pleted by a short pipe, which he has in his mouth
from morning till night. A Dutchman is not a greater
smoker than a French Canadian.

"The visage of the _Habitant_ is long and thin, his
complexion sunburnt and swarthy, and not unfrequently of
a darker hue than that of the Indian. His eyes, though
rather small, are dark and lively; his nose prominent,
and inclined to the aquiline or Roman form; his cheeks
lank and meagre; his lips small and thin; his chin sharp
and projecting."

[Footnote 26: Lambert, _Travels_, vol i. p. 158.]

In winter, rich and poor alike were wrapped in homespun blanket
_paletots_, whose vivid colours made a charming picture, as the
wayfarers trudged over the deep white snow-fields on their buoyant
snow-shoes, or coasted through the clear and bracing air on swift
toboggans. In the evening they flocked to a chosen _rendezvous_, where
a home-bred violinist tuned them through gay quadrilles; and anon the
lonely violin would be drowned in the lusty voices of the dancers, who
suited a folk-song to their steps--

"Malbrouck s'en va-t-en guerre,
Mironton, mironton, mirontaine;
Malbrouck s'en va-t-en guerre,
Ne sait quand reviendra.
Il reviendra z-a Paques
Ou a la Trinite.
La Trinite se passe,
Malbrouck ne revient pas."

Moreover, winter, the idle half of the year, was the season of social
visits; and in these courtesies the _habitants_ were assiduous.
Between Christmas and Ash Wednesday they strove, it would seem, to
fill themselves with gaiety against the coming grey season of Lent. An
unbidden throng of visitors would drive to a selected house, and sheer
bankruptcy would indeed have been the housewife's portion if this
welcome invasion had been wholly unexpected; but to meet such an
emergency cooked meats and pies stood ready upon her pantry shelves,
while _croquignoles_ and sweet pasties needed only a few moments in
the oven before a meal was ready. Thus during the days of snow they
went gaily from homestead to homestead, all being victimised in turn
by these "surprise parties." For _la haute noblesse_ also, the winter
season was the gayest of the year. Their quaint carrioles sped
jingling over the snow from one manor-house to another; here a
dinner-party, there a dance, and everywhere a frugal happiness.

[Illustration: A CARRIOLE]

[Illustration: VILLAGE OF BEAUPORT]

In _Les Anciens Canadiens_ De Gaspe portrays the life of