THE GRAND COTEAU DE MISSOURI. 335 



by Long Lake, or Last Mountain Lake, forty miles in 

 length, and from one-half to two miles broad, being in 

 fact an exact counterpart of the Qu'appelle Valley and 

 Lakes. It is narrow, deep, filled throughout with water, 

 and is said to inosculate with the South Branch of the 

 Saskatchewan, some miles below the Elbow. In its gene- 

 ral aspect Last Mountain Lake is similar to the Fishing 

 Lakes. A rapid, winding stream, 30 feet broad, runs 

 from it into the Qu'appelle. Both valleys are of uniform 

 breadth and depth, and very little narrower than, when 

 united, they form the main valley of the Qu'appelle river. 

 From the Grand Forks to the Souris Forks (Elbow Bone 

 Creek) the country is treeless, slightly undulating and 

 poor. The . Indians say that the Souris Eiver of the 

 Qu'appelle, coming from the Grand Coteau de Missouri, 

 inosculates with an arm of the Souris of the Assinniboine 

 before described, and that a canoe in high water might 

 pass from one river to the other without a portage. If 

 this be the case, the diversion of the waters of the South 

 Branch down the Qu'appelle valley would acquire addi- 

 tional importance, and give value to an immense extent 

 of territory, now comparatively inaccessible, and very in- 

 sufficiently watered. 



A few miles west of the Souris Forks the Qu'appelle is 

 19 feet wide and 1\ feet deep y but the great valley is still 

 a mile broad and 200 feet deep. Here on the 25th we 

 caught a glimpse of the blue outline of the Grand Coteau, 

 with a treeless plain between us and the nearest part which 

 is called the " Dancing Point of the Grand Coteau ; " 

 and has long been distinguished for the " medicine cere- 

 monies " which are celebrated there. After passing these 

 forks, the country is more undulating, small hills begin to 

 show themselves ; the general character of the soil is light 

 and poor ; the herbage consists of short tufted buffalo 



