lanation and mission were at length received,
and the pledge of peace, the wampum-belts, were accepted and worn by the
aged chiefs. My friend jogged my elbow once or twice, and thought they
were eyeing him suspiciously, for he was to proceed into their country.
He looked so fat and so healthy, that he thought their greasy mouths
watered for a roasted slice of so fine a subject!

But the wampum pledge is never broken, and we had smoked the calumet of
friendship. Thus, although he luxuriated, after a total abstinence of
three days, on the sight of a decayed deer's liver, which he could not
be prevailed upon to partake of, yet the Nipissang, starving as he must
also have been, never fried my friend, nor feasted on his fatness.

This is not the only good story to be told of Penetanguishene; for the
American press of the frontier, with its accustomed adherence to truth,
discovered a mare's nest there lately, and stated that the British
government kept enormous supplies of naval stores, several
steam-vessels, a depot of coal, and everything necessary for the
equipment of a large war fleet on Lake Huron, at this little outpost of
the West, and that a tremendous force of mounted cavaliers were always
ready to embark on board of it at all times.

There are now certainly a good many horses at the village, whereas, in
1837, perhaps one might have found out a dozen by great research there:
as for cavalry, unless Brother Jonathan can manufacture it as cheaply
and as lucratively as he does wooden clocks or nutmegs, it would be
somewhat difficult to _raise_ it at Penetanguishene.

The village is a small, rambling place, with a little Roman Catholic
church and a storehouse or general shop or two, about which, in summer,
you always see idle Indians playing at some game or other, or else
smoking with as idle villagers.

The garrison is three miles from the village, and is always called "The
Establishment;" and in the forest between the two places is a new
church, built of wood, very small, but sufficient for the Established
Church, as it is sometimes called, of that portion of Canada. A
clergyman is constantly stationed here for the army, navy, and
civilians, and near the church is a collection of log huts, which I
placed there some years ago by order of Lord Seaton, with small plots of
ground attached to each as a refuge for destitute soldiers who had
commuted their pensions.

This Chelsea in miniature flourished for a time, and d