Pd®
328
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X
JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE
was a pair of fciflars, whofe. ufe.L explained -to hiin,flfoE;©IippiBg his
beard, which was, o£ great Lenglb ;KaB^ tOi;th^bipiirpo|e he* immediately
applied them. My, diftributioa of fimilaraftklss:' was laffobpxtended ta
others, who had been attentive, to us. The ©fommunfeationj however#
between us was awkward and inconvenient, for fe was carried;ofeftnffcelyi
by figns,, as there was. not a. per fen with) me who was quahfiediffbr tho
office of an inteipieteri > ’
i We wete all o f us vary dsfirous to . get feme &efe fehnonv «that w©
might chefs them in our own way, but could not by any means obtain
that gratification, though there were thou lands- of that : fife ftrung on1
cords, which were fattened toftake sd a the ■ riven. They '-wereeveUL
averfe to.our approaching the fpot where they -clean, and prepare'them«
for their own eating. They had, indeed^ tafeetr ou® kettle* froni Us* left
we ihould employ it in getting water foomitho rivOPr ^ ^ tlfeyisaffigne^
as the reafou for this precaution, thatthe felmbndiiike the fmell o f ironsf
At.the feme tkafr they fupplied us with wooden box-es, which>'W<eiïe cap a*-
file-of holding any fluid. .Two? o f the men th^t went to fife, %<a eaup§
capable ofcontainiag ten people, returned with a fell ladiugsipf ftlm©0*.
that weighed from fix to forty pounds., though the far greater part o f
them were under twenty. >They immediately ftrung the whole o f them,
as I have already mentioned, in the river.
I now made the tour off the village, which confided of four- elfevated
houfes, and feven built- on the ground,, befides a confiderable number of
other buildings or feeds, which are ufed; * only as kitichens-, - and places
for curing their fife. The former are. eonftrudled by. fixing a ©ertara
number
NORTH-WEST CONTINENT OF AMERICA.
number dfp&fe in thé earth, on feme of which at*ê laid* afldftd Others are
fattened, the fupportdrs of the floor, at about twelve feet above the furface — •'
of the ground: their length is from an hundred to an hundred and twenty
feet, and‘ they are about fofty feèt in breadth;’ Along the centre are
built threej four, *>of five hearths, for thetwo-FoM-purpofeof giving
Warmth, and drbffing their fife; dh.
either fide is divided by cedar planks, into partitions-ör apafftments öf
feven feet fquare, in the front of which there’ are boards, aboutthrée feet
wide, over which, thoiigh they are nötimmov-ably fïxed-, the inmates ó f
thefe recettes generally, ’pafej When thëy^ g(^ 1 Thereafter part ©f
them are intended for that: purpble1, and fuch arë covered with boards* at
the-height of the WhH of the hoiafe, .which is about feven or eight feet,
and reft upon beattls that ftfetfch acfofs the building. On thole alfo are
placed the chefts which contain their prövifions, utenfils, and whatever
they poffels. The intermediate fpace is fufficient for dbmeftic pur-
pofes. On poles that run along the beams; hang roafted fife, and the
whole building is well covered with boards and bark* except within a
few inches .of the ïidgë- pole; where' open fpaees are left on «eaéh fide
to let in light and emit the fmoke. ’ At the end of the houfe that fronts
the rivëfj iS a narrow fcaffolding, which is alfa aféènded by»"pSÊcêï»f
timber, with fteps cut in it;* and at each corner of this ereflion there are
openings, for the inhabitants to eafe nature. As it does not .-appear to
be a cuttom among them to remove thefe heaps of excrements! filth,
it may be fuppofed that the effluvia does not annoy them.
h The houfes which reft on the ground are built o f the feme materials*
and on the fame plan. A Hoping ftage that rifes to a cr.ofs piece oftimher,
U u fupported