r."

The Indian waded to a spot close by, where his canoe was fastened to a
post, and brought it to the door, after the fashion of a gondolier of
Venice. The faithful Wildcat took the bow paddle; the clergyman stepped
into the middle of the craft and sat down.

They shot swiftly away, and were soon out of sight. The day was calm
and warm, but the sky had a lurid, heavy appearance, which seemed to
indicate the approach of bad weather. Paddling carefully along to avoid
running against sunk fences, they soon came into the open plains, and
felt as though they had passed out upon the broad bosom of Lake Winnipeg
itself. Far up the river--whose course was by that time chiefly
discernible by empty houses, and trees, as well as bushes,
half-submerged--they came in sight of a stage which had been erected
beside a cottage. It stood only eighteen inches out of the water, and
here several women and children were found engaged in singing Watts'
hymns. They seemed quite comfortable, under a sort of tarpaulin tent,
with plenty to eat, and declined to be taken off, though their visitors
offered to remove them one at a time, the canoe being unable to take
more. Further up, the voyagers came to the hut of old Liz.

This hut was by that time so nearly touched by the water that all the
people who had formerly crowded round it had forsaken it and made for
the so-called mountain. Only Liz herself remained, and Herr Winklemann,
to take care of their respective parents.

"Do you think it safe to stay?" asked the clergyman, as he was about to
leave.

"Safe, ya; qvite safe. Besides, I have big canoe, vich can holt us
all."

"Good-bye, then, and remember, if you want anything that I can give you,
just paddle down to the station and ask for it. Say I sent you."

"Ya, I vill go down," said Herr Winklemann gratefully. And Herr
Winklemann _did_ go down, much to his own subsequent discomfiture and
sorrow, as we shall see.

Meanwhile Mr Cockran reached the knoll which he had set out to visit.
It was of considerable extent, and crowded with a very miscellaneous,
noisy, and quarrelsome crew, of all sorts, ages, and colours, in tents
and wigwams and extemporised shelters.

They received the clergyman heartily, however, and were much benefited
by his visit, as was made apparent by the complete though temporary
cessation of quarrelling.

The elements, however, began to quarrel that evening. Mr Cockran had
intended to return home, bu