NORTHERN OCEAN: 205 
édthe women. This circumftance was exceed- y771. 
ingly favourable on my fide ; for had there been inane 
no perfons of the above defcription in company, 
that tafk, I was told, would have fallen on me ; 
~ which would have been no lefs fatiguing and trou- 
blefome, than humiliating and vexatious. 
When the victuals were cooked, all the murde- 
rers took a kind of red earth, or oker, and paint- 
ed all the fpace between the nofe and chin, as well 
as the greater part of their cheeks, almoft to the 
ears, before they would tafte a bit, and would not 
drink out of any other difh, or imoke out of any 
other pipe, but their own; and none of the 
others feemed willing to drink or fmoke out of 
theirs. 
We had no fooner joined the women, at our 
return from the expedition, than there feemed to 
be an univerfal fpirit of emulation among them, 
vying who fhould firft make a fuit of ornaments 
for their hufbands, which confifted of bracelets for 
the wrifts, and a band for the forehead, compof- 
_ed of porcupine quills and moofe-hair, curioufly 
wrought on leather. 
The cuftom of painting the mouth and part of 
- the cheeks before each meal, and drinking and 
fmoking out of their own utenfils, was ftridily 
and invariable obferved, till the Winter began to 
fet in; and during the whole of that time they 
would never kifs any of their wives or children. 
They refrained alfo from eating many parts of 
the deer and other animals, particularly the head, 
entrails, 
