A u TALK" WITH THE PLAIN CREES. 361 



panies, all went well with the Indians, they obtained 

 excellent pay, and could always sell their meat, skins, robes, 

 and pemmican. Since the union of the companies they 

 had not fared half so well, had received bad pay for 

 then* provisions, and were growing poorer, weaker, and 

 more miserable year by year. The buffalo were fast dis- 

 appearing before the encroachments of white men, and 

 although they acknowledged the value of fire-arms, they 

 thought they were better off in olden times, when they had 

 only bows and spears, and wild animals were numerous. 

 They generally commenced with the creation, giving a 

 short history of that event in most general terms, and 

 after a few flourishes about equality of origin, descended 

 suddenly to buffalo, half-breeds, the Hudson's Bay com- 

 pany, tobacco, and rum. I asked Mis-tick-oos to name 

 the articles he would wish me to bring if I came into his 

 country again. He asked for tea, a horse of English 

 breed, a cart, a gun, a supply of powder and ball, knives, 

 tobacco, a medal with a chain, a flag, a suit of fine 

 clothes, and rum. The " talk " lasted between six and 

 seven hours, the greater portion of the time being taken 

 up in interpreting sentence by sentence, the speeches of 

 each man in turn. 



During the whole time we were engaged in "Council" the 

 pipe was passed from mouth to mouth, each man taking a 

 few whiffs and then handing it to his neighbour. It was a 

 black stone pipe, which Mis-tick-oos had received as a pre- 

 sent from a chief of the Blackfeet at the Eagle Hills a few 

 weeks before.* When the pipe came round to me I usually 

 replenished it, and taking a box of " vespers " from my 

 pocket, lit it with a match. This operation was observed 

 with a subdued curiosity, each Indian watching me with- 



* See Chapter on Indian customs ; superstitions; &c. ; Vol. II. 



