INDIAN CANOES ON LAKE WINNIPEG. 



481 



After remaining here about two hours we proceeded 

 on our journey. On rounding the point we found the 

 wind on the east side of it blowing directly in our teeth, 

 and it required the utmost exertions for two hours to 

 force the canoe against a high gale and stormy sea, until 

 we got into the lee of a small island, it being impossible 

 to land on the main shore. The canoe leaked and shipped 

 so much water during this traverse, that in order to 

 lighten her we were compelled to throw overboard some 

 of the heavier of our geological specimens. It was with 

 great regret I saw one of them, a very large and fine 

 orthoceratite, consigned to the deep. 



On the island we found part of the Indian band, but 

 the. greater portion were hurrying on to the Little Sas- 

 katchewan to get fish, as they had nothing to eat. We 

 saw them in the distance, battling against the wind and 

 sea, their little canoes like specks tossing among the 

 swells and breakers. The occupants of some of the 

 canoes were only women and children; one canoe was 

 paddled by two Indian women and two little boys eight 

 or nine years of age ; they, especially, would have hard 

 work in reaching the mouth of the river. The Indians 

 remaining on the island were chiefly the more feeble of the 

 party, and being ravenously hungry they were all in the 

 marshes busily engaged in pulling up and eating the roots 

 of bulrushes. The storm increased towards evening, and 

 we were obliged to camp on the island ourselves. 



August 30th. — Although the unfavourable wind had 

 diminished but little this morning, we plied our paddles 

 so well, and made such good headway against it, that we 

 entered the mouth of the Little Saskatchewan or Dauphin 

 Eiver about 11 a.m. We tracked up the river to the 

 Indian encampment, about four miles from its mouth, for 

 the purpose of procuring fish, and found the Indians at 



VOL. I. I I 



