the signal for the boat to be got ready. I had frequently requested the
stewards on the boats to bring me fresh meat from Collingwood on their
up-trip. They at length complied with my request, and just the day
before we expected to leave came a big joint of thirteen pounds--the
first we had seen since we came up. So we had beef for breakfast, beef
for dinner, and beef for tea, and beef between times in the vain hope
of getting through it. At last we called in our Indian friends and
neighbours to partake, and they cleared off nearly all the food in the
house. Evening came, and our boat had not arrived.

The next day was Sunday. Morning service was over, and the Indians,
remembering the good feast of yesterday, came sniffing round, thinking
to get another. We had a very spare luncheon, and we had to tell the
Indians that we were quite out of victuals. Then we sent Aleck to the
Jesuit priest to ask him if he would kindly send us a little butter and
milk. In the evening the good man came down himself, and expressed the
greatest distress at our laughable condition. He was a German by birth,
but spoke English very well. "I think I have a leetle cock," he said,
"and I will give him to you, and if you have some rice, you may make
some soup; that will be better than to starve." We thanked him warmly,
and Aleck went and brought the "leetle cock," and an Indian gave us a
pint of huckleberries, and we scraped the flour-barrel and made a
huckleberry pie, and so had quite a feast. On Monday morning the
steamboat arrived, and we bade adieu to our Indian friends, and
returned to Sarnia.




CHAPTER XIV.