e
docile, tractable, and industrious, than the Stone Indians, and bring
greater supplies of provision and furs to the posts. Their general mode
of dress resembles that of the Stone Indians; but sometimes they wear
cloth leggins, blankets, and other useful articles, when they can afford
to purchase them. They also decorate their hair with buttons.

The Crees procure guns from the traders, and use them in preference to
the bow and arrow; and from them the Stone Indians often get supplied,
either by stealth, gaming, or traffic. Like the rest of their nation,
these Crees are remarkably fond of spirits, and would make any sacrifice
to obtain them. I regretted to find the demand for this pernicious
article had greatly increased within the few last years. The following
notice of these Indians is extracted from Dr. Richardson's journal:

"The Asseenaboine, termed by the Crees Asseeneepoytuck, or Stone
Indians, are a tribe of Sioux, who speak a dialect of the Iroquois, one
of the great divisions under which the American philologists have
classed the known dialects of the Aborigines of North America. The Stone
Indians, or, as they name themselves, _Eascab_, originally entered this
part of the country under the protection of the Crees, and in concert
with them attacked and drove to the westward the former inhabitants of
the banks of the Saskatchawan. They are still the allies of the Crees,
but have now become more numerous than their former protectors. They
exhibit all the bad qualities ascribed to the Mengwe or Iroquois, the
stock whence they are sprung. Of their actual number I could obtain no
precise information, but it is very great. The Crees who inhabit the
plains, being fur hunters, are better known to the traders.

"They are divided into two distinct bands, the Ammisk-watcheethinyoowuc
or Beaver Hill Crees, who have about forty tents, and the
Sackawee-thinyoowuc, or Thick Wood Crees, who have thirty-five. The
tents average nearly ten inmates each, which gives a population of
seven hundred and fifty to the whole.

"The nations who were driven to the westward by the Eascab and Crees are
termed, in general, by the latter, Yatchee-thinyoowuc, which has been
translated Slave Indians, but more properly signifies Strangers.

"They now inhabit the country around Fort Augustus, and towards the foot
of the Rocky Mountains, and have increased in strength until they have
become an object of terror to the Eascab themselves. They re