'793-
fliTcriLed. Here the party halted for the night, and at dny-Iiglit tlic next morning rotiirnrd. On the eaflcrn lide of this canal, near the head of a fnial! rivulet, they had noticed on the preceding evening a houfe of a very fingular conflruftion, but perceived no figns of its being inhabited. As they now advanced fome fmoke was obferved, and three Indians approached them with much caution, and fliewing great dil'ap- probation at their landing ; on receiving fome nails and trinkets they however became reconciled, and attended Mr. JohnUom- with fome of the gentlemen of his party to their iiabitations. I'lu fc were found to be of a dinbrent conllrnction from any they had before fecn : they were erefled on a platform fimilar to that leen in my late excurfion, and men- tioned as being railed and fupporicd near thirty feet from the ground by perpendicular fpars of a very large fize; the whole occupying a fpace of about thirty-five yards by fifteen, was covered in by a roof of boards lying nearly horizontal, and parallel to the platform; it feemed to be divided into three different houfes, or rather apartments, eacli having a feparatc accefs formed by a long tree in an inclined pofition from the platform to the ground, with notches cut in it by way of fteps, about a foot and a half al'under. Up one of thefc ladders Mr. Johnrtone, with one of his party only, was fuffered to afcend, and by removing a broad board placed as a kind of door on the platform where the ladder refted, they entered on a fmall area before the door of the houfe, or apartment to which the ladder belonged. Here they found four of the natives polled, each bearing a rude weapon made of iron, not unlike a dagger. They only permitted Mr. Johnflone to look about him, and feemed much averfe to his entering the houfe, which he prudently did not in- fill upon ; but fo far as he was able to obferve within doors, their inter- nal arrangements differed little or nothing from the domcftic ceconomy of the Indians already feen on North Weft America. The number of inhabitants feen at this curious place did not exceed a dozen or four- teen, but amongft them were neither women nor children. Mr. John- done difcovered from this that their landing had excited no fmall de- gree of alarm ; which greatly fubfided on their departure. Three very Imall canoes only were feen, and thefc feemed, from their conftruftion, capable 1 1 '
