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Show so JOUHNAL OF A VOYAGE not be on a permanent footing; and upon this I take them to be neith "r so brave nor generous, as the Sioux, who, in all their transactions, appear to be candid and brave, whereas the Chipeways are suspicious, consequenLly treacherous, and of course cowards. I6tb March, Sunday.-Received three deer from our hunting camp. Examined trees for canoes. 17 tb Marcb, Monday.-Left the fort with my interpreter and Roy, in order to visit Thomas, the Fols i\ voin chief, who was encamped, with six lodges of his nation, about ~0 miles below us, on a little river which empties into the Mississippi on the W. ~ide, a little above Clear river. On our way down, killed one goose, wounded another, and a deer that the clogs had dri ven into an air hole ; hung our game on the trees. Arrived at the creek, took out r n it ; ascendeJ three or four miles on one bank, and descC'nded on th '"' other. Killed anoth er goose. Struck the lVlississippi below Encamp··d at our encamp· ment of the - of October, wh1 n we ascended the riv·'r. Ate our goose for su p"r. lL snowed all day, and at night a very severe storm arose. It n1ay be ima· gined that we spent a very disagreeable night without shdter, and but one blanket each. l8Lb ·J./Iarcb, Tucsday.-W e marched, determined to find the lodges. Met an Indian, whose track we pursued, through almost impenetrable woods, for about tvvo and a half miles, to the camps ; here there was one of the finest sugar camps I almost ever saw, the whole of the timhcr being sugar tree. We were conducted to the chief's lodge, who received us in the patriarchal styJ '. Ilr pulled oif my leggins and mockin~ons, put me in the best place in his lodge, and ofFered me dry cloaths. He then presented us with syrup of the maple to drink, then a ·ked whether I prefered eating beaver, swan, elk or deer; upon my giving the preference to the first, a large kettk TO Tll E ~OU l{CES OF TilE MISSISSIPPI. 8 i \Vi~~ fill~· I by l1is. \\'i~ , of which soup was made ; this bc1~1,~· tlucl cn"d w1th .fl our, we had what I then thought a deliciOus n"'past. J\.f tcr we had nfreshed oursdves, he (H;h•J whe:her we would visit his people, at th other lodges,. which vve did ; and in each were pnscntc•d with somctlnnp.; to cat; by ~n n1e wjth a bowl of su rrar . t)thcrs b ' 'l ,..., ' . a c~wer s ta1 , &c. .1\ftcr making this tour, w _ rc-t_ nrned to the chief's lodge, ;1nd found a I in11 pn " ·irlcJ for c~1ch of us, of good s~ft bear skjns nic(ll y . prn;1d, ;1nd on ~nmc thei~e was a large l-eather pillow. I must not here onut to mentiOn . an anecdote ' which ser\'es to c· 11 .a ract<'11. 2e more particularl~, their manners. This in the eyes of th~ contracted moJ~ahst~ ~vould deform my hospi table hosf ;nto a m~nstcr of hbcrtuusnl; but by a liberal mind wou ld b" cons,1 d ered 'as an·s m· g f rom the hearty g nerosity of the wild'"' ~avage. In the course of the day ob: t•r ving a rin ()' on one :f my fin?ers, he enquired if it was gold; he w~s told it . as the .gift of one, with whom I should be happy to be at that tl~ne ; he seemed to think seriously' and at night ~~lld my mterpretcr, " 'That perhaps his fath er" (as they ,l called me) " felt much grieved for the want of' " man . 'f . c a wo .. ' 1 so, he could furmsh hin1 with one " II, answer d 1 . · c was 1 e ' . t 1at WJth us each man had but one wife an l t lat I con d d · · ' c. he .si ere It tnctly tny duty' to r enlain fai thful to ~·. T.his he thought strange, (he himself having three) ~n ~ ep~ed that " I Ic knew some Americans at his nation . w o ad half a dozen wives durinrr the winter" c 1,h' Interpreter b , . b • e ter. but tho sei ved that, they were rnen without charac- Th~ chief at a_ll our great men, had each but one wife. man h acqmesced, but said he liked better to have as Y as e plea d Tl · ' any a 1 se . 1ls conversation passing without th ppea . to me, as the interpreter knew my mind on ose occasiOns a d d . pear . n answere Immediately, it did not ap-sno\~ inas an Immediate refusal of the woman. Continued g very hard all day. Slept very warm. L |
