278 THE HUDSON BAY ESKIMO. 



ton that the exact form or outlines of the animal are preserved in the 

 process of drying. The drying flesh acquires a very dark brown color 

 from the smoke and blood left within the tissues. Certain i)ortions of 

 the dry meat, especially those from the flanks and abdominal walls, 

 are quite palatable; they are crisp, and have a rich nutty flavor. The 

 intercostal muscles are also choice portions, while some of the flesh from 

 the haunches is dry and nearly tasteless. Tlic back fat is often dried 

 and smoked, but acquires a disagreeable rancid taste. 



The long bones are cracked and the marrow extracted. This sub- 

 stance is the most highly prized portion of the animal, and in seasons 

 of plenty the deer are often slaughtered for the marrow alone. The fat 

 is placed in pots or kettles and rendered over a fire. It is then ])oured 

 into another vessel to cool, and forms a valuable article of trade and a 

 necessity for food, and is also required in the process of tanning the 

 skins. 



Tlie bones containing the marrow are cracked and placed in a kettle, 

 hung over a slow ftre, and the substance melted. The marrow brings 

 a higher price than the tallow, and is esteemed a choice article of food. 

 The heads are thrown to one side until the decomposing brain is wanted 

 to be mixed with the semi-putrid liver for the purposeof tanning the skins. 

 When the flesh has dried sufficiently it is taken down and put into 

 packages of about thirty pounds' weight each. These bundles are 

 enveloped in the parchment like subcutaneous tissue, and stored away 

 until they are needed for food. A species of mold attacks the flesh if 

 it is not frequently inspected and dried, but as it is harudess, it does 

 not injure the meat. Indians for weeks at a time subsist entirely on 

 this dried meat. They also have a season of plenty when the female 

 deer and the bucks of less than two years are on their way to the Cape 

 Chidley region. Here the females bring forth their young unmolested 

 by the old bucks and also less annoyed by the myriads of mosquitoes 

 which throng the lower parts of the country. 



The crossing place of the females and young bucks is at or near Fort 

 Chiino at least each alternate year. About the 5th to the 10th of May 

 the assembled Indians anxiously await the coming of the game. In 

 the course of a few days the welcome cry of " Deer !" is heard, and the 

 camp immediately becomes a scene of great excitement — men hurrying 

 to get their guns and ammunition, wo7nen shouting the direction of the 

 game, and children running to the higher eminences to watch the herds. 



The men endeavor to occupy a narrow defile, where the herd will pass 

 between the hills to the level land beyond. Some station themselves at 

 the top of the ravine, while the swiftest runners hasten to the head of 

 the defile to lie in ambush until the deer, urged from behind, lush past, 

 to be met with a volley of balls from all sides. Panic seizes the ani- 

 mals, and wherever they turn an Indian confronts them, lentil the 

 deer recover from their paralysis, and once more obey their instinct to 

 escape, numbers of them stand quietly waiting to be slaughtered; 



