SOURCE or ST. Peter's river. 179 



tain the age of puberty, have all a belt tied round them, 

 as soon as they can run about. The house, which we visit- 

 ed, was about twenty feet long by fifteen wide, and full 

 twelve feet high at its centre. Seen from a distance, it re- 

 sembled a log-house ; but on approaching we discovered it 

 to be formed of bark, secured to a frame made of poles, 

 and covered with the same material. It had the appear- 

 ance of being very comfortable. The fire was made in the 

 middle of the house; two sides of the interior were occupied 

 with a frame, three feet high and four or five feet wide, 

 which was covered with blankets, skins, &c. and on these the 

 inmates sleep and eat; upon these we were invited to sit 

 down. There is no sign of partition, or of any thing that 

 can serve as a skreen to separate or divide one part of the 

 family from another. A woman who was sick, lay in 

 the lodge exposed to view, until the child, which was taken 

 from the chief's back, and which was her's, was handed 

 over naked to her. Whether from this circumstance, or 

 to avoid the curious glances of some of our party, who ap- 

 peared to be watching the sick woman's motions, we know 

 not, but a blanket was soon suspended in order to conceal 

 the patient from view. 



The disposition of these Indians was friendly. The ob- 

 ject of the expedition was explained to them, to which 

 they made no reply, but the chief directed his squaw, who 

 was a very fleshy woman, to give us some maple sugar in 

 return for the tobacco we had presented him ; he expressed 

 his regret at having no fresh meat to give us ; but added, 

 that if his hunters returned that evening with meat, he 

 would send some to our camp. We were a little shocked 

 at their familiar disposition, which we at first mistook for 

 intentional impudence ; they all collected round us, took 

 our guns, and began to examine them with care, appeared 



