scarcely ever occurs in the forest near the great lakes. With ice
forming and snow commencing, and with every prospect of being frozen in,
a portion of the explorers missed their supplies, and subsisted for
three whole days and nights on almost nothing; a putrid deer's liver,
hanging on a bush near a recent Indian trail, was all the animal food
they had found; but this even hunger could scarcely tempt them to cook.
I was exploring in a more civilized country near them; but even there
our Indian guide was at fault, and, from want of proper precaution, our
provision failed. A small fish amongst four or five persons was one
day's luxury.

The Nipissang Indians, a very degraded and wretched tribe, live in this
desolate region, and, it is said, have sometimes been so reduced for
want of game as to resort to cannibalism. We heard that they had
recently been obliged to resort to this practice. I was directed, with
my friends, to conciliate these people, and to assure them that the
British government, so far from intending to injure them by an
examination of their country, desired only to ameliorate their sad
condition.[3]

[Footnote 3: Some time afterwards, during the period in which Lord
Glenelg held the Colonial Office, I was appointed to report upon the
state and condition of the Indians of Canada, by his lordship, without
my knowledge or solicitation; this was never communicated to me by the
then Lieut.-Governor of Upper Canada, and I only knew of it last year,
by accidentally reading a report on the subject made by order of the
House of Assembly, after I left Canada. I do not know if his lordship
will ever read this work, or the gentleman to whom I believe I was
indebted for the intended kindness; and, if either should, I beg to
tender my thanks thus publicly.]

We had a council. The astronomer royal, who was also the geologist, was
a fine, portly fellow, whose bodily proportions would make three such
carcases as that which I rejoice in. The nation sat in council and the
Talk was held. Grim old savages, filthy and forbidding, half-starved
warriors, hideous to the eye, sat in large circle, with the two great
Red Fathers, as they called my friend and myself, on account of our
scarlet jackets. The pipe passed from hand to hand and from mouth to
mouth, and many a solemn whiff ascended in curling clouds: all was
solemn and sad.

The speech was made and answered with an acuteness which we were not
prepared for. But our exp