North-West Continent of America. 171 



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of the water : we killed one of them, and wounded the 



other, which was very small. We now landed, and the 

 Indians followed the wounded animal, which they soon 

 caught, and would have shot another in the woods, if our 

 dog, who followed them, had not disturbed it. From the 

 number of their tracks it appeared that they abounded in 

 this country. They are not so large as the elk of the 

 Peace River, but are the real red deer, which I never saw 

 in the North, though I have been told that they are to be 

 found in great numbers in the plains along the Red, or As- 

 siniboin River. The bark had been stripped off many of 

 the spruce-trees, and carried away, as I presumed, by the 

 natives, for the purpose of covering their cabins. We 

 now got the venison on board, and continued our voyage 

 South- West one mile, South a mile and an half, and West 

 one mile. Here the country changed its appearance ; the 

 banks were but of a moderate height, from whence the 

 ground continued gradually rising to a considerable dis- 

 tance, covered with poplars and cypresses, but without 

 any kind of underwood. There are also several low points 

 which the river, that is here about three hundred yards in 

 breadth, sometimes overflows, and are shaded with the 

 Hard, the soft birch, the spruce, and the willow. For 

 some distance before we came to this part of the river, our 

 view was confined within very rugged, irregular, and lofty 

 banks, which were varied with the poplar, different kinds 

 of spruce-fir, small birch-trees, cedars, alders, and several 

 species of the willow. Our next course was South- West 

 by West six miles, when we landed at a deserted house, 

 which was the only Indian habitation of this kind that I 

 had seen on this side of Mechilimakina* It was about 

 thirty feet long, and twenty wide, with three doors, three 

 feet high by one foot and an half in breadth. From this 

 and other circumstances, it appears to have been construct- 

 ed for three families. There were also three fire-places, 

 at equal distances from each other ; and the beds were on 

 either side of them. Behind the beds was a narrow space 

 in the form of a manger, and somewhat elevated, which 

 was appropriated to the purpose of keeping fish. The 

 wall of the house, which was five feet in height, was 

 formed of very strait spruce timbers, brought close to- 

 gether, and laid into each other at the corners. The roof 

 was supported by a ridge pole, resting on two upright forks 

 of about ten feet high ; that and the wall support a certain 



