potatoe. Of this the strangers ate freely, but they could not
relish the roasted dog. The party ate and smoked till it was dark, when
every thing was cleared away for the dance. A large fire was lighted in
the centre of the room, for the purpose of giving, at the same time,
light and warmth. The music was partly vocal and partly instrumental.
The instruments consisted chiefly of a sort of tambourine, formed of
skin stretched across a hoop; and a small skin bag with pebbles in it.
The women then came forward, highly decorated: some with poles in their
hands, on which were hung the scalps of their enemies; and others with
guns, spears, or different trophies, taken in war by their husbands,
brothers, or connexions. Having arranged themselves in two columns, one
on each side of the fire, they danced towards each other till they met
in the centre, when the rattles were shaken, and they all shouted and
returned to their places. They had no step, but shuffled along the
ground. The music appeared to be nothing more than a confusion of
noises, distinguished only by hard or gentle blows upon the skin; and
the song was extemporaneous. In the pauses of the dance, any man in the
company, who chose it, came forward and recited, in a sort of low
guttural tone, some story or incident: this was taken up by the
orchestra and the dancers, who repeated it in a higher strain, and
danced to it. These amusements continued till midnight, when the
voyagers retired on board their vessels, accompanied by four of the
chiefs.

In their persons these Indians were rather ugly and ill made, their legs
and arms being peculiarly slender, their cheek-bones high, and their
eyes projecting. The females, with the same character of form, were
somewhat more handsome. Both sexes appeared cheerful and sprightly, but
afforded many indications of being both cunning and vicious. The men
shave the hair off their heads, except a small tuft on the top, which
they suffer to grow, so as to wear it in plats over the shoulders. In
full dress, the principal chiefs wear a hawk's feather, worked with
porcupine-quills, and fastened to the top of the head. Their face and
body are generally painted with a mixture of grease and coal. The hair
of the women is suffered to grow long, and is parted from the forehead,
across the head; at the back of which it is either collected into a kind
of bag, or hangs down over the shoulders. This people seem fond of
finery. Their lodges are v