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ThwC 3{istorical and Scientific Society

of 3^anitoba.

TRANSACTION No. 31. -SEASON 1888-8.

KJ ±. V±.

COVERING

ADVENTURES AND EXPERIENCES

IN THE

FUK TRADE ON THE RED RIVER,

1799-1801.

A PAPER READ BEFORE THE SOCIETY, MAY 4, 1888.

CHARLES N. BELL, F.R.G S.,

FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIETY,

HON. KEI.I.OW KOYAI. .SCOTTISH OK JCK MMIIC.M. SOCIETY, HONOKAKV CORRESPONDING
MEMUKR MINNESOTA IIISTOK IC.VI. SOCIETV, flllCAOO ACAHEMY OK SCIENCE.

WINNIPEG :

VANITOKA FREE PRESS PRINT.

iSSS.

HENRY'S JOURNAL.

Experiences of a Yisitto the Red River in 1800 by Alexander Henry.

-*•»-

An Interesting Paper read by Mr. Bell before the Historical Society.

A meeting of the Historical Society was
held Friday evg. with the Hon. G'ilbert
McMicken in the chair. The following
paper was read by Mr. C. N. Bell, the Ist
Vice-President of the Society:

Deposited in the Library of Parliament
at Ottawa is a manuscript entitled "Jour-
nal of Alexander Henry to Lake Superior,
Red River, Assiniboine, Rocky Moun-
tains, Columbia and the Pacific, 1799 to
1811, to establish the fur trade." The
journal is included in two large volumns,
covering some 1,600 pages of foolscao, and
an introductionary note gives the "infor-
mation that Henry was the nephew of the
celebrated Alexander Henry, who travel-
led through the Indian Territories in 1760
to 1776, and also published his interesting
narrative, dedicated to Sir Joseph Banks,
the great naturalist. This note is signed
by one Geo. Coventry, who re-wrote the
jouruF.l from Henrys papers. He ex-
plains that Henry, to amuse himself in
this solitJiry region, first made the memo-
raada, and later on, the writing afforded
hiia a pleasing recreation, which was con-
tinued up to the date of his death.
In Harmon's journal will be found an
item, dated on October 18th, 1814,
concerning the news he had just received
of the death, by drowning in the Colum-
bia River, near St. George, of Alexander
Henry and D. McTavish, on the 22nd of
May, in going out in a boat from Ft.
George to a vessel called the Isaac Tod,
which lay at anchor without the bar at
the mouth of the Columbia. I have also
the original journal of John Macdonald
(which has never been published), who
left Henry in charge of Ft. George in
April before the accident occurred, and
who had been the Northwest Company's
officer in charge of the Isaac Tod, in so far
as the mercantile interests were con-
cerned, on the voyage out from London
via Cape Horn. In this journal I find
several references to Henry being at Ft.
Geoi^e, and also a statement regarding
his death by drowning.

I have limited this paper to covering
Henry's notes from July, 1800, to June,
1801, in the hope of being enabled later
on to add more papers on the subject
to the Society's collection.

Alexander Henry, who had been engag-
ed in trading with theSaulteaux from the
year 1792, appears to have spent his first
season in the Northwest (in 1799-1800) at a
winter post of the Northwest Company

situated near the foot of Fort Dauphin
Mountain, west of Lake Manitoba, leav.
ing there for Grand Portage, the annual

f;athering place at Lake Superior. In the
atter part of July, 1800, he started on his
return to the Red River. At this time
Grand Portage was still the headquarters
of the Northwest Co. in the west. The
place was abandoned in 1803, as it was
situated south of the Pigeon River, within
the bounds of the United States, the new
fort being established at the mouth of the
^aministiquia River, with the name of
Fort William, being called so atter Wra.
McGillivray, the chief partner of the
Northwest Co.

From. Grand Portage there was a port-
age of nine miles to Ft. Charlotte, the
route from there leading through the net-
work of lake? and streams to Rainy river,
thence via the Rainy river, liake of the
Woods and Winnipeg river to Lake Win-
nipeg, where the brigades of boats took
their departure for the several districts on
the Red river, the Saskatchewan, Atha-
basca and elsewhere.

Henry, on the Rainy river, found old
establishments of the H. B. Co., at the
Long Sault and below the entrance of the
Rapid river. At the mouth of the Winni-
peg river also the H. B. Co. had a post,
near to Fort a la bas de la Riviere of the
N. W. Co. The remains of an old N. W.
Co. establishment still existed at the Port-
age d' Isle on the Winnipeg river.

On the 16th of August Henry arrived at
the "Grand Marais" on Lake Winnipeg
and found the dead bodies of grasshoppers
piled upon the shore to a depth of nine
inches. He describes a stream enterinK
at the south end of the lake under the
name of Catfish River.

Passing up the central channel of the
Red River delta, which was the one al-
ways used by the traders, the River of
Death (Nettlev Creek) was reached, and
soon after, flowing in from the east side,
"Riviere Qui de Boule," which rises, like
the Catfish, in the Cypress Hills east of
the Red River, and near the mouth of this
stream was an island. Describing the
"Sault la Biche," (St. Andrews Rapids).
Henry writes, "at this spot (at the head of
the rapids) where there is a beautiful
plain upon the west shore, which is more
elevated than that of the east, formerly the
Crees and Assiniboines were accustomed
to assemble in large camps to wait the ar-
rival of the traders." Pelicans were nam*
^^%t %jMxvAekn\A3 vL tne iictie river, a

^ (

erous in the rapids, while flsh in shoals
frequented the spot, the varieties men-
tioned being sturgeon, catfish, pike, gold-
eye, &c. Moose, red deer, bears, wolves
and foxes also abounded. Truly a sports-
man's paradine.

Continuing up tiie river, "passed Frog
Pond, which lays upon the west side (at
Kildonan church) and soon after the
liiviere la Seine," and arrived at "the
Forlis," (Red and Assiniboine rivers) on
the IKth August, to find forty Saulteau
Indians awaiting his arrival, and soon he
procured dried buffalo meat in exchange
for liquor. Here the trading goods were
divided, part being for Portajge la Prairie
and part for the Red river posts. Five
boats of the Hudson's Ray Company's peo-
ple from Albany river on Hudson's Bay,
with Robt. Goodwin, master, in charge,
passed up the Assirlboine, and while the
transportation of the Hudson's Bay Com-

Eany's goods was effected by means of
irch bark canoea, the Hudson's Bay Com-
pany used "boats which carry 45 pack-
ages of 8U pounds each, are four-oared,
with a steersman, and are neatly built,
painted and sharp at both ends."

The men caught plenty of fish with
hooks and lines. "Pigeons are also in
great numbers here, the trees are every
moment covered with them." Henry
makes a most interesting statement re-
garding traces of the early French occu-
pation on the north bank of the Assini-
boine. "Upon this spot in the time of the
French there was a trading establishment
traces of which are still to be seen (where?)
their chimneys and cellars stood. I am
also informed that there was, at the same
time, a chapel and missionary here for
several years, but I don't believe they ever
made much progress towards civilizing
the nations. * * * We are much trou-
bled by swarms of the common water
snake. They even come into our tents at
n^idday, and every morning we are sure
to find some of them upon our beds, but
they are harmless and appear to live and
breed in the old graves, of which there is
an uncommon number upon this spot, it
having been a nlace of great resort for the
nations many years ago. In 1781-2, and at
the time the small-pox made such havoc
in this country, many hundreds of men,
women and children died and were buried
here." There is no doubt in my
mind but that Henry refers to
Fort Rouge, and as he is very defi-
nite in stating it was "on this
spot" where he was encamped, and as he
continually refers to being on the north
bank of the Assiniboine, this very clear
statement seems to point out that the site
of Fort Rouge was north of the Assini-
boine, and not south of it. as is the com-
mon impression, created by its so appear-
ing on some of the old maps, which were
very imperfect as to detail. Even as late
as 1870, when 1 arrived at Fort Garry, the
thicket of w lows and brambles which
stretched along what is now the east side

Graham St. south to York St., covered the
site of an extensive Indian grave yard,
and was evidently the locality mentioned
by Henry as the resort of the watersnakes.
While in camp at the Forks Henry
was visited by a few Indians on
horseback who came from towards
Portage la Prairie, (the trail was on the
north of the Assiniboine). They were "of
the tribe called the Snakes, who formerly
inhabited the Lake of the Woods. They
once were numerous, but at present can-
not muster more than fifty men. They
may be said to be of the same nation as
the Crees, but have a different dialect,
something resembling the Saulteau lan-
guage. They are a mischievous and
thieving set of scoundrels, and now in-
habit a tract of land upon the Assinil)oine
river, about 60 leagues west from this
place, and indeed some of them are to be
found almost all over the country where
there is Saulteaux and Crees. I purchased
a horse from them for a nine gallon keg
mixed rum, and one of my people bought
another for the snme price. • These were
the first and only two horues we had be-
longing to the Red River, the Saulteaux
had none, but always used canoes." Aug-
ust 20th, Jno. McDonell, a proprietor of
the N. W. Co., with 9 canoes and 3 boats,
camped at The Forks en route to Qu'-
Appelle, and some boats and canoes of the
X. Y. Co. passed up the Assiniboine on
the same day.

The Saulteaux with Henry, at the Forks,
had left Leech Lake at the headwaters of
the Mississippi since 1790. "They were
certainly in a great state of alarm when
we arrived, and had even made a sort of
intrenchment by digging deep holes in the
ground, of several yards in length, for the
security of their women and children, and
for themselves."

During the Northwest rebellion of 1885
the Metis constructed an elaborate system
of rifle pits, and it was supposed their
leaders had been studying regular modem
military tactics, but it is most probable
that, from time immemorial, this method
of constructing shelter trenches had been
practiced by their Indian forefathers.

Leaving the Forks, Henry and his party
(which consisted of one clerk, one inter-
preter, eighteen workingmen, four wo-
men and four children) proceeded up the
Red River. At the Salle River he notes
that the heavy brush,between that stream
and the Assiniboine, was a favorite resort
of the buffalo during the winter season.
On the 22nd Aug., at Crooked Rapids,
they found a great plenty of fruit, such as
red plums, paubians (pembina berries)
and grapes. "The plums are just now ripe
and very gooa. They appear to be of
three diflferent sorts — the large yellow
speckled, large red and the small red.
The Paubian Is of a beautiful red, fine and
large, but require the ^st to bring them
to maturity. The same with the grapes,
which are of a small sort, and when rine
perfectly blue. Vines are bending to tne

At the entrance of

t
t

the Rat Rivei' they observed the
remains of some old buildinKs
where ChabolUer had wintered 171Xi-7.
A few years prior to thin date
beaver were in plenty on the upper part of
ll&i river but were nearly all destroyed.
At "Salt Point," above the Rat river, and
on the west side of the Red, salt water
issued from the bank only a few yards
from the river. It is probable that this
salt spring is now in tho bed of the river,
as the annual floods wear away the bank
at a rapid rate. Another description of a
salt spring is interesting. ''Balow the
Riviere aux Gratia (Scnvt^ning river, at
Morris,) we passed the great salt pit on
the west side of the river. It lays about
100 paces from the water, at the edge of
the plain, where it issues out of the
ground, forming a small basin, the ceixtre
of which appears continually agitated,
and to bo ^tumbling up like a pot of boil-
ing water. Thia, I am told, is an excellent
place for making salt at all seasons of the
year, as the water never freezes in the
middle of the winter, but the process is
slow and tedious and requires a large
number of kettles to make any quantity,
nine gallons of water producing not more
taan one pint of salt, which is fine and
white, almost resembling basket salt hav-
ing no grain nor coarse substance. '

Vast numbers of Buffalo were seen
feeding on the plains about the Scratch-
ing River; the willows were beaten down
and the hark i abbed from the trees by the
animals- The Scratching River, Henry
notes, takes its rise in the Hair Hills
(Pembina Mountalus), under the name of
the Riviere aux Islette de Bois, and is
divided into three branches before losing
itself in a swamp, whence it issues in two
streams for 25 miles before coming to-
gether.

So plentiful was game along the Red
River in this locality that during a morn-
ing hunt, while the party paddled up
with the canoes, some "few Indians had
killed 8 fat cow buffaloes, 3 red deer, and
i bears near the river bank."

"The Plumb River takes its rise in the
Hair Ilills in a marsh a little south of the
Buffalo Head, from whence running a
course passes down the hills and through the
level meadows, but in the last place it has
no wood upon its banks, excepting at one
place where grows a few stunted willows
and a chance elm tree. This spot is call-
ed the Buffalo's Tent, and is situated half-
way between the Hills and the Red
River."

Henry is very particular to note every
geographical feature of the country, the
journal having many items of interest,
such as, "a little river runs into the Red
on the west side, about a mile below the
Rosseau, called the Riviere aux Marais."
He says that Rosseau Lake contai ned
plenty of fish, that animals abounded
there, and that the French used to go by
that route from the Lake of the Woods to
the posts on the Assiniboia. His many

proves that information regarding them
was then easily procurable in the country.
The Indians (St:ulteaux) had an alarm at
Marais, and Henry writes "I went over to
see their trenches. There were three
principal ones, about twenty feet long, five
feet wide and four feet deep. These were
intended for the men to defend thetnselveH
in, whilst the women and children would
lie close on the bottom. I was surprised
to see how expeditiouH they were, having
neither hoes nor spades, they made use ot
their axes to cut the earth, and both wo-
men and children with their hands threw
it into kettles, and others into blankets,
fud toss it up. The Indian women and
ctiildren lay in the trenches all night, the
men in their cabins, (bark tents?)."

Each day a great number of goldeyes,
catfish and sturgeon were taken. On the
4th September Henry left Michael Lang- ■
lois and fifteen persons at the Rosseau
river to erect a winter-post; three of the
men were afterwards to go to the Hair
Hills to trade with the Snakes and Crees.
Tho Saulteaux weredreadfullyafraidof the
Sioux whose war trail, at that season, ex-
tended up to the Hair Hills.

Nine miles above the Marais they camp-
ed at the Eagles Nest, and the next day
"we came to the Paubian river (Pembina),
and crossed over to the old fort which was
bailt (1797-8) by Mr. Chabollier,
opposite to the entrance of the
river. On the east side of the
Red river is the remains of an
old foi t, built by Mr. Peter Grant sotoie
years ago, and was the first establishment
ever built on the Red River." The Pem-
bina river is described as taking its rise in
the Rib-bone lakes, or Lac du Pla Cottc,
and along its course through the prairies
its banks "are well lined with large wood,
even until its junction with the Red
river." Even now there is a fair sprink-
ling of wood along the Pembina, but evi-
dently in Henry's day the prairie fires had
not destroyed so much of it as they have
since done. Red deer were very numer-
ous in the woods along the Pembina river,
and a short distance above its mouth four
otters and three beavers were killed by
the party on the bank of *^he Red.

Pushing on up the Red river, they found
the best "salt pit" on the river near the
Two rivers, where "the plain comes down
to the water and forms an open communi-
cation with that of the west side. It is
from this circumstance that this spot de-
rives its name of the Bois Perce." Buffa-
loes and bears were seen at every bend of
the river, at one place seven bears were
seen to be drinking at the river at the
same time.

On the 8th September the party arrived
at the Park Ri\ er, aAd Henry gives the
following particulars: "I went out in
search of a proper place to build. I found
none so well situated for defence, and
wood at hand, as a point of wood on the
west side within about a ouarter of a mile
from the entraace of the little rivw; a

if I

from the river. I Hliould have proposed
building at the entrance of the river, but
thure was no wood on the one side and the
land too low on the other." Caaoet) were
unloaded, the lines of the fort marlced out
and meat stages erected. Game of all
Icinds abounded, animals resorting to the
river to drink close to the camp. The
Park R<ver here was auite saline. "The
Park River, near which we are settled,
derives its name from the circumstance of
the Assiniboines having formerly made a
park or pound on this river for buffaloes."
The water in the river some distance up
was good and pure, but a "salt pit" drain-
ed into it and contaminated the water.

All hands were soou employed in erect-
ing the buildings, which were made of oak
logs and thatched with hay. In one day's
time a storehouse was first built. Next in
order was the erection of the stockades to
enclose the buildings, as fears were enter-
tained that the Sioux would attack them,
and Henry writes that, with one or two
exceptions his men were cowardly and
very much afraid of the Indians, so that
"fear was an excellent overseer, and the
work went on with expedition." The
stockadeH, which were obtained from a
grove 200 yards distant, were of oak logs
about twelve feet long. In a week the
stockades were up and the gates hung.
"We are now in a proper state to defend
ourselves and might bid defiance to several
hundred Sioux." On Sunday the 21st
Sept. "Early this morning the men began
to cut down trees to build our dwelling
houses. It was their own option to
work this day or not, but their
excuse is that necessity obliges
them to get forward their work as fast as
possible, to get under cover before the cold
weather commences." It is thus seen that
Sunday was respected by the traders in
the wilds. Quantities of bear's fat was
spoiling because the Indian women were
too lazy to melt it. It does not keep unless
melted, but when rendered it keeps sweet
for a long time. A good deal of mixed
liquor was dealt out as gifts to the In-
dians. The tops of the oak trees in the
thickets were broken and torn down by
the bears in the vicinity of the fort, the
animals being in such great numbers as
to cause much surprise to the whole-party.
When completed the fort had stockaded
bastions at the corners about nlnt feet
from the ground.

"On digging a hole, in hopes of finding
clay, at eight feet depth we found the car-
cass of a buffalo which lay about forty
feet from the level of the river on a bank
covered with oak."

The Indians would cut at the gates with
their axes during the night when they
wanted to get in for liquor for a "drinking
match," as they (the Saulteaux) were not
accustomed to having traders erect stock-
ades about their buildings. "It is but of
late years that they have seen anything of
the kind, and the fellows having been
ifanc y acc ustomed to have

the houses day and night, and being
naturally of a haughty, imperious dis-
position, they cannot bear to bo obliged
to knock at the gate door that does not
open at their demand." Racoons, fishers,
and foxes were trapped near the fort. On
the 8th October Henry left on a tour of
inspection and found a fort had been
erected by his men at the mouth of the
Rosseau, and a wintering hut at
the foot of the Hair Hills. On his
return to Park River Fort an Indian
presented Henrv with "an elegant drum
trimmed with all the ceremonies of the
Wabauo medicine, and a number of differ-
ent medicines." The Indian expected
liquor in returu,but Henry would not give
any, and remarks, "Gratitudl^ they have
none, treat them ever so well and satisfy
every demand for a long time, then refuse
them but one glass of liquor and all the
past obligations are forgotten in an inst-
ant, and these persons are your
greatest enemies." Henry then set
out for a trip up the Red River
to Red Lake, ana when there was told *^y
an Indian "he knew of no person who had
horses in that part of the country." The
Saulteau Indians used canoes altogether
in travelling. Their summer tents were
made of birch bard and were replaced dur-
ing the winter season by structures made

of woven rush mats.

The wolves were very bold and noisy.
They did not seem to be hungry and pass-
ed by carcasses of animals without eat-
ins. "The Canadians swear they are mad
wolves, and are very much afraid of
them."

Knowing the destructiveness of the
prairie field mice, we can easily imagine
that they "destroyed dry goods and even
carried off glass beads."

November 8th Henry and an Indian
started up the Red River to Grand Forks,
equipped with a few pairs of shoes, one
gallon of high wines and a fathom of to-
bacco, in case they met Indians. At Grand
Forks they saw the traces of a large camp
of Sioux who had been there on the war
path, and Henry notes that this was a
great resort for the Sioux, as there was
plenty of game and fish, "and sturgeon
winter in the deep water at the junction
of the two rivers. Before returning to
Park Fort Henry visited the FoUe Avoine
river and the Otter Tail lake, and writes
of the Traverse, Pelican, Cedar and White-
wood lakes, and the "Strong Woods."

At Park Fort, on the 13th Nov., Henry
was informed by Indians from Red Lake
that J. B, Cadotte was making the Red
Lake Portage and would winter there.
The men made two kegs of good salt at
the "pit" on the Park River.

Hearing that the post at the Hair Hills
was in danger from an attack by the Crees
and Assiniboines, who were gathering
there to send a war party to attack the
Sioux, Henry left for the Rosseau and
went on to the Hair Hills post (at Pern-

party had decided to wait for the next
Hpring.

Men arrived with doff trains from Por-
tage la Prairie via Rosseau and the Hair
Hillfi, Mr. Chabollier was in charge ai
the I'ortage. One of the men at the fort
found a wolf in a trap he had set in a hol-
low stump, and under it a badser and
under that a skunk, all of which he killed,
and the Indians at once predicted a great
misfortune from this, either to the hunter
or to the fort, and were quite certain the
Sioux would destroy all the people.

It would appear that the grizzlv bear
at one time ranged as far east as the Red
River, for Henry particularly notes that
the grizzlv and olack bears "take up their
winter residence on the banks of tne Red
River, and generally take to the hollow
trees,'* whue those in the Hair Hills re-
sorted to holes in the ground.

"White buffalo are very scarce. They
are of inestimable value amongst the na-
tions of the Missouris, but of no conse-
auence at this river, none amongst the
irees and Assiniboines, further than to
traffic with the above nations." On Dec.
2l8t Henry sent a stallion and a mare to
Red Lake, to Mr. Cadotte, who forwarded
them to Mr. Grant at Rainy Lake, and it
is most probable that these were the first
horses kept at Rainy Lake. Following
the custom of the country at that time,
"The Indians are very officious in wishing
to provide me a wife, but my inclina-
tion does not agree with theirs in the
least."

New Year day 1801, was ushered in by
the men firini; volleys with their guns,
which so alarmed the Indians that they
rushed to the fort, after secreting their
women and children. A liberal allow*
ance or grog was dealt out, and soon every
man, woman and child was drunk.
A very interesting description is given of
an Indian, who was an oddity. "Ber-
dash, a don of the Surcie, arrived from the
Assiniboine, where he had been with a
young man to carry tobacco concerning
the war. This person is a curious com-
pound between a man and woman. He is
a man in every respect as to members and
courage, but still he appears to be woman-
ish and dresses as such. His walk and
manner in sitiing down, his manners and
occupation, and language, are that of a
woman, and all the persuasions of his
father, who is a great chief among the
Saulteaux, cannot persuade him to act
like a man. About a month ago in a
drinking match, he got into a quarrel and
had one of his eyes knocked out with a
club. He is very quarrelsome when drunk.
Ho is very fleet, and a te-y years ago was
reckoned the most fleet runner amongst
all the Saulteaux. An instance of both
that and his courage was fully put to the
test some years ago, on the banks of the
Sheyenne nver, when Moneur Reaume
attempted to make peace between those
two nations. He accompanied a party of
Saulteaux to the Sioux camp. They at

through the interceHsion of the white peo-

§le, but on the return of the Saylteaux the
ioux pursued them immediately on their
leaving camp. Both parties were on foot,
but the Sioux have the name of being ex-
traordinary swift. The Saulteaux very
imprudently dispersed themselves in the
open plain and several of them were kill-
ed, but the party in which Berdash was
all escaped without any accident, in the
following manner: One of them had a
bow which he had got from the Sioux, but
onlv a few arrows; on their first starting,
and finding they were pursued, they ran
a considerable distance until they
perceived the Sioux were gaining fast
upon them, when Berdash took the bow
and arrows from his comrades and told
them to run as fast as possible and not to
mind him, as he apprenended no danger.
He then stopi^ed and turned about and
faced the enemy and began to let fly the
arrows at them. This checked their
course and they returned the compliment
withinterest,but he says it was nothing but
only long shots, and only a chance arrow
could have hurt him, as they had nearly
lost their strength when they fell near
him. His own stock was soon expended
but he lost no time in gathering up those
of the enemy that fell near him, thus
he had a continued supply.
Seeing his friends at some distance ahead
and the Sioux moving to surround him,he
turned about and ran full speed to Join
his comrades, and the Sioux after him.
Soon after, the latter again approached
them very fast, when Berdash again stop-
ped and faced them with his bow and
trrows and kept them at bay until his
friends got a considerable distance, when
he again ran off to join them, and the ene-
my after him. And thus did he continue
to manoeuvre and keep them at bay until
they came to a spot of strong wood into
which they entered, when the Sioux dare
not approach them and returned back to
their camp. Some of the Saulteaux who
were present at the time, have often re-
counted the aflTair to me."

Henry writes of the partiality of the
female wolves for the traders* dogs, and
that they enticed the dogs out of the fort.
In January, Hamel, the man in charge of
the Hair Hills post, was plundered of all
his goods at the Bulls Head by the Son-
nants. "My men having little to do, they
therefore amuse themselves by sliding
down the bank on sleighs, from the south
gate. The descent is so great as to cause
their trains to run to the opposite side of
river. The Indian women join with them
and they have excellent sport." So we find
that toboggan slides on the Red river are
nothing new.

"Delightful weather for the Indian wo-
men te play their favorite game of coullion
upon the ice. They generally keep it up
to dark, whilst the m<in are always em-
ployed at their favorite game of platter,
and others beating the drum to keep
chorus with their wabano aopgs,''

wait in full operation at Red Lake, where
a large quantity of maple Husarwas made.
"My men' are now employed in making
Hoap for tbem8«lveH witli tallow, and when
a certain kind of salt is added, it makfta
excellent soap, hard and dry." Uald
eagles were Hoen all winter and early in
March tha raccoons began to come out,
and butfalo were in plenty. On March
12th geese and swans were seen, and the
ice on the river bepan to break. "The small
bastard maple trees (begin to run. The
sap of this tree raaKes a flue white
sugar, but it is not so sweet an that
of the roal maple, and requires a
greater amount of sap. There is
also to be found, in this part
of the lied River, abundance of
'Bois tors,' a short shrub that winds up
the stocks of larger trees. The wood is
soft and spongy with a thick bark. The
latter is often made use of by the natives
as a substitute for provision in the time
of famine. There are two species of this
shrub: the one grows much thicker than
the other and is of a very sweet taste, but
of too astringent a nature. The smaller is
of a more insipid taste and less pernicious
to the constitution. The> cut it into
pieces and boil it a long time in water,
when the bark is peeled off and eaten
without any further ceremony. I have
often subsisted on this bark, for many
days, but always found my weakness in-
creased upon me."

ChaboUier and John Cameron arrived
with the winter exprees, for Grand Por-
tage. The express left Athabasca on the
1st January, and, at least on this occasion,
went via Red Lake and Rainy River.

Henry states that it was a common dis-
ease with their dogs to have a swelling in
their necks and die before ten day's time.
On the 1st April the river was clear of ice,
and for davs the carcasses of buffalo, of-
ten in whole herds, went floating past.
"It really is astonishing what quantities
must have perished, as they formed one
continued line in the middle of the river
for the partof two days and nights. One of
my men found an entire herd of buifalo
that had fallen through the ice in the
Park River, and all drowned. They were
still sticking in the ice." Again, after a
month's interval he writes: "Buffalo
still drifting down stream. It is
most intolerable the stench arising
from the vast numbers of drowned buffalos
that lay along the banks of the river in
every direction, above and below, and of
which we can see no end. They tell me it
passBH all imagination the great numbers
of butfalo that are lyin^ along the beach,
and on the banks above. I am informed
that almost every spring it is the same,
but not always in such immense numbers
. as this."

For some reason, not clearly made
known, it was decided to abandon the
Park River Fort on the 4th May. and very
interesting information is afforded us by
the following entry in the journal, under

bian River (from Rosseau) on horse-
back, to find a proper spot for
builaing. I got there at twelve
o'clock, crossed over the Red river
(to the east side) with Desmarais, and

Slanted my potatoes, (130 small potatoes
ad been obtained at Portage la Prairie)
and sowed a few garden seeds on the spot
where Mr. Grant's fort stood. We came
back, and after examining the ground, we
pitched on the north side of the Paubian
river on the point of land between that
and the Red river, about one hundred
paces from each. 'The ground was so en-
cumbered with fallen trees of very large
sixe, and the underwood so intricate, that
we could not see ten yards before us. how-
ever, I drew out the the place as soon as
possible. Between this spot and the plain
on the west are great numbers of fine
large oak trees, very proper for building,
and on the north side between this and a
small rivulet, there are plenty of fine large
whitewoodproper for tlooring and covering,
the stockades must be hauled from some
distance below where there are fine
patches of poplar. This being settled, I
remained here for the night and sleot in
the old fort on the south side." This old
fort was inhabited by Charles Chaboillez
(written by Henry, ChaboUier), in 1707-H,
when he was visited by David Thompson,
the astronomer of the Northwest Co. The
town of Pembina, Dak., now covers the
sites of these two forts, and the woods,
with the exception ot a few trees, have
long since disappeared.

"Early on the 18th (May) we returned to
the Roseau river and found the Indians
were busy employed in making the grand
medicine, a ceremony performed every
spring, when they all meet,and when there
is always some novice to be admit-
ted into the mysteries of that
great and solemn affair. On this
occasion two young men, a woman and
Mons. Langloi's girl were recived. There
are many curious circumstances concern-
ing the admittance of women into this
great mystery of mysteries." The next
day the post at Rosseau was abandoned,
and the people embarked for the Paubiau
river, where, for the summer, the follow-
ing appointments were made: M. Lang-
lois, principal Indian trader;Desmarais, in
charge of the garden, horses, fishing, &c. ;
Le Diec, conductor of the work: with
Rainville, Dubard, Hamel, Poulivette and
Le Boeuf, to hunt. Henry then left
with his canoes for The Forks, en route to
Grand Portage, Lake Superior, to the an-
nual gathering of the Northwest Coy's
people. On arriving at The Forks, (now
the city of Winnipeg), he made the follow-
ing eniryin his journal: "No news from the
Assiniboine River, only that they are
starving at Portage la Prairie and exist
only on Esquebois, a root about the thick-
ness and length of a man's finger, and
may be termed the wild potato of this
country. It has a thin skin of a yellowish
color, the inside perfectly white, and

are I
ther
cauK
relic
verM
tity.
lack
iarti
an e
ingl
writ

t I

are ali<o eaten in their raw ntate but are
then of a windy nature, and Home timeii
cause a iievero (olic, wl-'ch in not eaHy to
relieve. I have linown people to sulfer
vcrv much after eating a moderate (quan-
tity. We talce plenty of sturgeon, cat flHh,
lackaishe (aold-eyeH),and other kindH pecul-
iar to this river." Two days after he niatcos
an entry which may be connidered as cIoh-
inic hlH journal for that "trade year." lie
writes, "I set oil' on horneliack for Portage

la Prairie, where I arrived at dunk and
foundali hands actually starving and|not a
mouthful to eat. 1 remained here until
the first of .lune, when we embarked for
the Urand Portage, in a light canoe, with
eight men."

Henry's further experiences on the Red
and Saskatchewan rivers ani the Pacific
Coast, of which I possess noteM,must form
the subject for pripcrs at a future time.

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