174 THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE BY LAND. 



been pursued in various cases long gone by. The 

 little community in and around the hut was in a 

 state of intense excitement. Peace had just been 

 concluded between the Crees and the Blackfeet ; 

 large camps of both nations were within a day or 

 two's journey of the Fort. From these there was a 

 continual going and coming of visitors, all anxious 

 to avail themselves of the rare occasion of a peace, 

 o-enerally only of very short duration. On these state 

 visits by the members of one tribe to those of the 

 other, the men adorned themselves in gaudiest finery 

 and brightest paint. Scarlet leggings and blankets, 

 abundance of ribbons in the cap, if any were worn, 

 or the hair plaited into a long queue behind, and two 

 shorter ones hanging down on each side the face in 

 front, each bound round by coils of bright brass 

 wire ; round the eyes a halo of bright vermilion, a 

 streak down the nose, a patch on each cheek, and a 

 circle round the mouth of the same colour, consti- 

 tuted the most efi'ective toilet of a Cree dandy. 



During our stay here a party of Blackfeet ar- 

 rived to trade. They were fine-looking fellows, 

 generally better dressed and cleaner than other 

 Indians. Tliey appeared of a less stature than the 

 Crees, but still tall and well made. Their faces were 

 very intelligent, their features being strongly marked, 

 the nose large, well formed, straight or sHghtly 

 Roman, the cheek-bones less prominent, and the 

 lips thinner than in the Cree. The mouth was large, 

 and the teeth beautifully white, as in all Indians. 

 The dress of the men differed but little from that of 



