-
"Our Meat Is Now Becoming Scarce; We Therefore Determined To Jerk It,
And Issue It In Small Quantities, Instead Of
Dividing it among
the four messes, and leaving to each the care of its own provisions;
a plan by which
Much is lost, in consequence of the improvidence of the men.
Two hunters had been despatched in the morning, and one of them, Drewyer,
had before evening killed seven elk. We should scarcely be able
to subsist, were it not for the exertions of this most excellent hunter.
The game is scarce, and nothing is now to be seen except elk, which for
almost all the men are very difficult to be procured; but Drewyer,
who is the offspring of a Canadian Frenchman and an Indian woman,
has passed his life in the woods, and unites, in a wonderful degree,
the dexterous aim of the frontier huntsman with the intuitive sagacity
of the Indian, in pursuing the faintest tracks through the forest.
All our men, however, have indeed become so expert with the rifle
that we are never under apprehensions as to food; since, whenever there
is game of any kind, we are almost certain of procuring it."
The narrative of the explorers gives this account of the Chinooks: -
"The men are low in stature, rather ugly, and ill made; their legs being small
and crooked, their feet large, and their heads, like those of the women,
flattened in a most disgusting manner. These deformities are in part
concealed by robes made of sea-otter, deer, elk, beaver or fox skins.
They also employ in their dress robes of the skin of a cat peculiar
to this country, and of another animal of the same size, which is light
and durable, and sold at a high price by the Indians who bring it from above.
In addition to these are worn blankets, wrappers of red, blue, or spotted
cloth, and some old sailors' clothes, which are very highly prized.
The greater part of the men have guns, with powder and ball.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 245 of 362
Words from 74265 to 74605
of 110166
