Tuesday 31^st Dec^r Cont^d A Little Before Dark Etties & Vermette arrived[.] The former left Isle a la Crosse with the Letters the 4^th Instant, took a Man called Cadotte at Lac de Boeuf from M^r A. Fraser and took Vermette to come here as Cadotte returned at the Forks[.] The news from the other posts are – That there is an opposition this winter every where this company have a post – that a Man belonging to M^r Chaboillez Department & a few pieces & another Man with 20 p^s belonging to the Little Company were lost in River Unpick coming in last fall – and that one Indian killed another at Lac Verd[.] Vermette informed us that S^t Germain kept the Meuffle, an Indian belonging to this place who owes 100 skins, to hunt for him against the Indian’s will[.] [I]t would have been more apropos to have kept his own hunter against his will than an Indian of this place who owes more than he is able to pay[.] In this he imitates his pareil, Brousseault’s behavior about 2 years ago[.] Vermette can give no other acc^t of the Band with whom this Meuffle was than that they were Montagners, had Picote, Gibeau & Marciel along with them, and had a few of their Credits already made of which S^t Germain traded a few[.] A long time after da[rk] Papin & S^t André arrived from Isle a la Crosse I mistook for I mean they arrived from Pointe de Roche[.] Gave a Dram & their supper of Fish to the Nouveaux Arrivans[.] Great preparations going On here this Night for tomorrow which is New Years Day[.] Dusablon with hands that have not seen a Drop of water since last New years Day made a Large Kettle full of Bullets of Fish each as Big and as ill shaped as his own head of which (from the enormous size of it), it would not require many to fill a Large kettle[.] Lambert made fish Cakes alias Pêtes & boiled a ham & dried Meat[.] Masquawsis made fire, drew water cleaned shoes &c. M^r Wentzel & I were continually running from the shop to the Hangard, from the Hangard to the Garret from thence to the Kitchen[.] In short every body in the House had a finger in the Pie & were as busy all Night as une Queue de Veau[.]

Wednesday January 1^st

1800

This Morning before day break the Men according to Custom fired two broad sides in honour of the New Year & then came in to be recompensed as usual with Rum &c. Some of them could hardly stand alone before they went out – such was the effect the Juice of the Grape had upon their Brains[.] After Dinner at which every body help'd himself so plentifully that nothing remained to the Dogs[.] They had a bowl of punch[.] The expenses of this day with 14 Men & two Women are 6½ fathoms Spencers twist, 7 Flagons Rum, 1 ditto Wine, 1 ham, a skins worth of dried Meat, about 40 whitefish, flour, sugar &c &c. Felix Labri (whose beard from Chagrin for his Brothers Death is as long as my pen) was the first that began to drink & sing & the last who gave up that farce – he is a Gentleman who stands upon no ceremony – for the punch which remained undrank he was not backward in taking along with him to his own house & there drank it[.] This Morning after drinking the first

dra[m]

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