490 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. 



upon his prey, when he was fortunately brought down 

 with our last charge of shot. He proved to be a large 

 bird with magnificent plumage ; a Cree or Blackfoot 

 would have given a good horse for his wings or tail. By 

 eating nearly every portion of the animal, except his fea- 

 thers, we managed to make him serve for two or three 

 meals. 



The wind moderated sufficiently at last to permit us to 

 resume our journey, but we had a fatiguing paddle for 

 two hours in crossing Kinwow Bay. The extremity of 

 this long arm of the lake was below our horizon, and the 

 wind came sweeping out of it in great squalls. The 

 wind veered round to the east and stopped us again 

 about noon at the Wicked Point, where we spent the 

 afternoon in drying our clothes and blankets, and gather- 

 ing sand cherries. 



September 1(M. — The wind fell and allowed us to 

 reach Pike Head yesterday morning. We at once 

 ascended the Pike or Jack-Fish Eiver to the "basket" 

 or weir erected across it by the Indians, about half a mile 

 from its mouth, for the purpose of procuring fish. The 

 basket was much broken, and when we arrived, was 

 covered with turkey-buzzards waiting to pounce on any 

 fish that might get entangled in its meshes. By repairing 

 the basket and watching it all night we caught an abun- 

 dance of fish of four species, viz. gold-eyes, wall-eyed 

 pike, suckers, and pike. It rained without intermission 

 during the day, and as the wind continued unfavour- 

 able we remained at the basket, gutting fish to take 

 with us. 



We generally boiled our fish, making use of the liquor 

 in which they were cooked as a substitute for tea ; and 

 having succeeded in capturing a small badger, by pouring 

 water into his burrow, we got sufficient fat or oil to 

 enable us to have fried fish occasionally. 



