68 A JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



manner above described, yet it is no crime, provided the husband 

 receives a valuable consideration for his wife's prostitution. In this 

 case she is only lent to a friend. Neither is chastity considered as a 

 virtue in a female before marriage, that is, before she becomes the 

 exclusive property of one hunter. 



The Cree women are not in general treated harshly by their 

 husbands, and possess considerable influence over them. They often 

 eat, and even get drunk, in consort with the men ; a considerable 

 portion of the labour, however, falls to the lot of the wife. She 

 makes the hut, cooks, dresses the skins, and, for the most part, 

 carries the heaviest load ; but, when she is unable to perform her 

 task, the husband does not consider it beneath his dignity to assist 

 her. In illustration of this remark, I may quote the case of an 

 Indian who visited the fort in winter. This poor man's wife 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 performance 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 presence. In this they are countenanced by the 

 white residents, most of whom have Indian or half-breed wives, 

 but seem afraid of treating them with the tenderness or attention 

 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. 



Eoth sexes are fond of, and excessively indulgent to, their children. 

 The father never punishes them, and if the mother, more hasty in 



