soTTRCi; OF s>T. peter's kiver. 289 



from a trader,) at other times a blanket, or a roll of bark, 

 conceal the bodies of the deceased. There were, also, several 

 graves, in which are probably deposited the bones, after all 

 the softer parts have been resolved into their elements, by 

 long exposure to the atmosphere. Returning to the boat, the 

 party ascended and passed an Indian village consisting often 

 or twelve huts, situated at a handsome turn on the river, about 

 ten miles below the mouth of the St. Peter ; the village is gene- 

 rally known by the name of the Petit Corbeait, or Little Ra- 

 ven, which was the appellation of the father and grandfather 

 of the present chief He is called Ch^-taH-w&-k6-a-m&-ne, (the 

 good sparrow hunter.) The Indians designate this band by 

 the name of K^apo'ja, which implies that they are deemed 

 lighter and more active than the rest of the nation. As 

 the village was abandoned for the season, we proceeded 

 without stopping. The houses which we saw here were 

 differently constructed from those which we had previously 

 observed. They are formed by upright flattened posts, im- 

 planted in the ground, without any interval except here 

 and there some small loopholes for defence ; these posts 

 support the roof, which presents a surface of bark. Before 

 and behind each hut, there is a scaffold used for the pur- 

 pose of drying maize, pumpkins, &c. The present chief 

 is a good warrior, an artful, cunning man, remarkable 

 among the Indians for his wit, and, as is said, for his cour- 

 tesy to white men, endeavouring, as far as he can, in his 

 intercourse with the latter, to imitate their manners. 



Above this village, there is a cave which is much visit- 

 ed by voyagers ; we stopped to examine it, although it 

 presents, in fact, but little to admire ; it is formed in the 

 sandstone, and is of course destitute of those beautiful ap- 

 pearances, which characterize the caverns in calcareous 

 rock. It is the same which is described by Mr. School- 



VoL. I. 37 



