men's knives, a pot and
pan for cooking our meals, some tin cups, and a few small bales of
cloths and coloured calicoes with which to pay the Indians for any
peltries they might have to sell--for our expedition was on business as
well as pleasure. We enjoyed the thoughts of it all the more on that
account. We expected also to get some hunting, and to come back with a
supply of dried venison, as well as some skins.

The Indian told us that his name was Kakaik, or the "Small Hawk;" he let
us understand that he was a great hunter, but as he could speak no
English, and as we understood but a few words of his language, we could
not carry on much conversation with him. However, we managed to
understand each other very well by means of signs.

The first part of the voyage was along the main river, with which we
were well acquainted. We afterwards struck off up one of its
tributaries, which varied greatly in width; sometimes it expanded into a
lake-like form, and at other parts it contracted into narrow dimensions,
where the current ran with great force, and we had hard work to stem it.

At length we reached a waterfall of nearly thirty feet in height, where
the river rushed over the rocks and fell down perpendicularly in masses
of foam. Kakaik made signs to us that we must land and carry our canoes
for some distance through the wood. This is what is called making a
"portage." Accordingly we unloaded them, and piled up our goods at the
foot of the fall. We then lifted the canoes out of the water; Kakaik
taking one bottom upwards on his shoulders and walking off with it.
Mike imitated his example, as one man could get between the trees better
than two, and the canoes were so light that they could be carried with
ease. Reuben, shouldering a portion of the goods, followed the Indian;
and I, with another bale on my shoulders and the paddles and gun under
my arm, kept close after Mike--leaving the remainder of the things for a
second trip.

The ground was rough in the extreme, and it was some way up a steep bank
among rocks. My fear was lest Mike should knock the canoe against the
branches of the overhanging trees and make a hole in her bottom, so I
sang out to him to be cautious.

"Faix! Masther Roger, it's that same I intind to be," he answered. "I
have no fancy to walk all the way back again, or forward either, if this
is the sort of ground we should have to pass over."

We had to traverse a quarter of a mile or