DECORATING THE HUT. 51 



his spare time during the winter was spent in beautifying the 

 inside. 



He had some paints with him and began first of all on the 

 fire-place, which he painted all over, and then ornamented by 

 representing a marble mantlepiece with vases on it ; and he did 

 it so well that all the Indians who came in would go up and 

 touch it, and then look at it sideways to see why it appeared to 

 stand out. He restopped the house inside too, and painted 

 the stopping blue, I, however, had my doubts as to its being an 

 improvement. 



When making his bed, instead of sleeping on the top of a 

 number of buffalo-robes and bear-skins which we had bought of 

 the Indians, he would get under them, retaining two only to lie 

 on, and would even then say he was cold. 



For some days he thought he would cook instead of Badger's 

 wife, but we found that what he prepared had such an extra- 

 ordinary flavour that we reinstated our old cook. He had the 

 remains of some West-Indian sauces with him, and he would 

 put these in, adding a quantity of cayenne pepper, which he 

 could eat as we did salt, as he had lived fifteen years in South 

 America. 



About a week after F 's arrival, I made up my mind to 



go and pay a visit to my late companions, whose house was only 

 about forty miles from mine, making them near neighbours for 



that part of the world ; and I at last persuaded F to go 



with me, as I intended taking four dogs and a sleigh, and he 

 could ride most of the way. 



I engaged a Cree Indian called Ki-chi-mo-ko-man, or " Big 

 knife," to act as guide, as Badger knew nothing of the country 

 north of the Saskatchawan. 



E2 



