Original - North Central Michigan College Library

The women were dirty,these people orderly and unoffending, and theyappeared to consider the whites as creatures ofa superior order, to whom everything is known.and very inattentiveto their whole persons, the head excepted,which they painted with red ocher, in defectof vermilion. Both themselves and their husbandsfor them were forward in seeking a looseintercourse with the Europeans. The formerappeared vain of solicitation, and havingfirst obtained the consent of their husbands,afterward communicated to them their success.The men, who no doubt thought withthe Cristinaux on this subject, 75 were the firstto speak in behalf of their wives; and were evenin the practice of carrying them to HudsonBay, a journey of many hundred miles, on noother errand.Having been fortunate enough to administermedical relief to one of these Indians duringtheir stay, I came to be considered as a physician,and found that this was a characterheld in high veneration. Their solicitude andcredulity as to drugs and nostrums had exposedthem to gross deceptions on the partof the agents of the Hudson's Bay Company.One of the chiefs informed me that he hadbeen at the Bay the year before, and there purchaseda quantity of medicines, which he wouldallow me to inspect. Accordingly, he brought75 See page 249. Author. Page 241 of this volume.Editor.314