vice, I agreed but reluctantly to the proposal, of my guide and interpreter, which was nothing less, than that we should pass the night with them. My fears were somewhat lulled by his information, that he was personally acquainted with those who composed the camp, and by his assurances, that no danger was to be apprehended; and, being greatly fatigued, I entered one of the lodges, where I presently fell asleep.

Unfortunately, Bodoine had brought, upon his back, a small keg of rum, which, while I slept, he opened, not only for himself, but for the general gratification of his friends; a circumstance, of which I was first made aware, in being awakened, by a kick on the breast, from the foot of one of my hosts, and by a yell, or Indian cry, which immediately succeeded. At the instant of opening my eyes, I saw that my assailant was struggling with one of his companions, who, in conjunction with several women, was endeavouring to restrain his ferocity. Perceiving, however, in the countenance of my enemy, the most determined mischief, I sprung upon my feet, receiving, in so doing, a wound in my hand, from a knife, which had been raised to give a more serious wound. While the rest of my guardians continued their charitable efforts for my protection, an old woman took hold of my arm, and, making signs that I should accompany her, led me out of the lodge, and then

gave me to understand, that unless I fled, or could conceal myself, I should certainly be killed.

My guide was absent; and, without his direction, I was at a loss where to go. In all the surrounding lodges, there was the same howling and violence, as in that from which I had escaped. I was without my snow-shoes, and had only so much clothing as I had fortunately left upon me, when I lay down to sleep. It was now one o'clock in the morning, in the month of January, and in a a climate of extreme rigour.

I was unable to address a single word, in her own language, to the old woman who had thus befriended me; but, on repeating the name of Bodoine, I soon found that she comprehended my meaning; and, having first pointed to a large tree, behind which, she made signs, that until she could find my guide, I should hide myself, she left me, on this important errand. Meanwhile, I made my way to the tree, and seated myself in the snow. From my retreat, I beheld several Indians, running from one lodge to another, as if to quell the distur bance which prevailed.

The coldness of the atmosphere congealed the blood about my wound, and prevented further bleeding; and the anxious state of my mind rendered me almost insensible to bodily suffering. At

the end of half an hour, I heard myself called, by Bodoine, whom, on going to him, I found as much intoxicated, and as much a savage, as the Indians themselves; but, he was nevertheless able to fetch my snow-shoes, from the lodge in which I had left them, and to point out to me a beaten path, which presently entered a deep wood, and which he told me I must follow.

After walking about three miles, I heard, at length, the foot-steps of my guide, who had now overtaken me. I thought it most prudent to abstain from all reproof; and we proceeded on our march till sun-rise, when we arrived at a solitary Indian hunting-lodge, built with branches of trees, and of which the only inhabitants were an Indian and his wife. Here, the warmth of a large fire reconciled me to a second experiment on Indian hospitality. The result was very different from that of the one which had preceded it; for, after relieving my thirst with melted snow, and my hunger with a plentiful meal of venison, of which there was a great quantity in the lodge, and which was liberally set before me, I resumed my journey, full of sentiments of gratitude, such as almost obliterated the recollection of what had befallen

me, among the friends of my benefactors.

From the hunting-lodge, I followed my guide till evening, when we encamped on the banks. of the Saint-Lawrence, making a fire, and sup

ping on the meat with which our wallets had been filled in the morning.

While I indulged myself in rest, my guide visited the shore, where he discovered a bark canoe, which had been left there, in the beginning of the winter, by some Indian way-farers. We were now at the head of the Longue Sault, one of those portions of the river, in which it passes over a shallow, inclining and rocky bed, and where its motion consequently prevents it from freezing, even in the coldest part of the year; and my guide, as soon as he had made his discovery, recommended, that we should go by water down the rapids, as the means of saving time, of shortening our journey, and of avoiding a numerous body of Indians, then hunting on the banks below. The last of these arguments was, with me, so powerful, that though a bark canoe was a vehicle to which I was altogether a stranger; though this was a very small one, of only sixteen or eighteen feet in length,* and much out of repair; and though the misfortune which I had experienced, in the navigation of these rocky parts of the Saint-Lawrence, when descending with the army, naturally presented itself to my mind, as a still further discouragement, yet I was not long in resolving to undertake the voyage.

Accordingly, after stopping the leaks, as completely as we were able, Me embarked, and pro

There are still smaller.

ceeded. My fears were not lessened, by perceiv. ing that the least unskilful motion was sufficient to overset the ticklish craft into which I had ventured; by the reflection, that a shock, comparatively gentle, from a mass of rock or ice, was more than its frail material could sustain; nor by observing that the ice, which lined the shores of the river, was too strong to be pushed through, and, at the same time, too weak to be walked upon, so that, in the event of disaster, it would be almost impossible to reach the land. In fact, we had not proceeded more than a mile, when our canoe became full of water, and it was not till after a long search, that we found a place of safety.

Treading, once more, upon dry ground, I should willingly have faced the wilderness and all its Indians, rather than embark again; but my guide informed me that I was upon an island, and I had therefore no choice before me. We stopped the leaks a second time, and recommenced our voyage, which we performed with success, but sitting, all the way, in six inches of water. In this manner, we arrived at the foot of the rapids, where the river was frozen all across. Here, we disembarked upon the ice, walked to the bank, made a fire, and encamped; for such is the phrase employed, in the woods of Canada.

At day-break the next morning, we put on our snow-shoes, and commenced our journey over the ice; and, at ten o'clock, arrived in sight of