228 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



presence naturally attracts great hordes of 

 wolves, which are of two kinds, the large, 

 and the small. Many bears prowl about 

 the banks of this river in summer ; of these 

 the grizzle bear is the most ferocious, and 

 is held in dread both by Indians and Euro- 

 peans. The traveller, in crossing these 

 plains, not only suffers from the want of 

 food and water, but is also exposed to 

 hazard from his horse stumbling in the nu- 

 merous badger-holes. In many large dis- 

 tricts, the only fuel is the dried dung of the 

 buffalo ; and when a thirsty traveller reaches 

 a spring, he has not unfrequently the morti- 

 fication to find the water salt. 



Carlton House, and La Montee, are pro- 

 vision-posts, only an inconsiderable quantity 

 of furs being obtained at either of them. 

 The provisions are procured in the winter 

 season from the Indians, in the form of 

 dried meat and fat, and when converted by 

 mixture into pemmican, furnish the princi- 

 pal support of the voyagers, in their pas- 

 sages to and from the depots in summer. 

 A considerable quantity of it is also kept 



