262 A JOURNEY TO THE 



1772. Indian women, who are acquainted with the manufacture of 

 January, ^^^qyu, wiU, by means of scraping, render them as even as a 

 piece of thick cloth, and when well dressed they are very soft ; 

 but not being dressed in oil, they always grow hard after being 

 wet, unless great care be taken to keep rubbing them all the 

 time they are drying. The same may be said of all the Indian- 

 dressed leather, except that of the wewaskish,^ which will wash 

 as well as shammoy-leather, and always preserve its softness. 



[260] The female moose never have any horns, but the 

 males have them of a prodigious size and weight, and very 

 different in shape from those of the common deer. The 

 extremity of each horn is. palmated to the size of a common 

 shovel, from which a few short branches shoot out ; and the 

 shaft of the horn is frequently as large as a common man's 

 wrist. They shed them annually like the common deer. The 

 horns of the moose are frequently found to exceed sixty pounds 

 weight ; and their texture, though of a large size and of such 

 rapid growth, is much harder than any other species of deer- 

 horns in those parts. 



Though the flesh of the moose is esteemed by most 

 Indians both for its flavour and substance, yet the Northern 

 Indians of my crew did not reckon either it or the flesh of the 

 buffalo substantial food. This I should think entirely pro- 

 ceeded from prejudice, especially with respect to the moose ; 

 but the flesh of the buffalo, though so fine to the eye, and 

 pleasing to the taste, is so light and easy of digestion, as not 

 to be deemed substantial food by any Indian in this country, 

 either Northern or Southern. The moose have from one to 

 three young at a time, and generally bring them forth in the 

 latter end of April, or beginning of May. 



Soon after our arrival on the South-side of Athapuscow 

 Lake, Matonabbee proposed continuing our course in the 

 [261] South West quarter, in hopes of meeting some of the 



[^ The deer here meant is the Wapati or Canadian Elk, the Cree name of 

 which is Waskasu, or Wewaskasu.] 



