362 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. 



out moving his head, turning only his eyes in the direction 

 of the pipe. No outward sign of wonder or curiosity 

 escaped them during the " talk." On one occasion the 

 pipe was out when passed to the Indian sitting next to 

 me; without turning his head he gently touched my arm, 

 imitated the action of lighting the match by friction 

 against the bottom of the box, and pointed with one 

 finger to the pipe. They generally sat with their eyes 

 fixed on the ground when one of them was speaking, 

 giving every outward sign of respectful attention, and 

 occasionally expressing their approval by a low gurgling 

 sound. When the talk was over, I went with Mis-tick- 

 oos to his tent ; he then asked me to reproduce the 

 match-box, and show its wonders to his four wives. One 

 of them was evidently sceptical, and did not think it was 

 " real fire " until she had ignited some chips of wood 

 from the lighted match I presented to her. I gave a 

 bundle to Mis-tick-oos, who wrapped them carefully in a 

 piece of deerskin, and said he should keep them safely, — 

 they were " good medicine." I made his wives happy 

 and merry by distributing about a pound of tea amongst 

 them, and their hilarity knew no bounds when the inci- 

 dent narrated in the second volume* took place. 



Mis-tick-oos apologised for the smallness of his tent, 

 remarking that he had collected twenty skins for a new 

 one, and when he had obtained two more he should get his 

 wives to make them up. I asked how it was that a chief 

 with four wives should have a smaller tent than many of 

 his young men around us. No reply was given to this 

 question, and the half-breed interpreter said that there 

 was a mystery attached to the tent formerly possessed by 

 Mis-tick-oos, which he would endeavour to solve, but 



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



