166 LEGGINGS. — VAMPS. 



use here for all sorts of articles of warm wear. The legging answers 

 the purpose of a bootleg, and since it is only worn with the 

 moccasins in the snow serves remarkably well for that purpose. 

 Leggings, made either with a sock or without one, pull on the 

 legs over the pantaloons ; a loop often passing from side to side, 

 under the foot as in riding pants and patent hunting oilskin or 

 rubber breeches. The moccasin is then put on over the bottom 

 part of the legging, and the top secured by some bright braid as 

 before mentioned in the case of the boot. A little matter of pride 

 comes into notice here, — that is, the tasty bordering of the seam of 

 the legging, on either side, since the seam is always worn outward 

 and the braid tied with colored worsteds so that the ends hang 

 jauntily outward also. The whole outfit forms a very pretty fancy 

 piece, and reflects the good taste of the wearer. 



Neither shoes, boots, nor moccasins, of a soft bottom, are ever 

 worn except with several pair of thick stockings and one or two pair 

 of swanskin vamps, as they are called ; these are simply cloth-hke 

 slippers, and much resemble a stocking cut off just above the instep 

 with the edges bound or sewed over and over with worsted, and a 

 central flap an inch or two long from the middle of the front edge 

 in which is made a loop and by which the pair are looped and 

 fastened, the one to the other, when they are hung up to dry, as 

 they usually are every night. One can easily see that, compelled 

 as the people are to take long walks, the foot-gear must be, as it is, 

 very warm and protecting to the feet ; and yet, though at first sight 

 those skin coverings would seem cold and productive of cold feet 

 the reverse is so extraordinarily the case that one can stand in 

 water all day and not wet the feet, unless the boot is poorly made, or 

 stand on the ice in the coldest weather and seldom suffer from the 

 cold penetrating to the soles of the feet. The main difficulty is 

 the getting used to such "strange feeling shoes," and in walking over 

 small, loose, angular pebbles which are everywhere abundant on 

 the shore, large rocks giving Htde or no trouble at all. In summer 

 generally the smallest amount possible is worn on the foot. 

 Strange to say, sometimes sealskin bottoms are put on leather- 



