34 



Harmon's journal. 



or stone wall, which is still to be seen. Behind 

 this, these villains secreted themselves ; and, when 

 the voyagers were passing by, discharged volleys 

 of shot into their canoes, and of course, as the dis- 

 tance was small, killed many of them. They 

 would then rush from their hiding place, and fall 

 upon and butcher the remainder, and go off with 

 the plunder, which they had thus seized, into 

 a distant part of the country. But the bet- 

 ter sort of their countrymen, would not join 

 them in such barbarous and unprovoked hostilities. 

 At length the good Indians, who were well dispos- 

 ed towards the white people from Canada, pro- 

 nounced these murderers a nuisance to society, and 

 made war upon them, until the greater part of 

 them were destroyed. The few that survived, 

 retired into a distant part of the country, and no- 

 thing has since been heard, respecting them. The 

 friendly Indians, for their exertions in extirpating 

 their unworthy relations, were handsomely re- 

 warded by the North West Company. 



The Canadian Voyagers, when they leave one 

 stream to go up or down another, have a custom 

 of pulling off their hats, and making the sign of the 

 cross, upon which one in each canoe, or at least, in 

 each brigade, repeats a short prayer. The same 

 ceremonies are observed by them, whenever they 

 pass a place, where any one has been interred, and 



