48 EXPEDITION TO THE 



The spot upon which we were encamped was a fine level 

 prahie on the edge of the woods that skht the river; two 

 or three lodges were built in our vicinity; these Mr. Sey- 

 mour sketched, and they are represented in plate 8, which 

 shows the two different kinds of lodges used by tiie north- 

 west Indians; those who reside on the prairies, and who 

 hunt the buffalo, use the skin lodge, which is formed by a 

 number of buffalo skins, united into one, and wound round 

 a number of light sticks or poles, so as to form a conical 

 tent. Of this nature are all the lodges used by the Dacotas. 

 On the other hand the Chippewas, w'ho for the most part 

 live to the north-east of the buffalo regions, and who have 

 no more of these skins than they require for their perso- 

 nal use, construct their lodges of large pieces of the birch- 

 bark, which they fix upon a frame, made of the young 

 branches of trees, bent so as to form an oblong lodge. 

 These ai'e covered with bark, which, when they travel, is 

 rolled up and carried by the w^omen. The plate gives a 

 good idea of the dress, appearance, and attitudes of the In- 

 dians and half-breeds that surrounded us. It likewise ex- 

 hibits two dogs, carrying burdens in the manner of pack- 

 horses. We have ascertained that a good dog will sell here 

 for twenty dollars, (payable in goods.) This animal gene- 

 rally consumes from six to ten pounds of fresh meat, or four 

 pounds of dry meat per day ; it is never fed but at night, 

 othei'wise it is indolent all day. We were not a little 

 amused at examining the house of a man that takes dogs 

 to board and lodge for the summer, receiving about three 

 dollars a head for the season. He returns them in the au- 

 tumn to their masters, who use them during the winter 

 season. He feeds them in summer altogether upon fish, 

 chiefly the hyodon. In a short time he catches enough to 

 support during the day thirty or forty dogs, which he now 

 has under his care ; sometimes the number of his boai'ders 



