260 CAMP-FIRES OF A NATURALIST. 



The village was alive with wolfish dogs, whose 

 principal occupation seemed to be fighting against 

 every other dog in the neighbourhood over the 

 scant scraps left by the Indians. As the food re- 

 fused by an Indian is barely good enough for a dog, 

 the animals had a hard time in getting a sufficient 

 supply to keep life in their bodies through the win- 

 ter. While there was no danger of their attacking 

 the hunters, yet it was necessary carefully to guard 

 the camp to prevent their depredations. 



Many of the squaws sat hour after hour on the ice 

 of the lake, fishing, either with hooks and lines or 

 with nets which they ran under the ice and left for 

 two or three days at a time. When a pickerel or 

 white fish was caught the woman jerked it out 

 on the ice and killed it with a blow of an axe. 

 These fish were cured and those that were not sold 

 to the traders were eaten. Dyche walked to the 

 edge of the lake to witness the fishing operations of 

 the squaws, but as soon as he approached, the women 

 gathered up their lines and blankets and made a dash 

 for the village. Gib, the interpreter, laughed at the 

 incident and explained their actions by saying that 

 they were all young squaws and were afraid of a 

 man. 



Dyche supposed that all arrangements were now 

 complete, but he was greatly surprised to find that the 

 Indians made no preparations for departure. They 

 now said that they thought he would not keep his 

 agreement about paying for the animals killed by 

 himself. There was another long pow-wow, and at 

 last he was able to convince them that he would do 



