Volume 1

6o
RAT RIVER.
smoke a pipe comfortably ; but as I was so very fond of it,
they would insist no longer, but wait patiently until I
thought proper to treat them.
They dropped away one by
one, and in a short time were all gone except the chief,
Tabashaw, whom I looked upon as the greatest villain of
them all. He remained to make friends, and persuade me
that he had been pushed on by the others; he hoped I
would not think the worse of him, but continue to do him
charity, etc. Thus ended an affair which at one time I
thought would have serious consequences. I knew very
well that the Indians I had to deal with were brave fellows,
who had more than once pillaged traders.
Sunday, Aug. 2^th. The Indians were sober, but very
sullen. At twelve o'clock we embarked, and accompanied
by a few canoes of Indians, saw many fresh tracks of
moose, red deer, and bears, and I shot some wild fowl.
The river winds as before, but our average course is S.
Two bars in a canoe gave way ; we put ashore, and fastened
them with rope. At five o'clock we camped at Rat
river with some of the Indians. This small river is from
the E.; at about three miles from its entrance it is divided
into three branches, all of which rise from the Cypress hills,
and after winding through low country, like the Seine, in
whose neighborhood it runs. Rat river empties at this
place.'' A few years ago beavers were plenty on the upper
*' The main forks of Rat r. unite much further than this from Red r. ; they
are known as the E. branch and the S. branch. Their general course, like
that of their united stream, is from S. E. to N. W. On nearing Red r.,
Rat r. turns more to the N., receives a large branch from the S. , and falls in
nearly on the latter course. The drainage is approx. parallel with that of the
Seine, with which Henry compares it. The location of Chaboillez's house is
confirmed by Thompson, who passed it on Friday, Mar. gth, 1798 ; he says
that it was built \ m. up Rat r., but does not say on which side. He made the
lat. 49" 33' 58" N. This post must not be confounded with Chaboillez's house
of 1797-98, on Red r., at site of Pembina. There were two persons named
Chaboillez, father and son, both of the N. W. Co., and often confused. C. J.
B. Chaboillez was on the Red and Assiniboine, etc., with some intermission,
from 1796, or earlier, till 1805, or later; he signed the Montreal agreement of
Nov. 5th, 1804, by his attys.; in winter of 1804-05, he was in charge of Dept.