196 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
They received them with thanks; and beckon** 
ing to their warriors, a number of young men 
quickly started from the crowd, and in less than 
three minutes the presents were conveyed from 
the lawn, and laden on board the canoes, in 
Waiting to convey them to the island and adja¬ 
cent villages. The utmost regularity and pro¬ 
priety was manifested on this occasion in the 
behaviour of every Indian ; there was not the 
smallest wrangling amongst them about their 
presents; nor was the least spark of jealousy 
observable in any one tribe about what the 
other had received* each one took^up the heap 
allotted to it, and departed without speaking a 
word* 
• Besides the presents, such as I have describ¬ 
ed, others of a different nature again, namely, 
provisions, were dealt out this year amongst 
certain tribes of the Indians that were encamp¬ 
ed on the island of Bois Blanc, These were 
some of the tribes that had been at war with 
the people of the United States, whose vil¬ 
lages, fields of corn, and stores of provisions 
had been totally destroyed during the contest 
bv General Wayne, and who having been 
thereby bereft of every means of support, had 
come, as soon as peace was concluded, to beg 
for subsistence from their good friends the 
British. Our enemies,’" said they, have de¬ 
stroyed our villages and stores of provisions* 
