OCR Text |
Show THE GREAT BASIN OF UTAH. 51 Captain Simpson describes, in his report, a visit to one of their hants, as they call their habitations, as follows : " Just at sunset, I walked out with Mr. Faust to see some of these Go- shoots at home. We found, about one and a half miles from camp, one of their habita-tions, which consisted only of some cedar branches disposed around the periphery of a circle about ten feet in diameter, and in such a manner as to break off, to the height of about four feet, the wind from the prevailing direction. In this inclosure were a num-ber of men, women, and children. Rabbit- skins were the clothing generally; the poor infant at the breast having nothing on it. In the center was a brass kettle, suspended to a three- legged crotch or tripod. In this they were boiling the meat we had given them. An old woman superintended the cooking, and at the same time was engaged in dressing an antelope- skin. When the soup was done, the fingers of each of the inmates were stuck into the pot and sucked. While this was going on, an Indian, entirely naked with the exception of his breech- cloth, came in from his day's hunt. His largest game was the rat, of which he had quite a number stuck around under the girdle about his waist. These he threw down, and they were soon put by the old woman on the fire and the hair scorched. This done, she rubbed off the crisped hair with a pine knot, and then, thrusting her finger into the paunch of the animal, pulled out the entrails. From these pressing out the offal, she threw the animals, entrails and all, without further cleaning, into the pot." |