CHRONICLES OF THE CARIBOO __. 21

as the game travelled when feeding, and often he met game coming
back questing the strange scent.

He showed the miners how to dig the roots, that grew in the
pine woods, with the picks that some of them carried to prospect with.
He showed them shrubs and bulbs to cook for greens - chiefly Indian
rhubarb, and solomon seal - also watercress that grew to profusion in
the cold springs they passed.. He didn’t greatly relish the bacon,
beans and yeast powder bannock of. the. miners’ and by, providing the
fresh meat, roots and ,green. stuff: which : ‘they: all relished he saved
considerably on the miners’ food supply. i

The first morning out he came in with a small doe deer across
his broad shoulders, just as the miners were rolling out of their blan-
kets. It was-a revelation to them to see him skin and dress that deer.
Using his knife very little after the main ripping cuts were made, he
literally peeled the hide off with his strong hands; then with a few
light strokes of his hunting axe he severed the ribs from the spine,
ran a slim peeled willow stick up through them and stuck the other
end of the stick in the ground before the fire.

Grinning, he grunted to the miners: “Waugh! Squalam mowitch
hiyoo skookum mukamuk you see! Waugh!” (Roast venison very
good eats.) While the miners were cooking their breakfast he care-
fully tended his two sticks of venison. Occasionally turning them up-
side down so the melted fat would run back down over the roasting
meat again. When they were done to his liking - really only half
done - and cooled off a bit, he pointed to one of the roasts saying:
“You try, mebbe you lak’. You use salt. Me no salt.” Seeing the
Indian’s work was efficient and clean, Dunlevey tried it and declared
it was the finest tasting meat he had ever eaten. Baptiste was pleas-
ed and explained that if the meat had been allowed to cool before cook-
ing it would probably be more to the whiteman’s taste.

But to see that savage devour that meat! Savage and devour is
right! He ate one whole set of ribs himself! But it was the way he
ate it! He used no salt. Nor any table manners whatever either!
First he would split a rib off with his knife; then taking one end of
the meat in his teeth he would rip the rib out of it with one savage
wrench and throw it aside. He cut a mouthful off - and such a
mouthful - held in his teeth, by passing his knife through it just in
front of his lips. A few crunching movements of his powerful jaws
and down it would go. Then another cut. In an incredably short
time all that was left of his side of the ribs was a neat pile of the
bones. When some one wanted to throw these into the fire he pro-
tested: “Non, non! No burn good bone. Injun plenty dog eat bone.
No dog here, sometam wil’ tillicum. Fin’ bone, eat. Good! Coyote all
tam come. behin’ where man go. Hongry fin’ bone, eat. Tell Injin
Stanalia’ (Dene for thank you.) ‘Throwing, his head back he let out
“a yelping howl in perfect. imitation of a coyote. Immediately out on
the meadow a real coyote answered, then another.

a