316 
A JOURNEY TO THE 
article of fifh; for when they do make a pretence 
of drefling it, they feldom warm it through. I 
have frequently made one of a party who has fat 
round a frefh-killed deer, and affifted in picking 
the bones quite clean, when I thought that the 
raw brains and many other parts were exceeding- 
ly good ; and, however firange it may appear, I 
muft beftow the fame epithet on half-raw fith: 
even to this day I give the preference to trout, __ 
falmon, and the brown tittemeg, when they are 
not warm at the bone. . 
The extreme poverty of thofe Indians in gene- 
ral will not permit one half of them to purchafe 
brafs kettles from the Company; fo that they are 
fiill under the neceflity of continuing their origi- 
nal mode of boiling their victuals in large upright 
veflels made of birch-rind.. As thofe veflels will 
not admit of being expofed to the fire, the 
Indians, to fupply the defect, heat ftones red-hot — 
and put them into the water, which foon occafi- 
ons it to boil; and by having a conftant fucceffion 
of hot ftones, they may continue the procefs as 
long as it is neceflary. This method of cooking, 
though very expeditious, is attended with one 
great evil; the victuals which are thus prepared 
are full of fand: for the ftones thus heated, and 
then immerged in the water, are not only liable 
to fhiver to pieces, but many of them being of a 
coarfe gritty nature, fall to a mafs of gravel in 
the kettle, which cannot be prevented from mix- 
ing with the victuals which are boiled init. Be- 
fides 
