NORTHERN OCEAN. 265 
was attended with great trouble, and not always 1772. 
with fuccefs, fhe did not fuffer her fire to go out —~—~ 
all the Winter. Hence we may conclude that fhe aia 
had no idea of producing fire by friction, in the 
manner practifed by the Efquimaux, and many 
other uncivilized nations; becaufe if fhe had, the 
above-mentioned precaution would have been un- 
neceflary. 
The fingularity of the circumftance, the come- 
 linefS of her perfon, and her approved accomplith- 
ments, occafioned a ftrong conteft between feve- 
ral of the Indians of my party, who fhould have 
her for a wife; and the poor girl was actually 
won and loft at wrefiling by near half a {core dif. 
ferent men the fame evening. My guide, Mato- 
nabbee who at that time had no lefs than feven 
wives, all women grown, befides a young girl of 
eleven or twelve years old, would have put in 
for the prize alfo, had not one of his wives made 
him afhamed of it, by telling him that he had al- 
ready more wives than he could properly attend. 
This piece of fatire, however true, proved fa- 
tal to the poor girl who dared to make fo open a 
declaration ; for the great man, Matonabbee, who | 
would willingly have been thought equal to eight 
or ten men in every refpect, took it as fuch an 
affront, that he fell on her with both hands and 
feet, and bruifed her to fuch a degree, that after | 
lingering fome time fhe died. » 
When the Athapufcow Indians took the above 
Dogribbed Indian woman prifoner, they accord- 
ing 
