I met Mr. Winston and his assistant surveyors at Grand Rapids about the middle of August. There were no roads leading into the country that we were to survey, and, as our work would extend nearly through the winter, it was necessary to get our supplies in sufficient quantity to last for our entire campaign, and take them near to our work. This was accomplished by taking them in canoes and boats of various sorts. Our first water route took us up the Mississippi River, into Lake Winnibigoshish, and from that lake on its northeasterly shore, we went into Cut-foot Sioux, or Keeskeesdaypon Lake. From this point we were obliged to make a four mile portage into the Big Fork River, crossing the Winnibigoshish Indian Reservation. From an Indian encampment on this reservation, at the southwest shore of Bow String Lake, we hired some Indians to help pack our supplies across the four mile portage. Before half of our supplies had been carried across the portage, the Indian chief sent word to us by one of his braves, that he wished to see us in council and forbade our moving any more of our supplies until we had counseled with him. Although the surveyors were the agents of the United States government, for the sake of harmony, it was thought best to ascertain at once what was uppermost in the chief's mind. That evening, a conference was held in the wigwam of the chief. First, the chief filled full of tobacco, a large, very long stemmed pipe, and, having lighted it with a live coal from the fire, took the first whiff of smoke; then immediately passed it to the nearest one of our delegates to his right, and thus the pipe went round, until it came back to the chief, before anything had been said. The chief then began a long recital, telling us that the great father would protect them in their rights to the exclusive use of these lands. The chief said that he was averse neither to the white man using the trail of his people nor to his using the waters of the rivers or lakes within the boundaries of the reservation, but, if he did so, he must pay tribute. In answer to his speech, the chief surveyor of our party, Fendall G. Winston, replied that he and his men had been sent to survey the lands that belonged to the great father; and, that in order to reach those lands, it was necessary that his people should cross the reservation which the great father had granted to his tribe; nevertheless, that they felt friendly to the Indians; that if they were treated kindly by himself and his tribesmen, they should have an opportunity to give them considerable work for many days, while they were getting their supplies across his country to that of the great father, where they were going to work during the fall and winter; and that they would also make him a present of a sack of flour, some pork, some tea, and some tobacco. He was told, too, that this was not necessary for the great father's men to do, but that they were willing to do it, provided that this should end all