AN INDIAN CABIN 175 



to serve as " glass." The walls were ornamented 

 with beadwork, some old bows and arrows, 

 a powder-horn, and a muzzle-loading, lead- 

 ball, flint-lock rifle hung from wooden pegs in 

 rare disorder. The bed, which nestled close to 

 one wall, was framed with boughs from the forest 

 and filled in across with light branches to form 

 the " spring," while, over this, laced hay-grass 

 furnished a mattress : the whole was abundantly 

 covered with thick warm Caribou rugs. A crude 

 table and three chairs occupied the centre of the 

 floor, articles hewn smooth with axe and knife, 

 and much labour, from the woods of the forest, 

 and grained naturally with constant use. In 

 the far corner a log-fire blazed brightly in a 

 hooded, stone-built fireplace, and threw its light 

 in dancing wavelets along the darkly smoke - 

 fumed timber of the rude-cut ceiling beams. A 

 black iron pot hung over the fire, hooked to a rod ; 

 a dwarf wooden stool was by the hearth. On 

 the wall close to the fire, pots and pans filled a 

 shelf close to the floor. Overhead a string of dry 

 medicine roots and a fire-bag hung from a rafter. 

 At the fire an Indian woman was preparing 

 food, and, as was her habit, she but glanced up 

 as the man came in and continued her duties 

 without a word. Her face was set and grave as 

 became her age, for the countless withered wrinkles 

 told that she was in the autumn of life Hers was 

 a shrunken face rather than full, and the skin 

 was bronzed as with a deep sunburn. In the 

 profile lay character, for the outline was straight 

 and refined, and firmly chiselled with the im- 

 pression of endurance and patient strength. En- 



