130 A JOURNEY TO THE 



1771. is to be prepared for eating, it is the women who cook it ; 

 ^" ' and when it is done, the wives and daughters of the greatest 

 Captains in the country are never served, till all the males, 

 even those who are in the capacity of servants, have eaten 

 what they think proper; [91] and in times of scarcity it is 

 frequently their lot to be left without a single morsel. It 

 is, however, natural to think they take the liberty of helping 

 themselves in secret ; but this must be done with great 

 prudence, as capital embezzlements of provisions in such times 

 are looked on as affairs of real consequence, and frequently 

 subject them to a very severe beating. If they are practised 

 by a woman whose youth and inattention to domestic concerns 

 cannot plead in her favour, they will for ever be a blot in her 

 character, and few men will chuse to have her for a wife. 



Finding plenty of good birch growing by the side of 

 Theley-aza River, we remained there for a few days, in order 

 to complete all the wood-work for the canoes, as well as for 

 every other use for which we could possibly want it on the 



20th. barren ground, during our Summer's cruise. On the twentieth, 

 Matonabbee sent one of his brothers, and some others, a-head, 

 with birch-rind and wood-work for a canoe, and gave them 

 orders to proceed to a small Lake near the barren ground 

 called Clowey, where they were desired to make all possible 

 haste in building the canoe, that it might be ready on our 

 arrival. 



Having finished such wood-work as the Indians thought 

 would be necessary, and having augmented our stock of dried 

 meat and fat, the twenty-first was appointed for moving ; but 

 one of the women having been taken in labour, and it being 

 rather an extraordinary case, we [92] were detained more than 

 two days. The instant, however, the poor woman was de- 

 livered, which was not until she had suffered all the pains 

 usually felt on those occasions for near fifty-two hours, the 

 signal was made for moving when the poor creature took her 

 infant on her back and set out with the rest of the company ; 



