MEETING WITH RED-SKINS 25 



Crooked Biveb, 



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 18 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. 



