MY COMPANIONS 13 



different site ; for it is certain that there were no chimneys 

 in America previous to its colonisation by Europeans. 



These martins were not seen here till the 4th of 

 June, and there were no young in the nest till the 13 th 

 of July. The species greatly resembled ' the Frogne pur- 

 purea of the States, but I am not sure that it was that 

 bird. Only two or three pairs were seen in the neigh- 

 bourhood ; and though I was told that this bird builds 

 generally in the hollows of trees, I could never find the 

 nest in such situations, but discovered several in the 

 clefts of rocks. 



Though my companions thought that I was fastidious 

 to desire so large a residence, they lent me willing hands 

 to do the rougher parts of the work. The chimney and 

 the internal fittings I had to do myself ; and being as yet 

 inexperienced, they were done rather roughly. 



There were as many huts as wigwams in this district, 

 many of the Indians preferring the former class of resi- 

 dence, especially as they were in the habit of returning 

 hither to spend each summer. Some of the chiefs were 

 owners of several huts, but none of them possessed one 

 so large as that I built. The spare huts were mostly 

 used as storehouses ; but where chiefs had more than 

 one squaw (which was exceptional, however), each woman 

 had a hut to herself. 



At this time, and I suppose to a much later period, 

 there were few persons in North America, either in the 

 British possessions or the States, who had not in the 

 course of their lives lived in a log-hut ; and though there 

 were no log-huts among the Indians I have been speaking 

 of — that is, regular losf-huts, built in backwoods fashion — 

 a few words about them will not be out of place, for I 

 have both lived in, and assisted to build, this kind of 

 residence. 



It was the custom in all parts of North America that 

 I have had experience of, that when a man arrived at a 

 township and desired to raise a log-hut, all his neighbours 



