322 



ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS. 



The Indians who subsist principally on fish, 

 and who kill but few large animals, cover their 

 habitations with some kind of bark, or with mats 

 made of rushes. But those who subsist on the 

 buffaloe, moose and red deer, dress their skins, 

 and cover their tents with them, as described in 

 my Journal. When they are in their tents they 

 sit or lie down on buffaloe or bear skins, which 

 constitute, also, their beds ; and when in bed, 

 they cover themselves with a buffaloe skin, dress- 

 ed with the hair on, or with a blanket. But 

 many of the Carriers, have nothing to lie on, ex- 

 cepting the branches of the spruce fir tred^with 

 little or nothing with which to cover themselves ; 

 aftd their huts constitute but a poor shelter. To 

 keep themselves from freezing, in cold winter 

 nights, theiya&re, they are under the necessity of 

 keeping up a coj^tant fire, to which they are com- 

 pelled to turn their sides, alternately; and they 

 are, at such times, anlj| to procure but little sleep. 

 Indeed, almost any other people, in the same con- 

 dition, would freeze to death. But as they have 

 always been accustomed to such a mode of 

 living, they seem not at all aware of the misery 

 of their condition. 



The Sauteux, Muscagoes. many of the Chipe- 

 wyans and some of the Crees, in short all the In- 

 dians who live about large lakes, subsist principal- 



