PREPARATIONS FOR THE NIGHT. 



365 



searching for when sketching the position of the erratics in 

 the valley. 



Now and then a fine buffalo bull would appear at the 

 brow of the hill forming the boundary of the prairie, gaze 

 at us for a few minutes and gallop off. The buffalo were 

 crossing the South Branch a few miles below us in great 

 numbers, and at night, by putting the ear to the ground, 

 we could hear them bellowing. Towards evening we all 

 arrived at the South Branch, built a fire, gummed the 

 canoe, which had been sadly damaged by a journey of 

 700 miles across the prairies, and hastened to make a dis- 

 tribution of the supplies for a canoe voyage down that 

 splendid river. We were not anxious to camp at the 

 mouth of " the Eiver that Turns," in consequence of a war 

 party of Blackfeet who were said to be in the neighbour- 

 hood of the Cree camp, watching for an opportunity to 

 steal horses, and if possible to "lift a scalp." 



The Indians who had accompanied us hastened to join 

 their friends as soon as they saw we were ready to em- 

 bark, and just as the sun set, the canoe containing Mr. 

 Fleming and myself, with two half-breeds, pushed off from 

 the shore ; the remainder of the party in charge of the 

 old hunter, retired from the river with the carts and horses 

 to camp in the open prairie, where they would be able to 

 guard against a surprise by the Blackfeet, or the thieving 

 propensities of treacherous Crees. Great precautions 

 were undoubtedly necessary, as sure signs had been ob- 

 served within three miles of the Sandy Hills, proving that 

 a war party of Blackfeet were skulking about. The 

 Crees, always accustomed when on the South Branch to 

 their attacks, merely adopted the precaution of posting 

 watchers on the highest dunes, about a mile from their 

 camp, but in accordance with the friendly advice of Mis- 

 tick-oos, we embarked at this late hour in the evening 



