44 THE GREAT NORTH-WEST 



skin and cut it up ; indeed they did the greater part of 

 the work, laughing, chatting, and rejoicing the mean- 

 while. 



The skins were our property, and as much of the 

 meat as they could drag away was given to Chom and 

 her daughter. The rest was divided among the crowd 

 of squaws, who in return undertook to drag the pelts 

 back to our huts. All spent one night at the yard, 

 which was fourteen or fifteen miles from the village, and 

 many did not depart till the following day was well 

 advanced, being too intent on feasting to hurry away. 

 Altogether the scene was one of the most remarkable of 

 savage life which I had yet witnessed. 



I have anticipated a little. For our people, seeing 

 that many wolves had been attracted to this spot by the 

 scent of the deer, laid traps all round the neighbourhood, 

 with the result that in the three nights we remained 

 here, nearly twenty wolves were captured, besides four 

 which I shot. The Indians might have shot many, but 

 they prefer to trap them, as the marks of the bullet or 

 shot depreciate the value of the skin : so they say. 



The wolf-skins were distributed equally amongst us, 

 but lots were drawn for the moose-pelts, as they were of 

 various sizes and values. The method of drawing lots 

 was that which I think is universal in all countries, viz. 

 by holding a number of twigs of various lengths concealed 

 in the hand, he who draws the longest having the first 

 choice. This happened to fall to me; but as I had taken no 

 part in the slaughter, I paid in powder and shot for my 

 share, and in so doing I rose so much in the minds of 

 these simple people that they raised me to the rank of 

 a chief, and as such I was ever after treated by this tribe 

 of Crees whilst I remained amongst them. It may be 

 worth adding that at this time I dressed as an Indian, 

 and have more than once been taken for one at the 

 Hudson Company's posts. Others thought me a half- 

 breed. Contrary to the rule in this country, where 



