ANTOINE GARDAPEE. 235 



seemed part of Antoine's religion, I thought of fleshing 

 some skins, but Antoine said: "Let da skin res' to-day; 

 all res', all man he res' on C'ris'mas; you doan' do no 

 work w'en he come in you' home; no, sare, you doan' do 

 not'ing but res', all a peep' da res'. Wat you say, hey?" 



"I say that I can't sit by this fire all day just because 

 it's Christmas; I wouldn't sit down that way if I was 

 home among my people; I'd walk around, and if I'd been 

 at hard work all the week I might go and spear eels 

 through the ice. A live man can't sit like a lump on a 

 log all day. There's no place to go here, and these last 

 skins want fleshing and I want something to do, that's 

 all." 



"You go spear da heel on C'ris'mas, hey? Well, he's 

 all right in da hafternoon, but I go in da church on a 

 C'ris'mas mornin', and mebbe I'll got drunk in a hafter- 

 noon; I'll doan' work on no ole skin an' I'll doan' spear 

 no heel; on'y res'." 



"Do you ever go to church any other day in the year, 

 Antoine? I'll bet fifty mink skins you don't, and the 

 chances are that you go to a dance on Christmas Eve 

 and sleep all the next morning and don't get to church 

 at all." 



"Wat you talk? Did you say some prayer w'en you 

 got hup dis mornin? No! I'll bet nine or 'leven mink 

 you ha'n't said prayer all da wint'. I'll count all a-my 

 bead 'fore you'll git hup. I'll tole you I'll got s'prise wot 

 make you' eye bung hout. Dat make no dif w'en I'll go 

 in da church, I'll show you some C'ris'mas dinna till you 

 bu'st you' belt, you bet. I'll been look hout all-a wint' 

 for see da day come w'en we res' an' heat jess lak' da 

 peep' way down da riv' by Potosi." 



Our food had been simple, but always in plenty. Ven- 

 ison, 'coon, bear, rabbit, partridge and fish prepared in 



