mouth, which I had the good fortune to shoot, and released the prisoner from the jaws of death.[1]
I kept a flag constantly flying at my little fort, which the Indians paid respect to by a salute from their guns. The band who were at this time with me held a council, and made me a present of two very large [161] beaver robes, and several valuable skins, with plenty of provisions, for which I supplied them with tobacco, rum, trinkets, and ammunition. Two days after they left me, and desired me to wait their return, which I promised, provided they would bring me furs and skins to load the canoes, and they should be repaid with Indian goods. As I depended on their punctuality, I remained perfectly satisfied.
I was then left with two white men, and two Indians
and their wives. We passed our time in hunting and
fishing; and as there were a great many small islands near
us, we made frequent trips to shoot wild fowl, which
enabled us to keep a good table. On one of the islands
we discovered two Indian huts, but from their appearance
no person had visited them for a length of time.
About half a mile from the place we saw a high pole,
daubed over with vermilion paint; on the top were placed
three human skulls, and the bones hung round: the
Indians supposed it had been erected many years. About
an hour before sun set we returned to our wigwam. The
next morning, in the absence of the Indians, the Canadians
assisted me in mixing the rum, and assorting the
goods, to be prepared against the arrival of the
————
- ↑ The true rattlesnake (crotatus horridus) is not found in Canada. The one here alluded to is the caudisona tergemina. The age is not indicated by the number of the rattles. The black water-snake was probably the tropidonatus sipedon, which feeds on fish, and is an expert swimmer, although not a true water-snake. The "turkey snake" cannot be identified.—Ed.
