ow the knee, made much too loose for
the figure, and strapped round the waist with a scarlet or crimson
worsted belt. A very coarse blue striped cotton shirt is all the
underclothing they wear, holding trousers to be quite superfluous; in
lieu of which they make leggins of various kinds of cloth, which reach
from a few inches above the knee down to the ankle. These leggins are
sometimes very tastefully decorated with bead-work, particularly those
of the women, and are provided with flaps or wings on either side.

The costume, however, is slightly varied in winter. The blanket or
cloth capote is then laid aside for one of smoked red-deer skin, which
has very much the appearance of chamois leather. This is lined with
flannel, or some other thick, warm substance, and edged with fur (more
for ornament, however, than warmth) of different kinds. Fingerless
mittens, with a place for the thumb, are also adopted; and shoes or
moccasins of the same soft material. The moccasins are very beautiful,
fitting the feet as tightly as a glove, and are tastefully ornamented
with dyed porcupine quills and silk thread of various colours, at which
work the women are particularly _au fait_. As the leather of the
moccasin is very thin [see note 1], blanket and flannel socks are worn
underneath--one, two, or even four pairs, according to the degree of
cold; and in proportion as these socks are increased in number, the
moccasin, of course, loses its elegant appearance.

The Indian women are not so good-looking as the men. They have an
awkward, slouching gait, and a downcast look--arising, probably, from
the rude treatment they experience from their husbands; for the North
American Indians, like all other savages, make complete drudges of their
women, obliging them to do all the laborious and dirty work, while they
reserve the pleasures of the chase for themselves. Their features are
sometimes good; but I never saw a really pretty woman among the Crees.
Their colour, as well as that of the men, is a dingy brown, which,
together with their extreme filthiness, renders them anything but
attractive. They are, however, quiet, sweet-tempered, and inoffensive
creatures, destitute as well of artificial manners as of _stays_. Their
dress is a gown, made without sleeves, and very scanty in the skirt, of
coarse blue or green cloth; it reaches down to a little under the knee,
below which their limbs are cased in leggins beautifully ornamented.
Th