Page:Life and journals of Kah-ke-wa-quo-na-by.djvu/279

 greatest enemy, and kept himself hid so that no Christian Indian could talk with him. This man continued hiding and running from the praying Indians until he got lame in both of his hips, so that he could not run or walk, and was obliged to call to the Christian natives to help him. He now sees his folly — confesses his errors — prays to the Great Spirit to have mercy upon him, and has become tamed and in his right mind. We also visited the Roman Catholic Indians, who have lately come from Drummond's Island. We told them what the Great Spirit had done for us, and how happy we were in our hearts in worshipping the Great Spirit who had saved us from drunkenness and from all our sins. They said that they would like to see and hear for themselves how we worshipped the Lord. So they sent those that came with us to this meeting, that they might go and tell their brethren just how it was, as a great many bad things had been told to them about our way of worship by the French people among them. This is all I can tell you of our travels and labours among our native brethren in the woods.”

Monday 14th. — Started early this morning for Rice Lake and Grape Island.

Wednesday 16th. — In the morning employed in writing. At 9 o'clock I went to the village of Cobourg and found a letter in the post office from Mr. Clench, the Indian Agent. Before sunset on the l6th I arrived at Mr. Williams', on the south side of the Rice Lake. After borrowing a skiff I rowed across the lake to the Indian village on the north side of the lake, which is about three miles.

Thursday 17th. — In the morning visited the Indian camps, and found several sick. The Indian sisters were busily engaged in gathering the rice, which grows in great abundance in the lake. The manner of gathering and preparing it is: two go, with a birch canoe, into the thickest part of it, and with