led "the birds of the Deity,"--"ya gat he-be e Yadze;" the devil,
"Ha is linee," or, "the sorcerer."

The Slaves and Rabbitskins have also their magicians, whom alone they
fear and reverence. Polygamy is not common, yet there are instances of
one man having two _female masters_. In times of famine the cravings
of hunger often drive these poor Indians to desperation, when the
feelings of humanity and of nature seem utterly eradicated.

During the fearful distress of the two past years, a band of Slaves
came to Fort Simpson in a condition not to be described. Many of them
had perished by the way; but the history of one family is the most
shocking I ever heard. The husband first destroyed the wife, and
packed her up as provision for the journey. The supply proving
insufficient, one of the children was next sacrificed. The cannibal
was finally left by the party he accompanied with only one child
remaining--a boy of seven or eight years of age. Mr. Lewis immediately
despatched two men with some pemmican, to meet him; the aid came too
late,--they found the monster roasting a part of his last child at the
fire. Horrified at the sight, they uttered not a word, but threw the
provisions into the encampment, and retreated as fast as they could. A
few days afterwards this brute arrived strong and hearty, and appeared
as unconcerned as if all had gone on well with him and his family.
Cannibalism is more frequently known among the Slaves and Rabbitskins
than any other of the kindred tribes; and it is said that women are
generally the perpetrators of the crime; it is also said, that when
once they have tasted of this unhallowed food they prefer it to every
other.

All the Chippewayan tribes dispose of their dead by placing them in
tombs made of wood, and sufficiently strong to resist the attacks of
wild beasts. The body is laid in the tomb at full length, without any
particular direction being observed as to the head or feet. Neither
they, nor any other Indians I am acquainted with, place their dead in
a sitting posture.

It is affirmed by some writers that the Indians have a tradition among
them of the migration of their progenitors from east to west. I
have had every opportunity of investigating the question, and able
interpreters wherever I wintered; but I never could learn that any
such tradition existed. Even in their tales and legends there is never
any reference to a distant land; when questioned in regard to this,
their i