ughs, we proceeded towards the
Indian houses--the woman often requiring force to take her
along. On examining them, we found no living creature, save a
bitch and her whelps about two months old. The houses of these
Indians are very different from those of the other tribes in
North America; they are built of straight pieces of fir about
twelve feet high, flattened at the sides, and driven in the
earth close to each other; the corners being much stronger than
the other parts.--The crevices are filled up with moss, and the
inside entirely lined with the same material; the roof is
raised so as to slant from all parts and meet in a point at the
centre, where a hole is left for the smoke to escape; the
remainder of the roof is covered with a treble coat of birch
bark, and between the first and second layer of bark is about
six inches of moss; about the chimney clay is substituted for
it. On entering one of the houses I was astonished at the
neatness which reigned within. The sides of the tenement were
covered with arms,--bows, arrows, clubs, axes of iron, (stolen
from the settlers) stone hatchets, arrow heads, in fact,
implements of war and for the chase, but all arranged in the
neatest order, and apparently every man's property carefully
put together. At one end was a small image, or rather a head,
carved rudely out of a block of wood; round the neck was hung
the case of a watch, and on a board close by, the works of the
watch, which had been carefully taken to pieces, and hung on
small pegs on the board; the whole were surrounded with the
main spring. In the other houses the remainder of the articles
stolen were found. Beams were placed across where the roof
began; over which smaller ones were laid: on these were piled a
considerable quantity of dried venison and salmon, together
with a little codfish. On ---- taking down the watch and works,
and bringing the image over the fire, the woman surveyed him
with anger, and in a few minutes made free with her tongue, her
manner showing us that she was not unused to scolding. When Mr.
---- saw it displeased her, he, rather irreverently, threw the
log on one side: on this she rose in a rage, and would, had not
her hands been fastened, have inflicted summary vengeance for
the insult offered to the hid