BUFFALO POUND HILL LAKE. 



341 



ride round the lake but in the wrong direction, so that 

 the chance of their overtaking us was highly doubtful. 

 This magnificent sheet of water, never less than half 

 a mile broad and sixteen miles long, shadowed forth what 

 the Qu'appelle valley might become if a river like the 

 Saskatchewan could be made to flow through it. As we 

 neared the height of land, the physical structure of this 

 great valley became a deeply interesting and almost 

 exciting subject of inquiry. So far it had preserved its 

 breadth and depth with astonishing uniformity all the 

 way from the Mission, and we were within forty miles of 

 the South Branch of the Saskatchewan. The hill banks 

 of the river now became clothed with shrubs again, and 

 the ash-leaved maple and elm appeared in the ravines, 

 sustained, no doubt, by the presence of so large a body 

 of water as Buffalo Pound Hill Lake. 



Towards evening we arrived at another Cree encamp- 

 ment, where we were again hospitably treated to beaten 

 buffalo meat and marrow fat. Birch bark dishes full of 

 that nutritious but not very tempting food were placed on 

 the ground before us and we were requested to partake 

 of it. The Indians took a piece of the pounded meat in 

 their fingers and dipped it into the soft marrow. A hunt- 

 ing knife which I employed for the same purpose excited 

 their admiration, and after allowing them to examine it, 

 I placed it as I thought securely in my coat pocket ; on the 

 following morning, however, the knife was not to be found, 

 nor did I ever see it again. They were delighted to 

 receive a small present of tea and tobacco, and while 

 I was engaged in the tent with the men, the girls, children 

 and old women assembled round the carts asking if we 

 had any rum, and snuffed the boxes and bags containing 

 provisions, in search of that odoriferous stimulant. We 

 left our hospitable friends in the evening and camped 



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