IO o EXPLORATIONS IN THE FAR NORTH 



On Christmas day all the metis and Indians visited the big 

 house, and drank the twenty gallons of tea, which there awaited 

 them; they then moved in a body to the free trader's tea 

 kettles, to the Anglican mission, to the school, and to the Catho- 

 lic mission, after which they separated to enjoy a good square 

 meal in the metis cabins. 



The bush Indians left the post the next day. At New-year 

 a different crowd gathered for another festin. The day opened 

 with a salute from a score of guns before each door; it was spent 

 in feasting and closed with a dance which was continued until 8 

 A. m., January 2nd. The Indians danced in one of the cabins. 

 They sang improvised songs, descriptive of their hunts or their 

 relations with the traders, or chanted in monotonous but not un- 

 musical syllables, such as Hi! He! He-yah! or Heeja, Hooja! 

 accompanying the voice with hand-clapping and drum-beating. 

 They danced, or rather stamped, in a circle, swaying their bodies 

 from side to side. Sometimes the dancer bent far forward, bal- 

 anced upon one foot, his whole body quivered, and his voice 

 sank to a guttural huh, huh. Tonality was subordinated to 

 ungraceful and violent body action and the effect, as a whole, 

 was not pleasing. 



The whites and metis danced their jigs and reels in the big 

 house. The festin disposed of the last of the imported provi- 

 sion. Meat was more abundant at the camp, for which the 

 Indians made haste to depart next day. 



The Buffalo Hunt. As Little Francois, in contracting to guide 

 me to the buffaloes, made his demands according to the pres- 

 ent advanced ideas prevalent among the Chippewyans, I will 

 narrate the circumstances somewhat in detail. Indian laborers 

 are accustomed to receive daily rations for themselves and fam- 

 ilies, who, as they never make any provision for the future, 

 would starve the next day if the net and gun failed them. They 

 are given a small plug of negro-head tobacco each day; this is 

 smoked. I never saw a Northern Athabascan Indian chew 

 tobacco. 



Francois demanded double wages; he was getting too old to 

 walk before my dogs; he must take his own team and ride part 

 of the way; another man must, therefore, be hired to walk be- 

 fore the dogs. Henri was willing to go for the same wages 

 that Francois received. The latter concluded that if I furnished 



