Volume 1

252 GARDEN CROPS—SUICIDE—SHOOTING SCRAPES.
Oct. 22d. Sault Indians arrived for men to go for their
furs—three packs of beaver. Had I been one day later, I
should have lost this. My canoe arrived from above. 2^d.
Six men ofT, en derouine to Rat river. Gathered my turnips,
carrots, etc. zjtJi. Fire in the plains in every direction.
Went to see how Mr. Langlois was coming on at the hills,
and returned next day. The men had gathered the following
crops : I,GOO bushels potatoes (produce of 21 bushels);
40 bushels turnips; 25 bushels carrots; 20 bushels beets; 20
bushels parsnips ; 10 bushels cucumbers ; 2 bushels melons ;
5 bushels squashes ; 10 bushels Indian corn ; 200 large heads
of cabbage 300 small and Savoy cabbages. All these vegetables
are exclusive of what have been eaten and
;
destroyed
since my arrival.
One of my men having beaten his woman, she went in the
hang herself,
woods with a piece of rope and attempted to
which she would actually have done, had she not been discovered
just as she was climbing the tree to throw herself
off. Instances of this sort are not uncommon among the
Saulteur women. An old woman belonging to Chamard,*
one of my men at Portage la Prairie, last winter in a fit of
despair hung herself in the woods and was found next day
dead and stiff. This old woman had lost two grown daughters
within a short time ; she lamented them sadly, and one
day, having quarreled with her old man and been beaten,
she put an end to her troubles. I have known on this river
several women who hanged themselves, having lost their
husbands and been ill-used by their relations.
Nov. 1st. Fire running all over the country. X. Y.
ladies busy stealing the gleanings of my potato field.
Tabashaw attempted to fire on my men on Rat river. 8th.
Hard frost. Men arrived from below. Mr. D. was obliged
to build opposite Riviere qui Deboule, on the W. side [thus
at present Dynevor].
He and his men were fired upon by
Indians, but no accident happened.
Nov. Jjth. Red river frozen over. My tame bear making
* Michel Chamard appears as voyageur N. W. Co., Lower Red r., 1804.