Volume 1

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CHAPTER IV.
THE PEMBINA RIVER POST :
l80I-02.
7^ UG. 22d, 1801.' We arrived at the Forks of the Assin-
-^^ iboine ;
sent on the canoes ; took the horse myself,
and, with two men, proceeded by land
up the Assiniboine
three leagues to the Grand Passage, where we crossed, having
the water up to our saddles.
passage on Sale river.
Att^;-. 2jd. Early we were on our horses ; saw
Came on, and slept at the
numerous
herds of buffalo in the grand traverse, and at sunset reached
Panbian river, where we found camped, near the fort, 55 men
bearing arms—the same people we traded with last winter,
with a few more Saulteurs from Red lake. Not an Assiniboine
or a Cree has been here during the summer. The
former are doubtful of the behavior of the Saulteurs toward
them
;
the latter have made several trips to the Assiniboine,
and purchased a number of horses, for guns and medicines.
The latter are of their own collection, and consist of different
roots and barks, some of which are found on this river,
and others are brought from the Fond du Lac country, and
even from the south side of Lake Superior. I found the
stockades erected, and our houses and stores nearly finished.
My people have been alarmed the whole summer, our
Indians telling them almost every day that they saw the
enemy. Those alerts, however, always proved to be false
' A new narrative begins abruptly at this date. Henry has been to Grand
Portage, on Lake Superior, during this summer, and has returned, thus making
a Journey of which we have no account. We pick him up at the confluence of
the Assiniboine with Red r.—at Winnipeg. He is en route to the post which
Michel Langlois established last May at the mouth of Pembina r. He sends
his brigade up Red r. to that place, and goes himself by land, his first move
being up the Assiniboine to the fording-place known as the Grand Passage ;
whence he continues to camp at Riviere la Sale : for this, see note '*, p. 55.
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