THE MESASKATOMINA BEERY. 



339 



They were preparing to cross the valley in the direction 

 of the Grand Coteau, following the buffalo. Their pro- 

 visions for trade, such as dried meat and pemmican, were 

 drawn by dogs, each bag of pemmican being supported 

 upon two long poles, which are shaft, body and wheels in 

 one. Buffalo Pound Hill Lake, sixteen miles long, begins 

 near the Moose Jaws Forks, and on the opposite or south 

 side of this long sheet of water, we saw eighteen tents and 

 a large number of horses. The women in those we visited 

 on our side of the valley and lake, had collected a great 

 quantity of the mesaskatomina berry which they were 

 drying. In gathering the mesaskatomina, which the In- 

 dians represented to be scarce in the valley of the 

 Qu'appelle, they break off the branches of the trees 

 loaded with fruit in order that they may collect the juicy 

 berries with greater ease to themselves, never thinking 

 that this practice continued from year to year must 

 diminish and ultimately extirpate the shrub which they 

 prize so highly, and which forms an important part of their 

 summer food. They announced the cheering intelligence 

 that the Chief Mis-tick-oos, with some thirty tents, was at 

 the Sandy Hills impounding buffalo. Leaving the hospita- 

 ble Crees after an excellent breakfast on pounded meat 

 and marrow fat, we arrived at Buffalo Pound Hill at noon. 

 The whole country here assumed a different appearance ; 

 it now bore resemblance to a stormy sea suddenly become 

 rigid ; the hills were of gravel and very abrupt, but none 

 exceeded 100 feet in height. The Coteau de Missouri, 

 particularly the "Dancing Point," is clearly seen from 

 Buffalo Pound Hill towards the south, while north-easterly 

 the last mountain of the Touchwood Hill Eange looms 

 grey or blue in the distance. Between these distant 

 ranges a treeless plain intervenes. 



Ponds and lakes are numerous on the Grand Coteau 



z 2 



