KAH-GE-GA- GAH-BOWH. 35

Lake in the fall, and ascended the riverin canoes, above
Bellmont Lake. There were five families about to
humt with my father, on his grounds. The winter be-
gar to set in, and the river having frozen over, we left
the canoes, the dried venison, the beaver, and someflour
and pork; and when we had gone farther north, say about
sixty miles from the whites, for the purpose of hunting,
the snow fell for five days in succession to such a depth
that it was impossible to shoot or trap anything. Our
provisions were exhausted, and we had no means to
procure any more. Here we were. The snow about
five feet deep ; our wigwam buried ; the branches of the
trees falling around us, and cracking from the weight
of the snow.

Our mother boiled birch bark for my sister and my
self, that we might not starve. On the seventh day
some of them were so weak that they could not raise
themselves, and others could not stand alone. They
could only crawl in and out of the Wigwam. We
parched beaver skins and old moccasons for food. On
the ninth day none of the men were able to go abroad,
except my father and uncle. On the tenth day, still
being without food, those only who were able to walk
about the Wigwam were my father, my grand-mother,
my sister, and myself. O how distressing to see the
starving Indians lying about the Wigwam with hungry
and eager looks; the children would cry for something
to eat. My poor mother would heave bitter Sig/23 of
despair, the tears falling from her cheeks profusely as
she kissed us. VVood, though plenty, could not be ob-
tained, on account of the feebleness of our limbs.