THE HURON INDIANS. 233 



dian blood flows in their veins, for their contact with the 

 Canadians and Europeans has contributed to inoculate 

 the European blood in place of that of their ancestors. 

 Of this fact you may convince yourself by a glance at 

 their faces, whose sun-burn does not prevent you from 

 detecting the mongrel complexion which has taken the 

 place of that of the original Hurons. Nay, more : their 

 physiognomy has assumed an expression, as it were, of 

 astuteness and falsehood which was no characteristic of 

 the race from whom they have sprung. Their clothing 

 consists of a wrapper tied round the waist by a coloured 

 girdle, of woollen gaiters rolled round their legs, mocassins 

 of deer-skin, and a woollen bonnet dyed red or blue. In 

 winter, as well as in summer, such is the costume of the 

 Hurons. 



Their special accomplishment consists in traversing im- 

 mense distances by means of those rackets, or snow-shoes, 

 so much in vogue in Canada. 



Our coverings, our cloaks, and the bison-skins which 

 served us both for mattresses and travelling cloaks, formed 

 a very heavy luggage ; so we thought it best to place it in 

 the custody of three of our Indians, who might march at 

 their ease, and rejoin us a little further on. We donned 

 our rackets, and, guided by the other Indians, moved 

 forward in advance. Though thinly clad, the violent 

 exercise in which we were engaged made us perspire as 

 much as if we had been in the midst of the dog-days. 



It was a glorious morning, and the sun shone with un- 

 equalled brilliancy ; sometimes, however, a little subdued 

 by the reverberation of the whitened soil which paled its 

 rays. The gale of the preceding day had rippled the 

 snow into light waves, and this silvery sand crackled 



