to North America,! 59 



his Body of Brafs, and his Eyes of Glafs : And I 

 muft fay, he had fome ground for what he fpoke, 

 for we were forc'd to keep a Fire all round us, all 

 the Night long. As long as the Flefhof thde Ani- 

 mals lafts, the Savages feldom think of ftirring ; 

 but when 'tis all confurn'd, they then look out for 

 a new Difcovery. Thus they continue to hunt, 

 till the Snow and the Ice are melted. As foon as the 

 great thaw commences, 'tis impoffible for 'em to 

 travel far ; fo that they content themfelves with the 

 killing of Hares and Partridges, which are very 

 numerous in the Woods. When the Rivers are 

 clear of the Ice, they make Canows of the Elk-skins, 

 which they fow together very eafily, covering the 

 Seams with a fat fort of Earth inftead of pitch. 

 This work is over in four or five days time, after 

 which they return home in the Canows with all 

 their Baggage. / 



This, Sir, was our Diverfion for three Months in 

 the Woods. We took fifty fix Elks, and might have 

 kill'd twice as many, if we had hunted for the be- 

 nefit of the Skins. In the Summer feafon, the Sa- 

 vages have two ways of killing 'em, both of which 

 are equally troublefom. One confifts in hanging a 

 Rope-gin between two Trees, upon a Pafs furroun- 

 ded with Thorns ; the other is compafs'd by craul- 

 ing like Snakes among the Trees and Thickets, and 

 approaching to 'em upon the Leeward fide, fo that 

 they may be fhpt with a Fufee. Harts and Cari- 

 bous are kill'd both in Summer and Winter, after 

 the fame manner with the Elks ; excepting that the 

 Caribon's, which are a kind of wild AlTes, make an 

 eafie efcape when the Snow is hard, by vertue of 

 their broad Feet ; whereas the Elk finks as faft as 

 he rifes. In fine, I am fo well pleas'd with the 

 hunting of this Country, that I have refolv'd to im- 

 ploy all my leifure time upon that Exercife. The 

 Savages have promifcd, that in three A^onths time 



