^4B 
stepped out of the inclosure, and after he had put on his 
robes, dismissed the assembly. I own I was greatly 
astonished at what I had seen, but as I observed that 
every eye in the company was fixed on me with a view 
to discover my sentiments, I carefully concealed every 
emotion. 
"The next day the sun shone bright, and long before 
noon all the Indians were gathered together on the 
eminence that overlooked the lake. The old king came 
to me and asked me whether I had so much confidence 
in what the priest had foretold as to join his people on 
the hill, and wait for the completion of it? I told him 
that I was at a loss what opinion to form of the pre- 
diction, but that I would readily attend him. On this 
we walked together to the place where the others were 
assembled. Every eye was again fixed by turns on me 
and on the lake; when just as the sun had reached his 
zenith, agreeable to what the priest had foretold, a canoe 
came round a point of land about a league distant. The 
Indians no sooner beheld it, than they sent up an uni- 
versal shout, and by their looks seemed to triumph in 
the interest their priest thus evidently had with the 
Great Spirit. 
"In less than an hour the canoe reached the shore, 
when I attended the king and chiefs to receive those 
who were on board. As soon as the men were landed, 
we walked all together to the king's tent, where accord- 
ing to their invariable custom we began to smoke; and 
this we did, notwithstanding our impatience to know the 
tidings they brought, without asking any questions; for 
the Indians are the most deliberate people in the world. 
However, after some trivial conversation, the king in- 
quired of them whether they had seen anything of the 
traders? The men replied, that they had parted from 
them a few days before, and that they proposed being 
here the second day from the present. They accordingly 
arrived at that time, greatly to our satisfaction, but 
more particularly to that of the Indians, who found by 
this event the importance both of their priest and of their 
nation greatly augmented in the sight of a stranger. 
"This story I acknowledge appears to carry with it 
marks of great credulity in the relator. But no one is 
less tinctured with that weakness than myself. The cir- 
cumstances of it I own are of a very extraordinary 
nature; however, as I can vouch for their being free 
from either exaggeration or misrepresentation, being 
myself a cool and dispassionate observer of them all, I 
thought it necessary to give them to the public. And 
this I do, without wishing to mislead the judgment of my 
readers, or to make any superstitious impressions on their 
minds, but leaving them to draw from it what conclusions 
they please." 
The arrival of the traders, so anxiously looked for, did 
not greatly help Carver, who found that he could not 
procure from them the goods that he desired, and 
shortly afterward he proceeded eastward, having coasted 
around the north and east shores of' Lake Superior. He 
describes the lake, and the various peoples who inhabit 
its borders, most of whom are Chippewas. During his 
trip, he found native copper on a stream running into 
the lake on the south, and describes how large a trade 
might be made in this metal, which, as he says, "costs 
nothing on the spot, and requires but little expense to 
get it on board ; could be conveyed in boats or canoes 
through the Falls of St. Marie to the Isle of St. Joseph, 
which lies at the bottom of the straits near the entrance 
into Lake Huron; from thence it might be put on board 
large vessels, and in them transported across that lake 
to the Falls of Niagara ; there being carried by land 
across the Portage, it might be conveyed without much 
more obstruction to Quebec. The ' cheapness and ease 
with which any quantity of it may be procured, will 
make up for the length of way that it is necessary to 
transport it before it reaches the seacoast, and enable 
the proprietors to send it to foreign markets on as good 
terms as it can be exported from other countries." 
Stockholders in the Calumet and Hecla and in other 
Lake Superior copper concerns are requested to take 
notice. 
The fishing of Lake Superior impressed Carver as 
much as it has other travelers. Of these fish he says: 
"The principal and best are the trout and sturgeon, 
which may be caught at almost any season in the greatest 
abundance. The trout in general weigh about twelve 
pounds; but some are caught that exceed fifty. Besides 
these, a species of white fish is taken in great quantities 
here, that resemble a shad in their shape, but they are 
rather thicker, and less bony ; _ they weigh about four 
pounds each, and are of a delicious taste. The best way 
of catching these fish is with a net; but the trout may he 
taken at all times with the hook. There are likewise 
many sorts of smaller fish in great plenty here, and which 
may be taken with ease ; among^ these is a sort resembling 
.a herring, which are generally made use of as a bait for 
the trout." The foot of the Sault Ste. Marie, which 
Carver calls the Falls of St. Marie, is noted by him as 
"a most commodious station for catching the fish, which 
are to be found there in immense quantities. Persons 
standing on the rocks which lie adjacent to it, may take 
with dipping nets, about the months of September and 
October, the white fish before-mentioned; at that season, 
together with several other species, they crowd up to 
this spot in such amazing shoals that enough may be 
taken to supply, when properly cured, thousands of in- 
habitants , throughout the year." 
Passing now through the Straits into Lake Huron, 
this body of water is described, and attention called to 
the rise and fall of the waters, which Carver says is not 
diurnal, but occurs in periods of seven years and a half. 
Still going eastward, the town of Detroit was reached, 
and something given of its history in recent years, and 
especially of the conspiracy of Pontiac, and the death 
of that chief. 
In Lake Erie, Carver noticed the islands near the west 
end,, so infested with rattlesnakes that it is very danger- 
ous, to land on them; and also the great number of 
: watei"-sn3^^es, which lie in the sun on the leaves of the 
large pond lilies floating on the water, 
"The most remarkable of the different species that in- 
fest this lake is the hissing-snake, which is of the small 
speckled kind, and about eighteen inches long. When 
anything approaches, it flattens itself in a moment, and 
its spots, which are of varied dyes, become visibly 
brighter through rage; at the same time it blows from 
its mouth with great force a subtile wind, that is reported 
to be of a nauseous smell ; and if drawn in with the 
breath of the unwary traveller, will infallibly bring on a 
decline, that in a few months must prove mortal, there 
being no remedy yet discovered which can counteract its 
baneful influence." Still proceeding eastward, the author 
continues to describe the country, mentioning many well- 
known lakes, and the people about them. 
This concludes Carver's journey, but by no means his 
book, of which the remaining two-thirds are devoted to 
the_ manners and customs of the Indians, with a chapter 
giving vocabularies of several languages, and other 
chapters treating of the fauna and flora of the vast region 
passed over. _ Like most writers about the Indians, he 
discusses their origin, quoting a great number of authors 
from the discovery of America to the time, of his writing; 
the last of these, Adair, who, as is well known, devoted 
a very considerable work to proving to his own satis- 
faction that the Indians were the lost tribes of Israel. 
Carver announces that he is of the opinion that "the 
North American continent received its first inhabitants 
from the islands which lie between the extremities of 
Asia and America, viz., Japon, Yeso, or Jedso, Gama's 
Land, Behring's Isle, with many others;" to which he 
ad3s a cluster of islands that reach as far as Siberia, 
which rnay possibly be the Aleutian Islands. To support 
this conclusion, he advances many cogent arguments, and 
announces that "that great and learned historian Doctor 
Robinson," is of the same opinion with him. 
Concerning the persons and dress of the Indians, 
Carver has much to say. He notices many things still 
well known, and speaks of certain others that are so long 
obsolete as to be almost forgotten. Thus, he declares 
that : "It is also a common custom among them to bore 
their noses, and wear in them pendants of different sorts, 
I observed that sea shells were much worn by those of 
the interior parts, and reckoneid very ornamental ; but 
how they procured them I could not learn : probably by 
their traffick with other nations nearer the sea." Another 
custom noted, which has long been obsolete, but is still 
remembered by the most ancient persons of some of the 
western tribes, is the woman's fashion of dressing the 
hair. To the west of the Mississippi, he says, the Sioux 
and Assiniboine women "divide their hair in the. middle 
of the head, and form it into two rolls, one against each 
ear. These rolls are about three inches long, and as 
large as their wrists. They hang in a perpendicular atti- 
tude at the front of each ear, and descend as far as the 
lower part of it." 
The characteristics of the Indians; their method of 
reckoning time; their government; division into tribes; 
chiefs ; their food ; dances and many other matters, are 
described at great length ; as is also their hunting, their 
manner of making war, and, incidentally, the defeat of 
Braddock, and the massacre of the people under Col. 
Monroe, at Fort William Henry. Carver, himself, ap- 
pears to have been with the prisoners, of whom so many 
were massacred on that unhappy day; but he, himself, 
at length reached Fort Edward in safety. He tells 
something, also, of the way in which the Indians have 
tortured their captives, and speaks of the Illinois Indian 
brought into^ the town of Ottigaumies, who was bound 
to a tree while all the small boys in the village were per- 
mitted to amuse themselves by shooting arrows at the 
victim. As none of the boys were more than twelve 
years old, and they were placed at a considerable distance, 
their arrows did little more than pierce the skin ; so that 
the prisoner stood for more than two days pierced with 
these arrows. During all this time he sung his warlike 
exploits, told how much injury he had inflicted on his 
enemies, and endeavored with his last gasp to incite his 
tormentors to greater efforts, in order that he might give 
still greater proofs of his fortitude. 
Following the chapter on war comes one on their 
methods of making peace; then one on games, marriage, 
religion, and character. The last hundred pages of the 
volume treats "Of the Beasts, Birds, Fishes, Reptiles, and 
Insects, which are found in the interior parts of North 
America." Of the larger mammals a catalogue is given 
from which two or three descriptions may be taken. 
"The Carrabou. This beast is not near so tall as the 
moose, however, it is something like it in shape, only 
rather more heavy, and inclining to the form of an ass. 
The horns of it are not flat as those of an elk are, but 
round like those of the deer; they also meet nearer 
together at the extremities, and bend more over the face 
than either those of the elk or moose. It partakes of the 
swiftness of the deer, and is with difficulty overtaken by 
its pursuers. The flesh of it likewise is equally as gopd, 
the tongue particularly is in high esteem. The skin being 
smooth and free from veins is as valuable as shamoy." 
"The Carcajou. This creature, which is of the cat 
kind, is a terrible enemy to the preceding four species of 
beasts. He either comes upon them from some conceal- 
ment, unperceived, or climbs up into a tree, and taking 
his station on some of the branches, waits till one of 
them, driven by an extreme of heat or cold, takes shelter 
under it ; when he fastens upon his neck, and opening the 
jugular vein, soon brings his, prey to the ground. This 
he is enabled to do by his long tail, with which he en- 
circles the body of his adversary; and the Qnly means 
they have to shun their fate, is by flying immediately to 
the water, by this method, as the carcajou has a great 
dislike to that element, he is sometimes got rid of before 
he can effect his purpose." 
There is a very long description of the beaver, and its 
extraordinary intelligence. 
The list of birds, too, is a long one; but that of the 
fishes is very short. To snakes, as might be imagined, 
much space is given; but to insects very little. Carver 
describes the lightning bug, but adds : "Notwithstanding 
this effulgent appearance, these insects are perfectly 
harmless ; you may permit them to crawl upon your hand, 
when five or six, if they freely exhibit their glow to- ; 
gether, will enable you to read almost the finest print," 
Trees, plants and shrubs are all described, and among 
them the wild rice, of which Carver says: "In future 
periods it will be of great service to the infant colonies, 
as it will afford them a present support until in the course 
of cultivation other supplies may be produced ; whereas 
in those realms which are not furnished with this 
bounteous gift of nature, even if the climate is temperate 
and the soil good, the first settlers are often exposed to 
great hardships from the want of an immediate resource 
for necessary food." 
In his appendix, Carver sums up conclusions drawn 
from his extensive travels in, and wide knowledge of, 
the Ulterior of the continent. He has faith in the dis- 
covery of a northwest passage, and believes that the 
Hudson's Bay would be a safe retreat for the adventurous 
navigators who might try, at first unsuccessfully, a north- 
west passage. He even names a certain Richard Whit- 
worth, gentleman, of England, who had purposed pur- 
sumg nearly the same route as Carver, and having built 
a fort at Lake Pepin, to have proceeded up the river St. 
Pierre, crossed over to the river Messorie, till, having 
discovered the source of the Oregon, or River of the 
West, he would have sailed down that river to the place 
where it is said to empty itself near the Straits of 
Annian. Carver was to have accompanied this Mr. Whit- 
worth on his explorations, and many of the preparations 
had been made for the trip, "when the present troubles 
in America began, which put a stop to an enterprize that 
proniised to be of inconceivable advantage to the British 
'dominions." 
So, the War of the Revolution put an end to Carver's 
western explorations. Geo. Bird Grinnell. 
Zulu Habits and Customs. 
Of course, on my first arrival in Natal, South Africa, 
I was brought in contact with the native tribe of Zulus, 
but did not begin to study their traits and characteris- 
tics until making preparations for my first trip into 
the interior, when I found that I could not induce a 
single one to accompany me. I began to despair of 
being successful, when I fortunately made the ac- 
quaintance of a son of the Commissioner of Native 
Affairs, the Government official who has charge of all 
native business, and they look up to him as the great 
head of their nation. On mentioning my dilemma to 
him, he kindly offered to extricate me, and explained 
the reason of my failure. Whenever a Zulu appHes for 
a situation, he has to undergo an examination to see 
that he does not bear the marks of a lash on his shoul- 
ders and back. On the slightest provocation, a Boer 
will make a vigorous application of the sjambok (a 
rawhide whip), and as my intended journey would be 
almost entirely in the Boer country, the Zulus were 
afraid of my not preventing them from using their 
favorite implement of torture. He spoke to my help, 
guaranteeing that I would not allow them to be whipped, 
whereupon they unanimously decided to accompany 
me. Thereafter I never had the slightest difficulty in 
procuring help, as those who had previously accom- 
panied me bore witness to my constant protection. 
S_. softn :'_s one mixes among the Zulus, they will 
notice some peculiarity about him, and give him a 
nickname, having reference to this characteristic, by 
which he will be known throughout the entire country. 
On my arrival in Natal I wore a full beard and mus- 
tache, while the colonists generally sported the mus- 
tache alone. Thereupon the Zulus christened me "the 
man without a mouth," and I would frequently meet 
parties of them #ho had never seen me before, when 
I would be saluted with the following remark: "Ugh! 
the man without a mouth." The Boers have followed 
this custom, and my sobriquet with them was "the 
wolferman." Their name for the hyaena is wolfer, and 
they could not understand why I should pay them for 
one of the greatest nuisances from which they suffered, 
as their flocks of sheep were constantly curtailed by 
them. 
The Zulus are a brave, shrewd and superstitious race; 
a belief in witchcraft is common among them, and they 
generally endeavor to propitiate an evil spirit, instead 
of worshipping a good one. By nature they are herds- 
men, and they therefore do not show much liking for 
agriculture, using every effort to increase the herds 
of cattle, which form almost their entire wealth. They 
are tall and slimmer than the negro, and exceedingly 
active. They are of a dark brown color, with black 
and curly hair, and give forth the same odor as the 
negro; but their lips are not so prominent, and the nose 
in higher and not so flat. 
Polygamy is universal, and when a Zulu has two 
wives he is independently wealthy, as the women build 
the huts and cultivate the crops of Indian and Kaffir 
corn, while the husband lies around doing nothing, ex- 
cept occasionally indulging in a pipe of dried hemp 
leaves, which at first renders him frantic and incoher- 
rent, until he falls into a senseless state, which lasts 
for some time before he becomes perfectly conscious. 
The pipe used is an adaptation of the hubble-bubble, 
being made of a cow's horn, with the stem inserted 
near the point and long enough to raise the bowl above 
the water, which is put in the horn. The lips are in- 
serted in the large end, which is trimmed so as to make 
a close fit around the mouth, and the smoke sucked up 
through the water. 
A Zulu's food consists almost entirely of corn meal 
mush and milk, the corn being pounded to an extraordi- 
nary fineness and boiled for quite a length of time. 
When thoroughly cooked, all squat around the pot 
and help themselves by means of long-handled wooaen 
spoons, which are of native manufacture. During my 
residence in Natal there was a law compelling every 
one to furnish each Zulu in his employ with three 
pints of Indian meal per day, which was really more 
than could be eaten, and I found that by purchasing a 
neck piece of beef thrice a week there was a consid- 
erable reduction in my outlay for food. Besides, the 
natives enjoyed it so much the more, as they had 
never been accustomed to meat for diet, and were 
fairly frantic to get at it. 
During my trips to the interior my rifle usually kept 
the larder filled with game, which was about our sole 
nutriment. So sure as I hired a new Zulu, I found that 
in a short time he became sick from over-eating, and 
my constant remedy was a huge dose of castor oil, 
which the patient would gulp down with the greatest 
eagerness and then wipe the remains out of the cup 
with his finger and lick it off with gusto, so as not to 
lose a drop of the greasy material. 
Their wages were fixed by law at S shillings and 
rations per month, and so soon as one received ten 
shillings in silver, his great anxiety was to change it 
into gold, so that it could be concealed more easily. 
At one time the banks were short of half sovereigns, 
