I 7 2 ON SNOW-SHOES TO THE BARREN GROUNDS 



and was still on when I rolled up in my blankets at night. 

 And I, on my part, made most careful scrutiny of the 

 curious surroundings in which I found myself. We were 

 camped on top of a ridge covered with small pines, where 

 Beniah had pitched his tepee to catch the caribou that 

 were just beginning to work out to the edge of the 

 woods. There were three lodges, all full, and, so long as 

 I remained, the occupants of the other two spent the 

 greater part of their time in Beniah's. 



There were actually fifteen sleeping in our little lodge ; 

 who they all were, and what their relations, I never could 

 thoroughly satisfy myself. I picked out Beniah's wife (far 

 and away the best-looking squaw I saw in the country) 

 from the way she served him ; and another, wife of We- 

 cindar. But the third woman in the lodge I could never 

 place ; she seemed every one's servant and nobody's wife 

 in particular. I never could make out who provided for 

 her; in fact, that same query puzzled me many times and 

 of many Indians. There were always one or two who 

 seemed never to have any teakettle or meat of their own, 

 and lived entirely on the bounty of others. And how 

 that bounty was given ! thrown at them as though they 

 were dogs ; for though the Indian is generous with his 

 meat, he appears to hold in contempt those who do not 

 at least occasionally have some of their very own. 



Here in our lodge, for instance, three kettles of tea were 

 boiled mine, which Beniah shared; a second, that of 

 Wecindar's; and a third shared by four or five men to- 

 gether. What was left of mine went to Beniah's wife and 

 boy (for the women, as a rule, eat after the men), but 

 what the others got I declare I never could see. Now 

 and then I discovered them with a bone, but never regu- 

 larly served at the usual time of eating. 



Indeed, there is no usual time of eating with the Ind- 



