78 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



useful knowledge. As the dirt accumu- 

 lated about these people was visibly of a 

 communicative nature, I removed at night 

 into the open air, where the thermometer 

 fell to 15° below zero, although it was the 

 next day 60° above it. 



In the morning the Warrior and his com- 

 panion arrived ; I found that, instead of 

 hunting, they had passed the whole time in 

 a drunken fit, at a short distance from the 

 tent. In reply to our angry questions, the 

 Warrior held out an empty vessel, as if to 

 demand the payment of a debt, before he 

 entered into any new negociation. Not 

 being inclined to starve his family, we set 

 out for another Indian tent, ten miles to the 

 southward, but we found only the frame, or 

 tent poles, standing when we reached the 

 spot. The men, by digging where the fire 

 place had been, ascertained that the Indians 

 had quitted it the day before ; and as their 

 marches are short, when encumbered with 

 the women and baggage, we sought out 

 their track and followed it. At an abrupt 

 angle of it, which was obscured by trees, 



