304 ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS. 



ers ; and as soon as his guests are seated around 

 a fire, which is in the centre of his house, he takes 

 up a whole beaver, and with a raised voice, re- 

 lates how and where he killed it, that all present 

 may know that it came from his own land. Af- 

 ter that necessary explanation is over, he steps 

 forward, and presents the tail end to the most re- 

 spectable person of the house, and stands holding 

 the animal with both hands until this person has 

 eaten what he chooses. The chief then passes 

 on with his beaver to the second person, who eats 

 as the first had done ; and then to a third ; and 

 so on, until he has presented it to the whole circle, 

 should any part now remain, it is laid down near 

 the centre of the house ; and another whole bea- 

 ver is taken up, which is served round in the 

 same manner as the first. And thus the chief 

 continues to do, until his guests have tasted of 

 e very beaver, which he had prepared for the feast. 

 The remaining fragments of the beavers, are now 

 cut up into smaller pieces, and distributed among 

 the women and children, or put into dishes, which 

 the men have before them, and which they al- 

 ways bring with them, when they attend upon a 

 feast. The women then come in with large dish- 

 es full of berries, and each puts a ladle full into 

 every dish of the men. When they have eaten 

 what they choose of the berries, (for the Indians 



