1778. faw about th em ; fo r they wear none to the lips. T h is is
Augiiit. # . .
—v— ' another thin g in w hich they differ from the Americans we
had lately feen.
T h e ir clothing confifted o f a cap, a frock, a pair o f
breeches, a pair o f boots, and a pair o f gloves, a ll made o f
leather, or o f the ikins o f deer, dogs, feals, &c. and e x tremely
well dreffed; fome with the hair or fu r o n ; b u t
others without it. T h e caps were made to fit the head ve ry
c lo fe ; and befides thefe caps,, which moil o f them wore, w e
got from them fome hoods, made o f fkins o f dogs, that
were large enough to cover both head and fhoulders. T h e ir
h a ir feemed to be b la c k ; but their heads were either ihav-
ed, o f the hair cut clofe o f f ; and none o f them wore any
beard. O f the few articles w hich they got from us, kn iv e s
and tobacco? were what they valued moft.
We found the village compofed both o f their fumme r and"
their winter habitations. T h e latter are exadlly lik e a vault*
the floor o f which is fun k a little below the furface o f the
earth. One o f them, w h ich 1 examined, was o f an oval-
form, about twenty feet long, and twelve or more high.
T he fram in g was compofed o f wood, and the ribs o f whales*
difpofed in a judicious manner, and bound together with
Smaller m aterials o f the fame fort. Over this framin g is la id
a covering o f ftrong coarfe g r a f s ; and that again is covered
w ith e a r th ; fo that, on the outfide, the ho.ufe looks lik e a
little hillock, fupported by a w all o f flone, three or four feet
h igh , which is. built round the two fides, and one end. A t
the other end, the earth is raifed Hoping, to w alk up to the
entrance, which is by a hole in the top o f the roof over that
end. T h e floor was boarded, and under it a kind o f cellar^
in which I faw nothing but water. And at the end o f each.
houfehoufe
was a vaulted'room, w hich I took to be a ftore-room.
The fe ftofe-rooms communicated with the houfe, b y a dark
paffage; and with the open air, by a hole in the roof,
w h ich was even with the ground one walked upon; but
they cannot be faid to be w h o lly under g ro u n d ; for one
end reached to the edge o f the hill, a long which they were
made, and Which was built up w ith flone. Over it flood
a kind o f fentry-box, or tower, compofed o f the large bones
o f large fifh.
T h e fummer huts were pretty la rge and circular, being
brou ght to a point at the top. T he fram in g was o f flight
poles, and bones, covered with the ikins o f fea-animals. I
examined the infide o f one. T h e re was a fire-place, ju ft
w ith in the door, where la y a few wooden veffels, a ll ve ry
dirty. T h e ir bed-places were clofe to the fide, and took u p
about h a lf the circuit. Some privacy feemed to be obferved;
for there were feveral partitions made with ikins. The bed
and bedding were o f d e e r -ik in s ; and moft o f them were d ry
and clean.
About the habitations were erected feveral ftages, ten or
twelve feet h ig h ; fuch as we had obferved on fome parts o f
the American coaft. T h e y were w ho lly compofed o f bones;
and feemed intended for drying their fifli and fkins, w hich
were thus placed beyond the reach o f their dogs, o f which
th e y had a great many. Thefe dogs are o f the fox kind,
rather large, and o f different colours, with long foft hair
lik e wool. T h e y are, probably, ufed in drawing their
fledges in winter. For fledges they have, as I faw a good
many laid u p in one o f the winter huts. It is alfo not
improbable, that dogs may conftitute a part o f their food.
Several la y dead, that had been killed that morning.
3 M 3 T h e