MOUNT RAINIER 



taste it. They received it from us with great disgust, 

 and presented it round to the rest of the party, by whom 

 it underwent a very strict examination. Their con- 

 duct on this occasion left no doubt in our minds that 

 they believed it to be human flesh, an impression which 

 it was highly expedient should be done away. To sat- 

 isfy them that it was the flesh of the deer, we pointed 

 to the skins of the animal they had about them. In 

 reply to this they pointed to each other, and made signs 

 that could not be misunderstood, that it was the flesh 

 of human beings, and threw it down in the dirt, with 

 gestures of great aversion and displeasure. At length 

 we happily convinced them of their mistake by shewing 

 them a haunch we had in the boat, by which means 

 they were undeceived, and some of them ate of the 

 remainder of the pye with a good appetite. 



This behavior, whilst in some measure tending to 

 substantiate their knowledge or suspicions that such 

 barbarities have existence, led us to conclude, that 

 the character given of the natives of North-West 

 America does not attach to every tribe. These people 

 have been represented not only as accustomed in- 

 humanly to devour the flesh of their conquered enemies ; 

 but also to keep certain servants, or rather slaves, of 

 their own nation, for the sole purpose of making the 

 principal part of the banquet, to satisfy the unnatural 

 savage gluttony of the chiefs of this country, on their 

 visits to each other. Were such barbarities practiced 

 once a month, as is stated, it would be natural to sup- 

 pose these people, so inured, would not have shewn 

 the least aversion to eating flesh of any description ; 

 on the contrary, it is not possible to conceive a greater 

 degree of abhorrence than was manifested by these 

 good people, until their minds were made perfectly 

 easy that it was not human flesh we offered them to 

 eat. This instance must necessarily exonerate at least 

 this particular tribe from so barbarous a practice ; and, 

 as their affinity to the inhabitants of Nootka, and of 





