ECONOMIC CONDITIONS. 123

account as possible every little item of his environment in connection where-
with human ingenuity can exercise itself with a view to deriving therefrom
some sort of self-sustenance.

An excellent instance of this ingenuity prompted by that life-preserving
instinct which is innate in every animal being is recorded by the first exponent
of the northern Dénés’ sociology, and, wonderful to relate, this is to the credit
of one of those despised members of their tribes who were reputed good for
nothing else than abuse and slavery. In the course of his journey to the
Arctic Ocean Hearne came upon a forlorn young woman under such circum-
stances that I must be excused for reproducing his accotint of the occurrence
almost in its entirety. Here it is in his own words.

Necessity the Mother of Invention.

“On the eleventh of January [1772], as some of my companions were
hunting, they saw the track of a strange snow-shoe, which they followed; and
at a considerable distance came to a little hut, where they discovered a young
woman sitting alone. As they found that she understood their language, they
brought her with them to the tents. On examination, she proved to be one
of the Western Dogribbed Indians, who had been taken prisoner by the Atha-
puscow Indians in the summer of one thousand seven hundred and seventy;
and in the following summer, when the Indians that took her prisoner were
near this part, she had eloped from them, with an intent to return to her own
country; but the distance being so great, and having after she was taken
prisoner, been carried in a canoe the whole way, the turnings and windings
of the rivers and lakes were so numerous, that she forgot the track; so she
built the hut in which we found her, to protect her from the weather during
the winter, and here she had resided from the first setting in of the fall.

“From her account of the moons passed since her elopement, it appeared
that she had been near seven months without seeing a human face; during
all which time she had supported herself very well by snaring partridges,
rabbits, and squirrels; she had also killed two or three beaver, and some por-
cupines. That she did not seem to have been in want is evident, as she had
a small stock of provisions by her when she was discovered; and was in
good health and condition, and I think one of the finest women, of a real
Indian, that I have seen in any part of North America.

“The methods practised by this poor creature to procure a livelihood
were truly admirable, and are great proofs that necessity is the real mother
of invention. When the few deer-sinews that she had an opportunity of taking
with her were all expended in making snares, and sewing her clothing, she
had nothing to supply their place but the sinews of the rabbit legs and feet;
these she twisted together for that purpose with great dexterity and success.
The rabbits, etc., which she caught in those snares, not only furnished her