158 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



that, like the other North American nations, 

 they are accustomed to practise that amuse- 

 ment on meeting with strange tribes, before 

 going to war, and on other solemn occa- 

 sions. 



The habitual intoxication of the Cum- 

 berland House Crees has induced such a 

 disregard of personal appearance, that they 

 are squalid and dirty in the extreme ; hence 

 a minute description of their clothing would 

 be by no means interesting. We shall, 

 therefore, only remark in a general manner, 

 that the dress of the male consists of a 

 blanket thrown over the shoulders, a lea- 

 thern shirt or jacket, and a piece of cloth 

 tied round the middle. The women have 

 in addition a long petticoat ; and both sexes 

 wear a kind of wide hose, which, reaching 

 from the ancle to the middle of the thigh, 

 are suspended by strings to the girdle. 

 These hose, or as they are termed Indian 

 stockings, are commonly ornamented with 

 beads or ribands, and from their conveni- 

 ence, have been universally adopted by the 

 white residents, as an essential part of their 



