Pezhike gave in his population at eighty souls, of which number eighteen were men, twenty-six women, and the remainder children.  He made a speech responding to the sentiments uttered by me, and promising the aid of his band in the pacification of the country.  As an evidence of his sincerity he presented a peace-pipe.  I concluded the interview by distributing presents of ammunition and iron works to each man, agreeably to his count.  I then sent Indian runners with messages to Bwoinace at Yellow River, on the St. Croix, to be forwarded by hand to Chacopee, on Snake River, to meet me at Yellow River in twelve days.  Sent a message to the same chief, to be forwarded to Mozojeed at Lac Courtorielle, to meet me at that place with his band on the 1st August, and another message to be forwarded by him to Lac du Flambeau, at the head of the Chippewa River, with directions for the Indians to meet me at their principal village, as soon after the 1st August as I can get there, of which they will be the best judges.  I determined to enter the country myself, by the Mauvais or Maskigo River, notwithstanding the numerous rafts of trees that embarrass the navigation—­the water being abundant.

OLD FORT, SITE OF A TRAGEDY.—­The military barge, Lieut.  Clary, started for the Maskigo, with a fair wind, on the 18th.  A soldier had previously deserted.  I sent to the chief, Pezhike, to dispatch his young men to catch him, and they immediately went.  After setting out, the wind was found too strong to resist with paddies, and I turned into the sheltered bay of the old French fort.  The site and ground lines are only left.

It was a square with bastions.  The site is overgrown with red haw and sumac.  The site of a blacksmith shop was also pointed out.  This is an evidence of early French and Missionary enterprise, and dates about 1660.  There is a tale of a tragedy connected with a female, at its abandonment.  The guns, it is said, were thrown in the bay.  The wind having abated, we again put out at eight o’clock in the evening, and went safely into the Maskigo and encamped.

MASKIGO RIVER.—­We began the ascent of this stream on the 19th, at half-past four A.M.; landed at seven for breakfast, at the old Indian gardens; at eight went on; at ten reached the first portage, passed it in an hour; went on till one o’clock; afterwards passed two other portages of about three hundred yards each; and went on to the great raft of flood wood, being the fourth portage, where we encamped at three o’clock, at its head.  Mosquitoes very annoying.  Estimate our distance at thirty miles.