 what is called the river Dauphin, disembogues its waters, 

 as already described, into that lake. These rivers are very 

 rapid, and interrupted by falls, &c. the bed being generally 

 rocky. All this country, to the South branch of the Sas- 

 katchiwine, abounds in beaver, moose-deer, fallow-deer, 

 elks, bears, buffaloes, &c. The soil is good, and wherever 



