MEETING WITH RED-SKINS 25 



CROOKED RIVER, 



May 15. 



WE MEET TWO CREES 



While skinning a hawk this morning, two 

 Crees, travelling upstream, came into view. On 

 sighting our canoe they stopped on their way and 

 came ashore. They were going to Big River ; 

 they had some furs, they told us. 



We gave them some food. 



One was a weather-beaten man well up in 

 years, the other a boy of about eighteen summers. 

 The elder man had a fine face, very pleasant 

 to look upon. His eyes were sincere, and had 

 an uncommon, permanent smiling expression 

 though the whites of the inner corners were 

 bloodshot, as seems to be common to all ; many 

 fine wrinkles ran in between the eyes and the 

 nose, as if his eyes had for ever searched over 

 great distances. The nose was well chiselled 

 and strong ; the cheek-bones were high ; the 

 chin was firm ; the forehead broad, and with 

 two deep wrinkles across it. The colour of his 

 skin was shining, deep yellow- tinged brown. 

 The jet-black hair streaked down over the fore- 

 head, curled long and not ungracefully around 

 behind the ears, and down across the back of 

 the neck. The moustache and beard were 

 scanty a growth of a few coarse, untidy hairs. 

 He wore Mackinaw trousers, loosely belted with 

 a broad coloured Assumption sash, and a black 

 shirt. On his feet were moccasins that fitted 

 like gloves, decorated with interlaced coloured 

 straws on the foreparts. Neither spoke a word 

 of English. 



