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Journal of a Voyage through the 



that after I had turned them both out of the house, and 

 severely reprimanded them, they stood in the fort for at 

 ieast half an hour, looking at each other with a most vin- 

 dictive aspect, and in sullen silence. 



The game which produced this state of bitter enmity, is 

 called that of the Platter, from a principal article of it. 

 The Indians play at it in the following manner. 



The instruments of it consist of a platter, or dish, made 

 of wood or bark, and six round, or square, but flat pieces 

 of metal, wood, or stone, whose sides or surface are of 

 different colours. These are put into the dish, and after 

 being for some time shaken together, are thrown into the 

 air, and received again in the dish with considerable dex- 

 terity ; when, by the number that are turned up of the same 

 mark or colour, the game is regulated. If there should 

 be equal numbers, the throw is not reckoned ; if two or 

 four, the platter changes hands. 



On the 13th, one of these people came to me, and pre- 

 sented in himself a curious example of Indian superstition. 

 He requested me to furnish him with a remedy that might 

 be applied to the joints of his legs and thighs, of which he 

 had, in a great measure, lost the use for five winters. This 

 affliction he attributed to his cruelty about that time, when 

 having found a wolf with two whelps in an old Beaver 

 lodge, he set fire to it and consumed them. 



The winter had been so mild, that the swans had but 

 lately left us, and at this advanced period there was very " 

 little snow on the ground: it was, however, at this time a 

 foot and a half in depth, in the environs of the establish- 

 ment below this, which is at the distance of about seventy 

 leagues. 



On the 28th the Indians were now employed in making 

 their snow-shoes^ as the snow had not hitherto fallen in a 

 sufficient quantity to render them necessary. 



February 2. The weather now became very cold, and 

 it froze so hard in the night that my watch stopped ; a cir- 

 cumstance that had never happened to this watch since my 

 residence in the country. 



There was a lodge of Indians here, who were absolutely 

 starving with cold and hunger. They had lately lost a near 

 relation, and had, according to custom, thrown away every 

 thing belonging to them, and even exchanged the few arti- 

 cles of raiment which they possessed, in order, as I pre- 

 sume, to get rid of every thing that may bring the deceased 



