84 A General History of the Fur Trade. 



a body of earth had since been collected, to the depth of a 

 man's height. They believe, also, that in ancient times 

 their ancestors lived till their feet were worn out with walk- 

 ing, and their throats with eating. They describe a deluge, 

 when the waters spread over the whole earth, except the 

 highest mountains, on the tops of which they preserved 

 themselves. 



They believe, that immediately after their death, they 

 pass into another world, where they arrive at a large river, 

 on which they embark in a stone canoe, and that a gentle 

 current bears them on to an extensive lake, in the centre of 

 which is a most beautiful island ; and that, in the view of 

 this delightful abode, they receive that judgment for their 

 conduct during life, which terminates their final state and 

 unalterable allotment. If their good actions are declared to 

 predominate, they are landed upon the Island, where there 

 is to be no end to their happiness ; which, however, accor- 

 ding to their notions, consists in an eternal enjoyment of 

 sensual pleasure, and carnal gratification. But if their bad 

 actions weigh down the balance, the stone canoe sinks at 

 once, and leaves them up to their chins in the water, to be- 

 hold and regret the reward enjoyed by the good, and eter- 

 nally struggling, but with unavailing endeavours, to reach 

 the blissful island, from which they are excluded forever. 



They have some faint notions of the transmigration of 

 the soul j so that if a child be born with teeth, they instant- 

 ly imagine, from its premature appearance, that it bears a 

 resemblance to some person who had lived to an advanced 

 period, and that he has assumed a renovated life, with these 

 extraordinary tokens of maturity. 



The Chepewyans are sober, timorous, and vagrant, with 

 a selfish disposition which has sometimes created suspicions 

 of their integrity. Their stature has nothing remarkable in 

 it ; but though they are seldom corpulent, they are some- 

 times robust. Their complection is swarthy ; their features 

 coarse, and their hair lank, but not always of a dingy black ; 

 nor have they universally the piercing eye, which generally 

 animates the Indian countenance. The women have a 

 more agreeable aspect than the men, but their gait is 

 aukward, which proceeds from their being accustomed nine 

 months in the year, to travel on snow-shoes and drag sledges 

 of a weight from two to four hundred pounds. They are 

 very submissive to their husbands, who have, however, 

 their fits of jealousy; and, for very trifling causes, treat 



