OF THE POLAR SEA. 



133 



had lost her feet by the frost, and he was 

 compelled, not only to hunt and do all the 

 menial offices himself, but in winter to drag 

 his wife with their stock of furniture from 

 one encampment to another. In the per- 

 formance of this duty, as he could not keep 

 pace with the rest of the tribe in their 

 movements, he more than once nearly 

 perished of hunger. 



These Indians, however, capable as they 

 are of behaving thus kindly, affect in their 

 discourse to despise the softer sex, and on 

 solemn occasions will not suffer them to eat 

 before them, or even come into their pre- 

 sence. In this they are countenanced by 

 the white residents, most of whom have In- 

 dian or half-breed wives, but seem afraid of 

 treating them with the tenderness or atten- 

 tion due to every female, lest they should 

 themselves be despised by the Indians. At 

 least, this is the only reason they assign for 

 their neglect of those whom they make 

 partners of their beds and mothers of their 

 children. 



Both sexes are fond of, and excessively 



