THE BEAR. 
385 
being dead, all my assistants approached; 
and all—but particularly my old mother, as 
I was wont to call her—took the head in 
their hands, stroking and kissing it several 
times, begging a thousand pardons for 
taking away her life, calling her their rela¬ 
tion and grandmother, and requesting her 
not to lay the fault upon them, since it was 
truly an Englishman who put her to death. 
This ceremony was not of long duration; 
and, if it was I that killed their grand¬ 
mother, they were not themselves behind¬ 
hand in what remained to be performed. 
The skin being taken off, we found the 
fat in several places six inches deep. This, 
being divided into two parts, loaded two 
persons; and the flesh was as much as four 
persons could carry. In all, the carcass 
must have exceeded flve hundredweight. 
As soon as we reached the lodge, the bear’s 
head was adorned with all the trinkets in 
possession of the family, such as silver arm- 
bands and wristbands and belts of wampum, 
and then laid upon a scaffold set up for its 
reception within the lodge. Hear the nose 
was placed a quantity of tobacco. The next 
morning no sooner appeared than prepara- 
