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INDIAN VILLAGE OF RAMA.

I crossed over from Orillia to hold a council at the Indian village of Rama. It was about five miles distant, and is composed of neat wooden houses and a church, and contains a population of Chippeway Indians. The tribe here owns a considerable block of land, a comparatively small portion of which, however, is cultivated, as the private sources of revenue of which the tribe is possessed enable the members to indulge their indolent propensities; and, utterly devoid of enterprise, they are content to live upon their annuities, or to add to them only in cases where their more limited amount renders individual exertion for this purpose necessary. The Red Indians in Canada derive the principal portion of their revenue from the sale of those lands which they own as reserves. These they are very reluctant to part with; and although they are valueless now for the purpose of the chase, they still love to wander through those forests which, in days of yore, formed the hunting-grounds of their forefathers, and to paddle in their bark canoes along the well-settled margin of lakes formerly visited by them in the exercise of their right of savage proprietorship. Now, however, as this part of the country becomes more thickly populated, the aborigines will be compelled to cede to the insatiable settler acre after acre, until, congregated in villages, and dependent for support upon their pecuniary means alone, they will gradually lose their savage tastes and roving propensities, and, in spite of their natural indolence, may, it

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is to be hoped, by being subjected to a proper educational system, and a judicious superintendence on the part of the Government, become qualified to assume the functions and responsibilities of civilised members of society. In the mean time, so long as they remain in a semi-civilised condition, a gradual decrease must continue; and as their entire number throughout the province does not exceed 15,000, they will form but a fraction of the entire community.

We engaged two bark canoes and some Indians at Rama, for the purpose of descending the river Severn, to Sturgeon Bay, a settlement upon the south shore of Lake Huron; thence we hoped to pursue our voyage in a more civilised manner to Owen Sound, where I wished to visit the Indian village of Nawash, and then to proceed, amid the wooded islands of Georgian Bay, to Lake Superior.

D

CHAPTER VI.

A BARK-CANOE VOYAGE DOWN THE SEVERN.

THE Severn is a fine river, which flows through a district in Upper Canada entirely uncleared as yet. It falls, after a course of fifty or sixty miles, into Georgian Bay, connecting Lakes Couchiching and Simcoe with that arm of Lake Huron. On account, however, of its numerous falls and rapids, it is only navigable for bark canoes; and, except upon expeditions, such as ours, it is rarely traversed even by them. In our eyes, its solitary character and the romantic scenery on its banks were its principal attractions. Having reduced our luggage to the smallest possible dimensions, and put our fishingtackle into good order, it only remained for us to make ourselves comfortable by spreading a quantity of plucked fern and juniper branches at the bottom of our canoes. Bury and I reclined sumptuously in one, with about as much accommodation as a ship's hammock would afford to two moderately stout individuals. However, as However, as we were less likely to upset by being so closely jammed together that we

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could scarcely move, we became reconciled to our position between Bonaquum ("Thunderbolt"), who knelt at the bows and paddled, and his brother Kabeshquum (" Triumphant"), who steered. The other canoe contained Captain Anderson, an assistant-superintendent of Indians, whose experience in such expeditions, and knowledge of the Indian character and language, were most valuable—and Babehwum ("Snow-storm "), whose son, as an exemplification of the effect of civilisation over the elements, called himself simply John Storm. As the wind was fair, we rigged our blankets upon sticks cut for the purpose; and, with all sail set, we glided rapidly on, sometimes threading our way through narrow channels, past low wooded islands, until in about two hours we found ourselves upon the green waters of the Severn.

Lake Simcoe is the highest of the Canadian lakes, having an elevation of seven hundred feet above the level of the sea. The scenery at the point of debouchure was very beautiful. Masses of richly variegated foliage clothed the banks, and bent over until the river rippled among the leaves. Often dark shadows reached across it, or were chequered by sunbeams glancing through the branches upon the clear and singularly light-coloured water. As we proceeded, we exchanged for the calm surface of the lake, and the islands which seemed to rest on its bosom, rock and rapid, until at last the torrent became too tumultuous for our frail canoes.

Mean

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A FIRST EXPERIMENT AT

time we had not been engaged only in enjoying the beauties of nature, we had adopted the usual mode of trolling in this part of the world with copper spoons, which, twisting rapidly through the water, formed a bright and attractive bait; so that, upon arriving at the first portage, we congratulated ourselves upon the prospect of lunching off half-a-dozen black bass, weighing from two to five pounds each.

While the Indians were engaged, under the able superintendence of Captain Anderson, in culinary operations, Bury and I appropriated one of the empty canoes, and explored a deep bend in the river, in which we discovered a tempting rapid, and we took advantage of its seclusion to make the experiment of shooting the canoe down the foaming waters; the excitement which in all cases attends this proceeding being materially enhanced by the circumstance that we were novices in the art, and, having been expressly warned of its difficulty, felt our honour involved in the success of the enterprise.

There are few occasions where coolness and presence of mind are more necessary than in steering a canoe amid hidden rocks, while it is whirled towards them with inconceivable velocity by the impetuous current. There is no hope left of regaining the bank, no possibility of turning the canoe, no alternative remaining but to keep her head straight at it and trust to Providence, a strong arm, and a steady eye, to float you at last safely upon the calm waters beyond. We placed ourselves, one at