e he
stuck his stick into the pot. I expressed my gratitude as well as I
could, and pointed first to my chest and then to my throat, to show him
that I thought the food must have got thus high; but he only laughed,
and kept on helping me as before. At last I stuck a piece in my mouth,
and pretended that I could not get it down further; but he was too good
an anatomist to be so taken in, and offered to get a ramrod to help me
down with it.

"Now, old fellow," said I, getting savage, "it may be a very good joke
to you; but more I will not eat, and that's enough."

Luckily John Pipestick coming in, explained that though Englishmen eat
as much as any red-skins, they were in the habit of taking several
moderate meals during every day throughout the year, and that the Indian
fashion of one day gormandising, and for many days starving, would not
suit them. I was not sorry to find that my friends were almost as much
tired as I was, and that they would remain another whole day to rest.

During the day, however, I received a piece of information from John
Pipestick, which somewhat discomposed me. I found that the old chief,
my host Waggum-winne-beg, proposed bestowing on me one of his daughters
to become my wife. Now, although I had no dislike to the notion of
matrimony, I had a decided preference for a wife of my own colour and
style of education. Miss Waggum-winne-beg was a very charming young
lady, I had no doubt, and could dress a puppy-dog to perfection, and
could manufacture moccasins unsurpassed by those of any other young
damsel in the tribe, and embroider with coloured grass, or make mats of
great beauty; indeed, I cannot enumerate all her accomplishments and
attractions. Still she had not won my heart, and indeed, a wife,
whether white, or red, or black, would have been very inconvenient while
I was leading my present wandering style of life. I gave this as the
best reason I could think of for not accepting my host's generous offer;
but he laughed at my scruples, and replied that I should find a wife
very useful, as she could work for me, and carry my gun and baggage of
every description; that she would also cook my food and make my
moccasins and tent covering, and weave fringe for my leggings and other
garments, and manufacture the mats and various requisite utensils.
Indeed it would be difficult to find, in any part of the world, so
accomplished a young lady, or one more industrious and obedient; that I
mig