THE REV. MR. BROOKING. 



15 



wintering place. White fish are very abundant, and 

 caught by the Indians in large numbers ; their flavour is 

 not so fine as those of Lake Manitobah, or of the Qu'ap- 

 pelle Lakes. Sturgeon are also numerous, and, according 

 to the belief of the miserable natives who fish here during 

 the winter, the deep part of the lake is their great place 

 of resort at that period of the year, where they lie with 

 Mis-ke-na, " the chief of the fishes," in the southern por- 

 tion of Lake Winnipeg. 



Longfellow alludes to the same superstition held by 

 Lake Superior Indians, in the song of "Hiawatha," when 

 he makes his hero go — 



(i Forth upon the Getche Guniee, 

 On tjie shining Big- Sea- Water, 

 With his fishing-line of cedar — 

 Of the twisted bark of cedar — 

 Forth to catch the sturgeon Nahma, 

 Nishe~Nahma, King of Fishes, 

 In his birch canoe exulting 



8 



All alone went Hiawatha." 



We approached Grindstone Point after dark, and ob- 

 served a camp-fire on the beach, with a freighter's boat 

 close in shore. It belonged to the Eev. Mr. Brooking 

 and his family, who were returning to Eossville from Eed 

 Eiver. Mr. Brooking is a Wesleyan missionary, for some 

 years a resident in Eupert's Land, and engaged in the 

 unthankful labour of attempting to Christianize the In- 

 dians. He had traveled from the head of Lake Winnipeg 

 to Eecl Eiver Settlement, to obtain medical advice for 

 Mrs. Brooking, who was very unwell. Our interview 

 was short, the voyageurs in Mr. Brooking's boat being 

 anxious to take advantage of a fair wind which had just 

 arisen. As soon as supper was ended they embarked 

 and proceeded by moonlight on their lonely journey. He 

 was twenty days in coming from Norway House to Eed 



