Page:Voyages in the Northern Pacific - 1896.djvu/85

Rh be again destroyed by the same element. They say, that when a good man dies, he goes to a world where there is plenty of provisions, and where there is no occasion to work; and on the contrary, when a bad man dies, he will go to a country where the provisions are scare, and where he will be forced to work hard, and meet with many and great difficulties. It may be gathered from this what is indeed the truth, that these Indians have a very great aversion to work. They observe the rite of circumcision, and have slaves whom they purchase from other tribes, prisoners who have been taken in war. On the death of a chief, from three to six slaves are sacrificed, according to the rank of the deceased. In the winter season all the tribes move back to the woods, where they have their winter villages. In summer they catch sturgeon, salmon, and a variety of small fish, etc.; in the fall of the year they have plenty of ducks, geese, and swans, and in spring an abundance of small fish like sardines. The climate is much the same as in England: from May till October the weather is very fine, the wind generally blowing from N. W. to N. E. The wet season commences in November with heavy gales from S. W. to S. E. with much rain and thunder. In some seasons the frost sets in early in November, and lasts for a month or two, after which the rains commence, and continues for the same time. During summer many of the tribes from the interior visit the fort with furs, and always encamp in a small bay close to it, where they are protected. Disputes