Page:Voyage of Discovery to the North Pacific Ocean, and Round the World in the Years 1791–95, volume 1.djvu/108

It would now remain tofav foniotliint^ of the liiiman fpccics, the inhabi- tants of this country ; Init as wc were not fo fortunate to procure an inter- view with any one of them, all ih;t run he advanced on this fubjetl muU be founrled on conje^urc or nearly fo, and confetjuently very liable to error : it may. however, not be unacceptable t<i Hate fuch circuin- ftances as, on the fpot. occurred to oiu" oblervation. The natives appeared to be a wandering people, who fometimes made their cxcurfions individually, at other times in confiderablc parties ; this was apparent by their habitations being found fmglc and alone, as well as compofmg tolerably large villages. Befides the ilh)":c I yifited, Mr. Brout{hton difcovered another about two miles dillant from it. of nearly the fame magnitude : but it appeared to be of a nuich later date, as all the huts had been recently built, and feemcd to have been ery lately inhabited. It was filuated in a fwamp, which might probably Iiave been preferred to a higher and firmer land for the coneniencc of water. One or two huts of a larger fize were here alfo obfervcd; the rell were prccifely of the fame de- fcription with thofe in the neighbourhood. The larger trees in the vicinity of both villages, had beei hollowed out by fire, fufficiently to afford the flielter thefe people feemed to require. Upon (loncs placed in the infide of thefe hollow trees fires had been made, which proved that they had been ufed as habitations, either for the inferior of the party, which would argue a further degree of fubordination amongfl them, or for thofe who were too indolent to build themfelves the wattled huts before de- fcribed. No one fpeeies of furniture or utenfil was difcovered in any of the houfes ; the only implements feen, were pieces of fiicks inten- ded as fpears, rudely wrought, and the operation of manual labour upon them but (lightly difcernible. The bark was ftripped oif, and the thick- eft end, after having been burnt in the fire, was fcraped and reduced to a blunt point, on one of which fome blood was found ftill adhering. Deftitute (as they feemed) of the ineans, and totally ignorant of every mode of embarkation, it is not Hkely that they place much dependence on marine produftions for their fubfiftence ; yet it was evident from the wears on the fhores, and from the mouths of the brooks near the villages being .V! 'ill i'i.