from his possession, and the others to protect him from their attacks; he never fails, however, from being dispossessed of the ball unless he throws it towards his home which is sometimes difficult.

The friends of the man holding the ball endeavour, by surrounding him, to prevent the others from knocking the ball out of his possession; but whenever it appears to be impossible for him to escape through the barrier, then one of these friends holds up his stick in a level direction across the front of the ball-man, which he understands and immediately with his utmost strength strikes at it with the stick holding the ball, and by the suddenness of the blow, like that of the ancient balista, sends off the ball through the air in the direction of his home when another contest takes place for the ball; and if it should again fall into the hands of one of the same party the game may then be very quickly terminated, yet there is, sometimes, a long and very severe struggle which protracts the game to one, to one, two or three

hours.

On the occasion when I was present at the

game celebrated at the Falls of St. Mary, the affair was ten times, at least, within an ace of being determined, yet each time the ball was snatched up at the critical moment by one of the opponents, and carried off towards the other home. I do not recollect if the number on each side is limited, nor could I state how many players were engaged, but they must have amounted to between fifty and one hundred in all. They were the finest made fellows I have ever seen, nearly quite naked, and painted from head to foot in the most fantastic manner imaginable, whilst on the backs of their heads many of them wore a single feather from the eagle's tail, half white, half deep brown.

After dinner we were amused by witnessing a game played by the girls and young women, which was very much on the same principle as that of La Crosse above noticed, with this difference, however, that instead of the cross or stick with the bag, the ladies used a stick about five or six feet long, quite straight, light, and tapered like a wand, and instead of a common round ball they had two egg-formed balls

fastened together by a thong six to eight inches in length, and in lieu of taking up the ball as with the men, these lifted up the two balls by passing their stick under the connecting thong of leather, and then by a sharp jerk they threw it on towards the desired place.

CHAPTER IV.

Hospital-mate Brown-Captain la Motte dies of dropsy -I am adopted as the King's brother, and receive a tribute from my subjects-Traverse from Michilimakinac-Severe gale, Oct. 16th, 1799-Dr. FrostAlteration in the royal standard - Blue Peter and True.

ON the following day I availed myself of a canoe proceeding to Montreal by the Grand River, and with which I returned to Fort St. Joseph. This small garrison had been hitherto left to provide for their health, I believe during four years at least, without the aid of a medical officer; and it is worthy of notice that during the whole of that period it was frequently mentioned with astonishment that not one serious accident had occurred to any of the government establishments, neither nilitary nor

civil requiring surgical or medical attendance. This neglect I had very strongly represented, both officially and privately, to General Prescott, the Captain-General and Commander-inchief; and which at length, at the opening of the fifth year from the occupation of the island by British troops, an Hospital-mate was appointed to the garrison of Fort St. Joseph; and it was soon after my arrival on this occasion, that Hospital-mate Brown landed at that place.

Mr. Brown, a native of Scotland, fifty years of age or more, was a little man, with sandy hair, partly bald; had a round, red face, with a wide mouth, drawn downwards at the corners, and supplied with very thick lips; always so disposed as to create a suspicion that he had just tasted of something very disagreeable. He moreover wore a fustian suit, and a drab-coloured hat hanging down well over his face, and pressing down the tops of his ears.

The garrison had at this time removed from their first quarters into the blockhouse I had erected, and Mr. Brown had a room allotted to him, wherein he made up a sort of bed on the floor in one corner, whilst within a yard of it was secured with wedges on both sides, a thirty