and my legs were covered with mitases, a kind of hose made of scarlet cloth. Over all I was to wear a scarlet mantle or blanket, and on my head a large bunch of feathers. I parted, not without some regret, with the long hair that was natural to it; but the ladies of the family, and of the village in general, appeared to think my person improved, and now condescended to call me handsome even among Indians.

[From Michilimackinac, Alexander Henry, now a naturalised Indian, migrated in time to the Island of St. Martin, and thence about the shores of Lake Michigan on several hunting expeditions, some of which we will now leave him to describe.]

To kill beaver we used to go several miles up the rivers-especially the river Aux Sables, on the south side of the lake-before the approach of night. and, after the dark came on, to suffer the canoe to drift gently down the current without noise. The beaver on this part of the river came abroad to procure food, or materials for repairing their habitations, and, as they were not alarmed by the canoe, they often passed it within gunshot. I soon became

as expert as the Indians themselves in hunting of all kinds.

Our lodge was

fifteen miles above the mouth of the stream. The principal animals which the country afforded were the red deer, the common American deer, the bear, raccoon, beaver, and marten.

The most common way of taking the beaver is that of breaking up its house, which is done with trenching tools, during the winter, when the ice is strong enough to allow of approaching them, and when also the fur is in its most valuable state. Breaking up the house, however, is only a preparatory step. During this operation the family make their escape to one or more of their washes. These are to be discovered by striking the ice along the bank, and, where the holes are, a hollow sound is returned. After discovering and searching many of them in vain, we often found the whole family together in the same wash. I was taught occasionally to distinguish a full wash from an empty one by the motion of the water above its entrance, occasioned by the breathing of the animals concealed in it. From the washes they must be taken out with the hands, and, in doing this, the hunter sometimes received severe wounds from their teeth. In those days I thought that beaver-flesh was very good, but after again tasting that of the ox, I could not relish it. The tail is considered a tit-bit.

The raccoon was another object of our chase. It was my practice to go out in the evening with dogs, accompanied by the youngest son of my guardian, to hunt this animal. The raccoon never leaves its hiding-place till after sunset. As soon as a dog falls on the fresh track of one, he gives notice by a cry, and immediately pursues. His barking enables the hunter to follow. The raccoon, which travels slowly, and is soon overtaken, makes for a tree, on which he remains till shot. In snow, however, one need only follow the track of his feet. In this season he seldom leaves his habitation, and never lays up any food. I have found six at a time in the hollow of one tree, lying upon each other, and nearly in a torpid state. In more than one instance, to my knowledge, they have lived six weeks without food. The mouse is their principal

prey.

I was growing used to my new life; and, but for the whispered notion that one day I should be released from it, could have extracted complete enjoyment from my hunting.

On the 20th of December we took an account of our spoils, and found we had a hundred beaver-skins, as many raccoons, and a large quantity of dried venison, all of which was safe from the wolves, being raised upon a scaffold. A hunting excursion into the interior of the country was resolved on, and early next morning our bundles were made up by the women. I remarked that the bundle given to me was the lightest, and those carried by the women. the largest and heaviest of the whole.

On the first day of our march we advanced about twenty miles, and then encamped. Being somewhat fatigued, I could not hunt, but Wawatam killed a stag not far from our encampment. The next morning we moved our lodge to

the carcase. At this station we remained two days, employed in drying the meat. The method was to cut it into slices of the thickness of a steak, and then hang it over the fire to smoke. On the third day we removed, and marched till two o'clock in the afternoon. While the women were busy in erecting and preparing the lodges, I took my gun and strolled away, telling Wawatam that I intended looking out for some fresh meat for supper. answered that he would do the same, and on this we both left the encampment in different directions.

He

The sun was visible, so I had no fear of losing my way; but in following several tracks of animals, in momentary expectation of falling in with game, I was led too far, and it was not till near sunset that I thought of returning. The sky, too, had become overcast, and I was therefore left without the sun for my guide. In this situation I walked as fast as I could, always supposing myself to be approaching our encampment, till at length it became so dark that I ran against the trees.

I became convinced that I was lost, and was alarmed by the reflection that I was in a country strange to me, and in danger from hostile Indians. With the flint of my gun I made a fire, and then laid me down to sleep.

In the night it rained hard. I awoke cold and wet, and, as soon as light appeared, I recommenced my journey, sometimes walking, and sometimes running, not knowing whither to go, bewildered, and like a madman. Towards evening I reached the border of a large lake, of which I could scarcely discern the opposite shore. I had never heard of a lake in this part of the country, and therefore felt myself more lost than ever. To tread back my steps appeared the most likely way to deliverance, and I accordingly determined to turn my face directly from the lake, and keep this direction as nearly as I could. A heavy snowstorm began to descend, and night soon afterwards came on. On this I stopped and made a fire, and stripping a tree of its sheet of bark, lay down under it for shelter. All night, at small distances, the wolves howled around, and, to me, seemed to be acquainted with my misfortune.

Amid thoughts the most distracted, I was able at length to fall asleep; but it was not long before I awoke refreshed, and wondering at the terror to which I had given way. That I could really have wanted the means of recovering my way appeared incredible. How was it I had failed to remember the lessons of my Indian friend, designed on purpose to meet difficulties of this kind? These were that, generally speaking, the tops of pine-trees lean towards the sunrise; that moss grows towards the roots of trees on the side which faces the north, and that the limbs of trees are most numerous towards the south.

Determined to direct my feet by these marks, and persuaded that I should thus, sooner or later, reach Lake Michigan, which I reckoned to be distant about sixty miles, I began my march at break of day. I had neither taken, nor wished to take, any nourishment since I left the encampment; I had with me my gun and ammunition, and was therefore under no anxiety in regard

to food. The snow lay about half a foot in depth. My eyes were now employed upon the trees. When their tops leaned different ways, I looked to the moss or to the branches, and by connecting one with another I found the means of travelling with some degree of confidence. At four o'clock in the afternoon, the sun, to my inexpressible joy, broke from the clouds, and I had now no further need to examine the trees.

In going down the side of a lofty hill, I saw a herd of red deer approaching. Desirous of killing one of them for food, I hid myself in the bushes, and on a large one coming near, presented my piece, which missed fire on account of the priming having been wetted. The animals walked along without taking the least alarm, and having reloaded my gun, I followed them and presented a second time.

But now a disaster of the heaviest kind had befallen me; for, on attempting to fire, I found that I had lost the hammer of my gun. I had previously lost the screw by which it was fastened to the lock, and to prevent this from being lost also, I had tied it in its place with a leathern string. The lock, to prevent it catching in the boughs, I had carried under my coat. Of all the sufferings which I had experienced, this seemed to me the most severe. I was in a strange country, and knew not how far I had to go. I had been three days without food; I was without the means of procuring myself either food or fire. Despair had almost overpowered me; but I soon resigned myself into the hands of that Providence whose arm had so often saved me, and returned on my track in search of what I had lost. My search was in vain, and I resumed my course, wet, cold, and hungry, and almost without clothing.

The sun was setting fast when I descended the hill, at the bottom of which was a small lake entirely frozen over. Drawing near, I saw a beaver-lodge in the middle, offering some faint prospect of food; but I found it already broken up. While I looked at it, it suddenly occurred to me that I had seen it before, and turning my eyes round the place, I discovered a small tree which I had myself cut down in the autumn. I was no longer at a loss. My course was to follow a small stream of water which came down to the lake here past the spot where my friends were encamped. The whole of that night and the succeeding day I walked up the rivulet, and at sunset reached the encampment, where I was received with delight. The family had searched for me long and vainly in the woods, and at length given me up for dead.

Some days elapsed, during which I rested and recruited my strength. After this I resumed the chase, secure that, as the snow had now fallen, I could always return by the way I went.

In the middle of January, I noticed that the trunk of a large pine-tree was much torn by the claws of a bear, made both by going up and coming down. On further examination, I saw that there was a large opening in the upper part, near which the smaller branches were broken. From these marks, and

from the additional circumstance that there were no tracks in the snow, there was reason to believe that a bear lay concealed in the tree.

On returning to the lodge, I communicated my discovery; and it was agreed that all the family should go together in the morning to assist in cutting down the tree, the girth of which was not less than three fathoms. The women at first opposed the undertaking, because our axes, being only of a pound and a half weight, were not well adapted to so heavy labour; but the hope of finding a large bear, and obtaining from his fat a large quantity of oil, an article at the time much wanted, at length prevailed.

Accordingly, in the morning we surrounded the tree, both men and women, as many at a time as could conveniently work at it; and here we toiled like beavers till the sun went down. This day's work carried us about half-way through the trunk; and next morning we renewed the attack, continuing it until about two o'clock in the afternoon, when the tree fell to the ground. For a few minutes everything remained quiet, and I feared that all our expectations were disappointed; but as I advanced to the opening, there came out, to the great satisfaction of all our party, a bear of extraordinary size, which, before she had proceeded many yards, I shot.

The bear being dead, all my assistants approached, and all, but more particularly my old mother, as I was wont to call her, took her head in their hands, stroking and kissing it several times; begging a thousand pardons for taking away her life; calling her their kinswoman and grandmother; and requesting her not to lay the fault upon them, since it was truly an Englishman that had put her to death.

This ceremony was not of long duration; and if it was I that killed their grandmother, they were not themselves behind-hand in what remained to be performed. The skin being taken off, we found the fat in several places six inches deep. This, being divided into two parts, loaded two persons; and the flesh parts were as much as four persons could carry. In all, the carcase must have exceeded five hundredweight.

As soon as we reached the lodge, the bear's head was adorned with all the trinkets in the possession of the family, and then laid upon a scaffold, set up for its reception within the lodge. Near the nose was placed a large quantity of tobacco. The next morning no sooner appeared than preparations were made for a feast to the manes. The lodge was cleaned and swept; and the head of the bear lighted up, and a new blanket spread under it. Pipes were now lit, and Wawatam blew tobacco-smoke into the nostrils of the bear, telling me to do the same and thus appease her anger. At length, the feast being ready, Wawatam began a speech, deploring the necessity under which men laboured thus to destroy "their friends." He represented, however, that the misfortune was unavoidable, since without doing so they could by no means subsist. The speech ended, all ate heartily of the bear's flesh; and even the head itself, after remaining three days on the scaffold, was put into the kettle.