32 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [ BULL. 69 
that they may overlooke the river, and take every small thing into 
view which sturrs upon the same. Their howses are not many in one 
towne, and those that are stand dissite [dispersed] and scattered 
without forme of a street, farr and wyde asunder. As for their 
howses, who knoweth one of them knoweth them all, even the chief 
kyng’s house yt selfe, for they be all alike builded one to the other. 
They are like garden arbours, at best like our sheppards’ cotages, 
made yet handsomely enough, though without strength or gaynes, of 
such yong plants as they can pluck up, bow, and make the greene 
toppes meete together, in fashion of a round roofe, which they thatch 
with matts throwne over. The walles are made of barkes of trees, 
but then those be principall howses, for so many barkes which goe 
to the making up of a howse are long tyme of purchasing. In the 
midst of the howse there is a louer [i.e. chimney or vent], out of which 
the smoake issueth, the fier being kept right under. Kvery house 
comonly hath twoo dores, one before and a posterne. The doores be 
hung with matts, never locked nor bolted, but only those matts be to 
turne upp, or lett fall at pleasure; and their howses are so comonly 
placed under covert of trees, that the violence of fowle weather, 
snowe, or raine, cannot assalt them, nor the sun in summer annoye 
them; and the roofe being covered, as I say, the wynd is easily kept 
out, insomuch as they are as warm as stoves, albeit very smoakey 
Wyndowes they have none, but the light comes in at the doore and 
at the louer. . . . By theire howses they have sometymes a scaena, 
or high stage, raised like a scaffold, of small spelts, reedes, or dried 
osiers, covered with matts, which both gives a shadowe and is 
a shelter, and serves for such a covered place where men used in 
old tyme to sitt and talke for recreation or pleasure, which they 
called praestega, and where, on a loft of hurdells, they laye forth 
their corne and fish to dry. They eate, sleepe, and dresse theire 
meate all under one roofe, and in one chamber, as it were. 
‘“‘Rownd about the house on both sides are theire bedstedes, which 
are thick short posts stalkt into the ground, a foot high and some- 
what more, and for the sydes small poles layed along, with a hurdle 
of reeds cast over, wherein they rowle downe a fyne white matte or . 
twoo (as for a bedd) when they goe to sleepe, and the which the 
rowle up againe in the morning when the rise, as we doe our palletts. 
_. . About their howses they have commonly square plotts of cleered 
grownd, which serve them for gardens, some one hundred, some two 
hundred foote square, wherein they sowe their tobacco, pumpons, and 
a fruit like unto a musk millino, . . . In March and Aprill they live 
much upon their weeres, and feed on fish, turkies, and squirrells, and | 
then, as also sometymes in May, they plant their fields and sett their 
corne. . . . In the tyme of their huntings, they leave their habita- 
tions, and gather themselves into companyes, as doe the Tartars, 
