48 | JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE THROUGH THE

: i| 1789. which ferve them for knives. They obtain this metal from the Efqui-
| maux Indians, Their arrows are made of very light wood, and are winged
Hi only with two feathers; their bows differed from any which we had feen,
i and we underftood that they were furnifhed by the E{quimaux, who are
( | their neighbours: they confift of two pieces, with a very ftrong cord
| of finews along the back, which is tied in feveral places, to preferve its
Hi fhape; when this cord becomes wet, it requires a flrong bow-ftring, and
“Shey powerful arm to draw it. The veflel in which they prepare their
Fi food, is made of a thin frame of wood, and of an oblong fhape; the
bottom is fixed in a curve, in the fame manner as a cafk. Their fhirts
are not cut fquare at the bottom, but taper to a point, from the belt
downwards as low as the knee, both before and behind, with a border,
embellifhed with a fhort fringe. They ufe alfo another fringe, fimilar
to that which has been already defcribed, with the addition of the ftone
of a grey farinaceous berry, of the fize and fhape of a large barley-
corn:-it is of a brown colour, and fluted, and being bored is run on
each ftring of the fringe; with this they decorate their fhirts, by fewing
it in a femicircle on the breaft and back, and crofling over both
fhoulders; the f{leeves are wide and fhort, but the mittens fupply their
| deficiency, as they are long enough togreach over a part of the fleeve,
iu 2S and are commodioufly fufpended by a cord from the neck. If their
| leggins were made with waiftbands, they might with great propriety be
| denominated trowfers: they faften them with a cord round the middle,
| : fo that they appear to have a fenfe of decency which their neighbours
"I cannot boaft. Their fhoes are fewed to their leggins, and decorated on .
| | every feam. One of the men was clad in a fhirt made of the {kins of the

mufk-rat. The drefs of the women is the fame as that of the men, ‘except :

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