74 A JOURNEY TO THE 



1770. As this place seemed likely to afford us a constant supply 



2ist'. o^ fish, my guide proposed to stay here till the geese began 

 to fly, which in those Northern parts is seldom before the 

 middle of May. His reasons for so doing seemed well 

 founded : " The weather," he said, " is at this time too cold 

 to walk on the barren grounds, and the woods from this part 

 lead so much [18] to the Westward, that were we to continue 

 travelling in any tolerable shelter, our course would not be 

 better than West South West, which would only be going out 

 of our way ; whereas, if we should remain here till the weather 

 permit us to walk due North, over the barren grounds, we 

 shall then in one month get farther advanced on our journey, 

 than if we were to continue travelling all the remainder of the 

 winter in the sweep of the woods." 



These reasons appeared to me very judicious, and as the 

 plan seemed likely to be attended with little trouble, it met 

 with my entire approbation. That being the case, we took 

 additional pains in building our tent, and made it as com- 

 modious as the materials and situation would admit. 



To pitch an Indian's tent in winter, it is first necessary 

 to search for a level piece of dry ground ; which cannot 

 be ascertained but by thrusting a stick through the snow 

 down to the ground, all over the proposed part. When a 

 convenient spot is found, the snow is then cleared away in 

 a circular form to the very moss ; and when it is proposed 

 to remain more than a night or two in one place, the moss 

 is also cut up and removed, as it is very liable when dry 

 to take fire, and occasion much trouble to the inhabitants. 

 A quantity of poles are then procured, which are generally 

 proportioned both in number and length to the [19] size of 

 the tent cloth, and the number of persons it is intended to 

 contain. If one of the poles should not happen to be forked, 

 two of them are tied together near the top, then raised erect, 

 and their buts or lower ends extended as wide as the proposed 

 diameter of the tent ; the other poles are then set round at 



