Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/432

 420 General Obfervattons on

fiance below which, four heavy logs are ftrongly tied together acrofs, in a quadrangular form, in order to fecure the roof from the power of envious blafts. The door of this winter palace, is commonly about four feet high, and fo narrow as not to admit two to enter it abreaft, with, a winding paf- fage for the fpace of fix or feven feet, to fecure themfelves both from the power of the bleak winds, and of an invading enemy. As they ufually build on rifing ground, the floor is often a yard lower than the earth, which ferves them as a breaft work againfl an enemy : and a fmall peeping window is level with the furface of the outfide ground, to enable them to rake any lurking invaders in cafe of an attack. As they have no metal to reflect the heat-, in the fall of the year, as foon as the fun begins to lofe his warming power, fome of the women make a large fire of dry wood, with which they chiefly provide themfelves, but only from day to day, through their thoughtlefsnefs of to-morrow. When the fire is a little more than half burnt down, they cover it over with afhes, and, as the heat declines, they ftrike off fome of the top embers, with a long cane, wherewith each of the couches, or broad feats, is conftantly provided - y and this method they purfue from time to time as need requires, till the fire is expended, which is commonly about day-light. While the new fire is burning down, the houfe, for want of windows and air, is full of hot fmoky darknefs ; and all'this time, a number of them lie on their broad bed places, with their heads wrapped up*

The infide of their houfes is furniftied with genteel couches to fit, and lie upon, raifed on four forks of timber of a proper height, to give the fwarming: fleas fome trouble in their attack, as they are not able to reach them at one fpring : they tie with fine white oak fplinters, a fufficient quantity of mid- dle-fized canes of proper dimenfions, to three or four bars of the fame fort, which they fallen above the frame, and they put their mattrefles a-top, which are made of long cane fplinters.. Their bedding confifts of the ikins of wild beafts, fuch as of bufTalos, panthers, bears, elks, and deer, which they drefs with the hair on, as foft as velvet. Their male children they chufe to raife on the fkins of panthers, on account of the communicative principle, which they reckon all nature is pofieft of, in conveying qualities according to the regimen that is followed r and, as the panther is endued with many qualities, beyond any of his fellow animals in the American woods, as fmelling, flrength, cun ning*

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