NORTHERN OCEAN 221 



When the victuals were cooked, all the murderers took a 1771, 

 kind of red earth, or oker, and painted all the space between September. 

 the nose and chin, as well as the greater part of their cheeks, 

 almost to the ears, before they would taste a bit, and would 

 not drink out of any other dish, or smoke out of any other 

 pipe, but their own ; and none of the others seemed willing 

 to drink or smoke out of theirs. 



We had no sooner joined the women, at our return from 

 the expedition, than there seemed to be an universal spirit of 

 emulation among them, vying who should first make a suit 

 of ornaments for their husbands, which consisted of bracelets 

 for the wrists, and a band for the forehead, composed of porcu- 

 pine quills and moose-hair, curiously wrought on leather. 



The custom of painting the mouth and part of the cheeks 

 before each meal, and drinking and smoking out [206] of their 

 own utensils, was strictly and invariably observed, till the Winter 

 began to set in ; and during the whole of that time they would 

 never kiss any of their wives or children. They refrained also 

 from eating many parts of the deer and other animals, particu- 

 larly the head, entrails, and blood ; and during their unclean- 

 ness, their victuals were never sodden in water, but dried in 

 the sun, eaten quite raw, or broiled, when a fire fit for the 

 purpose could be procured. 



When the time arrived that was to put an end to these 

 ceremonies, the men, without a female being present, made 

 a fire at some distance from the tents, into which they threw 

 all their ornaments, pipe-stems, and dishes, which were soon 

 consumed to ashes ; after which a feast was prepared, consisting 

 of such articles as they had long been prohibited from eating ; 

 and when all was over, each man was at liberty to eat, drink, 

 and smoke as he pleased ; and also to kiss his wives and children 

 at discretion, which they seemed to do with more raptures than 

 I had ever known them do it either before or since. 



October came in very roughly, attended with heavy falls October. 

 of snow, and much drift. On the sixth at night, a heavy 



